DAY EIGHT
"Hey Kels! Wait up." I was humming the lyrics to "MAD" by Vito Lamarr and on my way out of the school when Jace caught up with me, slinging his arm around my shoulder. I tried not to tense at the action but by the way he glanced at me I assumed I wasn't successful.
"Sorry." I smiled sheepishly, nervously glancing towards Carina, who was currently staring us down from her squad car. I shot her a look that said to chill out before turning to Jace. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to uh, check in on you. I really can't apologize enough for what happened. I hope you know I would never intentionally put you in any danger, ever, and I assure you it will never happen again." He rubbed his reddening neck in apparent embarrassment which I thought was adorable. I bumped his shoulder with mine, ducking my head to catch his gaze.
"What is that, number thirty-five? How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine Jace, I promise. I heal fast and it was just a couple stitches." He looked up at me through inky black lashes, a bashful smile across his full lips.
"Well if you decided to hate me later, I'll understand. Seems your mom already does." He tipped his head just as Carina honked. I shot her a glare that could curdle milk, waving her off. "Don't mind her, she's just-" a nine hundred year old sea creature that shouldn't exist. "Protective." I settled on, snorting at myself in amusement and exasperation. "But I really should get going. Are you gonna be at Ryan's beach party tonight?"
He ruffled my hair. "You bet kiddo. See you there?"
I made a face. "Firstly, ew, and don't expect me to call you daddy any time soon. And secondly, duh, it's the beach!" Carina flipped her bitch switch from honking to sirens and I beelined to the car before she could ruin my life even more, hollering at him to pick me up at seven. He was laughing and shaking his head as we drove off.
"Sirens, really?" I groused to Carina, sniffing.
She shot me a warning look. "Don't start with me." Yikes, she was definitely in a mood. I decided to tread carefully and play the nice card for once.
"Alright, damn. What crawled up your butt?"
Yes, that was me being nice.
She didn't talk for a hefty minute, which worried me because I usually couldn't get her to shut up. I ran a hand through my hair, bracing myself and trying to work up the courage to ask her what was going on, when she turned to me at a red light. There was something hidden in her eyes, an emotion I couldn't decipher. "There's something I need to tell you, and your mom and I kind of argued on whether or not to, but I thought you should know."
"Ookay," I drawled, my heartbeat rising.
"Jack is out on bail. We got the notification this morning." I went completely still, the freezing numbness of shock rushing through me at the sound of his name. Memories swam behind my eyes, and I blinked back tears. I didn't feel afraid, technically, it was more like paranoia. I fought the urge to look around, suddenly overly aware of everyone we drove past. I knew Carina sensed my panic, and she pulled over into a Safeway parking lot, grabbing my face and turning it towards her. My jaw clenched and I struggled to meet her gaze. Eight fucking days into our new life, and the person who'd nearly destroyed me was already out of jail. I shouldn't have been surprised, the asshole had a loaded bank account and insane legal connections.
"Kelsey, look at me." She demanded gently, her eyes lit up like silver fire. "You are safe. He will not follow you, and he absolutely cannot get to you."
"How do you know?" I croaked, my fingers shaking in my lap. I struggled to hold onto any grasp of sanity, refusing to let him win. I reminded myself that I had helped other girls and students by reporting him, and he would get what he deserved one way or another.
She leaned her forehead against mine, and for almost the first time ever, I leaned into her for longer than three seconds. "Because your mother and I aren't just cops, sweetheart. Nothing and no one harms what's ours and lives for long." There was a dark edge to her tone that I'd never heard before but soaked up nonetheless, desperately missing Leukai. She'd only been gone for a day, yet something was telling my mind and body that it had been a month.
"So what do we do?" I asked, my tone hinging on desperation. "Please don't tell me we have to move again, I really like it here and I met-" I just barely stopped myself from revealing my secret. "So many wonderful people. I don't want him to take that from me too."
"Shh, no Kelsey, we aren't moving. We aren't running, and we certainly will not stop living our lives. Your mother and I may be a tad extra overprotective the next few weeks, but we aren't about to uproot your life again." I breathed a sigh of relief, the ache and hysteria in my chest ebbing some. "Bryant is keeping a close eye on him for me, and has agreed to report back frequently, multiple times a day even. I didn't tell you this to make you panic, I just thought you should know so you can be prepared." As awful as it was, I felt thankful that she was keeping me in the loop. Unfortunately though, I was still on the verge of a panic attack.
I needed the ocean. I needed.....Luna.
God I am pathetic. And it was true, I sounded so whiny it was almost gag-worthy.
"Take me home? I'm going to meet the guys at the beach later." I said quietly. She kissed my forehead, leaving a tingle that made me feel less alone.
"Sure thing, kiddo." My eyes went wide and a surprised much-needed laugh burst out of me.
"I can't believe he called you that." She giggled, shifting the car into drive. My heart lightened a little at the attempts she made to get me to smile, but my mind was still a little scattered when we pulled into the driveway. I didn't waste any time, hurrying upstairs to get ready, barely saying hi to my mom. After a lengthy shower and shave, I was in the middle of straightening my hair when I heard a "You told her?!" Shout from downstairs. I winced in sympathy, it was never pretty when my mom was mad. I turned my music up, willing myself to think of nothing but the party, and how grateful I was for the new people in my life.
"Apologize" by Timbaland and OneRepublic played through the speakers, soothing the uncomfortable ache in my soul. I finished my hair, admiring the way the deep red caught the light, and started on my makeup. I wanted to look better than I felt, and so into the land of dark and twisty eyeshadow I go. I went for a smoky eye to bring out the green in my eyes, a light coat of mascara, and settled for no foundation since my skin had been doing this dope clear thing lately and it kind of sucked to work around stitches anyway. I finished with a light coat of gloss over my lips, enjoying the way it made them plump up slightly.
I danced along to another banger as I got dressed, letting my hips sway to the beat of "If I Lose Myself" by yet again, OneRepublic. Deciding to look nice and match my appearance for once, I pulled on my favorite matching underwear and bralette before choosing black skinny jeans that were ripped in the thighs and knees and tattered at the ankles. Yes grandma, I did in fact buy them this way. I paired them with a burgundy crop top that twisted in the middle, exposing my belly button to the world. Stepping into my checkered Vans, I decided I was ready to face the night. Snatching my studded leather jacket from its hanger and shrugged it on, I looped my purse over my head before leaving my room.
Downstairs was eerily quiet and I quickly found out why when I turned into the den and found my mom and Carina making out on the couch. I twisted my features into mock disgust and covering my eyes, cried out in a horrified voice; "EW EW EW, my delicate eyes!"
Carina jumped, but my mom was unfazed and gulped down another sip of wine. "Hey honey, how are you doing?"
I padded over. I still had a few minutes before Jace showed up. "I'm holding on." I answered honestly, offering Carina a smile. "Momma talked to me in the car and assured me that he likely wouldn't follow us here."
"He'd be dead before he stepped one foot into this house." Mom's eyes flashed a startlingly reptilian yellow, slit pupils and everything, as fleeting as a streak of lightning shooting through the sky. I leaned away, swallowing tightly. "Woah, okay, so that's new."
Carina touched her arm, watching her steadily. "Honey, you're scaring her."
Her eyes cleared a moment later and she gasped, her eyes filled with apologies. "I'm so sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you. I've just been on edge lately, usually I'm able to keep a much tighter leash on it."
Well no offense moms, but I've actually seen scarier. And what's worse is I let that particular monster shove her tongue down my throat. I shook off my thoughts and smiled tightly. "It's okay, just surprised me is all."
A loud honk sounded from outside, and I jumped up. "Jace is here. I'll be back by curfew, and don't worry, no swimming tonight." I gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door, hopping into Jace's black mustang, immediately laughing when James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" sounded through the car stereo. He threw his hands up, a cheeky grin on his face that made his dimples stand out.
"I swear I did not plan that." I laughed again.
"You get cool points anyway." He chuckled, reversing out of the driveway.
For obvious reasons, the drive to the beach took less than a minute, but I did notice we were farther down, and my heart pounded when I saw where he party was located. The cave was unmistakeable. It was Luna and I's hidey-hole. My palms began to sweat when I saw how many people there were. I turned to Jace with an accusatory look. "You didn't say this was a party party. I would've tried to fit in a little more."
He glanced at me in astonishment. "You're fucking kidding me right?"
I frowned. "What? I feel too dressed up."
He swung the car into park and got out without answering me. I burst into round of giggles when he threw open my door. "Come on gorgeous, dressing down is for losers. Flaunt that ass!"
I shook my head, my cheeks no doubt bright red with all the looks we were getting. I tried my best to ignore my brain's desire to freak out, wanting and needing to feel like a normal teenager for once. It was difficult due to my aversion to touch, and drunk people bumping into me every half-step didn't help. But I couldn't deny the smile that lit up my face when I saw Rhea on the keg stand. I crossed my arms, raising a brow at a shirtless Ryan screaming "deep throat it!" Beside her. She ended up spraying him with it after the cheering died down.
"Kelsey! Shittttt girllll, you are smokinggg." She yelled over in a deep slur, already drunk. She collided with me a moment later and I struggled to hold her up, watching in bemusement as she played with my hair.
"Started the party without me, did you?" I teased, only mildly worried when she burped out a laugh.
"Nah girl, I have a fast metabolism, I'll burn this off in an hour just you watch."
Highly doubt it. I thought to myself, allowing her to drag me over to the keg stand. Ryan's eyes widened when he saw me, his mop of hair tied behind his head, accentuating his strong jawline. He whistled and I shoved him with a laugh, my skin prickling uncomfortably. Never had I ever had this much attention on me or my body before. Well, positive attention, anyway. It felt unsettling and made me anxious. But just then, "You Found Me" by The Fray lit up, and everyone started to slow dance. I immediately relaxed, settling a little further into my skin, the music and sounds of the ocean washing over me. Rhea groaned, tugging me away when Ryan finished filling my beer, promising to find us later.
"Behave Rhea!" He shouted, unfazed by the rude gesture she shot back. "Come on, I wanna sit for a bit, and something tells me you're freaking out right now. Not much of a partier, I take it?"
Damn she really does metabolize this shit fast.
I smiled in relief, shrugging a shoulder and admitting that I was lame. "You're a lifesaver. And no, this would be my first big party experience."
She tugged me down beside her, falling right on her ass in the sand, beer flying from her cup. I managed to keep mine securely in my cup, settling in. For a minute we just watched the ocean. "So, how's day eight?" I took another sip while she lit a cigarette, handing it to me after a few puffs. I hesitated briefly, then told myself I earned a little nicotine rush. Don't smoke or do drugs kids, you will get pregnant and die.
I relished the burn and ashy taste as it mixed with my beer, handing it back to her after a moment. I found myself wanting to confide in someone but at the same time not wishing to scare her away. After I reported Jack, pretty much my entire high school hated me. Rhea seemed to sense my unease and caught my gaze, her eyes kind, devoid of anything but gentleness.
I opened my mouth, and words just started pouring out. "Pretty shitty actually. I got some bad news." I bit my lip in hesitation, but she simply waited for me to continue. I blew out a sigh before doing so. "There was this teacher at my old school, my swim coach. I got him fired and arrested for sexual assault and harassment and I found out today that he was released out on bail pending trial, which doesn't make any sense to me other than I know he has a lot of money and connections. He was actually hired as a scout initially, and we worked closely. Anyway, he said he was scouting me for the Olympics, and well, I found out the hard way that it was a different kind of regime he had me in. I left my old school because no one, not even the teachers, believed me even after it was proven that he'd had a previous record of stalking and harassment against minors. So you could say that I have severe social anxiety and a fear of not being believed, along with fear of men. We aren't exactly worried that he'll follow me here, but it is a possibility."
Rhea's jawline could've cut glass, that's how tense she was. "Fucking sicko." She snarled out, setting her cup down before wrapping her arms around me and squeezing tightly. "I'm so so sorry Kelsey. Please know that although we just met, the guys and I already care deeply for you. No one will fuck with you with us around."
I blinked back tears. "Thank you. I feel the same way."
We talked for a while before the guys found us, and I let go a little, the achy feeling of loneliness that had plagued me since Luna left was ebbing slightly, distracted by these friends who were rapidly becoming family. I soaked it all in, living in the moment for the first time in a long time, and loving it.
Enjoy!! :)
Shoutout to my good friend Vito for signing the first song mentioned in this chapter. He's awesome.
Love, K