We walk past the red, white, and blue ticket booth and step under the arched sign that reads BOARDWALK in huge red letters. I’m glad this isn’t the same entrance I came in with Roman. This is different. A fresh start.

Xander leads me toward a pirate ship ride that’s flying through the air with the ocean at its back and past the haunted house with creepy gargoyles sitting above the door that remind me of the vamps from 30 Days of Night. I always particularly hated those ones. We move past a pale yellow gift shop and then a sea-green snack shack until we’re standing at a wide expanse of beach.

Whereas the ocean is uniform and endless, the beach is scattered and confined. Every shade of every color pops against the sand like a spilled bag of mixed candies.

Xander lets go of my hand and wraps an arm across my shoulders, pulling me farther down to where stairs lead to the beach. I trudge along in my boots, knowing I’ll never get the sand out of them but not really caring. We weave between families under striped umbrellas and sandcastles already falling to pieces. My chest aches a little from all the laughter and smiles. I like being here with Xander’s warm arm around me, but the beach feels like a place for families.

But then Xander stops and shields his eyes as he glances around. “There they are.”

Amid the color, Reina raises a hand toward us. Her glossy peach one-piece swimsuit glints in the sun like a polished shell. Aristelle and Diantha sit with her on a blue blanket spread across the dips in the sand, giving it the appearance of waves on the shore.

Aristelle’s eyes narrow on Xander’s arm around my shoulders, and her lips turn down, but the expression is gone just as fast. She opens the cooler and waves at the inside. “We made the mistake of letting the twins go into the store by themselves to get drinks, so we’ve got orange cream soda or orange cream soda.” She smiles, and there’s no burning condescension behind it, like the ocean has dampened her usual flames. I can’t tell if it’s real or fake, but I want to believe it, so I do.

“Good thing I like orange soda, then,” I answer.

She hands Xander and me each a bottle before taking a swig of her drink. I pop the lid off my own, and it foams like the ocean.

Xander sits on the other side of me. Diantha and Reina spread out on a towel behind us. Diantha leans forward and points out the twins playing tag in the waves.

We all laugh as one of them slips and the other stands, waiting for her to brush the sand from her bottom, out of sync for once in their lives.

“Which one fell?” I ask.