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The waves crashed gently against the shore, sending tiny droplets into the air. The sea was a deep blue and shimmered under the sunlight. Palm trees swayed slowly in the breeze, and the golden sand was warm and soft. Shells and bits of seaweed were scattered along the shore. The beach was calm and quiet, with only the sound of the ocean and the rustling of palm leaves. It was truly a sight to behold.
“Oh my God!” Star said with joy, running toward the shore. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to the beach!” she pointed at the ocean, her eyes wide with excitement. “I forgot just how beautiful it is!”
“Star!” Marco called from behind as he rushed to catch up with the blonde girl. “You need to be careful,” he said with concern, gently pulling her back a little. “The waves are really strong around this time of day.”
The former princess looked over at her boyfriend, a teasing smile on her face. “Oh, Marco,” she said with a laugh, gently poking his arm. “You never stop worrying, do you?”
Hearing that, the brunette boy grew a little shy, his eyes dropping to the golden sand at his feet. “I wouldn’t put it like that,” he said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just... want you to be safe, that’s all.”
“Aww!” Star cooed, pulling her boyfriend into a tight hug. “You care!”
“Of course I do.” Marco said with a small huff, returning the hug.
After a few moments, the boy spoke up again, his voice a little hoarse. “Uh… Star, you’re kind of suffocating me.”
At that, the blonde girl blinked then quickly let go of her boyfriend. “Oops... my bad.” she said with a sheepish smile. “I just can’t help it! I love you too much!”
“I know,” Marco replied, gently taking Star’s hand into his. “I love you too.”
At his words, the former princess lit up before turning to look at the blue sea ahead, prompting Marco to follow her gaze. They both stared at the clear water in comfortable silence for a while, until Star broke it.
“It’s really pretty.” she said softly. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew her hair into her eyes. She scrunched her face a little in discomfort, then raised her free hand and gently tucked the strands behind her ear, trying to keep them out of her face.
“Yeah, I couldn’t agree more.” Marco responded. However, his gaze was no longer fixed on the sea but on his lover.
Star looked back at him and noticed the loving expression on his face. She let out a soft giggle. “Aww, Marco!”
“What?” the boy said with a casual shrug. “I’m just telling the truth.” he added fondly.
At her boyfriend’s words, a smile slowly spread across Star’s lips as her blue eyes met his deep brown ones. They leaned in closer, about to kiss, when suddenly a familiar voice broke them apart. “Ahem!” Janna said dramatically. “The umbrella isn’t going to set itself up, you know!”
Star and Marco glanced at each other, then at Janna, sharing an awkward laugh as they walked over to her.
“Sorry, Janna,” Star apologized. “Here, let me help you.”
Rolling her eyes, Janna reluctantly accepted Star’s help. “You’d better be sorry,” she said sarcastically. “It was honestly disgusting watching you two act all lovey-dovey!”
“Hehe... sorry again...” the former princess said.
After a short while spent setting up the umbrella, beach chairs, and towels, the group of friends decided to sit down and relax. Well… at least, that’s what Janna had hoped would happen.
“All right, kiddos,” the black-haired girl said as she sat down in a beach chair. “You go have fun. I’ll keep watch from here!”
“Don’t you want to go in the water?” Marco asked, gesturing toward the sea.
“Nah, I’m good!” Janna replied casually, waving a dismissive hand at the couple. “I’m just going to read—”
However, before she could finish her sentence, a pair of arms quickly lifted her up and carried her to the sea, then tossed her into the cold water, making her let out a loud yelp.
“Haha!” Tom laughed loudly, a proud smile spreading across his face. “You should’ve seen your face when I dropped you!” he said, amusement shining in his eyes as he playfully pointed at Janna, who was brushing her wet bangs out of her eyes with an annoyed expression. “Absolutely priceless—”
The demon’s sentence was suddenly cut short as the dark-haired girl reached up, grabbed one of his horns, and pulled him under the water.
“Mpft—” were his last words before the stinging saltwater filled his lungs. With a quick motion, the demon prince pulled himself out of the water, rubbing his eyes as he muttered in irritation, “I hate you so much.”
“The feeling’s mutual, hun.” Janna shot back with a sarcastic smile.
“Hun?” the young man said, his expression shifting from surprise to smugness. “I didn’t know I was your hun!”
At his words, a faint blush appeared on the girl’s cheeks. “I was being sarcastic!” she snapped, quickly turning around and heading toward the shoreline
“Wait for your hun, Janna!” Tom exclaimed teasingly, trailing after his girlfriend.
“Shut up!” Janna shouted, covering her ears in an attempt to block out the demon’s voice.
Star and Marco watched the pair, exchanging knowing glances. “And here I thought we were the sappy ones.” Star said, lifting a hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle.
“Yeah, me too,” Marco agreed with a chuckle. “They might just beat us!”
When Tom and Janna rejoined Star and Marco, the dark-haired girl shot them a sharp look. “We heard that.” she hissed, grabbing a towel and briskly drying her damp hair.
“Oops...” the former princess whispered, nudging the brunette boy with her elbow.
It took Marco a moment to catch on, but he eventually responded, “Uh… yeah, oops.”
The black-haired girl scowled at them before turning back to drying the saltwater from her body.
Tom decided not to bother with a towel. Instead, he used his fire powers to quickly dry the water off his skin and trunks. “Good as new!” he said happily, feeling proud of himself. Just then, Janna punched him on the arm. Tom winced and held his forearm, surprised. “Ow! What was that for?” he looked over at his girlfriend, who had innocently sat down in a beach chair.
“Your face annoyed me.” she said with a casual shrug, adjusting the umbrella to shade herself completely.
“Right.” the demon replied dryly, turning his attention to Marco.
As Tom launched into a dramatic rant to Marco about the daily torment he endured from his girlfriend, Star sat down beside Janna and started talking with her.
“Sooo, whatcha got there?” the blonde girl asked, pointing at the book Janna had just taken out of her backpack.
Janna glanced at the book, then back at Star, arching an eyebrow. “A book...?”
“Yeah, but what sort of book?” the former princess asked eagerly. Before Janna could answer, her eyes suddenly brightened. “Oh!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Is it a romance novel?”
“No,” the black-haired girl replied quickly. “It’s not.”
“Aw, what a shame,” the blonde said with a playful pout. “Is it one of those creepy books, then?”
“Oh no, it's not creepy at all!” Janna responded, holding the book up to Star’s face. “It’s called 'Haunting Echoes of the Afterlife', and it’s awesome!” she smiled brightly. “I totally recommend it!”
“Haha… okay.” Star chuckled nervously, feeling a shiver run down her spine just from looking at the book.
A calm silence enveloped the two girls, broken only by the soft sound of waves and the gentle rustle of the wind. They stayed like that for a while until Marco approached them, or more specifically, approached Star.
“Hey, wanna go grab some sodas?” he asked the former princess, pointing toward the small drink stand nearby.
“Sure!” Star replied with a smile, standing up. “Janna, do you want anything?”
The black-haired girl thought for a moment before answering, “Yeah, get me something strong.”
“Alright, a soda it is then!” Star said happily, grabbing Marco’s hand and leading him toward the drink booth.
“I said strong, not weak!” Janna exclaimed, but her words went unheard. “Why do I even bother…” she sighed, shifting her attention back to her book.
Though, her moments of reading were short-lived as Tom abruptly invaded her personal space.
“Hmm...” the demon squinted his eyes and hummed thoughtfully as he looked at the girl beside him.
“What?” Janna asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“You’re reading the book I gave you!” Tom’s face brightened with happiness, his demon tail wagging quickly like a dog’s.
“Oh, yeah... it’s really good. Thanks again.” Janna said softly, a small smile appearing on her lips.
After a moment, she closed the book and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. When she saw no one, she leaned over and gave Tom a quick kiss on the cheek. The sudden gesture left him speechless for a few seconds.
“...Sorry.” the girl muttered, sounding more embarrassed than genuinely sorry.
“It’s cool.” Tom said, his eyes drifting down to the sand as he tried to hide the growing blush spreading across his cheeks.
A brief moment passed before a soft laugh escaped Janna’s lips. “We’re so sappy.” she said, turning to look at Tom, who met her gaze with a half-smile.
“Can’t argue with that.” he said, letting out a laugh of his own.
“Let’s not tell Star and Marco about this.” the girl said, her tone suddenly serious.
“Agreed.” the demon said quickly, matching his girlfriend’s serious tone.
“Not tell us what?” a confused voice called out from behind, making the two jump in surprise.
“Uhhh...” Janna and Tom exchanged uneasy glances before looking back at Star and Marco, who now stood before them, each holding two cans of soda.
“Nothing!” the demon and the girl said together, both wearing slightly awkward smiles.
A silence settled over the four teenagers until the blonde finally broke it. “Fine, whatever!” she exclaimed, pouting. “Keep your secrets!”
Upon hearing that, Janna simply rolled her eyes. “As if you and Marco tell us everything.”
Surprise flashed across the other girl’s face before she crossed her arms and playfully feigned being hurt. “Just so you know, we totally do!” she shot back.
Marco glanced at his girlfriend, then back at his friends, a hesitant look on his face. “Um... I wouldn’t exactly bet on that.” he admitted sheepishly.
“Marco!” Star cried out. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“Hehe... sorry.” the brunette boy said awkwardly as he handed sodas to Tom and Janna, who both accepted them gratefully.
“You’re breaking my heart...” the former princess said, placing a hand over her chest with a sad expression.
“Noo!” Marco exclaimed, stretching the 'o' as he wrapped Star in a warm hug. “I’m sorry!” he apologized, his voice filled with mock regret. “I didn’t mean to!”
Star giggled softly and gave the boy a gentle pat on the head. “Gee, I guess I have no choice but to forgive you…”
Marco gave a small nod, but then a loud slurping noise interrupted the couple’s moment.
“Sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.” the raven-haired girl quipped, raising her soda can back to her lips and taking an even louder sip than the previous one.
“May we help you?” Marco asked with a hint of sarcasm, gesturing toward Janna.
“Yeah, definitely!” the girl replied, smiling brightly. “You can start by getting a room!” she said, her smile fading into a deadpan expression.
“Oh, come on!” the brunette boy scoffed. “We’re not that bad!”
“That’s debatable.” Janna said, taking another sip of her drink.
“Tom, back me up here!” Marco said, turning to his best friend with a look of disbelief on his face.
The demon’s eyes flicked from Marco to his girlfriend, catching the subtle 'X' she made with her fingers. He gave her a discreet nod before turning back to his friend with a casual shrug. “Sorry, dude. Gotta side with Janna on this one.”
“Ha!” Janna exclaimed triumphantly, throwing her fist into the air in victory.
Marco let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. Star giggled at his reaction and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Tom smiled as he watched them, taking a sip from his soda can. But as soon as the flavor hit his tongue, he spat it out in disgust.
“Gross, dude!” the black-haired girl exclaimed, shifting slightly in her seat.
The demon prince cleared his throat to steady himself, then shifted his gaze to the soda can in his hand and raised an eyebrow. “Is this papaya-flavored?” he asked.
“Yes?” Star replied, sounding puzzled. “Why do you ask?”
“Ugh…” Tom groaned, placing the soda can on the beach chair beside him. “I hate papaya.” he muttered.
“Oh…” Marco let out a small sigh. “I forgot.” he added quietly.
“Nah, it’s fine.” the demon responded, waving a dismissive hand. “Don't worry about it.”
“Want mine?” Janna asked, offering her soda to her boyfriend. “It’s strawberry-flavored.”
Tom glanced her way, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure you don’t want it?”
“Yup!” she nodded, swapping drinks with the demon. “Besides, I don’t care what flavor of soda I drink as long as it’s fizzy and full of chemicals.”
“Wicked.” the demon prince said, a grin spreading across his face.
“You bet!” Janna said, quickly finishing Tom’s soda.
“Awww!” Star and Marco cooed together, causing the other couple to blush in embarrassment.
After finishing their drinks, the four teenagers decided to take a dip in the sparkling ocean, as the waves had calmed down a bit.
“Cannonball!” Star shouted, then jumped into the cold water, making a small splash.
“You call that a cannonball?” Janna teased, stepping back a little to get more speed. “Watch this!” she said with a grin. She ran toward the water and jumped in, curling her body tight to make a perfect cannonball. The splash was huge and sent water flying everywhere, almost covering Star.
“Wow, Janna! You’re really good at this!” Star exclaimed, looking impressed.
“I know.” Janna replied smugly.
But their moment was quickly interrupted when a huge splash knocked them both off balance, sending them straight underwater.
“Wohooo!” Marco shouted, coming up from the water and shaking his head to fling the water droplets from his hair.
“Yeah!” Tom cheered, pumping his fists in the air before offering Marco a fist bump.
“Ugh…” Janna groaned as she surfaced. “Not cool, dude.” she muttered, reaching out to help the other girl up.
“I think I just swallowed some saltwater.” Star said between coughs.
“You’re not the only one.” Janna replied.
“Stay mad!” Marco shouted, catching the girls’ attention as he let out a proud laugh.
“What he said!” the demon prince agreed with a nod.
Star and Janna shared a quick look, both knowing what the other was thinking. Without a word, they launched a surprise attack on the boys, splashing them with water. Marco and Tom, not willing to lose, quickly splashed back, starting a full-on water fight that soon had all four of them laughing and soaked.
They played in the water for a while until they started to feel tired. The two couples decided to take a break. Star and Marco teamed up to build a sandcastle, though it ended up looking more like a lumpy pile than anything else. Meanwhile, Tom and Janna relaxed on beach chairs, tossing unhelpful comments at their friends’ building efforts.
Time passed quickly, and before they realized it, the sun had started to set, painting the sky in bright shades of orange and red. The darkened sky reminded them that it was time to head home.
“Did you grab everything?” Star asked her boyfriend as she finished packing up her things.
“Yup!” he responded, giving the girl a thumbs up.
The former princess smiled at Marco before turning to her other friends. “And what about you two?” she asked, gesturing toward Tom and Janna.
“Uh, I think so,” the demon replied, glancing around to double-check. “Pretty sure we didn’t forget anything.”
“Eh, who cares,” the raven-haired girl said with a shrug. “Let’s just get going!”
“If you forget anything, I’m not coming back to get it with you!” Tom called out as he started walking after Star and Marco.
“Yes you will.” Janna said.
“No I won't.” the demon replied.
“Yes you will.” the girl retorted.
"No I won't!" Tom shot back, his voice filled with frustration.
Before they could argue any further, another voice cut in. “Less fighting, more walking!” Marco scolded, causing the couple to look at him and fall silent. He frowned slightly, then turned back to Star. “They act like kids.” he muttered quietly.
“Well...” Star said, quickly glancing at the couple behind them before looking back at Marco. “That’s just how they are!”
Marco gave her a small smile. “I know.”
“Oh, by the way, can you help me carry this?” Star asked, nudging the heavy beach bag toward him. “It’s really heavy.”
“Of course!” Marco replied, taking the bag from her.
“Thanks!” Star said happily.
From behind, Janna watched their exchange and smiled mischievously. She then looked at Tom and held up her backpack. “Tom, can you help me carry this?” she teased, mimicking Star’s tone and high pitch.
“No.” the demon responded blandly, continuing to walk.
“What a jerk.” Janna said, rolling her eyes but not really being bothered by his answer.
The four teenagers walked along the mostly empty beach, occasionally glancing at the beautiful sunset lighting up the sky. Soon, they reached the parking lot where their car was parked.
“I’m driving!” Janna announced excitedly.
“No, you’re not,” Marco interrupted, digging into his jeans pockets to find the car keys. But, to his misfortune, he couldn’t find them. “What on earth…?” he muttered, puzzled, as he searched his pockets again.
“What’s wrong?” Star asked, her voice full of concern as she noticed the boy’s distress.
“I can’t find my car keys...” he admitted worriedly.
Before he could say more, the car suddenly started on its own.
“What the...” both teens said at the same time, surprised and confused.
Looking inside, they saw Janna sitting in the driver’s seat, casually waving at them.
Marco gave her a sharp look and walked up to the car, knocking on the window.
“Hey, Diaz!” Janna called out, rolling it down. “Like my new car?”
“Janna, this is my car!” Marco snapped, pointing at the vehicle.
“Sure, but I have the keys!” she teased with a sly smile.
Marco just facepalmed himself and groaned.
“Don’t worry, Marco,” Tom said, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “If she crashes it, I’ll pay for the damage!” he slid into the front seat next to Janna.
“That’s not reassuring at all.” Marco grumbled but got in anyway, sitting beside Star.
Just as they were about to leave, Star pulled out her phone and held it up. “Wait! We need to take a photo!”
The teens turned to the camera, striking poses.
“Everyone say 'Beach day'!” Star said cheerfully.
“I’m not saying that.” Janna said flatly. Tom nodded in agreement.
“Fine, then just smile!” the former princess sighed, letting out a small laugh.