Page 82 of Beach Bodies

Leaning against a wall with a cocktail in hand, dressed in a skin-tight tank top and high-waisted shorts, talking to a guy with surfer vibes. And her cocktail is almost empty.

‘I’ll be back in a sec,’ I say, excusing myself from Randy. I go up to Serena and reach for her glass.

‘Hey, boss. Can I get you a refill?’

Serena smiles at me. ‘Hell, yes! Another strawberry daiquiri. Let me give you my credit card—’

‘No! This one’s on me, remember?’ I say with a smile. She knocks down the last little bit, and I take her empty glass.

Randy makes the drink, and we chit-chat a little more about the food biz and how supply chain works on the island. Then, I excuse myself and head to the restroom. There’s just one all-gender room behind a thin bamboo door with a barely functioning lock, but it’ll do. I mix the powder into Serena’s thick drink quickly, then rinse out the sandwich bag and bury it in the trash under some crumpled paper towels.

As I approach Serena, I can hear the surfer talking in a loud, annoyingly confident voice.

‘Yeah, so my time in Bali was nuts, I met this chick who believed that– get this– her tattoos were spirits, and they, like, spoke to her—’

‘Here you go,’ I interrupt, handing the drink to Serena.

‘Thank you, God, you’re a lifesaver,’ she says, and easy as pie, she guzzles down nearly half of it in one go.

‘Hi, I’m Thomas,’ says the surfer guy, bestowing me with a charming smile and reaching out a tanned paw to shake my hand.

‘Hi, Thomas.’

‘So… haveyoubeen to Bali?’

‘Sorry, I was just—’ I gesture vaguely behind me, already walking away.

It’ll take some time for the drugs to have an effect– and I’m not spending it talking to him.

I head outside and walk the length of the street. I pick out a familiar face– Kyle, of all people, dancing in a bit of an ick way with a woman who seems legitimately into him.To each their own.I wonder how he heard about the party. Doesn’t matter. Kyle may have been the subject of my first little violent thought on the way here, but he’s nothing to me now. Not even deserving of the energy of a violent thought. Not like Serena, who I’m about to hold underwater as she fights, because she will definitely fight, no matter how drugged…

The nachos smell amazing, and two servers in Island Vibes aprons keep bringing them out, but I don’t have the stomach for food right now. Instead, I keep looking at the dark horizon beyond town where I know the ocean lies waiting. In thebrief pauses between songs, I can hear the waves. It sounds like they’re shouting.

The DJ has people dancing the Electric Slide when I head back inside the restaurant. It’s almost too simple; Serena is slumped in one of the chairs. Thomas, who’s nowhere in sight, has clearly moved on.

‘Hey.’ I jostle her arm. ‘Hey, let’s get you up.’

‘Oooo-eeee,’ she says, grimacing as she prises open her eyelids. ‘I’m feeling…’

‘Yeah, that daiquiri was strong, huh? Let’s get some air.’

‘OK,’ she says.

I loop my arm through hers, and she leans on me as we leave the restaurant. I scan for familiar faces, but see none. Good. I keep walking, leading Serena towards the beach. I won’t look behind us to check if anyone is watching. This is an innocent walk.

‘Where are we going?’ Serena finally says, as we take the first step off the harder path and on to cool sand. The air is noticeably colder here.

‘Just a little walk on the beach.’

She comes along like an obedient pet.

The waves are loud. The water is dark, with occasional flashes from the moon, which is playing peek-a-boo with some ragged clouds.

‘Take off your shoes, you don’t want to get them wet,’ I say when we’re a few feet away from the water. That will make it look like her swim was intentional. I kick my shoes off, too. She unburdens herself from her purse, and turns towards the waves. Quickly, I move the pill bottle from my purse to hers.

I’m still calm. I imagine the adrenaline will kick in at some point. Just not yet.

Serena steps out of her sandals. ‘Oooh, are we going swimming?’

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