Seafoam //Completed//

Chapter 13

"Did I miss something?" Ava sounded as surprised as Lulu felt. Lulu could only shake her head, her eyes still on Matty waiting for him to react. When he took a firm step forward, Lulu quickly got up and raced towards him, placing a firm hand on his chest.

"Don't," she pleaded but he didn't even look at her. He had eyes for only them.

"Liam! Over here!"

Oh. Dear. Lord, Lulu thought miserably as she witnessed Selene call Liam and Gemma over, completely unaware of the silent war going on within both Matty and Lulu.

"Selene? Where's...Oh, hey cuz!" Liam's arrogant voice carried across on the wind towards them, and Lulu felt Matty tremble in rage beneath her palm, still firmly placed upon his chest.

"Matty, look at me," she begged. He was always slow to anger, but Matty's heart was malleable, and his emotions were on loose chains while his grip on them unstable. "Matt!"

She watched as his handsome face, contorted in rage, slowly softened as he bowed his head to look at her. In his eyes she saw betrayal, then, a terrible sadness, one which she felt with him. Beneath the pain she felt for him, though, a tiny spark of hope ignited, threatening to consume her.

Again, Matty looked up to Gemma, unable to help himself. Lulu followed his gaze and looked at Gemma too, but she didn't look back. Lulu could see her lovely face turning a deep crimson, clearly aware of their stares. Matty's eyes seemed to search her face, desperate to catch her eye, desperate to communicate with her what he couldn't say in front of so many people, and Lulu's hope was quickly extinguished. 

Liam gripped Gemma by the waist, his thick fingers digging into her white tank top, and pulled her close when they reached the group. Her blond hair was tucked into a carefully constructed braid that hung to the side, giving her a look of unadulterated innocence, and in her disgust, a wave of nausea swept over Lulu. In stark contrast, Liam was shining like a beacon with his prize, won in a contest no one was aware he had even played.

"Zac, what is the deal, man? Cover that mess up!" he sniggered and shook his head at his cousin. On the sand, still sitting, Zac felt clumsily for his sunglasses and quickly placed them back on.

Shocked, Lulu looked towards Selene but the raven haired girl only looked down at her feet, embarrassment clear on her face. Heat crept up Lulu's neck and face as she felt her blood boil within her veins. The sky was darkening and in the distance, she heard the clouds exhale a rattling breath. Water inked the sand beneath their feet as the tide began to rise, but not the icy water nor the fresh chill on the breeze did a thing to cool the burning fury bursting out of her.

Dropping her hand from Matty's chest, she took measured steps to Liam, who was still laughing at his cousin, and stood in front of him. After all that had happened in the last few weeks, with Matty, with her father, with Zac, after all her carefully sewn seams had been pulled apart, stitch by stitch, all she had withheld and bottled up had finally spilled over as she watched Liam destroy both Matty and Zac.

If she couldn't do anything for herself, she was going to do something for them. Like a vengeful spirit, she was coming for blood.

With a white hot rage almost fueled by the lighting that had begun to light the sky, she pulled her small hand back and, mid swing, angrily balled up a fist that connected with Liam's perfectly chiseled jaw. Liam stumbled backward in pure shock as all at once, Gemma screamed, Selene gasped, Ava let out a bark of laughter and Matty cried out her name in surprise. It would have been comical had Lulu not been more than ready to pounce one more time. Before she could though, Matty's arms were around her, holding her back. She didn't fight him, but rather aimed her fight towards Liam, who was holding a hand to his jaw.

"Every word that has come out of your mouth is unnecessary, unwanted, absolute drivel that only serves to showcase your idiocy. Don't you ever say anything like that to Zac again," her low voice oozed poison as she spoke. Her hands were clammy and her knuckles ached so much, she was sure she had broken something, but she stood tall, trying not to tremble with the adrenaline racing through her system.

Matty's arms were loose around her and she stepped outside of his embrace easily.
"Can we go?" she asked, turning around to face him, disregarding the stunned expressions on nearly everyone's faces. He nodded absentmindedly, looking at her through foreign eyes. Now that everything was done, she felt embarrassed for the show she had put on for everyone. Though she knew he couldn't see her, she was ashamed to face Zac. Surely he would think her a child for acting out like she had. Surely he would be enraged that she had defended him when they weren't even friends.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and went to pick up her stuff. Beach goers all around them continued to laugh and play as the sun set upon her little spectacle. How she longed to be with the mother who helped her little boys build a sandcastle before the tide rose high enough to wash it away. Or with the father who, ushering out his family, still had a huge grin resting on his face as he remembered that today was a beautiful day.

That life wasn't for her. Not anymore. She didn't have the loving father or the beautiful mother. Instead, she was more like the little girl, running into the water head first, not coming up until her lungs cried out. But Lulu's lungs would cry and cry and cry until they cried no more, until they were used to the burn of the brine within as they turned aquatic.

A bone rattling groan came from the sky above and the water fell in sheets upon them. The entire beach scrambled for shelter and Ava yelled a quick goodbye to Lulu which she barely registered. Liam and Gemma were gone, lost in the sea of people making their way up the beach like high tide, rushing to their cars. The rest of the group had fled along with the others and Matty told Lulu to wait for him under the umbrella Michael had forgotten behind, while he brought the car around. Deciding this was a good idea, Selene followed suit and Lulu was left alone to wait with Zac. She was already soaked from head to toe and it seemed futile to stay dry, so she reveled in the cool rain. Lifting her head to the sky, she felt the raindrops run down her body like caressing fingers, leaving a trail of ice where they landed. In the water's embrace, she felt alive, empowered.

She looked at Zac and was happily surprised to see him standing just outside of the yellow umbrella, head facing the sky, sun glasses cast aside. When he looked down he was smiling, almost relieved. He was beautiful under the light and water, and Lulu's heart did a summersault in her chest, surprising her. Her belly quickly filled with a thousand fluttering wings and her cheeks flushed.

"Zac," she said, taking a step forward. "I'm sorry," she almost yelled over the sound of the rain falling. "I shouldn't have hit your cousin, it wasn't my place. I—."

She didn't know what else she could say. Zac was only shaking his head. The rain began to fall harder and the sky groaned louder. Lightning pierced the sky and she could see Zac was saying something, but she couldn't hear anything. His brow was furrowed and he continued to shake his head but still, Lulu had no idea what he was saying. In that moment, Matty's and Selene's cars pulled up to the street by the boardwalk and Matty honked loudly. Lulu could see Selene running out of her car to get Zac.

"I have to go!" was all Lulu managed to say as she ran to Matty's car. She looked back a final time and saw Zac running his hand across his face as Selene reached him. Together they made their way to her car, while Zac kept turning back towards the yellow umbrella.

Really short, and not as good but I wanted to update since I haven't in so long!