Arya, Bryant, and Russel emerged onto the deck of the boat, which happened to be the largest in the whole harbor. They were hit by the salty smell and a gentil summer breeze caressed their skin. The sounds of seagulls completely contrasting the sounds of employees hustling to tie

off the boat and to bring their bags down for them.

Arya was dressed in a flowery blouse, jean shorts, and covered with golden accessories that shimmered in the light. She had smooth skin that made her appear to have not experienced the same 18 years her age-mates have. Her long brown hair was pulled into an intricate braid that was the perfect mix of messy, but in a way that seemed carefully planned out. Bryant had on a Vineyard Vines polo, khaki pants, and Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. Russel was suited with merchandise from all different sports, with a signed Patrick Mahomes jersey and limited edition Lebron’s. He had dirty blond hair, tan skin, and a smirk that seemed natural on his face. 

One of their parent’s many deckhands pulled down a ramp so they could exit the boat smoothly. 

“Ugh there’s so many people here,” said Russel, “we really should have gone back to Mustique Island instead of going somewhere so touristy!” 

“You realize we are literally tourists right?” Arya stated, leveling him with a blank stare. 

“Well yeah,” Russel defended, “but it’s like different.” 

Bryant chuckled at Russel’s botched explanation, while Arya just rolled her eyes and sighed. As they grabbed their bags they all shot texts to each of their parents saying they were planning on dropping their stuff off at the hotel and then finding something to eat. The trio walked around the block and saw their sleek hotel. It was completely different in design to the homey cottages that decorated most other streets and the only people they could see going in and out were business people dressed in fresh pressed suits. 

“Now this is more like it,” Russel exclaimed. 

“Yeah, yeah, it's great and all that, but I’m starving. Can we please hurry this up,” Bryant complained. 

“Yeah I just gotta run to the bathroom first,” Arya said as she ran off. 

She hurried to use the bathroom and then began to wash her hands. Suddenly the lights flickered and turned off completely. Her heart dropped and she let out a cry of surprise. Her heart was thumping out of her chest and she ran her hands all over the wall in a desperate attempt to find the switch. She threw her hands down in resignation and fumbled for the door handle. She struggled to unlock the door for a moment before finally bursting through the door. She sucked in air and tried to catch her breath. She looked around and saw Russel and Bryant trying to hold their breath. Eventually they couldn’t hold it in anymore and they began to shake with laughter. 

“Guys that was not funny you know I am terrified of the dark,” she huffed. 

Bryant looked up and saw the distraught look on her face and immediately regretted their prank. 

“I’m so sorry Arya, we didn't realize you were serious,” Bryant said while rubbing her back in a calming manner. 

“Yeah sorry that was not cool of us,” Russel agreed. 

“It’s fine, but if you pull something like that again I will legitimately kick both of your asses,” she threatened with a grin.

The friends all said quick goodbyes and rushed up to their rooms to deposit their bags. A few minutes later they met back in the lobby. As they walked back through the doorway they were hit by a wall of humidity, with only a slight breeze to take the edge off. As they surveyed their surroundings they saw crowds pushing against each other, people riding brightly colored electric scooters that sped by, and an occasional car struggling to avoid the people. They pushed past people, grimacing when they got too close. Ayra was practically holding Russel back when someone accidentally stepped on his Lebrons. 

Finally they spotted a cozy looking restaurant, called the Lobster Shack.

“Guys are we really gonna go here,” Bryant asked, “like it doesn’t look like it has passed a single health inspection!” 

“I’m sure it can’t be that bad and it’s the only place that doesn’t have a line out the door,” Arya said, attempting to reason with him. 

“Yeah man, what's the big deal?” Russel asked, “And I’m dying over here if we don’t get food soon, who knows what will happen.”

Arya just rolled her eyes, while Bryant took one more glance at the quaint restaurant before heaving a large sigh. 

“Okay, okay,” Bryant resigned, “I guess we can go here.” 

The others didn’t wait for a second longer and were already through the door. The room smelt like a mix of fisherman who have spent a little too long without a shower and fried food coated with enough butter to last the year. The room was full of people in baggy fishing clothes and little kids yelling at their families. The trio could barely contain themselves from showing their disdain on their faces. Of course they knew it was a local restaurant, but couldn’t the people have at least dressed like they weren’t homeless or something. 

“Even the employees look like they haven’t showered in a while,” Bryant said, shaking his head towards the workers. 

“I know like I don’t want that guy anywhere near my food,” Russel agreed, while pointing at a young man who seemed to be just a little older than them. 

The same server came over to bring them to a table. As they sat down the table shook, as it was completely uneven and bobbly. Russel grabbed the table and his finger brushed against a piece of gum stuck to the underside of it. Arya had to push him down as he attempted to leave right then and there. The server seemed completely unaware of this and just continued on. 

“Hey guys, I’m Ash I’ll be your server for the day,” Ash introduced, “have you ever dined with us before?” 

“Obviously not-,” Russel began.

“No we haven’t had the pleasure,” Arya cut him off with a smile, as she slapped Russel on the shoulder. 

Ash started reading off the specials in a monotone voice. They all really looked at Ash for the first time and saw his worn down cargo shorts. There was practically a hole in every pocket and his shirt, despite being a part of his uniform, was curved in an unidentifiable substance. He had deep eye bags that sat on his completely blank face. They assumed he must just look young because there is no way someone like them was working there. The group had never been to a restaurant where the server seemed to care so little about how he presented himself.

“So what would you guys like for drinks?” asked Ash. 

“We are going to be ordering everything now. Can we each get water with lemons on the side? I prefer a lot of ice but my friends here want only two or three cubes,” explained Russel, “ you should probably start writing this down because we don’t want to have to repeat ourselves.” 

Ash groaned in his head and contemplated walking out right then. This was his seventh table that day and each group was more entitled than the last. He couldn’t understand people’s desire to seem so superior. He flung his head to the side taking a slight step away, imagining himself leaving the restaurant or even the island. Then remembered his manager's threat, if he slipped up one more time he would be out of a job. He needed to keep this job to pay the bills, for food, and to keep saving to get the hell out of here. 

He faced the table and apologized as one of the guys, around his age he assumed, cleared his throat. Ash continued to write down their orders with a tight smile that did not reach his eyes. When they finished he assured them that their orders would be out shortly and he went to put them in. 

A few minutes later he went to check on the teens, but as he got closer he heard them speaking about him. 

“Ugh the service here is awful,” the boy with the light hair complained. 

“Yeah and our server looked like he just fought a bear on his way to work,” agreed the boy who seemed like he was a Vineyard Vines model. 

“Come on guys it’s not that bad and he doesn’t necessarily seem like he can afford brand new clothes” the girl looked disapprovingly at them and they had the decency to seem a little ashamed at least. 

Ash clenched his hands into fists and could feel his ears burning. He began storming over, before stopping short and taking a deep breath. He continued to serve them and eventually they left, dropping a couple dollars onto the table as a tip. 

Ash finished his shift and practically sprinted out the door. He leaned up against the side of the building, sliding down until he hit the ground. He rested his face in his and just sat on the ground for at least ten minutes. The spell of fried food crept through the door and the wind brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes. He realized he’d have to cut his hair soon, but couldn’t really bring himself to care. He stood up slowly, knees popping as he reached his full height. He grabbed his skateboard from behind the trash can where he had left it and jumped on. He pushed off and began his half hour drive skate back to the motel. The energy seemed to be drained from his form and he was well aware that it would take him at least an extra fifteen minutes.

Later that night Ash was nestled in a pile of ratty blankets that still left him shivering. He could feel a light draft coming in from the cracks in the window that was positioned right above the sofa he was resting on. The sofa itself was scratchy and springs screeched when any weight was put on them, but Ash loved it nonetheless. The sound of peepers filled the room and his eyes felt heavier by the second. The lines of stress usually painted across his face dissipated as he drifted off. 

Ash sat straight up as he heard a curse yelled out from somewhere close. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and peeked out the window to see what that could have been. He saw a Rolls Royce pulled up on the side of the dirt road that led up to the motel. The flickering light by the road reflected perfectly in the shine of the crisp black paint. His jaw hung open and his brow was furrowed. 

“What the hell…” he murmured. 

Ash opened and shut his eyes a few times, thinking he must be hallucinating, before peering out the window again. Nope it was real. It looked like those same three dummies from back at the restaurant had managed to get themselves stuck out here. 

“I mean it's really not my problem,” he said with a chuckle. 

As he went to lay back down he heard another yell. This time it was for help. He groaned and cursed, fighting the urge to just sleep through it. He knew that he couldn’t do that though, so he slunked to the door. As he opened it he saw one of the big guys who lives in his building getting close to the car. Ash was well aware that he was not going over to lend a hand.

“Hey man,” Ash pleaded, blanking on the guy's name, “can you just leave these ones alone?” 

The guy rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, seemingly to yell. Before just stomping his foot and cursing under his breath, he had turned away and continued to walk back to his room. 

“Ummm,” whispered the girl, “thanks for uh, helping us out there.” 

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. So what’s going on with the car?” Ash inquired. 

“We popped a tire back there. There must have been something on the road.” the dirty blond boy told. 

“Okay so your parents gonna fly their private jet out here to pick ya up or something?” Ash grumbled, bitterness lining his voice.

“What’s your problem-” the dirty blond said, stepping toward Ash. 

“Hey calm down,” the girl said, “we can’t get a hold of anyone there is like zero service out here.” 

“Yeah that checks out,” Ash agreed, “so I guess I’ll see you guys around or something.” 

The three looked at each other and seemed to be having a silent argument. They looked to where the large man had come from and they could hear more drunken babbling in the distance. The girl seemed to shiver as the breeze brushed against her bare shoulders.

“Guys I can’t stay out here in the dark all night,” she pleaded under her breath. 

  She then nodded her head toward the apartment buildings and sent a  look towards her friends. Finally they all turned back to Ash, where he was about to head back to his room. 

“Umm do you think we could stay with you?” the girl asked in a small voice. 

Ash looked them up and down, dressed in their fancy clothes. The three were shaking from the chill of the night and all had hope in their eyes. He knew there is no way they would be able to get anywhere without their car tonight and he really did feel for them. 

“Fine,” Ash heaved out, “I guess you can stay the night at mine.” 

Before any of them could get their full thanks out, Ash had already turned his back to them and started walking back to his room. The other teens quickly followed. When Ash got to the door he whipped his head around and looked at the group once more. He opened his mouth before closing it again and letting out a big sigh. He pushed through and surveyed his room. As he looked around he saw his carpet which was so many different colors that he no longer knew what the original was. Then there was his couch and the matching lounge chair that were both brutally beaten down and worn out. Then there was his little kitchenette that collected more dust than food. Ash turned his head to the faces of his new guests. Each had a slight grimace, but attempted to smile when they saw him looking at them. 

“Okay so this was probably not what you guys would have expected, but it's gonna have to do for the night. This is a pull out couch so two of you could sleep there, I’m taking the recliner, and someones gonna have to sleep on the floor or something.” 

“Alright, that's great, thank you for having us.” the girl stated, looking a lot less disgusted than the guys. 

“Now that we got that out of the way,” huffed the guy with the dark brown hair while sitting on the ground, “we should probably introduce ourselves or something.” 

“Fine, I’m Ash and I am seventeen. I have been living here my whole life. You saw me working one of my jobs when I was your server, but I also work on a couple different fishing boats when I have the time,” Ash explained.

The group tried to cover up their shock, quickly shutting their gaping mouths. They could not believe that this boy was only sixteen. He was younger than most of them and yet he was still working two jobs and had to live in this garbage. They kept tight smiles on their faces as they introduced themselves. 

“Ohhh that’s why you look so familiar,'' Russel blurted out as Ash rolled his eyes, “Anyway, I’m Russel and I’m seventeen. We are just visiting for a couple weeks.” 

“Hey I’m Bryant and I am eighteen. Just a warning you should ignore everything that comes out of that one's mouth,” Bryant says while pointing to Russel. 

“Hey-,” squeaks out Russel. 

“Anyway,” Arya interrupts, pointedly looking at Russel, “I’m Arya, I turned eighteen a little while ago.” 

They watched as Ash laid back in his recliner and shivered. Arya’s leg bounced up and down and Russel looked back and forth between her and Ash. They took a harder look around the room seeing the hole in the window letting in the cold and the door that didn’t have any locks. They looked at the footprints their steps made in the dust and dirt that coated the floor. 

“Okay so this is getting awkward. Ummm…,” Russel stammered, “Oooh lets play twenty questions!” 

“I’m down,” agreed Arya. 

“Same,” said Bryant. 

“Yea I guess,” mumbled Ash.

“Okay so Ash,” starts Russel, “What is your favorite thing to do on the island?” 

“Probably going surfing or fishing. You know something to do with the water.” he replied. 

“Wow I don’t think any of us have done either of those, but they seem cool,” Bryant speculated. 

Ashes eyes lit up, his head flew up, and he stared at them. They all shifted under his calculating gaze. 

“Hold up,” Ash queried, “none of you guys have ever fished or surfed? Like no days out on the marsh  reeling up as many as you could? And no cruising over the waves during the summer? Like that is literally how I spend my entire summer!” 

“Nah I mean we spend most of our summers traveling,” reasoned Arya, “ I’ve always wanted to go surfing though!” 

“Okay wow you guys have not lived,” Ash concluded, “Okay my turn to ask a question. Bryant, have you ever made a move on Arya?” 

“What--,” Bryant gasped, “No, I mean kind of, like I…” 

Russel was cackling, barely able to get a breath in as Ash looked at them with a sly smirk. Arya rolled her eyes and threw an arm around Bryant. Bryant was still trying to respond and his face was painted bright red. 

“We’re dating actually,” Arya told Ash. 

“Wow I guess I’ve got a good eye,” laughed Ash! 

The teens spent the night talking and trying to get to know each other.  Later on they asked Ash if he lived alone and he replied with a short answer so they decided not to push him on it. Arya hoped that she would be able to get close enough to him that he would feel comfortable enough to talk about that with them one day. They eventually apologized for how they treated him at the restaurant and he reassured them that it was not a big deal.

Ash fell asleep first with a smile on his face and Arya pulled a blanket up over his shoulders. Ash slept peacefully through the night for the first time in a while. The three followed him a little while later. 

Ashes eyes crept open and he rubbed his back as it cracked. He looked around and stretched out. He scanned the room and screamed as he saw three people laying across the room. When he realized that the events from the prior night actually occurred he settled down, but had already woken his new found friends. 

“Oh sh*t, my bad guys,” he said while rubbing his neck, “I may have forgotten that you were there.” 

Arya threw a pillow at his head and the other boys just groaned. Ash laughed for a moment before getting up and fixing them all bowls of stale cereal. He ran his hand through his hair, with his leg bouncing. He then paced back and forth across the kitchen a few times.

“Uhh I’ve kinda got two things I wanna say,” Ash vented, “the first one being that I did run out of milk. I mean it's technically in there, but it's like not good and like I guess you could have it but-” 

“It’s fine dude,” Bryant reassured. 

“Alright, okay, so then the next thing is that like I,” he rants, “ could teach you guys how to surf today if you're not busy. I know you should probably try to figure out your car situation or find your parents or whatever but-”

“We would love to and we can blow off our parents for a while I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Arya interrupted. 

“Yeah that would be cool, especially because I am a pro at water skiing so I’m 100% beating all of you,” Russel declared. 

“How do you beat someone at surfing?” Bryant questioned. 

“By not falling off obviously,” Russel retorted. 

“Okay while you guys go sort that out we’ll meet you there,” Arya said as she grabbed Ash’s hand. 

Ash’s teeth shined through as his smile continued to grow. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, not quite being able to sit still. The group walked out together and hustled to grab the boards.

Their day was spent falling into the waves and soaking up the sun's bright waves. When they finally dragged themselves back onto the beach they were running on fumes. They flopped onto their towels. They talked for a few moments while snacking on some strawberries they had grabbed on the way. 

The dark water contrasted the vibrant reds and oranges that were painted across the sky. They could hear the waves crashing in the distance and children arguing with one another. Each of them felt the ghosting of a sunburn etched across their backs as result of an endless day of laying out on the sand.

 Ash was once again the first to fall asleep, with the warmth of the sun still spreading across his skin. The others whispered back and forth to each other for a few moments before following in Ash’s lead.