Free South beach by Aimee Friedman Page B

last thing she needed right now.
    "Yeah, baby," Red Sox boy went on, as if she hadn't said anything. "I can make your night a whole lot better."
    Boy attention. Holly had wanted boy attention, but not this kind. She shoved him away as forcefully as she could. Fortunately, he was so drunk he stumbled off the curb and wobbled away, but not before yelling, "Good luck scoring tonight!" back at her.
    Hot tears pricked at Holly's eyes. She turned to face the beach across the street, telling herself not to cry. God, she missed her friends. She'd give anything for Meghan or Jess to be here. They wouldn't have even wanted to go to a place like Ohio's. They'd decide to go back to the motel room, where they'd stay up late eating junk food and talking.
    But I can't go back to the Flamingo, Holly thought
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    miserably. Alexa has the only key to our room. The full reality of the situation hit her, and she almost started crying all over again. I'm stranded in South Beach.
    "Can I get you another drink?"
    A short, muscular boy with a blond buzz cut, wearing a white polo shirt, leered at Alexa. She'd been hanging out at the bar, sipping a dirty martini, when he'd loped over to her. Thomas, Aaron, and the others stood nearby, fighting for a bartender's attention.
    Buzz-cut boy practically screamed "Delta Gamma Phi," Alexa thought as she sized him up, but he wasn't terrible. And she could get a free drink out of him. What was so bad about that? The sangria at dinner, combined with the martini she had now, made her feel warm and open to anything.
    "Sure," Alexa said, taking another sip of her drink. "How about a Cuba Libre?"
    "What's that?" the frat boy asked.
    Alexa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It's a rum drink," she said.
    "Rock on," the boy said, reaching for his wallet. "I'm Colby." Then he leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. "And you're beautiful," he breathed.
    Hmm, Alexa thought. Colby was so not her type, but it looked like the night was getting interesting.
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    As Colby tried to flag down one of the bartenders, Alexa turned around to see Thomas and the others making their way toward her.
    "This place rules," Thomas commented.
    "We told you guys!" Kaitlin said, grinning at Alexa. "Are you having fun yet?"
    Wait, Alexa thought, as she studied the crew around her. Thomas, Aaron, Kaitlin, Daisy, Jonathan ...
    "Where's Holly?" Alexa asked.
    The other kids looked at one another, shrugging.
    "She was with us outside." Daisy pointed to the door. Then her eyes grew wide. "Oh, no, do you think she couldn't get in?"
    Why would Holly not get in? Alexa wondered. She looks good -- I made sure of that. But then she flashed back to their conversation on the airplane that morning. Holly must not have had a fake ID, Alexa realized. She'd probably tried to get in without showing any ID or worse, by showing her real one. Alexa pictured Holly, scared and alone outside the bar. She had to rescue her.
    "I'll be right back," Alexa said, finishing her drink. She waved to Colby, but his back was to her, so she dashed off. Whatever. Either she'd meet up with him when she got back, or she'd find another frat boy. They were a dime a dozen in here.
    Alexa elbowed her way outside. The cool, salty air
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    felt soothing against her sweaty skin. There were even more people gathered outside the bar now, but Alexa saw Holly right away. She was standing on the corner, looking dangerously close to tears.
    "Holly!" Alexa cried, hurrying over. "I'm sorry we went in without you!" Impulsively, she flung her arms around her old friend.
    Holly took a big step back, not ready to be hugging Alexa anytime soon. What was up with Alexa acting like they were pals, especially after she'd abandoned her outside? As far as Holly was concerned, this night was over.
    "Can you give me the key?" Holly asked, her lips quivering. "I'm going back to the motel."
    "Are you nuts?" Alexa said. "It's our first night of spring break! You can't go to bed early."
    "Well, I can't go in