The next morning Peyton woke up to a text from Val: last beach day of the summer! Be there at 10! Peyton smiled to herself and got up to brush her teeth and get ready. She put on her black bandeau bikini and threw some denim shorts and a cut off tshirt over it, putting her messy hair into a bun. She threw her towel, sunscreen, and a book into her beach bag and headed downstairs for some breakfast. "Headed to the beach today sweetheart?" Her mom asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Yep, last one of the summer, so we will probably be out there all day." "And drunk" her dad added "Yeah, that too." Peyton laughed. "So I may not be home tonight." "That's fine honey, just let us know. We worry about you, you know." "I promise I'll text you ma. I'm gonna head out, love you guys!" She kissed both her parents on the cheek and headed out the door. "I'm so happy she's home." Her mom sighed, while her dad nodded in agreement.

She was already laid out on the beach with Val and Michelle when Zack walked up. The rest of the guys were already there tossing a football around. Peyton sat up on her towel and grinned brightly as he bent down to give her a good morning kiss. "Wait wait wait. Hold on a second. What the fuck was that?" Brian questioned his two friends while the others looked on in shock. "What? I can't kiss my girlfriend good morning?" Zack asked with a smirk. Jimmy looked over at Peyton, then at Zack, then back at Peyton again. "YES!" He shouted, "I KNEW IT! Johnny you owe me fifty bucks!" "Hey what the hell?" Peyton asked with a laugh, "You guys bet on us?" "He'll yeah we did!" Jimmy said excitedly. "Johnny bet me fifty bucks that you guys wouldn't be back together before Christmas, I said he was fucking crazy and we shook hands. Then that little fucker lost!" He laughed. Peyton just smiled and shook her head. She looked over to the girls who had the biggest smiles on their faces. "I'm glad you're happy, best friend." Val said, giving her a sideways hug. The group hung out and drank and played on the beach all day long. At one point there was a very intense game of chicken with Matt and Zack on one team, Jimmy and Johnny on the other. Jimmy eventually gotired of holding Johnny on his shoulders and just dropped him into the ocean. They also played a game of beach football, guys vs girls. The girls lost by 14, but Peyton was the only one to score on their team.

Once they were all pretty much drunk and done with the beach, they set out on foot to Matt and Val's house, which was the closest and right on the beach. Matt was grilling burgers and the girls were inside putting together a salad. While they were inside, Val and Michelle decided to grill Peyton. "So, P, care to share the events that led up to you becoming Zack's girlfriend?" Michelle asked with a smile. "I told him I was ready. I have spent every day for the past week with him, and I realized I didn't want to be anywhere else but by his side, so I told him. The look on his face told me I made the right choice." The younger girl smiled. Leana squealed and wrapped her arms around her friend. "We're so happy for you, Peanut. You deserve to be happy, and Zack is the guy that will give you all the happiness in the world." "Yeah and besides, it's highly unlikely that he will screw up, or else he will have a mob of angry musicians at his doorstep." Lacey said with a laugh. They finished up the salad and walked back outside, where the guys looked a little tense. "Well what the hell happened to you guys?" Val aske, walking over to set the table with the help of her sister. "Oh, nothing." Brian replied, staring at Zack, "We just brought ZV up to speed on what happens if he hurts my sister." Peyton rolled her eyes and walked over to Zack, sitting in his lap. "Oh come on guys," she huffed, "It's not like this is the first time we've gotten together." "This is true." Johnny spoke up, "I think this is a reason to celebrate. Let's get drunk!" They all ate their dinner and drank into the wee hours of the morning. Nobody was in any condition to drive home, and Zack's house was just a few blocks away, so they stumbled home. Once they made it through the front door, Peyton's mouth was on Zack's. "Pey," he said, trying to catch his breath, "Are you sure you don't want to wait until we're sober?" She looked up at him, a mixture of love and lust in her eyes, "I think we've waited long enough." She whispered. That was all it took for Zack's mouth to be back on hers. They eventually wound up in Zack's room, clothes flying off on the way up, where they stayed for the rest of the night, tangled up in each other and the sheets.

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