The friends arrive.

Standing waist deep in the water, Daniel searched for an opening on the beach where he could run and get to his towel and shirt without being seen. There appeared to be none. Daniel bit his lower lip nervously as he waited for some of the beach-bums to clear a path for him to slip onto the shore obscurely but it only seemed like more and more people were coming in.

Daniel's chances of getting out of the water were thinning down until an employee who runs the ice cream cart on the beach came back from their break. As the bulk of these beach-goers crowded the busy cart, Daniel found his opportunity. The people who were closest to his belongings were looking in the opposite direction or lying down tanning. Daniel smirked as he saw his chance to dash towards his towel before someone saw him naked. Daniel took a speedy step forward right before he heard some familiar voices.

"Yo! Danny boy! We made it!" Daniel stumbled and fell backward into the waves at the sound of his friends calling out to him. Jamie, Allison, Nadia, and Andrew came running towards him clad in swimsuits and carrying beach gear. Daniel pushed his wet hair out of his face as he resurfaced from falling in the ocean. Heart sinking as his friends laid out their equipment right next to his, Daniel saw his opportunity vanish as the other people on the beach began to move about carrying their newly purchased ice cream. All he could do now was **** a smile and wave at his friends as they approached him in the surf, though on the inside, he was screaming Bloody-Mary!