Riley POV
"Thank God you called me when you did, Luk. I swear you saved me from the most tense moment of my life," I heard his warm chuckle through the line.
"I'm happy to be of service then. So tell me, what is it that I saved you from?"
I sighed and gripped the phone tighter. "Grant."
"Ahh the ex?"
"The one and only. I swear, the moment I saw him stare at me like I'd grown a second head I wished the ground would swallow me whole."
"I'm confused. Start from the beginning."
"My friends and I went to the beach today and since they're all pretty cool with the guys, they invited them to come too. And Grant showed up with them. I guess he didn't know I was back..."
"Oh. And then what happened?"
"Well I tried saying hello. You know, be civil. But he just kinda looked at me like I was this stranger. And it hurt. He looked like he wished he hadn't seen me. Like he wished I'd never come home."
"I bet he was just surprised. And you changed so much, Riley. He probably didn't think he'd see you again."
I groaned as I paced on the wet sand by the shore, the waves coming towards me to whip at my feet before retreating. "But I--"
"Lukey?" I heard a small voice say in the background.
"What's wrong, Tamara? Can't sleep?"
"No! I had a dream Riley's plane exploded." My eyes widened as I heard this. Really, this girl has either seen way too much pain in life or watched one too many James Bond movies.
"Tamara! Don't cry. Planes are very safe. In fact, I'm speaking with Riley right now."
"Really? So she's not dead?"
I heard Lukas laugh lightly and I could practically imagine him shaking his head. "Here, talk to her."
"Riley?" she asked in a timid voice. Almost as if she didn't expect there to be an answer.
"Hey Tammi. So what's this I hear about me dying in your dreams?"
"Riley! I was so frightened. It was so real..." I repressed the laugh and settled for a smile.
"No, honey. I'm okay. You'll never guess where I am right now..."
"Where'' she said in an adorably excited voice. When she couldn't sleep and Lukas wasn't around, she and I would play our own version of "I spy". We would describe everything around us and created a calm, serene atmosphere where nothing could harm us. It calmed her enough to fall asleep easily, which is exactly what she needed right now.
"I'm at the beach. The sun is shinning down at me, warming my skin. The wind by the shore is whipping at my hair. And the water beneath my feet is just the right temperature."
I smiled as I looked up at the clear sky. "The seagulls are soaring above my head, calling out to each other. The sand is warm, almost hot to the touch. And it shimmers in the light like a diamond."
I paused for a second and proceeded to close my eyes, following the rules of the game. "The room is dark," she began. "It's cold. But I'm in a sweater so it's alright. A bit of light shows from the window in the attic, where Lukas and you slept. It's bright enough to show my shadow on the old wood floors. And it lights up his bed where he sits now. His eyes are closed so I can't tell you how pretty his crystal irises are. But I'm sure you remember. He wears a smile now, as he leans his elbows on his knees, his head resting back on the wall. Beside the bed is a table and a lamp, but it isn't on. On the other side there's a dresser. The top drawer is open and a shirt or two topples out. Other than that the room is tidy, not like when you slept here."
I laughed at that but didn't interrupt. "It's quiet. Other than our breathing and my voice, there is no other noise. I'm holding Mr. Teddy. And I'm sad that you're gone."
I bit my lip as I heard her sniffle. "But I'm happy that you're home and safe. That you're with your friends and family in such a beautiful place. And I wish that you find your happiness soon. Because that look of pain never did leave your eyes."
I very nearly cried then. I missed the shabby little room that Lukas and I shared. It seemed more like home than my huge, posh bedroom here. I longed to be back there and hug Tammi. I wished I were there to play our game and that our descriptions of our surroundings would be the same.
But she was right. As young as she was and she had made such a wise observation about me. I was hurting inside when I was there. And seeing Grant today made the pain go away for a second. Before it came back full force at the foreign space between us. "Will you promise me something, Riley?"
I swallowed and whispered yes. It was all I could utter without risking the chance of sobbing. "Find your happiness."
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "I will Tamara. For you."
I could hear the smile in her voice as she passed on to Lukas my promise. "Lukey says I've got to go to bed now. He says to tell you goodbye from him, too. Goodnight Riley."
"Night sweetie." The line went dead then and I brought my arm down that clutched my phone, to lay lifeless at my side.
I spun around to walk back to my friends and i accidentally ran into a girl. She was tall with striking black hair. She wore a black string bikini with skulls on it and a scowl. "Watch where you're going, princess."
I raised an eyebrow and was about to reply when there was a dark voice behind her. "Relax Kay. She didn't see you."
My eyes traveled up to the source of the voice and did a double take. This boy looked exactly like Kay. But the male version, I suppose. He was tall and had jet black hair and piercing eyes. "Shut up, Jeremy. You didn't see this idiot bitch practically run into me."
My eyes widened at such open hostility aimed towards me and I opened my mouth to reply when the guy stepped closer. "Enough, Mikayla."
She looked like she wanted to protest but instead she gave a curt nod in his direction.
"Watch yourself, Barbie. Next time you run into me on my beach--"
"Your beach?" I asked in an amused tone.
She gave me a self-assured smirk and leaned in far too close to me. "I get that you're new from around here, sweetie. But you can't come and--"
"Excuse me, but can I just point out that this isn't your beach?" She looked a bit confused so I decided to clarify in a very Riley-way.
"You see that fence in the distance?" I said in a slow, patronizing tone. "This is a gated community, and this," I said pointing to the ground, "Is a private section of the beach."
A deep blush soon attacked her face and her smirk was wiped right off. "Mikayla, just let it go. Come on, we gotta find--"
"Grant!" Mikayla shouted in her raspy voice and caused my head to snap in the direction she was looking at. Grant looked up from his spot on the sand and stood.
He jogged over to us and did this weird guy fist-pump thing. "Sup, Grant?"
"Not much. Glad you guys could make it."
I raised an eyebrow at this. He had invited them?
"Where are the rest of the guys?" Grant asked while the other guy, Jeremy, shrugged. "Couldn't make it, I guess. Didn't wanna come to this rich-ass side of the beach."
He glanced sideways at me and with a mocking smirk added, "I hear they ain't very welcoming."
I frowned a bit at his discreet jab at me and crossed my arms over my chest. "Who are these people, Grant?"
His head snapped down to look at me. It was as if he hadn't noticed me among these two. "Um some friends. I see you've met."
"Yeah, we've met. Stick-up-her-ass Barbie just nearly tacked me down on her beach," said that Mikayla girl with a glare in my direction.
"Excuse me?" I said with a scoff of disbelief. I don't even know this person. She was the one that practically radiated hostility!
She turned and shoved me, "You heard me, rich bitch."
My jaw locked and I was about to leap forward to tumble her ass when Grant grabbed my hand. He knows how strong and violent I can get when I'm angry and I'm sure he'd hate to see me disfigure this girl's face. "Calm down, Riley."
"Me? You want me to calm down?" I practically shrieked with disbelief.
By then our little stare-down had attracted the attention of all our friends. The first to reach us was Stacy and as soon as she caught sight of Mikayla, her nose wrinkled. "Ewh Grant. You really had to invite a pair of Townies?"
Townies...is that what they were?
And that's when Mikayla snapped. She leaped forward and pulled hard on Stacy's hair. "Oh my God!" Stacy shouted as the girl yanked her down to the sand.
"Let go of me you animal!" She shouted and Josh sprang forward to pry Mikayla off Stacy. He held Stacy close as a few tears fell down her face and she let out a small whimper.
"You both better leave," Josh said in a barely controlled voice.
"Don't tell us what to do, faggot. We'll leave when we fucking feel like it," Jeremy sneered at as he stood next to Mikayla.
"Enough," I said in an authorative tone. I turned to the Townies, my calm gaze unwavering. "Leave now before we call the police."
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Mikayla said as she invaded my personal space again. I noticed from the corner of my eyes that all the guys tensed when she made a move to hit me. I blocked her blow with my forearm and then twisted so that it was I who clutched her arm. If I wanted to,with ust the right amount of pressure, I could shatter her bone.
"You are on my property. Now I suggest you leave before anyone does something they'll regret." I stepped back and let her go. Mikayla raised her hand to smack me again but a hand reached out to stop her. "Are you alright, ma'am?"
I looked up at the guardman and nodded. Standing beside him was Delaney. She must've gone to get him at the gate when things started to get tense. "Yes, these two were just leaving."
Mikayla sent me a poisoned glare before stepping back and turning to walk away with Jeremy. "You coming, Grant?" Mikayla asked when she was a few feet away from us.
My eyes flew to him and we stared at each other for a moment before something in his eyes changed and he looked away. "Yeah, I'm out of here."
I watched with a clenched jaw as Grant joined the two Townies and they sped off in a black Mustang.
After speaking with us a few minutes, the guardman retreated back to his post at the main gate and a pregnant silence fell between us.
"I cannot believe that barbarian Townie attacked me." Stacy said, shattering the calm after the storm.
"I can't believe he left with them." I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until I heard a few murmurs of agreement.
"I can't believe he invited them in the first place! I mean I get that he went through this whole rebellious thing a few weeks ago but--" Stacy was shushed by Delaney and Anna's death galre. "B-but they don't belong here."
My eyebrows furrowed at all their strange, wary reactions and decided that I was much too tired for this shit. I was still jet-legged from the time difference and it was taking a tole on me. "I'm going inside."
I turned and walked away but I knew that a few of the girls were following behind me. Good, 'cause they've got some explaining to do.
A/N: Okay so if some are you are confused about the term "Townie", don't fret. Some stuff will be explained in the next update! Hmm Grant's hanging out with some not so bueno company. Any predictions? Comment below and tell me what you think! :)
Dedicated to ekter98 for leaving such an awesome comment in the last update! You rock!