You shoved the cooler into the backseat while Jace leaned against the passenger door like he had no plans of moving. His pink hair was a mess from the breeze, and he looked way too smug for someone who had done absolutely nothing.

"You gonna stand there all day or actually help?" you asked, slamming the door shut.

"I'm here for emotional support," Jace said, flashing a lazy grin. "You're doing great, by the way."

You rolled your eyes and got into the car. Jace sprawled in the passenger seat, long legs taking up all the space like he was some VIP on vacation.

The ride started peacefully enough... until Jace found the radio.

He cranked the volume and immediately started singing—off-key, loud, and with way too much enthusiasm.

"Take me dooown to the paradise cityyy!" Jace howled, voice cracking halfway through the line.

You winced. "Oh my god. You suck."

Jace clutched his chest. "Betrayed. Wounded. Left for dead."

"Good. Maybe if you die, the noise will stop."

He only sang louder, dragging out every wrong note on purpose. You reached over and smacked his arm without taking her eyes off the road.

"Seriously," you said, "you're one screech away from summoning a demon."

"Better than summoning a Karen," Jace said with a wicked grin. "Those things are way harder to banish."

You snorted. "I hope one bites you."

"Already happened," Jace said proudly. "Survived. Thrived. Made her cry."

By the time you pulled into the beach parking lot, you were seriously considering kicking him out and driving away.

You started setting up—struggling to stab the umbrella into the sand while Jace was supposed to be laying out the towels. Supposed to be. Instead, he wandered off and came back carrying a suspiciously full bucket.

"Hey, catch!" he shouted.

Before you could even react, he dumped the entire freezing bucket of ocean water right over your head.

You stood there, soaked, mouth hanging open.

Jace dropped the empty bucket with a loud thunk, grinning like a feral cat. "You looked hot. Had to fix it."

You launched a handful of wet sand at his chest. It splattered across him, but he just laughed and dodged another handful like this was the best game he'd ever played.

"You are literally the worst," you said, wringing out the hem of your shirt.

"And yet," Jace said, completely unapologetic, "you still brought me. That's on you, sweetheart."

You shook your head, grabbing a towel to mop yourself off, while Jace tossed himself dramatically onto the blanket like he had just fought a war.

After a beat of silence, he turned his head, grinning like a kid about to cause more trouble.

"You wanna go for a swim?"