South Beach by Aimee Friedman

Author:Aimee Friedman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

I’m miserable, Holly thought as she stood in the Rose Bar, having failed at her attempt to order a drink. When she’d managed to flag down a bartender, she had hesitated, then ordered an apple martini, which was what she’d overheard the girls beside her order. But the bartender had asked to see Holly’s ID, promptly ending their exchange. Ian had offered to buy Holly a drink—he looked old enough that nobody thought to card him—but Holly had refused. She’d read in Cosmo Girl that boys expected something from you if they bought you alcohol. And Holly did not want to go down that road with, of all people, Diego’s friend.

But why did talking to Diego feel so lackluster? Holly wondered as she stood there, drinkless and boyless. She watched as Ian chatted up a girl at the other end of the bar; he seemed to have no problem making conversation. Holly remembered her awkward silences with Alexa on the plane ride to Miami. It’s me, she thought. I must be socially inept.

“Why so blue, Holly?”

Holly turned to see Aaron standing very close. He smiled, his aquamarine eyes boring into her.

Holly looked around. Thomas, Kaitlin, Daisy, and Jonathan were nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, I’m not blue,” Holly lied, annoyed that Aaron had cornered her.

“Promise?” he asked “Are you okay? I mean, I feel like you’ve been avoiding me or something.”

“That’s because I am avoiding you,” Holly retorted. She paused, startled by her own response. Maybe it was her frustration both over being carded and the way things were going with Diego, but suddenly she felt a lot more gutsy than usual.

Aaron looked surprised, but he didn’t back down. “Well, maybe we could hang out sometime,” he continued. “You seem like a really special girl.”

That rattled Holly for a minute. Aaron was definitely adorable and he did seem kind of into her. Perhaps she was being foolish, pining for Diego, when another guy was willing and available.

Then Holly remembered being with Diego that morning—the easy way they’d laughed over their memories. And the tantalizing, unspoken promise that more memories were waiting to be made. Holly couldn’t just throw that promise away. It was for Diego that she’d come to Miami in the first place. Not Aaron.

“Someone’s waiting for me,” Holly told Aaron. She stepped around him, and walked back into the lobby with a burst of determination. This time, she wasn’t going to make lame small talk. She was going to walk right up to Diego…and kiss him. That would certainly loosen things up, she decided boldly.

But, as Holly scanned all the fabulous people milling about, she couldn’t spot Diego. Maybe he’d gone outside. Alexa wasn’t around, either, but Holly figured she was off somewhere with the other Flamingo kids.

Not wanting to lose her nerve, Holly hurried out the double doors into the back garden. The night air was thick with moisture. There were ominous sounds of thunder overhead and the palm trees were swaying wildly in a gathering wind. Holly cut across the lawn, threading past couples snuggling in hammocks.

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