Forces of Nature

Shattered

Sure enough, no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than Ash came tearing out of the house wearing a parker and carrying a long wooden bat. Where she'd found it I didn't even want to guess at, but she was holding it like a professional baseball player.

Spotting me and Courtney, she lowered her weapon of choice and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said a little breathlessly. "Took me a while to find my jacket."

I arched an eyebrow. "But not the makeshift club you're holding?"

"Did you wake Tyson?" Courtney asked, cutting off our conversation.

I cursed, squeezing my eyes shut. Great. Just great. I was embarrassed enough without adding him to the mix. Please, please let the ground open up and swallow me whole. Just put me out of my misery already.

"I didn't have to," Ash said, tucking the bat under her arm. "He was already up when I came back down the stairs. Though, I'm not sure he knew where he was, much less what was going on. Looked a little lost."

Courtney giggled, then refocused her attention on me, her expression becoming one of exasperation.

"So are you okay? How did you cut yourself anyway?"

"I didn't cut myself," I snapped, indignant. "A crab bit me."

"Do they even have teeth?" Ash inquired, looking out towards the beach. "Oh, I think I see Quinn and Drew. What are they doing all the way out there?"

When I followed her gaze, I could easily spot two silhouettes making their way towards the house. The noise that preceded them was indecipherable chatter and muffled laughter, much to my chagrin.

"Quick. Help me up before they get here and before Tyson realises he's the only one in the house and comes out to investigate. You two as an audience is more than enough."

I held my hand out to Courtney but it was too late. And all I could do when a deep and irritatingly familiar voice spoke up from the lounge doorway was cringe internally and look for that hole I'd prayed would open up and swallow me whole. But of course, no miracle for me, the ground stayed solid and unyielding beneath my back.

There was definitely a God, and he hated me. That, or he was seriously lacking in the entertainment department and had decided to turn my life into his very own reality TV show up in Heaven.

"Good God. What have you done now?"

I glared up at Tyson who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Well, I was going for a glare, but it ended up being more of a petulant frown. It was clear he'd just woken up. His hair was a mess, ruffled and tangled instead of it's usual glossy waves, his t-shirt sitting slightly askew, and his eyes were half lidded like keeping them open was an effort.

"I resent that tone in your voice, and the way you automatically assume I've gone and done something stupid," I said, pushing to my feet and hiding my bleeding hand behind my back.

The edge of his mouth quirked up in amusement and he used both of his hands to shove his hair behind his ears. "I never said anything about you doing something stupid. You just admitted it all on your own. And even if I chose to ignore that, what, were you just sprawled out over the deck for fun?"

My petulant frown morphed into a perfect imitation of a three year old in major sulk mode. "So what if I was? That illegal now?"

He heaved a long suffering sigh and flipped his hand out toward me, beckoning.

"What?"

"Your hand," he said, his tone implying that I was a moron for even asking.

I refused to budge. "What hand?"