t w e n t y - t w o

23 2 4
                                    

double update wuddup - i'm beyond excited for you to read this chapter, good luck keepin your feelings inside x.
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I wiggle my toes in the sand, enjoying the feeling of the tiny grains of rock between them. I've only been to the beach once or twice as a kid before my family broke apart.

I remember the first time I went to a beach - it had been cloudy and it drizzled the entire time, but my parents made sure we had a great time by showing me how to properly make a sand castle with the buckets and shovels they bought especially for that trip. We went into the dark lake water and splashed around together while it rained, and then went out for burgers and fries once we dried off.

The second time I went to the beach was with my good friends and my mum, who allowed me to have a girls' day with my closest friends - Jess included. That time it was sunny with clear skies, but there was a cool breeze, which isn't unusual there. We blasted the radio and danced around on the sand, played in the water, and layed out to absorb the sun. We felt like the teenagers in the popular beach movies, and it made us feel great about ourselves. We became so close to each other that day, and I still see it as my favorite day - even though one of the girls is now a murderous sociopath.

I push my memories away and focus on the beauty of today. Luke grabs hold of my hand and pulls me along with him, bringing us to the shoreline of the ocean. A small tide washes over our feet, the cool water sending shivers up my spine.

"Let's go in deeper." Luke suggests, letting go of my hand to dive in. Through the crystal water I can see his bright green swimming shorts and the way they fall down his legs slightly as he swims, revealing his pale buttcheeks. I laugh and run in after him, leaving huge splashes and waves in my wake. I hear people run in after me, their laughter and loud splashing a clear indicator. I hear Ashton burst into loud laughs, bringing a smile onto my face. It's amazing how I found such a wonderful group of people.

Luke pops up out of the water and spits salty water at me, earning a shriek and a splash back from me. This turns into an all-out water fight, and then an all-out water war once the rest of our friends catch up.

We all freeze once we hear a phone ringing from the shore, the familiar tune of Calum's ringtone filling the silence.

"Do you think it's important?" Cal asks, moving towards the shore. "Should I answer it?"

"Nah, don't let any drama ruin our one taste of freedom. You can call back later." Michael decides with a shrug.

"Sounds good to me." Calum smiles, giving in. He splashes an unsuspecting Ashton in the face and begins another water war, the only sounds now being splashes and laughter.

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We return to the resort when it gets too dark to see what we're doing, and order room service once we settle in. Lily still hasn't turned up, but I already know what she's doing. She informed me via text that she transferred rooms to avoid rooming with Calum, who doesn't suspect a thing.

Once we finish pigging out in the room service food, we lay out on the beds and the couch in Luke and I's room and watch as Calum hits the play button on the voicemail the caller left.

"Hi, it's Maxine. I just wanted to let you know that Jess turned herself in to the station earlier this evening at about six o'clock our time. But something seemed off, so she was tested for mental illnesses that could be associated with her behavior...and we found out something very important to this case."

I can feel the amount of tension in the room rise dramatically as Maxine speaks those words. Finally, the call we've been waiting for - news about Jess.

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