Chapter 05.1

My summer internship had officially begun with Uncle Steve.

“Uncle Steve,” I said one morning while prepping at the clinic, “I submitted the paperwork for the transfer.”

“I know, son,” the old man chuckled. “I already saw your name at the admissions office.”

“Please don’t tell Jenny,” I asked quietly.

“That’s your business, son,” he replied seriously. “You do realize this summer won’t be easy, right? We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, on top of the daily grind.”

“I know,” I nodded. “I won’t be away from the clinic for more than a week.”

“Johnny,” he said, emphasizing my name, “you’re not going to have much of a personal life.”

“I don’t have one right now anyway,” I laughed.

“Alright then,” he smiled, pointing to three thick books on the desk. “Take these home and start going through them. We’ll cover everything together, but it’ll be easier if you read ahead.”

“Will do. Thanks. Is it always this hard to get in?” I asked.

“No, son. But we expect more from transfer students,” he said with a knowing smile.

“Brian was right. I should’ve started here in the first place,” I sighed.

“We’ll make it work,” he said, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat just before we called in the first patient.

—

I didn’t speak to Jenny until the weekend, though we had plans to spend it with our friends. We arrived at the beach separately—she in her car, I in mine.

We were the first of our group to get there and settled near our usual spot, farther from the parking lot but closer to the water and the restaurants. Jenny rented a beach umbrella and laid her blanket on the opposite side of it. She was clearly keeping her distance, and I respected that.

The lifeguard tower wasn’t far from us. This stretch of beach also had a fenced-off area with a waterslide complex and a ticket booth out front.

“How’s the hospital internship going?” I asked, trying not to stare at her new red swimsuit.

“Not very exciting,” she replied. “Mostly stocking cabinets and stuff like that. They let me listen to music with one earbud, though.”

“Well, that’s something,” I said.

“Hey, guys!” Paul called out as he arrived with his little sister.

Jenny motioned for Susy to sit beside her, while Paul laid his blanket between the two of us.

One by one, the rest of our friends showed up, and we started planning the day.

“How about a water-skiing competition?” Jenny suggested.

“What are you thinking, little girl?” I asked with a grin.

“Girls versus boys. Whoever stays up the longest wins a point. The team with the most points wins.”

“And what do we get if you girls lose?” I asked, intrigued. I’d missed her challenges.

“Ice cream!” Jessica squealed.

“We could ask for something bigger,” Mayoko said with a mischievous smile. “Losers go bungee jumping—from there.” She pointed to a crane towering in the distance, clearly set up for jumps. The girls nodded in agreement.

“Hani,” Brian said gently, ”you know I’m terrified of heights.”

“Then don’t lose,” she replied with a quick kiss.

“We’re in, little girl,” I said, offering my hand. She shook it. 

“The old routine wasn’t bad either, but this works too,” Paul laughed.

We made our way over to the waterski area, where Mayoko and Jenny asked the guys about the possibility of parallel skiing.

“Of course, my fairies, we can make that happen,” the guy said, clearly distracted by their bikinis.

“Thanks,” I stepped forward. ”Everyone goes with their own partner.” I would’ve gladly wrapped an arm around my ex-girlfriend, but I couldn’t.

“Got it,” the guy grinned.

“Aaron,” I said, ”you and your partner go first, then Paul’s team, Brian’s, Daryl’s, and we’ll go last. Sound good?”

“Why are we going last, Jay?” Jenny asked curiously.

“Because I want to see how close the guys get to winning,” I winked.

She just smiled, and for a moment, I got lost in her eyes.

“Dude,” Daryl’s voice snapped me back. ”We’re up.”

Everyone had their turn, while Brian and Paul documented the whole thing. Daryl and Paul managed to even the score after Mayoko and Jessica’s win—so now it was up to me to step up.

“Well, pretty boy,” Jenny laughed, “it’s all on us now.”

“Just be careful out there, Little Girl,” I said, right before the guy helped her gear up. It was obvious he liked her—unfortunately, I couldn’t rip his head off, and as usual, Jenny didn’t notice a thing.