"Don't you dare fucking talk to me like that." I snapped at the seething boy in front of me.
"Like what, princess? Like you're full of shit? Someone had to say it!" He yelled back.
"No, don't talk to me like you're better than me! You and I are the...
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★★★
The next morning, I woke up. That was all I needed to keep me going. I woke up, and that was enough. I was still tangled in JJ's arms and I was comfortable. I could've just gone back to sleep, but I decided I needed some time for myself this morning.
I snaked my way out of his grip and snuck over to my dresser. I picked out a plain black bikini and gray shorts to put over my bottoms half. I looked back at the sleeping boy, making sure he didn't wake up as I left, and I shut my door behind me quietly.
It was about 9 o'clock when I looked at a nearby watch. I grabbed an orange and a bottle of water as I headed to the door, and I walked to where my board was up against the wall outside. I tucked it under my arm and began to walk to my surf spot.
It took me twenty minutes, but when I arrived, it was worth it. I put my board down in the sand and sat on top of it, peeling my orange and eating it to give myself even a little sustenance. When I was finished with it, I discarded the peel, throwing it into a nearby bush.
It was biodegradable, it's fine. When I got up, I was ready to surf. I got out there, the waves calming me. I used surfing to de-stress, and it was about time I got back out on the water by myself. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends, but I was in desperate need of some me-time.
The water crept up my arms and soothed me. I had salt-water in my veins, I always have. For as long as I could remember, the ocean was home to me. The water was my happy place, and it was somewhere I could call my own at times. I didn't always have a home with Helen, so I resorted to the water to claim me as its own.
When I was done surfing, it was about that time to go teach the surf lesson again. I made my way back to the Chateau and took the van to Figure 8, not going back inside the house. I didn't know if JJ or Pope were awake, but I didn't want to have to address the panic attack with Pope yet. I needed time to think of some excuse as to why I had the attack, to begin with.
The lesson was short. I supervised the group surfing, sensing the tension between Sarah and Topper, and noticing Rafe hadn't shown up. I took it as a blessing though, it wasn't like I wanted him there. We finished up and I went back home, seeing JJ on the hammock outside. "Where'd you go?" He asked casually, and I told him about the lesson, leaving out my surfing alone.
"Well, we've got a little... news," He said with a weird look on his face. "Ooh, very mysterious. What's the scoop?" I asked, jumping next to him in the hammock and throwing my hair up into a ponytail.
"John B. is little orphan Annie no longer. Ward Cameron offered to be his new legal guardian," JJ said, and I was stunned. "What?" I said, slightly slack-jawed. "It's weird right?" He asked and I nodded. "Super weird," I said, messing with the rings on my fingers. I twirled them around but suddenly felt like I shouldn't be wearing them.
