I could see Joyce and the others partying at club Ocean from my seat on the balcony if I squinted hard enough. Literally. 

Club Ocean had, apparently, opened its doors three weeks ago in the same street our parents' holiday apartment was located in. 

Joyce, Paisley, Skye and the guys all thought it was amazingly convenient. For me, it meant calmly reading a book wasn't going to be in the stars this holiday. At least not during the evening. 

I could've put on headphones and tried to read anyway, but the masses of people passing below our apartment caught my attention. I found myself staring down at the crowd, searching for Ty. I scanned the area, seeing guys stalking down the street in packs, and laughing pairs of girls with their arms hooked together. 

Watching them have fun made me not want to read and imagine. It made me want to be part of it in real life. But my friends were miles away in another country -- and even if they were here, they were not the kind of people who'd want to go to a club with me. 

The idea had struck me several times, even before stepping on the plane: nobody knew me here at the Spanish coast. What did it matter if I couldn't dance or didn't think I fit in at clubs? 

What if I just went down there? I was merely a stranger people would forget after the holidays. It was the perfect moment to try it out. Plus, if I ended up feeling awkward, it'd be easy to run back upstairs. And I didn't need to talk to anyone -- I just wanted to walk around downstairs. 

I was here anyway and I was relatively anonymous. Why not?

With a quick glance in the mirror I decided my looks would have to do. I wasn't about to wear a short skirt and sexy sleeveless top like I saw the other girls wear. I couldn't pull that off with my paleness, and it's not like I even owned clothes like that.

Light jeans and a simple black t-shirt it was.

My heart was in my throat as a locked the apartment door behind me, descended the stairs, and stepped out in the streets.

Okay, nobody was watching. Nobody was paying attention to me, except a few curious people glancing at the girl who just stepped out of the apartment complex.

"Char! Char!" 

Joyce suddenly popped up in front of me out of nowhere (she must've been hidden in the crowd), a huge smile playing on her lips. Her pupils were wide. She clearly had a few drinks already.

"What are you doing downstairs?" 

I shrugged. "Oh, I just wanted to see what the party was all about." 

"You're coming with me to club Ocean?" Joyce exaggeratedly gasped. "Never thought I'd see the day. Wait-- I need-- need to go upstairs first." Her nose wrinkled. "Stupid period, why now? I wanted a summer fling. Now I can't do shit with anyone for at least four days, you know. Do you have a key?"

"Sucks, Joyce," I expressed my sympathy, handing her my key to the apartment. It's not like I could add more. I didn't have any expertise in the area of one night stands.

Joyce took the key from my hand and held it up. "Thanks," she replied, stretching the word as she opened the door to our apartment complex. "Wait here, be right back." 

"Sure. I won't be going anywhere," I muttered to the already closed door. 

Okay, this was stupidly awkward. Just standing there and doing nothing. 

I crossed my arms and did the only thing I could: I looked around some more. Every now and then, I saw a guy going up to a girl or group of girls with varying rates of success. 

Nobody came up to me. Eyes just glided right past me. I shouldn't be surprised. I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion, but still, I noticed.

Joyce returned a few moments later. "Ready!" she announced all chipper, before grabbing me by the arm. "Let's go!" 

Being tipsy seemed to turn Joyce back into herself when she wasn't around her posh friends. She suddenly was willing to have me around again, rather than pushing me out of the way. She even held my hand as we walked (well, in Joyce's case more like skipped) to Club Ocean. 

As we got closer and the music grew louder, I saw Paisley, Skye, and Logan standing outside with a few guys I didn't recognise and-- 

My heart skipped a beat. 

The guy from earlier this afternoon, Ty. 

"Hey! Is that your girlfriend?" one of the strangers greeted us, nodding at the way Joyce held my hand. 

Joyce laughed and let go of me. "No, silly! This is my sister, Charmeine." 

"Ooh, okay, gotcha." The guy nodded at Joyce and took a drag of his cigarette. "Makes sense. If you were a lesbian, you'd definitely go for someone hotter than that." 

Paisley, Logan and some of the strangers laughed, while Skye slapped a hand in front of her mouth and giggled. Joyce slapped the guy's arm. 

"Lance! That's rude!" she chastised him, but it's not like she was disagreeing or anything.

Now the eyes went to me, to see if I had a snarky reply for Lance. But all I had were a sinking stomach and flushed cheeks in embarrassment. I forced myself to vaguely smile, not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing any sort of impact. 

I didn't respond in an interesting way. They promptly lost interest in me and chatted on about Club Ocean. I was sure Lance had already forgotten his remark, but it still echoed in my head. 

Should've just stayed in the apartment. 

There was a reason why I hated sun holidays and never went out to clubs. 

I didn't even dare to look at Ty. I was already trying hard enough to keep the tears out of my eyes and if he was grinning too, I probably couldn't hold them in.

"Hey, Char, we're going inside." Joyce touched my arm. "Are you coming, too?" 

Joyce was the only one really waiting for me. 

Skye and Paisley had already turned their back and were half-way inside, Lance was staring off in the distance smoking. Ty was standing to the side, talking to a girl who was about to enter the club because that was kind of his job. 

"No, I don't think so." I shook my head. "Can I have my key back? I'm going to the apartment." 

"Oh... Well, okay, if that's what you want," Joyce said. Her eyes hesitantly darted to the club and back to me. After a few seconds she handed me the key with a quick 'be safe' and hurried after Paisley and Skye. 

I breathed out shakily. 

Well, I was instantly cured from wanting to go outside and meeting people in Spain. Never mind about that - books with headphones on it was. 

I started walking, but after only a few steps, a guy called after me.

"Hey, Charmaine! Wait up!"

When I stopped and turned, I saw Ty jogging my way, trying his best to keep a cocktail glass from spilling its contents as he went. 

"You alright?" he asked once he'd came to a halt in front of me. His brow furrowed. "Lance is an ass, don't let him ruin your evening, alright? Here, have a free drink on the house."

"No, that's okay, honestly," I declined, averting my gaze to the pavement below me. 

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm just gonna head back to the apartment." 

I gestured vaguely in the direction of my parents' apartment. 

"It's a little while up ahead, yes?" Ty asked. "Joyce mentioned you guys' place was really close to here. You're lucky." 

Right, lucky. I'd get to hear the noise every night and get reminded of that asshole. 

"Why don't we sit for a moment first, though?" Ty broke the silence again. He lowered himself on a nearby bench, and patted the seat next to him. "Come on, I don't want you to go home sad." 

I wanted to decline. But when Ty smiled at me, he nearly made me melt in a puddle despite everything. 

I did as he asked and sat down. 

"Look, I'm going to be blunt," he said, glancing at me. "I don't think this is your scene. Clubs, sun holidays."

So, in essence Ty thought the same Lance did, except he was nicer about it. I should've known. 

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, hanging my head. "You got that right."

"No, I didn't mean that bad. You're more like..." Ty gave me a once-over. "A classy girl who would look great in a ballroom dress. Or a pretty girl-next-door." 

A nervous, disbelieving chuckle left my lips, and Ty smiled. 

"No, really," he asserted. "Just... wait, watch this." 

Ty gently nudged my shoulder and pointed ahead.

I looked at where he was pointing and there was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. If Paisley and Joyce were like stars, this girl was the sun. Not in the last place because of the sheer... the sheer fierceness in her dark eyes. She was tall with long, tanned legs and wearing the same short skirt and tank top I'd seen many girls here wear. 

She was definitely not one in dozen however. She stood out, and that wasn't just because of her height nor the high ponytail she'd tied her dark brown hair in.

"Hey," a guy with heavily gelled hair approached the girl. "What's your name?" 

"It's fuck off," the girl sneered with exactly the kind of intensity I'd expected from her given her looks. 

With one last disdainful once-over, the girl click-clacked away on her heels. 

"Whore," the guy muttered under his breath.

Obviously I couldn't hear him over the music, but I knew what he was saying from the way his lips moved. Two seconds later, he was going up to another girl. 

"See? That's what I mean," Ty told me. "He got rejected pretty hard there, but he's already smiling again. It's kind of the way things go here. Quickly changing." Ty shrugged. "So, if you're planning on going out here, don't take Lance too seriously. He probably already forgot what he said anyway. And otherwise... just find something you enjoy, yeah?" 

I mustered up a weak smile for Ty. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Anything for a pretty girl." He patted my shoulder with a playful wink, then left my side.