Below the Surface

Chapter Seventeen: What is Normal?

Dedicated to ZimBob because she is an excellent and hilarious writer! Her stories were one of my first reads when I started Wattpad. They are so great read them alllllll! Just a Kiss, Just a Bet and Just a Summer Fling...ahhhh the memories. And I just found out about Just a Chase which I will be reading pronto. 

Chapter Seventeen: What is Normal?

While I normally wake up at the crack of dawn in the best of moods I can say differently this time. When we agreed to leave at six o'clock sharp to avoid traffic and all, Jay certainly meant it. I love Jay. I really do, but something about him just...makes me want to wring his neck. I hate having my peaceful mornings ruined by it being not so peaceful. Today is the day we leave for our weeklong trip to Hana...with Jay and Liam, and I am not ready at all. Hana is beautiful and such a peaceful part of this island with so much native Hawaiian culture I fall in love every time, but it is also a tourist site and it ruins the comforting feeling of also being a mermaid and not being free. Taking a deep breath, I open the double doors of the shed and flick the light. Rows of surfboards hang on the sides of the walls, I walk towards the back and think of which board I want to take on the trip. I pull out one of favorite paddle boards with an electric blue coloring and carry it out. I'm about to carry it over my head when Bella appears from around the corner with a huge grin on her face, I step back in surprise and almost letting my paddle board slip from out of my hands.

"Jesus, Bella. It's dark, don't do that." I take a breath and place the board over my head. She smiles and shrugs, "Sorry. But, do you want to have breakfast at Charley's or...?" she steps inside the shed and starts skimming for the board she wants to bring. We're obviously not going to try to surf or swim, but we have to make it look like we still enjoy the water for Liam - plus, paddle boarding never hurt.

I hum in response, "If you're up for it." I say nonchalantly while placing my board back down.

"Don't do that." She looks back at me with her eyebrows furrowing together.

"Do what?" I reply, rocking on my heels. She slumps her shoulders giving me pointed stare and tosses me a baggie with a few containers of surfboard wax. I catch it and watch her come out with her paddle board in her hands.

"The "do whatever you want" thing. This is still our trip."

I hum in response again, "Yup. Our trip. With Jay and Liam."

She sighs, "See. You're upset."

"Am not." I sigh and stare down at my bright pink and orange nikes feeling tired and defeated.

Here I am going on a weeklong trip with Liam, we can barely make eye contact and now we have to be together for a whole week, in the same hotel, in the same room. Holy shit. He hates me, how am I to survive a week long trip with him giving me the cold shoulder? I'm still traumatized from the reunion, he played a dirty game and I lost. I lost from the beginning. I sigh and flick my eyes to her bright, blue eyes that are filled with curiosity and concern.

"I'm just tired." I tell her.

Which is part true and part lie, I just really don't want to see Liam. Sure, I saw him a few days ago but he didn't stay long, we didn't look at each other or even make the slightest gestures to each other.

"Tired of what?" she asks softly and I look back at her and I open my mouth wanting to tell her about Liam and what he did because she doesn't know what went down at the reunion, all she knows is that I left thinking it was because I didn't want to be there in the first place, that's one reason.