CHAPTER 17

The next day, I woke earlier than everyone. I had picked out my diving gears and ran down to the beach where I met up with some other tourists who were excited to go by the coral reefs. A small boat arrived and I paid a small fee to get onboard with some other people. We were carried to a very colourful reef and after I had put on my gears, I got off the boat and entered the water. The reefs looked so magical as it housed an environment to millions of tiny colourful fishes. I had my water resistant camera with me. I took couple pictures. ‘Mom and Emily would love seeing this' I thought. I explored the reefs for nearly thirty minutes before I got bored and swam back to the surface and to the small boat. 'You enjoyed it man?" the captain asked. 'Yeah. Very spectacular," I answered. After another thirty minutes waiting on the others, we sailed back to the shore. Mom was up and had seemed to be looking all over for me when I walked through the hotel's lobby. 'Evan!" she started, 'Where have you been?" 'I went diving mom." 'So early baby?" 'Yeah. I couldn't wait to do it." 'Let's get breakfast now." I followed her to the family's patio set up and we all sat down to breakfast. I was telling them about the reef and how colourful it was to the eyes. After breakfast, Emily, EJ and I went down to the beach. We sipped on coconut water as we set up volleyball net. 'That's not fair! There're two of you against only me," she complained in our ears when we told her we'll play guys versus girls. Mom should of really had another girl. Emily was just too whinny. 'Ask someone to join your team!" I said back at her. She scanned the Beach Front then made her way over a young lady with long blonde flowing hair. She was getting coconut water from one of the local beach vendors. They talked for a minute then the two of them came over to us, faces smiling. 'Evan, you remember Elle?" Emily asked with a smirk and I almost choked on my coconut water. 'Hi Evan." 'Hey Elle." Elle and I dated very briefly the summer before I started college which also happened to be the time I broke up with Jessica. Elle was also a volleyball champion at her old highschool and agreed to play with Emily against EJ and me. 'Elle this is EJ, the little one," I introduced EJ since she had never met him. 'Hey. I'm not so little." 'Hi EJ." She shook hands with him. She was always so polite and beautiful. She hadn't changed at all. 'Okay. Time to kick their butts!" Emily cheers and took her position behind the net. The girls were good, so good that EJ and I lost the game ten to two. Emily did her champion dance as she hugged Elle and they walked over to a shade underneath the coconut trees. Another guy approached them and I watched as he took Elle into his arms and kissed her. I went back to my hotel room and laid down in bed, looking up at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and fell asleep eventually. I woke up at sunset. Mom and dad had gone down to beach and I was looking at them from my bedroom window. They were dancing and sipping each other's drinks and they appeared to be so happy and so in love after all these years. I wanted something like that. A love that wouldn't die. I smiled as I watched them kissed. Dad was madly in love with her and she was deeply in love with him. I went into the shower and took a hot bath. I got dressed wearing white jeans, black T-shirt and black Nike slippers. I went outside to join them. Emily and EJ were sitting on some beach chairs laughing and looking at mom and dad. I sat down besides them. 'Finally awake?" EJ rhetorically asked. 'You're not bummed, are you?" Emily asked. 'About what?" I asked her. 'Elle and her husband." 'That was her husband?" 'Yeah. She got married one month ago and they're honeymooning here." 'I'm not bummed. I'm happy for her actually," I truthfully answered. I nodded my head to the live band music and Emily passed me a fruity cocktail. We looked at mom and dad along with some others tourist couples dancing away to the live band. Family was important to me. I was so happy I had one. But I wanted one on my own. Jasmine's POV When I got home from an exhausting day at the office, I threw myself down on the couch. It was obvious that Mr. Hollen was absent because the work load had gone into oblivion and beyond and nothing was going smoothly. Meetings after meetings were rescheduled and put off, deadlines weren't being met and the list went on. When Mr. Hollen gets back, he's going to flip out. My cell phone rang, causing me to leap. I looked at the number. Unknown. I hated answering unknown numbers but I answered anyways. 'This is Jasmine," I spoke. 'Hello Jasmine. It's Dr. Shannon from the hospital." My heart stopped. 'Your mother is awake and she wishes to see you and your sister." My heart started beating again.