Avery's P.O.V
I watch as I see a handsome man with a blue lifeguard shirt on. He has blond but has a tint of ginger in it, it seems. My eyes seem to follow him.
"Why he's rather dashing." I tell myself giving a smile as I sip the rest of my drink.
A five minutes go by and start to wonder where my best friend has gone. I call her phone but it only rings in her bag.
"Maybe she's gone to the tower to talk to Whip." I tell myself then I collect my things and hers then head up to the tower.
I go up the steps and see that she's laying on the medical bed.
"Oh my god now what happened to you." I ask walking over to her.
"I might've had an allergic reaction to the drink...I think maybe there was a peanut in it or something because that's the only thing I'm allergic too."
"Well how are you feeling now?" I ask
"Better. Got an Epipen to the thigh so that was fun."
"Damn. I'm glad I'm not allergic to anything." I laugh
She gives a chuckle, "Your lucky."
"I was planning on going for one last swim I can't get enough of that ocean." I chuckle.
"Well you can leave your stuff here cause I'll be a while."
"Okay, I'll go for a bit to let you relax in here then we can go back to your place."
"Okay sounds like a plan." She smiles.
I return it then head out, "Bye Whip." I say before jogging down the beach.
~
I dunk myself under the cool water trying to forget England and the past that comes with it.
I resurface and breathe a breath of fresh sea air.
I swim out a bit farther not wanting tons of people around me. I float around a bit, there's nothing to worry about because I'm like a fish, I can swim great.
I sigh sadly not wanting to go. I just want to stay here for the rest of my life.
A wave crashes on my face disturbing my floating. I resurface coughing from the water that went up my nose.
I sneeze from the tingle it gave me afterwards. "Stupid wa-ah." I sneeze again, "Bloody hell." I curse frowning.
I notice that I drifted outside the flags a bit. "Oops." I start to paddle back, but there was a surfer coming my way, "Oh shit." I swim farther away from the flags to avoid him. "Phew."
I feel my body start to get sucked out to sea. My eyes widen as I notice how far I am from the beach.
I hate sharks. I hate them, and if I get sucked out here I'm done for. I think to myself and I freak myself out at the thought of sharks, I start to panic.
"Ohmygod, ohmygod." I try to swim in but the current is too strong.
A memory of me and my bad dances through my head.
"If your ever stuck in a rip swim diagonal okay?"
"K" my kid self beams at my dad then I head into the water with my small surfboard. My 7 year old self dives under a wave.
I focus back onto my swimming trying to get out of the rip.
"Swim diagonal...diagonal.." I whisper to myself, I can hear my heart beat in my ears.
The surf has gotten bigger since I first went in..or it's probably because I'm closer to the bigger waves.
A wave sucks me in its barrel and I tumble around like clothes in a washing machine. I can't tell where's up and where's down.
A memory flashes in my mind as I twirl around in the wave.
"When you tried you best in a situation like getting stuck in a rip you call for help.. even though you think you can handle it on your own.." my father tells me, once he saved my life from almost drowning.
I nod sheepishly tears glossing my eyes.
"Don't cry my fish." He chuckles wiping my fallen tear. "Your strong. But you need to know when you weaken."
I resurface after the wave crashes. I gasp for air. "Hel—" another wave smashes me taking it in its pull not letting me call out for help.
"Dad why are you leaving?" I ask him, now only 14.
"I miss home, My fish. England isn't for me."
"And it's not for me either! Bring me with you dad!" I cry out as he's at the door with his belongings. My heart aches.
He gives me a sad smile. "I wish I could sweetheart."
He takes off his thin gold chained necklace with a little surfboard on it and puts it on me.
"But dad this is...this is your father's.."
"And he gave it to me. Now I'm giving it to you." He smiles
A small smile appears on my lips but it quickly dissipates, rembering he's really leaving. For good.
"Love you, my little fish." He ruffles up my hair with his big hand before opening the door, and leaving..for good.
"No!" I cry out I go to open the door but my mum grabs my arm keeping me from doing so.
...I didn't even get to say goodbye or I love you too. That was the worst day of my life....and from there on it was worse and worse everyday. Wishing I could fly to Australia and find him but I never had the money nor did my mom let me have that kinda amount of money knowing that I would go after my father...
I resurface again but before I could take a breath another wave sucks me in engulfing my body.
My mind swirls my heart beats in my ears. I don't know how much longer I can hold my breath for.
Everything goes red then black. Repeating over and over.
"You learn at school. Come back home, study, eat. Then go to bed." My mom tells me that was my schedule. All day everyday. On weekends I work and study after eat then sleep. The money wasn't for me no, it was for my mum to keep.
At least I didn't have to pay rent...she gave me that much.
"No friends. They distract you and give you fun that you don't need. What you need is an a good education so you can be something other then a pointless surfer. You hear me Avery?"
"Yes moth—I mean ma'am." I correct not being aloud to call her mother because she disowns me as her child and only my father's
I'm surprised she let me keep his chain.
I gasp only for water to come in my lungs. I cough then take more water in. I try to swim to the surface but the water going into my lungs slows me down.
I put my hand up out of the water hoping a lifeguard or just an angel from above to grab my hand.
Please, please...god don't let me die I'm not ready yet...I still have to find my dad.
I feel a hand grab mine, I rise out of the water by a strong arm.
I'm put on a light blue board. I gasp for air, "I got you, I got you. Did you swallow any water?"
"No, no. You got me in time." I feel the saver move my body so it's the same way as the board. "Thank you.." I say weakly, I lay my head down completely exhausted my vision slowly fading from exhaustion.
Soon my vision fills with my past.
"Hi!" A girl greets me at my school usually no one does so it's probably someone new. I look up at the dirty blonde haired girl with hazel blue eyes. Never seen eyes like that before.
"No friends. No friends." I whisper over and over.
"No friends? Well why not? Who's to say you shouldn't?" She asks
"N-No. friends. They distract attention to school..."
The girl laughs, "Well some do but not all you know."
Usually the person wold give up when I whisper no friends. No one really comes up to me because I whisper to myself. I can only have one friend and thats my mind nothing else.
"Do you?"
"Do what? Oh do I distract my friends when they're working?" She asks
I nod.
She laughs again now I'm not sure if she's laughing at me or not...I'm used to the first. "No silly. I think it's bad to distract friends when in class." She giggles
"Am I your friend?" I ask my brain wondering
"Well only if you want too. Whoever told you no friends? Was it your parents?"
"My...my mom. She told me they distract and their pointless."
"Well I think that's just bloody bull shit." She says standing tall puffing her chest out.
However I'm slouched with a hoodie over my head. It's easier for people not to notice me.
I look up at the girl wondering how she's so confident. "I'm Sophia. And your?"
"Avery.."
"Nice you meet you Avery."
I don't smile. I forgot just how my face muscles work I'm always emotionless.
"No smiling, no laughing, not even a giggle. Happiness makes people weak. Don't cry, crying makes you pathetic. Don't fear, fearing things makes you both those things. No anger, it only takes away what your supposed to be thinking." My mother used to tell me every time I showed an emotion she would remind me.
"Come on let's go play!" Sophia says taking my arm from we're I sat which was in the hall with my books.
"Playing is for weak, pathetic, and stupid people." My mother spat. "All you're suppose to do on your free time is study, study, and study. No fun, go games, no friends, and especially no imaginary friends!" She pushes me into my room and slams the door locking me in with an old key.
"Friends are for weak, pathetic people! Playing is for the weak, stupid and pathetic people! Your supposed to study! Study! Study!" I shout yanking my arm away. "No friends! No Emotions! No playing! Only ignorant, dense, brainless, foolish, dull-witted, empty-headed, idiotic, moronic people do!" I shout. The exact words my mother told me every time I did something that was from the triple no's.
Sophia's face doesn't frown, nor does it seem angry at all. She furrows her brows looking at my worryingly like...a true mother would her child.
I get up and leave going to my next class and hour early to sit alone.
It's not bad if you don't have friends. Just look at it as having some you time.
Reidy's P.O.V
I get off the board and she's unconscious. She was responsive when I got her on the board. I feel her pulse and listen to her breathing, Azza comes over. "She's breathing but it's faint. Can you get the oxy."
Avery's P.O.V ~Flash backs~
"How dare you not listen!" My mother shouts slapping me in the face. "I told you no friends and you go and disobey me!" She slaps me again, "And you go out with this girl and you have fun!" She slaps me, "Your a fool!" She slaps me again and my vision blackens.
"You're a fool!
You're father was a fool!
Dull witted brat!
Your nothing but and arrogant selfish girl!
Weak! That's what you are.
Pathetic surf girl!" Is what she would tell me.
Your a fish that can't swim! My mind shouts in my mothers voice. Weak. You couldn't even swim your way out of a rip! Didn't your father teach you? Pathetic. Your a pathetic surfing girl.
Avery's Dad's P.O.V
"Who are you? Your not the Patrisha I know." I tell her, "It's your job here, it's your life here In England that's making you act this way. You were not like that when we lived in Australia."
"Maybe it's because I grew up." She barks
"How about we move back to Australia? Have the old life we had back then back."
"No. I have plans for Avery here and that's how it's gonna be."
"Avery should decide what she wants she's a teenager almost a young adult."
"That's why she should stay here. He needs a job she needs to be taught discipline instead of being care free like you."
"Theres nothing wrong with being carefree. Avery is strong and independent. She doesn't need discipline what she needs is more of carefreeness. She needs to be a teenager, go out have fun, party, hang out with friends. Things teenagers do. Your going to make her into a robot." I tell her
"Well good that's how she should be." She says
"No!" I tell her, "She's coming with me to Australia." I tell her
"No she's not. The mother is the first to decide. The law says so." She shows me a piece of paper, "By law. She stays with me."
"What?"
~end of flash backs~