Summers at Manteo Beach » Places

         
Naomi Padilla - location: summer beach house, outfit
Naomi stood next to the door, rolling her suitcase away. She knew she would deal with it at some point, but it didn't really matter to her right now. She was prepared, with her swimsuit already on and no need for sunscreen. Her latina skin tanned quickly and easily, and it took a lot for her to burn. Her friends were all white ("weak-skinned" as she liked to call them) and seemed to turn the color of a lobster if the so much as stuck a finger into the sunlight. It made her appreciate herself in a strange way, even her skin could hold its own against those damned UV rays.
"The beach is only a five-minute walk from here, but if we really want to waste petrol we can."
As she spoke, Naomi turned and began to walk out the door. The had always been one of the most independent in the group. Her friends seemed to pair off, creating little inter-friendships within the group. She had never really done that, and though sometimes she wished she could have a best friend (or dare she say, lover?) It got lonely sometimes. She didn't really speak to her parents about her personal life, and sometimes she wished she just had someone to confide in. Sure, she could talk to her friends if she really wanted to, but she knew that if she told one of them it would probably make its way around the group before she could blink. Even if she just had someone to talk to about her dad, she would be happy.
She was always worried that maybe she had a condition or something. Possibly depression or borderline personality disorder. She could joke and laugh, and that was the person her friends knew. But she could also crash and burn, and feel true sadness that made her cry herself to sleep for weeks on end. Maybe that was why she loved swimming so much, it was able to wash her tears away (along with any terrible feelings she had) and give her a way to push herself to the limit. People underestimated how difficult swimming really was.
Before she graduated, Naomi would wake up at 4:30 am and train until school, then go immediately back to practice when school was over and train until 9:00 pm. It was rigorous, and sometimes she didn't even touch water. This intense training had given her a beautiful, toned body, and she knew how to use it.