It all started the day Katie and I decided to take a road trip. It was just after our senior year of high school and we wanted to get out of New York as quickly as possible. She lived on Long Island and I lived in Syracuse, but we really wanted to go to the same high school so we just decided to meet in the middle at some high school around New Paltz every day. Mom and Dad didn’t love the idea too much as first, but when I explained to them that it was fate they understood and agreed to to drive the three hours or so every day.

You’d think if it was such an issue they’d get there faster.

Our original plan was to drive to Mexico, but we accidentally drove to Australia instead. Neither of us realized it until we saw the third kangaroo gallop by. I turned to Katie, who was clutching the wheel with embarrassment on her face. “Oh my god, Katie! You drove us to Australia!”

“I did not!” she argued argumentatively.

“Then who did?”

Katie raised a finger off the wheel, then dropped it. This always happened with Katie. In third grade, when we were on the bus to a field trip, she drugged the bus driver and drove us all the way to Africa. We had to ride elephants home. I told her it was a good thing elephants are my favorite reptiles, and I’ll still stand by that to this day.

“Well what do we do now?” I asked in an asking-like tone.

“Wanna go to the beach?” she asked.

“Hell yeah!” I stopped myself. “I mean…heaven yeah.” Katie told me I should curse less last year, and I’ve been trying my best.

“The beach is this way,” Katie said, driving to a beach. We reached the beach. “Here’s the beach,” she said when we arrived at the beach, going into the parking lot and parking in the beach parking lot in front of the beach.

“Yay!” I exclaimed. “Let’s frolic across the hot sand and wet ourselves in the waters of Australia!”

The two of us frolicked like newlyweds to the beach, our arms interlocked like we were best friends (which we were). But all of that frolicking and wetting ourselves in the waters of Australia made me tired, and colors started to slip away from me.

I heard a distant voice. “Kayla?” It was Katie. That made sense. She was the only person at the beach who knew my name. “Kayla, don’t go colorblind on me now! Help, somebody help!”

Luke Hemmings ran over to us, but I couldn’t fully appreciate his beauty since I could no longer see in color. “What’s the matter, young females?” he asked in his voice.

“It’s Kayla,” Katie explained. “I forgot, she goes colorblind when she’s out in the sun for too long. She’s really similar to a plant in that way.”

“We better call a hospital,” Luke said. He pulled out his cellular. “Hello, Australia Hospital? I’ve got a warm colorblind girl at Australia Beach here and need you to—yeah, okay, I’ll hold.”

Luke leaned down next to me. “Is there anything else I can do for you while we wait?”

“No,” I said weakly. “Just don’t stop…doing what you’re doing.”

He smiled, tears encasing his ovular eyes. “Okay then, Miss…”

I bit my lower lip and seductively whispered, “All-American. Miss All-American.”