Page 98 of Pick Me Up On Tuesdays

Mr. Dax sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like he already regretted his life choices. “And this couldn’t wait until morning?”

“Morning conditions won’t provide the same data,” I said quickly. “We need nighttime to see the actual glow and its influences.”

Ethan crossed his arms, nodding along. “Yeah. Science and stuff.”

Mr. Dax eyed me suspiciously. “And if I say no?”

I grinned again—this time more sheepishly. “Then you’d be personally hindering a very promising nature enquiry for the documentary.”

Mr. Dax exhaled loudly. “Fine.”

He grumbled under his breath before stepping aside. “Make it quick.”

We didn’t wait for him to change his mind.

As soon as we turned the corner, Ethan grinned. “I cannot believe that actually worked.”

I snuck a glare at him, fighting back a smirk. “Never underestimate the power of well-placed academic nonsense.”

Ethan chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulders as we made our way toward the exit. “You are so much worse than you pretend to be, nerd.”

I ignored the warmth in my face and pushed him off. “Shut up and keep walking.”

For someone who had never once called for a sneak-out, I was doing suspiciously well at leading one.

The problem? I had no idea where I was actually going.

I knew I had seen a beach earlier—just a few steps from the rusty motel—but my sense of direction was about as reliable as Ethan’s ability to stay out of trouble. Which, for the record, was not reliable at all.

Still, I walked like I had a plan, and Ethan—who was enjoying every second of my apparent descent into crime—followed without question.

We crossed the quiet road, walked past some bushes, and stepped onto the soft sand of the beach. A salty breeze drifted past, ruffling my hoodie, and the moon cast a silver sheen over the blue-glowing waves of the enchanted waters.

The beach was empty, save for a dim, flickering fire further down the shore.

I spotted it immediately and knew it had to be Max’s doing. The others were here. Hiding. Waiting.

Ethan, oblivious, kicked off his shoes and wandered closer to the waves. “Man, this is kinda nice.”

He crouched at the shoreline, mesmerized as the water glimmered with eerie blue light, every splash lighting up like stardust. “Whoa… this is it, huh? The glowing sea.”

He scooped up a handful of glowing water and let it fall through his fingers, grinning like a kid. “This is insane.”

I hesitated for just a second.

Should I warn him?

...Nah.

I led him closer to the fire, pretending I didn’t notice the muffled giggles hiding in the shadows.

Ethan didn’t suspect a thing. “So, what—”

“SURPRISE!”

Chaos erupted.

People jumped out from behind rocks, trees, and sand dunes, launching chunks of cake through the air.

---