Riley’s POV
The next day passed by rather uneventfully. After breakfast, I’d announced to my mom that Braiden would be back from his trip on Thursday afternoon, and although a lengthy argument ensued, Mom convinced Lex to stay until then. Of course, that was only as long as it was okay with her parents…
Whom I now know for certain she never called.
Aside from the obvious- like his birthday not being any time soon and the moving date discrepancy- Braiden confirmed that he never knew a girl named Alexa McKormack (or at least can’t remember her, if he did), and even though he lived in Georgia at one point, the town was just east of Atlanta, not simply a few miles from the Florida border. At this point, it really comes down to two options: either Braiden is extremely forgetful, or Lex is a liar.
The answer seems pretty obvious.
Which leaves me with just over two days to figure out who she really is and what she’s really doing here.
I hadn’t learned too much else about her during the day. For the most part, the time was spent in the front yard, playing basketball or longboarding. While Toby, Connor, and I did that, Lex spent her time just watching. Tank had warmed up to her quite quickly, and rarely left her side as she sat in the grass. I remember flying around the corner- with Connor and Toby hot on my tail- in a race to find Lex on her hands and knees, teasing Tank and romping around the yard with him. I couldn’t force myself to say it out loud for the fear of my brothers overhearing, but I couldn’t help but think it: she was adorable.
Of course, the minute she heard us coming she stopped and acted like nothing had happened. It was strange, really. Anytime she seemed to be openly enjoying herself, she would stop just as quickly as she started and close herself off again. I added it to the ever-growing list of things I didn’t know about her.
“Don’t forget, Savannah’s throwing a pool party tomorrow, so we’ll have to leave around noon,” I reminded Lex late Tuesday night. She froze in the entrance to the guest bedroom.
“Oh, uh, are you sure she wanted me to come? I don’t want to intrude- I would be perfectly fine staying here.” She stuttered awkwardly.
“Nonsense, of course you’re invited! She sounded rather excited, actually. She really likes you.”
“B-but I don’t have a swimsuit!” I could almost see the proud gleam in her eye at her excuse.
“You’re about the same size, I’m sure she’ll let you borrow one.”
“But-“
“Night, Lex!”
I smirked when I heard her sigh from the opposite side of my now-closed door, then hopped under the covers.
**********
I peeked an eye open at the sound of her window squeaking open. Lex had been pacing again, but I’d been able to sleep through it for the most part this time. Silently I counted the minutes until I heard her car unlock, then lock back, followed shortly after by the squealing of her window again.
I couldn’t contain my smile. I had anticipated her actions perfectly so far, and I send a silent prayer to God, thanking Him that I had thought to disconnect the starter on her car. Tomorrow would be the reveal all day.
I would finally know what Alexa McKormack was hiding.
**********
The door squeaks slightly under my palm as I push it open the next morning. “Psst, Lex.”
The only response I received was a groan. I chuckled. “Come on, get up! We have to leave in ten minutes.”
“Why’s it so early?” she whined quietly.
“It’s almost 11:45,” I said with a laugh. “It’s not that early. Now hurry up! We’re going to be late!”
I shut the door, leaving her to get ready, and jogged down the stairs. My swim trunks made a weird swishing sound as my legs brushed against each other. I grabbed two cereal bars out of the pantry before stopping in the kitchen.
“Is she ready?” Toby asked.
“Almost.”
By the time I’d thrown the wrapper away, Lex had made it downstairs. I tossed her the second cereal bar while she fumbled with her sunglasses. Soon we were on our way.
**********
Lex’s POV
"Do you own any, um, not bikinis?" I asked Savannah awkwardly.
"Nope, sorry." She shook her head before shoving a tribal-looking pink, black, and blue swimsuit into my arms. "Don't worry about it though, this one will look great on you. You have nothing to worry about. Now try it on!" I felt her hands urge me toward the bathroom door adjoining her bedroom.
It’s not exactly my love handles that I’m worried about, I thought to myself, but proceeded to undress and slip into the swimsuit. My gaze fell disdainfully to the discolored patches of skin spotting my torso, lingering on my still-healing ribs. I slipped my tshirt back on quickly over the borrowed swimsuit and prayed it would be long enough to cover the evidence of him on my legs.
Get over it. The voice in my head has become even more difficult to shut up since I left. You deserved what you got. I tore my eyes away from the mirror and left before I could listen to any more.
Savannah wore a pout when she noticed I still wore my t-shirt. “It fits,” I tried to muster up a genuine smile. “Thanks.”
She simply rolled her eyes, a smile finally emerging on her glossed lips. “No problem. But don’t think you’ll be wearing that t-shirt all day! A bikini that cute on a perfect body like yours deserves to be seen!”
Perfect is NOT the word I would use- I pushed the voice aside as I followed the peppy girl to rejoin the others.
Riley’s eyes immediately drift to my legs when I step foot on the patio, and I quickly tug my shirt down lower over my legs. He already asks too many questions- I can’t raise any more. As soon as I can get one of the boys to fix my car, I’ll be out of here and on to the next place to hide.
Where there will hopefully be less-nosy teenage boys.
Thomas tossed a bottle of sunscreen to me, which I just barely caught in time. I cocked an eyebrow at him. He simply shrugged. “You look like you burn easily.”
In other words, you resemble a doughnut about to be dunked in the fryer. The voice was relentless today. I wordlessly slather sunscreen all over my legs and face as the guys do cannonballs and flips into the giant pool. My eyes drift to the lounge chairs on the side, and I gently lay myself down on one. I couldn’t even remember the last good night of sleep I’d gotten. The last few nights at the McDonough’s were better than I’ve had in a long time, but my anxiety still plagued me. Insomnia was slowly taking over my life.
I slipped my sunglasses on and began to doze…
**********
“Lex, come on! You’re missing out!” Connor was able to call out before Chris dunked him underwater again.
“Mhmm-“ I mumbled incoherently, rolling over on my back again, still half asleep. “Sounds like it.”
My heart leaped into my throat as I was suddenly hoisted off the chair. A scream escaped me as my heart pounded a thousand times a minute, and the only full thought I could form was: He found me. He found me. He found me.
The water is a complete shock to my system, and I soon find it filling my lungs. I knew he would try to kill me again, but I didn’t expect it to be by drowning. I push upward, expecting resistance but finding none.
And then I come to my senses and realize where I am.
I cough- hard- and desperately suck air into my lungs. My sunglasses are dangling off my face, tangled in my hair. And Riley McDonough is smirking in front of me.
I know I want to scream at him, but my heart is still racing so quickly that I have to actually think about each breath. I can’t have a breakdown here- not in front of everybody. I spew up more water from my lungs. The roar of laughter from everyone else surrounds me, oblivious to my current struggle.
“Lex?” A hint of concern gleams in Riley’s eyes, but his smirk remains. I haul myself out of the pool, my panic slowly being replaced with anger. I feel my white tshirt clinging to my every curve and imperfection, completely transparent now. Somebody cat calls behind me, and Savannah laughs out loud.
“See Lex? I told you not to wear that shirt! That swimsuit is hot!”
I spin around on my heel and whip the sopping wet shirt off.
Leaving my every scar, scratch, and bruise exposed for all to see.
“But this-“ I gestured toward my damaged torso, “isn’t.”
I throw the shirt at Riley, splashing him in the process, before grabbing a towel and sprinting out the screen door.
A/N: Things are taking off! What do you think of Riley thinking ahead and disconnecting her car battery? Him throwing Lex in the pool? What about her near-panic attack? Intense stuff ^.^ And the first time we've seen things from Lex's point of view! Leave a comment below of what you thought or any predictions! I'd love to hear, and I'll choose one commenter to dedicate the chapter to! Please share this story with other BYE fans you know- things are just about to get good, and I'm really excited about where this story is going! Thanks for reading! :)