"Mom...Dad...Hi," Laxmi began tentatively, fully aware that trouble was brewing. 

"Laxmi, you went to Atlanta? And you too, Leon?" their mother exclaimed. Leon tried to deflect the blame, "But Laxmi made me..." only to be interrupted by his sister, "WHAT?! You begged me to let you come along!"

At that moment, Freddy stepped in, "Don't be too hard on them. I should have declined their request, but they were really eager to go."

Mrs. Anderson heaved a sigh, "At least you're all safe. But you're definitely grounded! That means no parties and no visits to friends' houses for video games or anything else!"

Both siblings responded in unison, "Yes, ma'am," and dutifully headed to their rooms when their father dismissed them. 

"Freddy, we appreciate that you were with them," Mr. Anderson said once the siblings were out of earshot. 

Freddy nodded, "I understand, sir. But how did you know we had gone?" 

"We have trackers on our planes. When it showed a flight to Atlanta, we just knew it was you guys," Mrs. Anderson explained. Freddy nodded his understanding and took his leave, bringing the eventful day to a close.

Thursday

"Show up to my beach party on Saturday or you're a loser!" Claire announced, distributing flyers to everyone.

"Hold on, you're throwing a beach party, Claire?" Gwen asked incredulously. 

"Yep! I thought why not enjoy the last bit of warm weather before it turns chilly," Claire explained, handing Gwen and Laxmi flyers. "You girls are my best friends so you're obviously invited. Make sure to wear a sizzling swimsuit."

"I don't know if I can make it, I'm still grounded," Laxmi confessed. 

"But you have to find a way. We need you there, Lax," Claire insisted. Laxmi shrugged, "I can try to convince my parents." Gwen wished her luck, knowing it would be a tough sell.

Meanwhile, the boys were discussing the same event. "A beach party? In November?" Dan questioned, baffled. 

Eli shrugged, "Why not? Claire always has these beach parties. So, are you in?" 

"Sure, I'm off work on Saturday. Plus, I've never been to an LA beach," Dan replied. 

Eli grinned, "Can't wait for you to see it!" The end-of-summer party was shaping up to be an event to remember.

"Good morning, students. This is your principal speaking. I'd like to inform you that the nominees for the student achievement award will be announced in next week.  Following that, we'll be holding a debate election to decide who will represent us at the Student Achievement Conference in Chicago. Have a great day," the principal's voice echoed through the intercom.

Gwen turned to Laxmi as the announcement ended, "I don't know why they bother with nominations. We all know you're going to win, Lax."

"I know, right?" Laxmi laughed. However, their conversation was interrupted by Dan and Eli's arrival. 

"Not if I'm in the running," Dan countered confidently. 

"Oh, I forgot you existed, Dan!" Laxmi retorted, causing Eli to jump to his friend's defense.

"Dan's the smartest person I know. He's definitely getting into the conference," Eli said, earning a playful glare from Laxmi. 

"Eli, I did your math homework for two years straight!" she reminded him.

"Yeah, but now Dan does that," Eli shrugged. Gwen chimed in, "It's likely that the debate will be between Dan and Laxmi. You two are both incredibly smart."

Claire nodded in agreement, "Let's see who wins. This is going to be interesting."

"Don't worry, it'll be me," Dan asserted. Laxmi shot back, "You can't outdo the doer."

"That was so cringey," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "Eli, let's go. I can't stand to be around her for another minute." As he turned to leave, he added, "See you, Gwen and Claire. Laxmi, I couldn't care less about you. But I do hope to see you at the beach party."

"I hate him so much," Laxmi muttered once they were out of earshot. Gwen raised an eyebrow, "But wasn't he just being nice to you on the plane? You two have the most complicated relationship ever."

"It's the nature of being rivals. Let's go," Laxmi said, leading the way.

Gwen's urgent text flashed on Laxmi's screen, "Call me ASAP!!" With a sigh, Laxmi dialed her friend. "What's up, Gwen?" she asked, hearing Gwen's labored breathing on the other end. 

"I don't know what to wear to the beach party!" Gwen exclaimed. Laxmi rolled her eyes, "Really? It's a beach party, Gwen. Just wear a swimsuit."

"No, I need to look good! I need to make the boys drool and the girls jealous," Gwen insisted. Laxmi couldn't help but laugh, "I hate you."

"You love me," Gwen retorted. "Anyway, you're no help. I bet you don't even know what you're wearing."

"I haven't even asked my parents yet," Laxmi confessed. Gwen implored her to hurry up and ask, and to text her the response. With that, they ended the call. Laxmi took a deep breath, "Here goes nothing," she thought, heading downstairs to find her parents.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," she greeted, finding them in their office. "Hey sweetheart, you need something?" her father asked. Laxmi launched into her plea, "I know I'm grounded, but I've been helping out a lot around the house. So I was wondering, could I go to this beach party?"

Her mother cut her off, "Laxmi, you're grounded. We said no parties."

Laxmi persisted, "I understand, but my friends really want me there and I promise I'll do anything to make it up."

"Anything?" her parents echoed. "Yes, anything," Laxmi confirmed. Her mother proposed a deal, "Alright, we want you to work at the office during the holiday break."

"Seriously?" Laxmi asked, taken aback. "Yes, if you want to go to this beach party, you'll have to work with us and join us when we meet with clients," her mother explained. 

"We're preparing you for the future when you take over the company," her father added, sipping his tea. In reality, Laxmi had no desire to run the law firm. She hadn't decided on her future path, but it had always been predetermined due to her intelligence. Regardless, she agreed to her parents' terms. 

"Okay, I'll do it," she conceded. "Great! Have fun at the beach party," her mother said. Laxmi left the room, texting Gwen that she'd pick her up at 5. 

Now, she was faced with Gwen's dilemma, "What should I wear?" she wondered.

"Which beach is the party at?" Laxmi inquired as they hit the road. 

"I think it's Santa Monica," Gwen replied, keeping her eyes on the traffic. "So what convinced your parents to let you go?" 

"They want me to work at the office over the holiday break," Laxmi sighed. "That's not too bad. But they're using it as a way to prepare me for taking over the company someday. You know how I feel about that." 

Gwen nodded, choosing to remain silent for a moment before asking, "Have you ever told them how you feel?" 

"No, they wouldn't care anyway. With Levi in the army and Leon still too young, they're expecting me to run the business. Maybe it's the right path for me. I don't even know what I want to do after high school, so it could be my future," Laxmi admitted. The rest of the drive was filled with silence until they reached the beach.

At the Beach Party

"I never thought a beach party could be this fun," Dan admitted, soaking in the energetic atmosphere. 

"Claire knows how to throw a good one," Eli agreed. Suddenly, Garret approached them, "Hey, Dan!" 

"Garret! Long time no see, since Chapter 1, right?" Dan replied, laughing. 

"Yeah, the author decided she wanted Eli to be your best friend, not me. But no big deal," Garret shrugged, eliciting a 'cool' from Dan. The conversation quickly fizzled out, leaving Dan bored. "Now I see why the author chose Eli over Garret," he thought to himself. 

"Well, I should get going," Garret announced, leaving Dan with Eli. "That was dreadfully boring," Eli commented, to which Dan agreed. 

Suddenly, Gwen and Laxmi made their entrance, "Wassup, bitches," Gwen greeted, flaunting their swimsuits. 

"You both look amazing," Claire complimented. 

"Thanks, Claire," Laxmi responded. Eli and Dan also threw in their compliments, to which Gwen responded by inviting Eli to dance. Eli declined, leading to Gwen dragging him off to bury him in the sand. 

Watching them, Dan commented, "I can't decide if I want to ship them together or wish they'd stop hanging out." 

"I don't know. They've always had this kind of relationship. Gwen likes Eli, but I'm not sure about Eli's feelings. Maybe something will happen," Laxmi speculated. 

"Like between you and me," Dan retorted, winking. Laxmi rolled her eyes, "Please. I wouldn't date you even if you were the last boy on the planet." 

"Likewise, Ice. This conversation is boring me, I need a drink. Bye," Dan walked away, leaving Laxmi alone. 

"I swear, I hate that guy more and more each day," she muttered to herself.

"I was one of the people in the school news back in freshman year," Chance confessed. 

"Hmm, I wonder why I don't remember you," Laxmi mused. 

"I tend to be pretty shy and keep to myself," Chance admitted. 

"Why's that?" Laxmi asked. 

"I suppose I've always felt like nobody really likes me or wants me around. I've had a toxic past with an old friend," Chance shared. 

"Well, whatever happened in the past doesn't matter now. People do like you and want to be your friend. You're cool, Chas...Chance," Laxmi reassured him. 

Chance blushed at her compliment, "You're pretty cool yourself, Laxmi. Anyway, I need to get home. See you at school." With that, he left, leaving Laxmi musing, "He's actually pretty cool."

In the distance, Laxmi noticed Dan sitting alone, gazing at the sunset. She decided to join him. 

"Are we about to have the iconic Conrad and Belly scene?" Laxmi joked as she approached. 

"You wish. The difference between us and them is that I couldn't care less about you or your safety," Dan retorted. 

"Likewise, Rosewood," Laxmi shot back, settling next to him. They admired the sunset in silence until Dan broke it, "You know, I do actually care about you. More than you know."

Laxmi was taken aback but before she could respond, Dan added, "This isn't a love confession. I'd rather die than date you." 

"All right, way to ruin the moment," Laxmi scoffed. After a quiet moment, Dan commented, "You're really pretty, you know. Pity about your attitude."

"Look who's talking. A handsome guy with a terrible attitude," Laxmi shot back. 

Dan suddenly looked into her eyes, "You know, I never realized your eyes were so bright." 

"Really? You've been calling me 'ice' and 'icy' since we met," Laxmi responded, bewildered. 

"Yeah, but that was about your personality. This is the first time I'm really looking into your eyes," Dan clarified, only to ruin the moment again by adding, "Too bad you're still ugly."

"You just called me pretty!" Laxmi protested. 

"You're both," Dan said, smirking. Fed up, Laxmi got up to leave but was stopped by Dan's voice, "Hey, Ice."

"What?" Laxmi turned around, blushing.

"You're really beautiful, Laxmi." Laxmi was at a loss for words, "T-Thank you. Bye," she stuttered, leaving in a rush. "I definitely like her," Dan thought, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Finally, I found you!" Dan turned to see his ex-girlfriend, Sara. 

"Sara, what are you doing here? And how did you find me?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Your location! I still have it," Sara revealed. 

"I should've turned it off when we broke up," Dan muttered. 

"But you didn't. Now, we need to talk," Sara insisted. 

"About?" Dan asked, apprehensive.

"Your case in New York. Things aren't looking good with your mom and your sister," Sara said, casting a shadow over the evening.

Hope you enjoyed!💗 Also I have my other story called The Sarrington’s it connects to this story!