Marcy sped down the highway, music blaring from her car speakers. Her best friends Jane and Lindsay were with her talking loudly, their hair ruffled by the open windows. They were going to Marcy's summer home at Tybee beach. Marcy's parents had bought it years ago and saw it as an investment opportunity and seldom used it. Because of Marcy's stellar academics she was given permission to take the car and two friends down there for a vacation assuming they would all be on their best
behavior. Having Marcy as their daughter they had no worries, they trusted her.

After the initial excitement of the trip wore off they became quite in the car, until Jane spoke up.

"Hey Marce...?"

"Yeah what is it?"

"If we meet any boys can you not be a freak like you were at Drake's party last month? I mean really Marce, acting like some sort of boy and beer Nazi"

Marcy gasped, her mouth agape and eyes blinking
"Well if that's how you feel Jane don't expect me to come to anymore of those stupid parties. You and Lindsay can go without me!"

Lindsay looked over at Jane, who wore a pout so perfect it was as if she had been practicing all her life. The girls sucked in their breath and the car lapsed back into silence.

Sometime later after many rest stops and gas stations, Marcy's car pulled up on the gravel driveway of the summer home. The friction of the previous conversation had dissipated and was replaced with the elation of seeing the ocean. The house was small and yellow, with white shudders and peeling paint. The bright sun shone through the leaves of several oak trees and dappled the grass below their feet. Jane got out of the car and ran towards the house, eager to see where they would be staying the next week.

"S*** Marce!!! there's dust everywhere...AWW crap is that a mouse trap? With all the money your parents had they couldn't buy a maid to look after this place?" Jane exclaimed from inside the house.

Lindsay and Marcy laughed, well accommodated to Jane's blustery personality. The girls all brought their suitcases inside and set up chairs on the beach right next to the house. Marcy in a ruffled one piece and Jane and Lindsay in string bikinis. This was just how they were. their differing personalities shinning through their swimsuit choice.
A group of good looking boys their aged came by and slowed their walk.
"hey!" the first boy said

Jane flashed a dazzling smile and said hey back. The boys walked over and introduced themselves as Mark, Tyler and the one who called out, Austin. They were all tall and very cute, with blond brown hair and a spray of freckles smattered on their boyish faces.

Lindsay and Jane spoke freely and flirtatiously to the boys, but Marcy felt unease and withdrew herself to go get some lemonade from the house.

"Get me some too Marce!" called Lindsay

Through the kitchen window Marcy saw Her friends hamming it up for the boys and decided to stay inside. No one would miss her anyways. She was always the shy and quiet one in the group and that usually didn't matter, except when boys were involved. It never ended well.

After some time Lindsay and Jane came back into the house flushed, and smiling.

"They invited us to a party their having tonight, it's supposed to be really big and they invited US! I can't believe it Marce! oh and they invited you too!" Jane beamed as of this was the news of the century.

Marcy plastered a smile on her face and tried to look happy. She was still hurt from the brutality of Jane's comment back in the car, but her mind was already running through possible situations and outcomes. Each more awful then the last.

Later that night, the girls all dressed up (Marcy in a floral print sundress and Lindsay and Jane in something strappy and revealing) were heading towards the boys house, which was a couple houses down from theirs. Loud music blared from the windows and Christmas lights were all strung up on the trees. Cars were parked haphazardly on the lawn and in the driveway. The door of the house was ajar and slightly detached from the topmost hinges. They walked up the steps and hesitantly inside.

There were tons of people in the house, crowding the hallways and making the air hot and stuffy. A keg was set up in the corner and plastic cups strewn about the table and on the floor. The lights were off and a cheap store bought strobe light illuminated the scene.

Austin and Tyler walked up to the girls pushing past some people as they did so.

"some party huh?" Austin grinned.

They all nodded, their senses muddled by the music and sheer quantity of people. Tyler handed the girls three plastic cups with what looked like beer inside. Jane and Lindsay took theirs and gulped it down unafraid of what could be inside it. Marcy sniffed at it and mumbled a thanks. It wasn't that she was a stick in the mud, she was just a cautious person by nature. Her parents words echoing inside her head. 'We trust you Marcy! Don't let us down!'

It was then when the third boy, Mark walked up. He looked at Marcy, a slow grin spreading across his face. Self consciously Marcy blushed and crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Mark chuckled and turned away to get more beer.

Up close Marcy could see the boys were a bit older than they were, but by how much? Marcy swallowed and her eyes flashed around the room nervously. The two boys Austin and Tyler motioned the girls out to the deck. The Christmas lights were strung up here too. Less people were out on the deck, and a fully lit pool glistened below them, casting a watery reflection on the wooden deck. Mark came out to join them but made little conversation. He appeared to be the oldest and had eyes only for Marcy. He lingered on the front of her dress until Marcy coughed nervously.

The night progressed and Marcy begrudgingly gave in a had a couple cups of beer. Her friends however had much more and were drunk, their breath pungent and sour. It was late in the night and the guests had gone home. The music had also been shut off and the only thing to be heard was the boisterous chatter of the group and the low hum of the pool filter.

They sat on deck chairs, empty cups that had been kicked over on their sides littered the deck. Voices bounced around, and echoed in the silence of the night.

"Do you 'spose dolphins are born able to shwim..?" Lindsay slurred.

"Well yeah they have too" said Austin softly, "or else they would die"

Marcy giggled. Everything was wobbly and funny. Even the groups stupid drunk-talk. She was glad she had some of the beer, it made her feel like she belonged.

"Hey Marce, wouldn't it be cool if you were born a dolphin?" echoed Jane.

All eyes turned to Marcy, they stared stupidly grinning at her, and laughing at the impossibility.

"We could make Marcy a dolphin, she could go swimming in the pool and eat fish" Mark drawled

"yeah let's make Marcy a dolphin!" the group chorused.

Marcy laughed and climbed up on the deck railing above the pool, the watery reflection spilling onto her face illuminating it slightly. Everyone else laughed and caught on to her act. Marcy smiled and was confused as to why she felt nervous for coming here. This had been so much fun. Marcy turned her gaze away from the pool and on the group, who had already moved on to another ridiculous topic. Her parents words had long since vanished from her mind. Suddenly Marcy felt woozy and pitched forward losing her footing. She slipped of the railing and fell down splashing in the pool below her.

Marcy never learned to swim, and being as drunk as she was didn't make staying afloat any easier. She sputtered and gasped choking on gulps of chlorinated water. She thrashed her arms wildly and tried to call out but all that would come out was a strangled cry.
"Auhhgg" she choked out.

The group looked over the railing and screamed. But not in fear, in their drunken stupor they couldn't see the situation for what it really was. They all laughed, delighted at Marcy's 'act'.

Marcy's head dipped below the water and black spots bloomed and expanded until they blocked everything else out. Like a dolphin, born unable to swim she though dimly. Marcy's lungs burned and her heart thudded heavily in her chest, growing weaker and weaker until finally she became still.

The groups laughter trickled off into silence as the situation hit them like a ton of bricks. Jane and Lindsay ran down the stairs two at a time and jumped in the pool grabbing Marcy's arms and hauling her out of the water. The boys followed closely after, their eyes wide with fear. Mark pulled his phone out and after several tries managed to call 911.

Water pooled around Marcy's body, her clothes sodden with it. In the silence of their realization Marcy's body turned and warm air rushed out of her mouth in a sort of sigh.

"....Marcy?" Jane half whispered

But of course she was dead, the slight animation merely the result of a trapped pocket of air. She would never breath again and Jane and Lindsay knew it.

The paramedics came minutes later, prying Jane and Lindsay off the body they clung too. their shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Marcy's death haunted everyone, the two girls especially, and they never again went to Tybee beach.