Float

Original Edition: Chapter Four

"The ice cream parlor down there is really good," Rachel suggested, sensing my apprehension.

"I'm kinda full," I said.

"Well, there's a bookstore?"

Bingo.

With a burst of bravery and a sense of purpose, I said goodbye and climbed out of Rachel's car. A little flare of panic twisted my stomach as I watched her drive away, but I powered through it and marched down the sidewalk.

A bell tied to the door jingled as I slipped into the bookstore and found exactly what I'd hoped for—dark wood, rows of shelves, and sacred peace and quiet.

"Hi, can I help you find—"

I turned and found Lena Fletcher standing behind me, a name tag pinned to the front of her shirt and her hands busy rearranging a display of Stephen King novels.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, hey! Waverly! What are you doing here?"

"I'm just—just browsing, I guess. My aunt has to work on this mural down in Marlin Bay, so she decided I'd need something to do."

"Well, you can totally hang with us!" Lena said.

"Us?"

"Yeah. Hey, Lisa?"

And just like that, my excitement was gone.

I turned to see none other than Alissa, Blake Hamilton's now ex-girlfriend, standing at the back of the shop, a stack of books in her arms. When she spotted me, she frowned in confusion. From her disheveled appearance and the dark purple rings under her eyes, I deduced that she was fighting a major hangover. 

"Wemberly?" Alissa asked.

Close enough.

"It's Waverly," Lena spoke up. "Remember her from last night?"

Alissa still looked confused.

"She's visiting from Alaska? Her aunt lives next door to Blake—" Lena stopped speaking abruptly, face crumpling with regret. I frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong. And then, Alissa threw back her head and let out an agonized wail.

"He dumped me!" she howled.

The books tumbled out of her arms, landing in a heap on the floor. Lena rushed forward and gathered Alissa into a big bear hug as she sobbed, mascara trails running down her cheeks.

"It's okay, let it out," Lena cooed, patting Alissa's sleek black hair.

"And Ethan s-said he wasn't s-sure about u-us!" Alissa sobbed, "Do y-you know what this m-means? I'm a-alone!"

She let out another agonized wail.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at her and point out the fact that she had been cheating on both Blake and this Ethan guy, and that they therefore had every right to reject her. But since Alissa seemed like she wasn't in the mood to face the harsh truth of the situation, I bit my tongue and let Lena comfort her.

"You know what you need?" Lena prompted, leaning back from Alissa.

"W-what?" Alissa sniffled.

"Ice cream!"

Alissa snorted.

"Ice cream is just empty calories," she mumbled, looking down at her feet and wiggling her hot-pink painted toenails in her flip flops.

"You deserve a little treat," Lena told her. "And I'm sure Jesse would love some company."

I frowned, trying to remember if anyone had mentioned a Jesse at the bonfire party.