Niall's POV
Finally. The last day of junior year. The last day of school. Then summer break. Which means sun...which means the beach trips with the gang...which means...Clary in a bikini. Yea I know...I shouldn't be thinking of my best friend like that but...I can't help myself. I have this awful crush for her...really it's taken over my life. But that also means other guys will look at her and I can't have that...so I'm torn.

I get outside to see Clary walking over in all her glory. Shorts showing off her well muscled legs and her tattoo on the back of her calf. The IronMan symbol...a little memento to her achievement after completing it. She was smiling and waving at me. So I wave back. "LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!" I just chuckle and shake my head at her. I've come to learn that she can get excited of the silliest things very easily...and she can also get very mad very quick as well.

"Yep...then it's summer break! Which means..." I look at her hoping she'll be on the same page as me.

"BEACH TIME! And football training."

"Bingo baby." Shit. Dammit I hate when I slip up like that. It happens every so often.

"You're such a dork Niall. I love it." Then she skips through my iPod to find a song she likes. Just our typical morning. I say something stupid and she laughs it off then searches for a song that fits her mood.

We pull up to school and Clary jumps out. But like usual she always waits for me. I get out to see the gang all around Harry's car. I look over at Clary and it's hard to imagine she's almost been here a year. Man what a year it's been.

We get over there and everyone is hooting and hollering over it being the last day of school. Which pretty much was a lame ass day...very pointless. "So we ditch after 1st hour right?" Everyone looks at Clary like she's on drugs.

"Uh...no..." Harry speaks first.

"Wait...we're actually going to school today?!" Clary looked at all of us like WE were the ones on drugs.

"That's kind of why we drove here..." El is the next one to speak. Finally I speak up.

"You skip the last day of school?"

"You guys don't? Nicole and I always did...along with the rest of the team....we'd go to the
beach instead and play beach football. Then sun tan...and get some ice cream. Swim a bit. You guys don't do that here?...Damn if I knew that I would've just stayed home..." We all just gaped at Clary...she never fails to shock us. Then she proceeded to walk AWAY from school. I just ran after her.

"Clary...where are you going?"

"Not school. I thought that was clear...wanna join Ni?" She had on her playful grin and a slight glint in her eye. I look back at the gang and they are all watching me.

"Won't we get in trouble?" Clary groans and pulls out her phone really quick. After a few seconds she looks up and smiles.

"My mom just called us out. She pretended to me your mom...now will you come?" I look back again and the only one still watching was Harry.

"What are we going to do?" She smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Anything! We can do anything! Come on!" She grabs my hand and pulls me. I look back to see Harry just shaking his head. What...I was technically called out.

"Wait...my car..." Clary stops and sighs then we head back, throwing our book bags in the back.

"Where to?" I had a big grin on my face and so did Clary.

"To the beach...but you need to change." I laugh and nod then off we went back home. The drive consisted of Clary babbling on and on about how great this day was going to be. How just me and her are going to have the best day ever.

"Perfect ending to a good year!" She said after we pulled up to our houses.

"It has been a good year." She quickly nods then hops out.

"Okay..you change and bring the ball then I will bring towels and other things one might need at the beach!" Then she ran inside. I just was laughing at her. I got inside and thanked the heavens my mom works in the morning.

I got back out to see Clary carrying a bag full of who knows what. I had just a cutoff shirt on and my swim trunks on. She looks at me and I kid you not almost drops the bag. "Need help?" I jog over and she's avidly shaking her head no.

"No I got it...We're all good here...just fine...yep." I look at her and just shake my head. She puts the bag in the back and hops in. I notice she's just wearing a tank top and the same shorts. However the tank top exposed most of her side and I could see the deep green bikini that she was wearing. Good god I did not think this through at all.

"Alright...to the beach!"

"WOOHOO!!!" She rolled down the window and blasted the music. She was singing out loud with her arm out the window, making waves with her arm. Honestly if I wasn't already head over heels for her I would be falling for her right now. In this very moment, her red hair blowing around due to the wind, her laughing and singing...right beside me. All I really wanted to do was reach over and grab her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.

---

Clary's POV
Niall pulled up to the beach. I smiled and was practically bouncing in my seat. The whole car ride was great. Me and him were just screaming lyrics at the top of our lungs, then we would just laugh. Let me tell you when he came out of his house with just that cutoff on...and I could picture was him taking it off and exposing what I only can assume is a wonderful body. And that's when I almost dropped the bag and became super flustered...but honestly who could blame me?

I set up our towels and applied some sunscreen and so did Niall. Then we played some beach football. Which Niall didn't seem to sure about. I placed down some cones for each of our goals and smiled at him. He looked at me then sighed. "Okay Wolf...so we just play one on one?"

"Duh Horan." I really had to keep a straight face but it didn't work. Soon we were both just standing there laughing like two idiots. Then he plopped the ball down. He kicked it to me then I passed it back. Then let the games begin.

[FLASHBACK]
"Hey! Wolf pass it over here!" Nicole and I were racing down the beach with the gang, which included some of the girls' and guys' football team. Just a typical summer day for me. I liked the sound of that...typical summer day. I passed the ball to Nicole right before Tyler tried to slide tackle it away. I fell and ate sand. I spat it out a few times the headed back in to play. Beach football was always my favorite...I don't know why but it was.
Nicole and I took a break and were just sitting there. It was the summer before sophomore year. "Hey this is going to be our year right Clars?"
"Hell yea it will be!"
[END FLASHBACK]

Oh how little I knew...that year was the year my whole world got turned upside down. I scored and did a litle dance then Niall charged at me, scooping my up of his shoulder. "NIALL JAMES HORAN PUT ME DOWN!"

"Fine but you said so." Then all I felt was the cold water of the lake. He did not just do that.

"NIALL I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU!" All I could hear is his stupid cute laugh that makes my stomach do flips. I get out of the lake and peel off my tank top and shorts. I see Niall hiding behind this rock. I make my way over and just tackle him to the ground.

"CLARY!! Get offfff!"

"NEVER!" I was just clinging to him while he was attempting to pry my off.

"I'm getting all sandy!" I sit up and look at him. Suddenly very aware of how this looks. He just looks back, breathing pretty heavily. I feel his fingers dance on the side of my thighs. My whole body jolted...holy shit. I want more but I know that I can't. I stand up and help him up.

"Um...can you sunscreen my back?" He looked at me and nodded. Then slung his arm over my shoulder.

"As long as you do mine." I quickly agreed.

All too soon though it was time to head back home. I put on my shorts and tank top, they dried off from the sun. Then we loaded back into Niall's car. The car ride was spent with us laughing over silly things that happened while at the beach. And I knew that in that moment...I had fallen for my best friend. I wanted to just lean over and peck his cheek. But I knew that I couldn't. Silently cursing myself in Russian for having such thoughts.

"What did you just say?" My head snapped to Niall and crap on a cracker it's getting worse.

"I didn't say anything..."

"Yea you did...you were muttering in not English..." Shit.

"Nope...you must be hearing things...maybe you still have water in your ear there Horan." I poked his side.

"Whatever...I know what I heard." Well not like he even knows Russian anyways. We pulled up to our houses and hopped out. Before I headed over, Niall stopped me by my arm.

"Hey...I had fun today...loads of fun..." He stroked my cheek and put a loose strand of hair back and oh my god it's happening.

"I did too...I'll see you tomorrow." I smile and silently pray for him to just kiss me already. But his hand drops back to his side.

"Yea see you tomorrow Clary." Then he headed inside and I groaned then walked across the yards to my house. Stupid...why would he like me like that.

---

Niall's POV
WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I JUST KISS HER. She was totally waiting for me to do it...but I didn't because I'm a fucking moron. God. We just spent the whole day together laughing and joking around...and I can't even kiss her on the fucking cheek! That would've been something even if I didn't kiss her on the lips. But nooo...I had to be a doofus and not make a move. SHE WAS WAITING FOR IT. I just messed up big time.

Notes