AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Bran, really. I appreciate it and all but I don’t feel like surfing today.”
“Well, lying in bed for another 24 hours isn’t an option – so get up.” I groan and throw a pillow over my head, but he takes it away. “Look, just come with me for a couple hours. If you still just want to crawl back into your dungeon afterwards, I’ll leave you alone for another whole week.”
I want to argue it but I know my best friend well enough to know that he’s not kidding, so I do as he says. The two of us change into our bathing suits and go downstairs, pulling on our wetsuits and grabbing the boards before walking across the street.
The waves are shaping perfectly this morning and as soon as I’m on the water, I start to feel a little better. We paddle out and find we’re the only ones out here. Brandon takes the first wave, but I’m too busy eying the next one. It’s bigger and messier than I’d normally take, yet the rush of it is calling me.
I pump my arms into the water until my board catches in the wave. I stand up and cut the board to the left, heading straight for the rocks. My best friend yells for me to watch out but something about the excitement makes me risk it a little longer. Just before I’m about to slam into the jetty, I cut back to the right and fall backwards into the water. Fuck, that was the first time I’ve felt anything but misery in weeks.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” Brandon sneers as soon as I come back up to the surface.
“I’m fine.” I wave him off. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Yeah. I know what you’re doing, too. Cut that shit out.”
“And what if I don’t? You going to tell mommy on me?”
He glares to the point where I’m afraid of what he’ll say next. “No, but I will tell Kayleigh.”
My breathing nearly stops. The thought of her being disappointed in me any more than she already is makes me sick. I almost want to turn around and go back to my room but something about the ocean is soothing to me right now.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
I roll my eyes but don’t push the limits. Instead, I paddle back out and make sure to stay far away from dangerous swells and large rocks.
SOMEHOW, GOING SURFING TURNED into me agreeing to go to a party at Alec’s house. If it weren’t for being sure there would be alcohol here, I probably would have refused. Brandon had Jo help me get ready. He knows that if he left it up to me, I would have just worn sweats and ran my fingers through my hair a couple times. Once she’s done, I change into the clothes they’ve picked out for me and we head out.
Bran stays near me for the first two hours until I’m finally drunk enough to not look like I’m on the verge of tears – then he sees a girl that catches his eye and I literally push him towards her. If he keeps looking at me with that sympathetic expression, I’m going to end up losing my shit.
I’m starting to walk towards the kitchen when someone steps in my way. I need to squint so my eyes focus on the person, but once I can see clearly, I notice who it is.
“Bianca.” I slur.
“Woah. What happened to you?”
“What do you mean? I’m fine.”
She snickers. “Yeah, okay. We’ll pretend that’s true.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Not at all. You look like shit.” She steadies me against the wall before stepping closer. “What happened? Did your girlfriend dump you?” When I refuse to respond, she gasps. “Holy shit, she did.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Especially not with you.
At first, she looks sad, but then it changes to a smirk. “Well, you know what the best way to get over someone is, right?”
I don’t want to get over her. My drunken mind speaks for me instead. “No. What is it?”
She goes up on her tippy toes and puts her lips against my ear. “Get under someone else.”
My earlobe gets sucked into her mouth and an involuntary moan leaves my mouth. Maybe she’s right. This could be exactly what I need. I place my hand on her waist and squeeze just enough to tell her that I want her. She pulls away and smiles, wrapping her dainty fingers around my wrist and leading me up the stairs to one of the many guest rooms.
My subconscious warns me that I’m making a big mistake, but my broken heart drowns out the sound. I’ll do anything to make the pain stop, even only for a second. Kayleigh doesn’t want me anymore, and that’s just something I need to learn to live with.
Author Note
