Jay
Taylor pulled up at the kerb to pick me up on the dot of seven, just as he said he would.I jumped down from the sea wall. I hadn't been waiting long, it was still gloriously light and warm but who knew how long that would last in this country.
He climbed out of the car and opened the passenger door for me. His ride was a seriously cool low slung black Audi and I could still smell the new car smell as I climbed in and we pulled away.
"It would have been no bother to pick you up from your grandparent's house you know, or are you hiding me?" Taylor was all teasing charm, I didn't believe for one moment he was actually put out. Taylor's confidence was like a coat of Teflon. Nothing was getting through it. I smiled.
"A girl can never be too careful, we've only just met, it wouldn't do for you to know where I live." I replied.
"Wouldn't do?" He smirked. "Who are you modelling your English accent on Mary Poppins?" His signature grin lit up his face and he stuck his tongue into his cheek. "I like that I make you nervous. It means I have a shot at more than friends, despite what you said earlier. If we were just friends you wouldn't care so much about it."
My tummy fluttered and I squirmed in my seat. The leather stuck to the back of my bare legs. I felt self-conscious in my short shorts and I tried to pull the shirt I was wearing over my vest down closer to my knees. God I could never dress myself appropriately over here.
He pulled into the shingle car park at West Point. It was the furthest end of the island. It was mainly frequented by surfers due to choppy waves and strong currents. The sand dunes were popular with teenagers and the craggy eroding cliffs kept many families further up on the populated Flatsands. Yet still it had a wonderful beach cafe bar called Jo Jo's which was popular with everyone, tourists and locals alike.
I never spent any real time here, much too cool clique for me.
So early in the season, the car park was practically empty.
"I promised Joanne I'd help setup. You can help too muscles." Taylor challenged as we got out of the car. I burst out a laugh. That nickname couldn't be further from the truth.
Jo Jo's was over two floors; it was all wood and glass with seating and a balcony up top and a wide large deck on the bottom reaching out and down to the beach the back. It had fairy lights strung around and colourful art on the walls. It had a warm relaxed feel to the place which pretty much summed up its owner Joanne.
Older than me, but young in her features, Jo had at least five different colours in her hair, made up of small plaits, dreads and some Mala beads. She was one of those people you just couldn't age. She could have been anywhere between 20 and 30 and her energy was fizzy and contagious.
"Hey Taylor, I just need you to bring up the extra tables and the fire pit briquettes. Oh ello Taylor's friend?"
She raised a pierced eyebrow.
Taylor pulled me in close. "This is Jay," I was hit by a wave of very expensive aftershave as he completely enveloped me into his side. We must've made a very odd couple; tanned stocky blonde oozing confidence and pale stick thin gangly dark haired nervous freak.
Jo looked quizzical. I swear I saw clouds cross her open features. I'm sure she couldn't recognize me, I'd never met her before, but whatever it was, it left soon as it appeared. She looped her arm through mine and pulled me away "Well Jay, you can help me with the ice buckets."
Taylor shook his head as he headed down the stairs to the seller "Ignore anything she says about me." He called back.
Giving me a conspiratorial wink Jo promised "oh he's harmless sweetie, just don't let him know that, oh and never ever sleep with him."
I knew there was a story there but I didn't press for it. I was so wrapped up in belonging. Jo had given me a job and as simple as it seemed, that one act was special to me. She had given me an invitation to join in. I helped her empty the bags of ice and fill the buckets with bottles of beer.
"I hope that's enough?" She eyed the big buckets warily which were full to the brim of bottles.
"I thought the season hasn't really started yet?" I asked.
"Oh no honey it hasn't. This isn't open to the public. It's my annual kick-off party. Friends, family and my kind of VIPs only. It's just my way of huddling up with the crew and letting off some steam before we all become infested with the swarm." A look of panic streaked across my face and she quickly added "of course you are more than welcome, I hear you have a permanent address here and any friend of Taylor and Loaf, well that's the clincher."
I must've looked confused "well yeah Loaf may have mentioned you once or twice." She grinned "Not done yet I'm afraid, could you possibly help me set up the food whilst Taylor finishes up?"
"Sure," I smiled. We spent the next half an hour cutting burger buns and arranging salad. By the time I stepped back out onto the deck the place was packed and totally transformed. Dance music was pumping from the DJ I hadn't even noticed arrive and laughter filled the air. Everybody here knew everybody else and more than one person looked at me with open curiosity.
I felt my familiar self-consciousness. My stomach went into his usual routine of twisting and turning over and I stepped back trying to melt myself into the wall.
Loaf bounded towards me with a bottle of outstretched bud. I grasped it with both hands. I wasn't a big drinker, the odd glass of wine at home with dinner. I couldn't believe the legal age for drinking here was 18 but I needed something to remove me from the brickwork. At least it was a bud and not something obscure like a speckled hen or old goat's balls real ale the British seemed so fond of.
"Hey pretty girl, so pleased you made it out."
Loaf chatted away and I sucked down the beer a little too quickly. Its earthy spicy taste wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least it was cold. I took another mouthful to take the taste away. Funnily enough it worked, the second swig certainly tasted better than the first. My pulse kicked up and I remembered although I had been around about 100 burger buns, I hadn't eaten a bite all day.
I felt a little floaty. Loaf just switched out my empty bottle and out of nerves, I automatically took another pull on the new one.
"There she is, Loaf why are you hiding Jay?" Taylor dragged me from the outside edge and into the throng on the deck. He had two new beers in his hands and indicated to me to finish the one I had and take the other he held out.
Like the docile lamb I was, I complied. "Come on let's introduce you to some people." Taylor placed his hand at the base of my spine and ushered me around. The introductions were a blur, I certainly couldn't remember all the names and faces. Yet I did know that Taylor's hand never left my back once and that he made me feel special, as if I was more than someone he'd only just met yesterday.
We finally came to a stop at the edge of the party in front of the now lit beach bonfire. He knew everyone it seemed and was universally liked by all.
Taylor was Mr Popularity. People had made space for him, welcomed him over and completely accepted me in the process. He made it seem all so easy, as if the last two years of school misery would simply have not existed if he'd been by my side.
I felt a little buzzed. All that attention and alcohol probably had a lot to do with it.
He led us away to a sheltered dune spot and we both sat down on the sand. Looking into his bright blue eyes I leaned into him and sighed a little. It felt so good to be in the middle of a party with one of the main characters instead of on the sideline or typecast as the basket-case. I didn't want the moment to end.
"Do you know our eyes match?" I murmured "The rest of us are in complete opposite, but our eyes are a matching set. It's kind of freaky, we could be eye twins."
"Well that's quite disturbing." Taylor smiled. "For one, I now know I'd make a beautiful girl and two, I shouldn't be having the thoughts I'm having about my so-called sister. So glad that's not true."
I flushed. Taylor was a natural flirt. He been charming everyone all evening and yet he seemed to have the unique ability to make you feel as if you were the only one in the room. I felt more than a little giddy. I thought I felt someone staring into the back of my head, but when I swung around no-one was looking at me.
******
Parker
Well didn't that just put the cherry on the cake of one fucked up year.
It rather poetically rounded out that circle of shit.
I knew I should never have come. The last time I'd seen that girl, I really and truly thought my life was on the up. Now here, less than a year later, I had lost everything.
No dad, no mum, no brother, no home, no qualifications, no trust, no luck and more importantly no way off this fucking island. At least until I had enough saved up from the three crappy jobs I was currently working.
After last year, I didn't have many friends left either, the ones I did have included Naylor the golden boy.
The fact that the girl who had haunted my dreams throughout the last twelve months of hell was currently looking at him adoringly with puppy dog eyes, was the story of my fucked-up life.
"Hey Batman, still brooding in the shadows I see radiating menace. Surprised you actually left the Bat cave. Did daddy dearest finally give you some time off?"
Karenina dropped down on the sand beside me radiating her usual heat and mischief.
She had a body built for sin which she was currently hiding underneath a brown leather aviator jacket at least two sizes too big for her. Who knew who that belonged to, but it was just as well, she was bursting out of the blue flimsy sundress she had on underneath, combined with her signature floral DM boots she never took off.
She had a wild reputation, which didn't bother me, but mostly with the summer guys who visited and didn't know any better. Her father ran the shadier part of the island. Unfortunately, I worked for him. He owned the funfair, several arcades, nightclub and various betting shops. He was an old-fashioned gangster with a wide mean streak that unfortunately included his only daughter.
As kids we ran in the streets together.
Three years younger than me, she was like the little sister I never had. She was always tagging along with me and Taylor and we knew more about each other than anyone else. Over the last couple of years though, things had been strained say the least. Now about to finally turn18, she was smart, feisty, more trouble than she was worth and I knew even more vulnerable.
She had stuck by me throughout this last year, even when the rumor mill was in full swing and the accusations slung at me. She, more than anyone, had just cause to be wary of me, but she wasn't and I felt forever in her debt.
"So what are we watching?" Karenina scanned the crowd; she caught sight of Taylor and the new girl and paused slightly. I noticed.
"Leave them alone Ren." I warned.
Her wide brown eyes narrowed and she smiled sardonically.
"If I wanted to just watch the drama, I would have stayed home in front of the TV," pulling out a can of beer from the deep pockets of the jacket she was wearing, Karenina chugged back the alcohol completely draining it, before letting out a belch.
"Nice Ren, smooth, real ladylike." I sneered but Karenina just snorted.
"Yeah, cus we both know I'm a lady."
She grinned and I shook my head. I didn't like it when she kept putting herself down. Karenina hopped up, placed the empty can carefully in front of her and brought one of her scuffed flowered Doc Martens boots down hard upon it. She then lobbed the crushed can in Taylors direction before diving flat down onto the sand out of sight, dragging me with her.
"What are you 12?" I bit out exasperated.
"Nah. It's the magical year this year, I'm 18 in August. And you know it. In fact I think I need another drink to celebrate."
Checking the coast was clear Karenina scrambled backwards and reached out a hand to help me up."Ren it's June."
"I always knew you were the smart one Parker. If you count from when I first started, in drinking years I'm 23, and 21 on the fake ID I've been using since I was 15. All just numbers and you know how I love my numbers Parker. Apart from zero. No one loves a zero right? Currently I have zero buzz so let's grab some of the last of free booze before these bottom feeders drink it all dry."
******
Jay
"Ouch, where did that come from?" Something hit me on my back, swinging away from the fire I could only see flame spots before my eyes. For a moment I swear I saw, it couldn't be, could it? I shook my head trying to clear it.
It was definitely swimming now and when I shut my eyes I could feel the world spinning. Taylor pulled me in even closer and all of a sudden the bonfire wasn't the only source of heat.
"So are you seeing anyone special?" Taylor tried to ask casually, but his accent got a little sharper, more prince than pauper and it gave his interest away.
"I'm seeing two of everyone at the moment." I fired back. My God, I had actually just said the first thing that popped into my head. No censorship, no over thinking, wait, was I even thinking?
Taylor laughed "Ah, so you do loosen up occasionally?"
"That's funny, the last thing I am is loose, but God knows I wanna be." I stared at his lips as I tried to pull on the empty beer bottle I was holding. Huh, awkward, when did I finish that?
To try and cover up my mistake I panicked and went for it, zooming in to target Taylor's lips just as he turned his face away. I ended up kissing his ear.
That. Did. Not. Just. Happen.
Mortified I groaned and buried my face into my shoulder.
"Hey where are you hiding?" Taylor laughed and I drunkenly hoped that this might mean a second attempt of getting that right. So I looked up at him and
Hiccuped.
Taylor's eyes turned hungry but he seemed to be having some sort of inner debate. He let out a slow breath. "Maybe you should make that your last one." He took the empty bottle from my fingers. Moving away slightly and leaning back he disposed of it. He didn't move back in but looked around suddenly antsy.
Spotting Loaf weaving through the crowd he called out to him, revealing our position. Loaf made his way over, he had someone trailing behind him, although with his bulk and the now darkness surrounding us, it was difficult to see who it was. Taylor had a much better view and when he saw who was behind Loaf, he groaned out loud and I felt his muscles bunch as his whole body tensed up.
"Karenina, how could this night get any better?" He drawled sarcastically. I had never heard this side of Taylor, he was always so cheerful, upbeat and how did the English put it? Chipper?
A blonde stepped into the light out from the shadows and the air changed with her. It seemed to thrum with energy. She was gorgeous.
Not in the traditional sense, her outfit was kinda out there, but somehow it all worked.
Everything about her screamed sex. She had the same shaggy blonde two tone hair, dark heavy eyebrows and deep chocolate eyes as Suki Waterhouse. There was a mesmerizing mole on her top lip which drew attention to her wide generous mouth.
Let's face it, I was a girl who liked men and even I couldn't help checking out her body. Two years at boarding school had taught me about variety in shapes and sizes but she was everything I wasn't. Short, sexy, fantastic rack, tiny waist, curvaceous goddess with confidence, swagger and attitude.
I couldn't stop staring. I hiccuped again. Classy.
"Naylor, fancy seeing you here with yet another woman I don't know." She raised her eyebrow. "Well aren't you going to introduce me? You know it's my job to know everyone, everything and the comings and goings around here. Or should I say who's coming and who isn't?" She pressed hard on the double meaning and I felt uncomfortable.
I swallowed the next hiccup and it hurt.
"You can knock it off Ren, Jay here is one of the good guys." Taylor complimented. Yet it didn't seem like a compliment 'good guy?'
Karenina tilted her head to the side and gave me the once over. She exaggerated an overly sweet smile then plonked herself down on the sand the other side of Taylor and the farthest point away from me.
"So Naylor," I heard her purr "it's been an age, you're finally back from University, the girls of Greysea have missed you."
"Yes, but have you missed me?" Taylor's question seemed loaded, and once again his accent as crisp as a BBC newsreader.
I didn't get to hear the answer as Loaf landed down on my other side.
"I've been looking for you everywhere. How long have you two been left alone?" Loaf might have said something else but I wasn't paying much attention, I was trying to eavesdrop on the conversation happening next to me. I couldn't hear anything as their heads were close together whispering.
"Don't let Krona get to you." Loaf soothed.
I blatantly looked over at her; she seemed to be texting on her phone at light speed whilst Taylor talked in ear. I felt bereft and more than a little territorial. Funny was it just yesterday I wasn't sure I even liked this guy?
"I thought her name was Karenina?" I bit out confused.
"Ah well it is. It's a nickname you see, but what with you being American you wouldn't get it." Loaf reasoned.
"Try me," my, my, alcohol certainly made me more sassy.
"Well Krona was a margarine spread, it was popular back in the day and well margarine is spreadable just like Karenina. Krona, Karenina, get it?" He waggled his eyebrows at me again.
I must've just looked lost because he went on "What do you lot say? Slut, Ho, Skank, Hooker?"
Karenina stood up all of a sudden. Her phone beeped three times with incoming messages. Taylor looked pissed, he shot Loaf a very dark look.
"What did I do?" Loaf looked incredulous.
Karenina didn't look up from her phone but began texting as she spoke "oh for fuck's sake, it's not like I haven't heard it all before, Christ that's practically terms of endearment from my old man. I've just got more important shit to do than to just sit here and bore myself silly watching Naylor," she looked up from the phone and stared directly at me "play with his latest food." And with that she walked off back towards the party.
She seemed to pass someone she knew on the way and gestured back towards us.
A tall shadow approached. I shivered. Closing my eyes I willed myself to focus. I knew something was different. Opening my eyes 'he' was stood right in front of me. I lost my breath.
He was leaner and darker. What had happened to him in the last year? His hair was no longer floppy but buzzed close to his skull, making his features even more defined.
He was so fiercely pretty.
Wearing very dark jeans and another black T-shirt, you could see the half tattoo sleeve he was now sporting, again a new addition. But it was his eyes. His eyes had changed the most. The dark brown had once held warmth, now they were stark, hard and cold.
Yet I still couldn't stop staring into them.
"Parker, you made it." Taylor sounded like a kid at Christmas. He jumped up and embraced him in a big man hug.
They made quite a pair, light and dark. Parker just a bit taller but much rangier. Both muscular, but Taylor broader. It wasn't just looks. Taylor's body language was much more open and relaxed. He radiated health and ease. Parker looked closed off, haunted. Although Taylor had been happy meeting and greeting all evening, he seemed genuinely excited by Parker's appearance.
Parker spoke up "I saw you earlier, but you looked busy over here." He was still staring at me and I then realized we hadn't broken eye contact once.
"Huh, oh yeah this is Jay," he looked between us "do you guys know each other?"
Well we finally meet Parker? What do you think? Any comments gratefully received and votes make my day.