Listen to You Don't Know by Justin Skye
Chapter 35
Emerging out from the steps in the pool, I spurted water out of my mouth shaking my head side to side trying to get more water out of my ear.
The sight would have been hilarious. My heavily drenched sweatpants dragging down my weight as I heaved it back up my waist. Squeezing my top I tied a knot revealing my flat tummy. Goosebumps soon erupted all over my tanned skin making me shudder in anger. I whipped my hair back and forth to get it a bit dry before it went into a curly frizzy frenzy. With my face set in a sour glower, I shook my boob cups making more water splurge out. It would have been funny. But it wasn't. Not one bit.
Stomping to the grass, I picked up the evil object that whacked into my sore, bruised back that I was currently rubbing soothingly. It was a wooden carved boomerang with intricate tribal designs. Luckily, the force of the hit wasn't too hard, otherwise my spine would've been injured as well.
Who the hell plays with a boomerang at this time of night?
Tucking it under my arm, I muttered gibberish profanities under my breath wanting to give the idiot who threw it, a piece of my mind.
The laughter and giggles from the other wall had grown oddly quiet leaving me muttering and saying "ughhh!" out loud every two milliseconds.
Steadily placing a barstool on top a foldable chair, I took a cautious step placing my foot directly on top and holding onto the edge of the large white wall with my hands raised.
"Why are you so damn high?!" I mumbled incoherently banging the wall which was a mistake cause I fell forward clutching onto the top of the wall my feet dangling. I felt something gooey when I moved my hand further up, retracting it quickly which was a wrong move because I ended up pulling what seemed to be a platter. Sending a plate of colourful glitter plummeting on the top of my head.
"Ughhh!" I whined stringing my hand through my hair that was now covered in rainbow colored glitter.I could feel it all on my face dropping down in pellets onto my clothing. Like this night couldn't get any worse.
And yes, the sight was pretty horrific. I looked like a walking disco ball.
Technically, it was my fault because I'd told the gardener to leave it there weeks ago when I was doing an art project. Typically, I had forgotten to come down and retrieve it. Instead I'd created a glitter bomb used on myself and at the worst hour possible.
Boosting myself over, I fluttered my eyes open a few times to try and detach my glitter glued eyelids. Finally gaining proper vision my eyes widened at what I saw. Ryder's backyard was lit with tiki torches and surfboards in each corner. It looked like a full on luau with flowers and lights draped on the trees.
"Oh my gosh! Lily look! A mermaid!" I heard a voice squeal excitedly from below me. Looking down, a young girl about the age of seven, with a cute bob cut was jumping up and down staring at me in awe.
"Huh? Where?" I swished my head around excitedly, until I realized they were referring to me and my glitter stained body.
"MERMAIDS ARE REAL!" another cute chubby girl with waist length hair squealed. The identical duo jumped up and down in excitement,screaming holding hands like they just saw a unicorn. I swear, it was the cutest thing I've ever witnessed.
"Awww," I cooed as I watched them feign themselves trying to slow their breathing.
"Calm down Luna! You're gonna scare her away," the other identical twin put her tiny hand at her heart dramatically.
They looked up at me their eyes twinkling, the more girlish child who I presumed was Lily, wore a grass skirt with a flower tucked behind her ear and Luna, who I knew was a straight up tom-boy wore a Hawaiian shirt and cute Kaki shorts with her brown bob cut hair all disheveled.
"Are you from the glitter tribe in the ocean?"
"How did you get here?"
"Why can't you show your legs?"
"Huh! Are you hiding your mermaid tail?"
"Are you traveling in a bubble of water?"
"Are there more of you?"
"Are fairies real too?"
By now I had a headache from all their fantasy based questions. I mean, what the hell is a glitter tribe?
I watched them gaze at me in awe pinching each other's shoulders while their eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder. I didn't want to see their tiny hearts break knowing that mermaids weren't real.
So I was obliged to play along. "Well, I can't answer any questions because of-"
"The law of secrecy by the Sea Gods?" They finished my sentence in unison.
Wow. I wasn't even this imaginative at their age.
"Yeah, that..." I drawled out just going with it.
"Figures," Luna huffed out folding her arms the hype quickly disappearing.
"But what I can tell you.." I urged on making them look at each other then start screaming nearly giving me cardiac arrest.
"Is that if you stay in school and be good girls to your parents and brothers, more amazing things will come your way." I smiled down at them wanting so badly to just pinch their rosey cheeks.
Lily gasped turning to Luna with wide eyes. "How'd she know we had brothers?" She whisper shouted into her ear making me chuckle from their cuteness when Luna shrugged her pudgy shoulders back.
Their patio door slid open startling the three of us making me yelp out in surprise.
"What is all this screaming about?" A familiar husky voice boomed in an amused tone that still managed to give me butterflies even when I was shivering from the cold blast of air.
Turning round their expressions contorted from shock to happiness.
"RYDER!" They yelled out in unison tackling him in a bear hug making him laugh, his folds of dimples poking out on both cheeks. He picks them both up effortlessly in a swift movement, with Luna on his back banging her chest like King Kong and Lily being held on his arm like a princess.
He looked even hotter with kids! How?
Settle down hormones, settle down.
That's when I realized I was still covered in glitter glue peering over the boy that I still have feelings for/ neighbors wall. Now that's the definition of a deranged stalker. I wanted to jump straight back into that pool but I wasn't fast enough in getting down from the wall before he could spot me.
"There's a pretty mermaid from next door!" Luna said loudly into his ear making him wince whilst Lily nodded her head vigorously pointing at my glitz and glamorous forehead.
"Wait wha-" he chuckled, until he looked up and saw me and I saw him who looked devilishly hot in a pair of Nike shorts and an oversized hoodie with his signature black hair that was swept back with a few tendrils falling onto his clear face. I shot him an awkward wave patting down my hair trying to appear presentable. He burst into guffaws putting his hand to his mouth, before another explosion of laughter escaped.
I could tell he was teary eyed when he clutched his stomach. While I stared at him dryly blowing glitter from the palm of my hand in their direction.
Lily shook the sides of his cheeks and jawline with a stern look. "Why are you laughing at the pretty mermaid?" She asked him crossly.
"Because-" he placed both of them down placing his hands on his knees looking down at their adorably cross looks.
I coughed loudly to get his attention making eye signals for him to play along to the pretty mermaid theory.
"Because-people react differently to different things, like how pretty girls make me laugh-"
"Well, she doesn't seem to like you," they stated matter of factly when I had my lips pursed and my eyebrow raised.
"I think she would, if she knew me better... that I've changed over the past few months, became my better self around her," he stood up straight his hands dug deep in his grey hoodie with his eyes fixated on me walking closer making my breath hitch in my throat.
"Yeah... but his past actions say otherwise," I clucked my tongue.
I knew he wanted to cuss or change the subject to Ian being a tattle tale till he saw the girls who were looking back and forth between us confusedly.
He clenched his jaw. "His past does not define him."
I so badly wanted to ask him why. Why he did that to Ian and his girlfriend. Why he was still in a gang. But we both still had secrets. I was gonna be a hypocrite demanding answers when I hadn't even exposed my whole truth.
"A part of him will always be the same... he can't change himself instantly-" I looked away from him.
He walked closer, reached up and tilted my chin so I was forced to look downwards into his captivating green eyes that had me hooked. I still didn't know how he could keep a straight face with all this glitter caked on my face.
"Oh but he can," he nodded slowly chewing on the inside of his cheek with a side smile. "If his willing to change for the right person."
"Why should he change who he is just to please the girl?" I leaned back out of his embrace clearing my throat giving a rhetorical question.
"Um...do you two-" Luna started. "-know each other?" Lily finished pointing at the two of us with an ingenuous look. He moved closer so only I was within earshot.
"Because he's falling for her. Hard. And would do anything to make her, his," he said with a genuine smile his eyes twinkling with a look I couldn't decipher but it made me majorly weak at the knees. My heart was beating uncontrollably.
I heard Franny calling my name and the engine of my parents car pull up in the drive. "I-I gotta go," I stuttered, still reeling from his words and tossing the boomerang into his hand. Stepping down from the chair quickly and jumping down onto the soft grass blades that tickled my toes.
"Great! You chased her away!" Lily whined.
"Nice job pal," Luna said sarcastically making me giggle. Their voices slowly faded when I shut the patio door leaning onto it for support closing my eyes shaking my head with a smile.
"I see you found more than just peace tonight, ah?" She held out a warm towel with raised eyebrows at my glitter covered body. I just looked down shyly taking the towel.
"You do know that Halloween is a few months away?" Morgan said in between laughter when he came out of the kitchen with an apple.
"Aha! You spoke to me!" I pointed my finger at him running towards him with open arms to cover him in my sticky mess. His eyes widened before he bolted upstairs. Turning around Franny disappeared too not wanting to be blessed with all this sparkly goodness either.
Well, their loss I guess.
⚫️⚫️⚫️
Monday mornings. It would always be the worst start to a week but somehow I felt slightly better knowing that I had things to look forward too.
Finn did a double tap on my door when he was leaving the house early for football practice at school. Basically, he was my actual alarm when I'd press snooze on my phone for the tenth time. Deciding on a floral sun dress and a cute denim jacket I skipped downstairs in my converse.
Munching poignantly on a piece of waffle I heard the familiar toot of Jay's car outside.Kissing Franny's cheek, I grabbed my bag and was out the door.
"Get in loser!" She hollered with her hands rested on the wheel and her shades on not looking at me.
"We're going shopping," I finished her sentence in a high pitched tone quoting Mean Girls settling into the passenger seat. She just scoffed bitterly. Looks like someone was still upset about yesterday's shenanigans.
She stepped harshly on the gas pedal lurching us forward. Jay hadn't responded just continued looking down the road with her face set in a pursed look.
"So...." I drawled out taking in her provocative, revealing outfit and purple mac lipstick that she only wore when she was having a mood.
"Why the extra look today?" I laughed and smiled awkwardly since she didn't even bother answering till a minute later.
"I'm back in the dating scene. I've decided I can't mope around over Morgan all year long. He's clearly head over heels for Ashley-" she said her name like she wanted to puke.
"Amber," I corrected. She shot me a dead pan look like she couldn't care less making me recline further into my seat from her death stare.
"But-" she continued drumming her fingers on the steering wheel while we were at a stop sign.
"Uh oh," I commented not liking the feeling of where this was heading.
"I know there's something fishy about this girl and what she did yesterday was not cool. She pissed me off and I simply will never like Aria-"
"Amber," I corrected her again, huffing out in annoyance. She just ignored me continuing with her plan.
"Revenge is coming. You in or you out?" She slid down her shades her eye makeup on point making her statement more dramatized.
I gulped loudly darting my eyes from side to side.
Oh boy. More girl drama. Yipee.