It was a hot, sticky, summer day. The calendar marked July 31, 2015 the day that my best friend and I went to the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey. The sun gleamed brightly in the light blue sky, like a big, yellow spotlight. The car ride seemed to trudge on forever, while on the outside, the trees and houses and cars strolled along.   

“Are we almost there?” Marti exclaimed for like the 100th time, her jet black hair shining bright due to the sunlight.        

Annoyed, I muttered “Yes, we’re almost there”
  “How soon?”
  “Soon enough.”

As the car drove on, I started to get more and more exhausted, because Marti and I stayed up all night. We’ve been on the road for almost three hours, and sleep was tugging at my eyelids, begging for me to close my eyes and drift away into a land of peaceful tranquility. As I looked over at Marti, I noticed that she must’ve felt the same way. With her backpack snuggled up against her, she slept. Her long, pin straight hair fell over her face like a blanket, preparing her for a peaceful sleep. So finally, I did the same.

When I woke up about an hour later, I was so happy. We were finally here! As I opened the car door, a bunch of smells cascaded my nose, like a warm welcome. The salty, yet sweet smell of the ocean air, the delicious scent of funnel cake and fries from the boardwalk,and the fresh, tangy smell of suntan lotion made me feel at ease. I looked over at my mom and Marti, and their looks of excitement and happiness made me even happier. Marti smiled, her tiny features coming together like a puzzle. She is so small, that the ocean could take her right with it in a heartbeat. Then, there was my mom. With her beach bag in hand, her blondish brown hair was swept away by the wind. And her bright green eyes seemed to twinkle in the sunlight. I could just tell that these 11 hours were going to be the best of my life. Ehh, it was something like that.

The sun shone brightly, like a big bowl of assorted fruit. My hair blew gently with the wind, like a song. As I looked at all of the people around us on the boardwalk, everybody just seemed so happy.

Teenage boys rode around on bikes and skateboards. Families with children walked around, creating memories that they would cherish in their hearts forever.

Marti’s deep brown eyes lit up underneath of her glasses like a christmas tree as she gawked over a boy that was most likely our age.

“Ew” I protested, putting my finger to my mouth, pretending to throw up. As we walked along, I just felt so happy. Being here with my mom and best friend, What could go wrong?

“Ooh, Hennas! Let’s get them” Marti gasped, a twinkle of excitement gleaming in her eyes.

“Yes, definitely!” 

After we had gotten our Hennas, we walked along the boardwalk, the sun beating down on us as our feet crunched over an occasional fry or two.

“Let’s take pictures! I never want to forget this moment.”

After we took a few pictures on the boardwalk, we headed to the water. I could just smell the saltiness of the air, as it brushed through my hair. As we were walking to the water, I slid my sandals off. The sand was so hot that it burned my feet. But I didn’t mind. I continued to walk on it, stepping on a shell here and there.

As we arrived, I ran to the ocean water, wishing that I could give it a huge hug. Marti and I ran into the ocean, tripping and splashing about, acting like we were five. But we didn’t care. The water felt cold and fresh, and acted like an exfoliator against my skin. One thing that  we loved to do was to wait until there was a really big wave, then on the count of three, go under. The force of the water was so powerful, that it pushed us back to the surface. It was so fun. 

“Three! Two! One!” was all that we said for almost an hour. I never wanted to stop. I was so happy that my best friend was happy, and I could tell by the smile on my mom’s face, that she was happy, too.

Afterwards, we rented an umbrella and chair, and just relaxed on the beach. As I was laying on my beach towel, I grabbed handfuls of sand,  and let the tiny little specks slide through my fingers. It was very satisfying. A smile spread across my face as I looked over at Marti, as she was taking selfie after selfie, trying to take the perfect picture. I chuckled as I thought of what she would caption the picture when she posts it to Instagram.

“Beach with my best friend” or something classic, like “Salty air, sun kissed hair.” This day was perfect.
After almost two hours of laying on the beach, I wanted to do something. There was a nice looking rollercoaster in eyeview, and I immediately wanted to try it. It was tall, with two loops, one towards the beginning, and one towards the end.  When I mentioned the idea to Marti, she shook her head no, fear crossing her face.

“C’mon, please?”
Dom, no! I’m terrified of rollercoasters!”
“Quit being a chicken! I brought you to the beach, and this is the least that you can do?”
“Dom, I’m not doing it.”

This went on for a good twenty minutes, and I was starting to get annoyed.

Why can’t she quit being a freaking baby? I thought as I tugged on strands of my hair, which were the perfect curls, because of the salty sea water. Then, finally, she gave in. I smiled, and gave her a hug. Her face was mad, but she can’t stay mad at me. I know it.

Marti’s POV
As we were standing in line, I was starting to have second thoughts. I don’t understand why I do these things. I’m so scared, but i’m trying to be strong for Dom. But I really, really, don’t wanna do this. The sense of panic is rising in my throat. Oh no, here we go…

I love roller coasters. I don’t understand why Marti is such a whiny baby. As we boarded on, I see that Marti is afraid.

“It’s okay!” I assure her. As we start to move, Marti seems fine. But then comes the first drop, and her facial expression is like a deer in the headlights. It was priceless! As we go down the drop, my stomach feels like it’s rising up to my throat. Adrenaline. I love the feeling. As i’m laughing and having a good time, Crybaby next to me is having a mental breakdown. She grabs my hand and squeezes it tight as the coaster hits a sharp turn. As I went to put my hands up in the air, she pulls them back down.

“NO, HOLD ME!”
“Scream, it helps if you’re scared!”
  So she screamed, and  I screamed right along with her, so she wouldn’t be as scared.

After that, we headed back to the boardwalk. Marti would not stop talking about how she got on a rollercoaster, considering that that was her first time ever being on one. The sky was toned a cotton candy pink, the blazing sun started to nestle behind the clouds, soon to be setting. We stopped at a restaurant for a bite to eat. Marti, my mom and I got a cheesesteak and fries. It was so good. I saved a small piece of a fry for the seagulls. I threw it over the boardwalk, and it landed softly in the sand. Then suddenly, one turned to five, three turned to ten, fifteen turned to twenty. Pretty soon, hundreds of seagulls came out of nowhere, all for one little fry. I ran away, laughing.
To end it all, I got a penny board, and Marti and I both got lokai bracelets and matching sweatshirts.

“Girls, before we leave, i’m going to go use the restroom. If you have to go, go now. It’s going to be a long ride.”
“Okay” neither Marti nor I had to go. So we just sat on the bench and waited, happy with today’s outcome. When my mom came back, she went to get the car. As we waited for her to get the car, I noticed a black cat lying under the opening under the boardwalk. I thought for sure it was dead, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when it moved, as if it was telling me,

“Yes, i’m okay, thanks for wondering.”

As I turned around, panic instantly settled in my heart. I took a good look at everyone in the crowd. I felt like I was going to throw up. My eyes started to burn, tears forming in my eyes. I started to tremble, even though it was hot. I then fully burst into tears, not knowing what to do. Marti was gone….