A Guide To The Opposite Sex (Discontinued)

The Townies

I laughed at that but didn't interrupt. "It's quiet. Other than our breathing and my voice, there is no other noise. I'm holding Mr. Teddy. And I'm sad that you're gone."

I bit my lip as I heard her sniffle. "But I'm happy that you're home and safe. That you're with your friends and family in such a beautiful place. And I wish that you find your happiness soon. Because that look of pain never did leave your eyes."

I very nearly cried then. I missed the shabby little room that Lukas and I shared. It seemed more like home than my huge, posh bedroom here. I longed to be back there and hug Tammi. I wished I were there to play our game and that our descriptions of our surroundings would be the same.

But she was right. As young as she was and she had made such a wise observation about me. I was hurting inside when I was there. And seeing Grant today made the pain go away for a second. Before it came back full force at the foreign space between us. "Will you promise me something, Riley?"

I swallowed and whispered yes. It was all I could utter without risking the chance of sobbing. "Find your happiness."

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "I will Tamara. For you."

I could hear the smile in her voice as she passed on to Lukas my promise. "Lukey says I've got to go to bed now. He says to tell you goodbye from him, too. Goodnight Riley."

"Night sweetie." The line went dead then and I brought my arm down that clutched my phone, to lay lifeless at my side.

I spun around to walk back to my friends and i accidentally ran into a girl. She was tall with striking black hair. She wore a black string bikini with skulls on it and a scowl. "Watch where you're going, princess."

I raised an eyebrow and was about to reply when there was a dark voice behind her. "Relax Kay. She didn't see you."

My eyes traveled up to the source of the voice and did a double take. This boy looked exactly like Kay. But the male version, I suppose. He was tall and had jet black hair and piercing eyes. "Shut up, Jeremy. You didn't see this idiot bitch practically run into me."

My eyes widened at such open hostility aimed towards me and I opened my mouth to reply when the guy stepped closer. "Enough, Mikayla."

She looked like she wanted to protest but instead she gave a curt nod in his direction.

"Watch yourself, Barbie. Next time you run into me on my beach--"

"Your beach?" I asked in an amused tone.

She gave me a self-assured smirk and leaned in far too close to me. "I get that you're new from around here, sweetie. But you can't come and--"

"Excuse me, but can I just point out that this isn't your beach?" She looked a bit confused so I decided to clarify in a very Riley-way.

"You see that fence in the distance?" I said in a slow, patronizing tone. "This is a gated community, and this," I said pointing to the ground, "Is a private section of the beach."

A deep blush soon attacked her face and her smirk was wiped right off. "Mikayla, just let it go. Come on, we gotta find--"

"Grant!" Mikayla shouted in her raspy voice and caused my head to snap in the direction she was looking at. Grant looked up from his spot on the sand and stood.

He jogged over to us and did this weird guy fist-pump thing. "Sup, Grant?"

"Not much. Glad you guys could make it."

I raised an eyebrow at this. He had invited them?

"Where are the rest of the guys?" Grant asked while the other guy, Jeremy, shrugged. "Couldn't make it, I guess. Didn't wanna come to this rich-ass side of the beach."