The car ride was quiet. Ryker gripped the leather-wrapped steering wheel, the smooth, cool surface a poor distraction from the thoughts ricocheting in his skull.
Parking in a sandy lot overlooking the glittering expanse of the ocean, the midday sun was almost blinding.
He exited the car, throwing the keys to Brock, picking the bottle of liquor by its neck.
"You still okay to drive?" he asked Brock.
A nod from the golem was all he got.
Walking down the wooden path that led to the beach, the heat was immediately absorbed by the sand, warming his toes.
Instead of calming him down, it made him feel more irritable. The alcohol would have to do the trick.
The two found a spot far from the other beachgoers, near the jagged black rocks. Sitting down at one of the cabana's, they watched the waves crash and foam.
Ryker twisted the cap of the bottle with a flick of his wrist, the seal breaking with a satisfying pop. He gulped it down, not even wincing at the burn. With a thud the bottle was back on the wooden table.
"So are you ready to talk about it?" Brock asked, "I mean we both know there isn't another guy."
"It's not about another guy, Brock," Ryker rubbed his temples, "You of all people should know her family is in a bad spot. She's obviously doing something for money."
Brock tapped the liquor bottle, "Yeah, so this is about lying then."
He said it so plainly, as if he could see directly into Ryker's soul.
"She didn't lie to you Ryke," he used a nickname only Brock and Anna used.
"I know," Ryker said, his eyes becoming unfocused as he stared at the waves, "But she put me in a situation to lie, you know?"
They had a pact. No lying to each other ever. His mother and sister knew this about him. Lying was a huge deal for him.
"What do you think she's doing then?" he looked at Brock.
"I don't know," the golem picked up the bottle, swirling it and looking at the skull.
"A part time job?" he guessed and put the bottle down.
"A normal part-time job she could've told us about," Ryker scoffed and took another swig.
"Let's confront her," Brock suddenly declared.
Ryker tilted his head. He didn't expect Brock to be the one to suggest confrontation.
"I know you're itching for a confrontation," he chuckled, "Let's do it after school though."
Agreement hung unspoken between them.
"Not drinking, is making me thirsty," Brock stood up.
"Get me a soda too," Ryker said.
At the beach bar nearby, a few college girls had arrived. Some of them had tails swinging around.
Brock nearly tripped over a lounge chair and turned into a complete statue.
"Ryker," the statue whispered, "Cat girls."
"Uhuh," he mumbled not looking up.
"I need your help man."
"Just go by yourself."
"You'd let me go into enemy territory by myself?"
Ryker looked up at his best friend who was looking at him with pleading green eyes.
"Come on flirting will help you get your mind off things," he added.
"Fine..."
The duo made their way to the bar. They bought their sodas and Brock forced Ryker to wait for the perfect moment to approach them. It was a two versus ten. They needed a plan, a strategy. For a golem, Brock was surprisingly a coward in the face of a group of women. An entire group of them.
"Okay we need a distraction," he whispered, "Divide and conquer."
He kept whispering nonsense until Ryker had enough. He took his card out and handed it to the bartender to open a tab.
Pointing to one of the girls in the group, he gestured for her to approach.
"Tell your friends that all your drinks are on me," he said to the cat girl.
She tilted her head, her ears twitching.
"What's the catch?"
"Just drink a lot."
Ryker nodded to his comrade, wishing him the best of luck.
"I'm going for a swim."
He left his friend behind, who was now surrounded by giggling soon-to-be-drunk cat girls.
A large wave splashed against him as he entered the ocean, the cold shock making him gasp. Floating in the ocean gave him the silence and solitude he needed to get over his frustrations. His head was still buzzing from the liquor, but being in the water soothed the edges.
The crystal clear water of the beach was one of Revera City's best qualities. Schools of colorful fish darted between rocks in the distance. Someone was swimming deep in the ocean. Or a school of fish that looked a lot like a person with a tail.
He was still staring at the sky, unaware of this creature, watching from below. It had a shimmering tail of pinks and blues.
With every second it swam closer and closer, it covered it's mouth with it's hand like it was stiffling a laughter.
Then it grabbed Ryker's foot and tried to drag him down below. But Ryker instinctively turned around and then transformed into a bat, managing to rip a piece of fabric from his attacker.
A bat was flapping its wings with a bra on its head.
"What the fuck," Ryker said.
The mermaid popped her head out of the water.
"Give my bra back," she yelled, her blue hair stuck to her face.
"Are you kidding me? You tried to drown me didn't you."
"That's just how we play," her hands covered her boobs.
Ryker lifted his eyebrow, "You play by sneaking up on people?"
An energetic nod came from the mermaid, "It's how my mom and dad met," she said, with a proud look on her face.
"I'm Ayla by the way."
"So your mother drowned your father?"
"No of course not! At least not until he gave birth."
"What?" the bat dropped the bra.
The seafoam green lingerie floated in the water and Ayla made a quick move, securing it and putting it back on with practiced ease.
"It's a mating ritual you dummy," she laughed.
Flying away from this weird mermaid, Ryker transformed back into a human on the beach. He glanced at Ayla who was curiously watching him.
"Do you not want children?" she asked, still half-submerged.
"No thank you. Goodbye."
"Come on it's a quick mating. You give birth then you sleep with the fishes."
"I'll pass," he said before shaking his head.
"Sleeping with the fishes?"
Alya nodded, "That's what happened to my dad."
"Your dad died?" Ryker asked.
"No, he's sleeping for a long time," she smiled.
Staring at the girl in disbelief, he decided that he had enough of beaches for a while.