Page 19 of The Rhythm of their Souls

Nora rubs the hair back from Mom’s forehead. She shakes her head and sternly shouts, “Do you understand what will happen if the cops come here? They will take us away, Olive. We have no family outside of Mom. We’ll end up in foster care and probably be separated. I won’t fucking allow it!”

My mouth falls open. How would I survive without Nora? The thought of being placed in a system where I have no control over who my family may be makes me tremble to my core.

They wouldn’t hesitate to take us from Mom if they could be a fly on the wall and witness what we endure. I massage my temples and let out a long, shaky breath. “Is Mom going to wake up?” I ask nervously.

She grabs Mom’s wrist and checks her pulse. Her shoulders instantly relax a little, and a look of relief hits her face. “It may take some time, but yes, she should.”

Nora looks beyond exhausted, and I feel horrible that I had to wake her up to something so traumatic. I had so many questions for her, but I decided to wait another day. Tonight has been a real-life nightmare. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to recover from this.

If Nora hadn’t been here, Mom would most likely be dead. And the thought of that causes my insides to sting through every nerve ending in my body. I finally plop down on the bathroom floor and rest my head against the wall. We both just sit in silence and patiently wait.

Chapter 13

It felt like an eternity, but Friday is finally here! Holy shit, I never thought we’d make it. I was supposed to work until four today. But one employee from work took over my shift. He was looking for extra hours, so it worked out in both our favors.

I woke up feeling super positive at seven. We will ignore the minor panic attack I had while packing. When I get in my head, it can turn into a whirlwind of anxiety. I have so many emotions trying to make an appearance today. I don’t know what to expect for this short beach trip. I was face-to-face with Theo for maybe five to ten minutes at Taylor’s party, and we barely spoke because my dumbass ran off like a scared little puppy.

Now I’m spontaneously meeting him at the beach to stay a couple nights. Life can be a strange ride, let me tell you. Danielle attempted to pack the entire apartment in her suitcase. After tackling her on her bed, I talked some sense into her hard-headed ass.

We are opposites with packing. I plan my outfit for each day and bring one emergency outfit. That’s not including the bare minimum of essentials needed. I fucking despise coming back from a vacation and having to spend an hour putting things away I didn’t even touch.

We’ve been on the road for nearly an hour now and should arrive around lunchtime or shortly after. I ended up asking Theo if Chase would mind Lottie tagging along. It took me staying up late Wednesday night overthinking the situation before I finally mustered up the courage to text and ask him. I’m pretty sure I wasted the worry on nothing.

He seemed cool with it and let me know Leo would be there, too. Originally, I was going to ask Nora to keep her. But with everything that’s been going on with her, I didn’t want to bother with it. I’d much rather Lottie be with me, anyway. You never know, she just might make a new doggy friend.

I haven’t even told Nora about Theo yet. Honestly, I wanted to wait to see how this trip would go. I’d hate to make a big deal out of it, and then this trip be a huge fail, and I never see or speak to him again.

She knows that Danielle and I are going to the beach and meeting a couple of people there, but she didn’t ask too many questions. Theo told me I could invite her, but I knew what her answer would be. She would rather it be the two of us taking one of our day trips, jamming to her favorite musician, Stevie Nicks.

Danielle made sure she primped to perfection before we left home. Which she doesn’t need, since she is naturally a looker. Her raven-tinted hair falls just a little over her shoulders. Her dark, thick lashes make her deep blue eyes pop, and sometimes I catch myself staring into them. Minus when she pisses me off, which is every other day.

But I love her for it; she is my best friend. She doesn’t want to admit it, but I know she’s looking forward to meeting Chase. I pray he has a decent personality. The last thing I want is her pouting about the guy with a dull sense of humor.

The GPS shows we’re getting close to the beach house. I’m trying not to freak, but I can’t deny that I’m nervous. I try distracting my mind by rolling my window down and gazing at the endless rows of palm trees. There is something about them that warms my veins. I take a deep breath, soaking the salty air into my lungs. The sky is an aqua blue; big cotton-like clouds dance across the open sky.

This is my happy place; a temporary healing session if you will. And I’m thankful to be here with Danielle, I adore our mini adventures together. But I can’t help but wish Nora was here with us. I miss her.

My nerves are getting the best of me as we get closer to our destination. I’m feeling so many emotions right now. The eagerness to actually meet Theo hits me, but also an unsettling sensation crawls through me.

This trip can only go two ways. Either we hit it off and become friends and figure out whatever this is, or we realize this was all a joke and a waste of precious time, then we part ways and pretend we never met. Even considering that as a possibility almost makes me sad.

We pull up to a two-story coral-painted beach house; the shutters are a pretty shell-creamed color. There are Dwarf Date Palm trees on each side of the front stairs. Chinese Fan Palms sit left and right of the house wrapped with cream stone. I notice different shapes and sizes of seashells sitting along the stones in a variety of colors. Probably all plucked from the sand near the ocean.

This place is so cute and gives the best beachy vibes. I can already picture how the inside will look just by the well-nurtured yard and the appearance of the outside.

I shoot Theo a quick text to let him know we are here. We haven’t even exited the car yet, and within seconds I spot two males walking up from the backyard. I instantly glue my eyes to Theo.

He is wearing a plain black t-shirt with grey and black swim trunks. How can such a simple outfit look so damn good on a human? He is even more stunning in the daylight. His luscious dirty blond hair glimmers as the sun’s rays naturally highlight each strand. His flawless skin exudes a golden glow, blessed by the sun’s affectionate embrace.

I’m going to assume that Chase is the one walking in sync beside Theo. They stride towards us, both tall and strong. He looks to be maybe an inch taller and slightly thinner than Theo. Danielle and I look at each other before getting out of the car.

A huge sneaky grin spreads across her face. “Girl, shit is about to get wild.”

I smile back and playfully roll my eyes. I can’t help but feel excited about what’s to come for the weekend. We are at the beach with two hot-ass guys. At this moment, I feel utterly content.

The boys help get our things out of the trunk, which is mainly Danielle’s ridiculous amount of luggage. Even the boys seemed surprised, noticing I only had one suitcase, and the rest was Danielle’s. I catch Chase looking her up and down while she gathers a couple of bags to carry in. I wonder if he finds her attractive. I would be shocked if not.

Danielle’s had no trouble getting what she wants from boys. She’s been a beauty since she was a child. I always envied her confidence in herself. It’s something I have lacked growing up. Being bullied in grade school didn’t help the shame I already felt towards my appearance.