by Lauren Price
“I don’t want to know!” I yelp, grabbing some Skittles and shoving them into his mouth to block what he’s going to say. “There are two pairs of very innocent ears walking beside you,” I warn him. “Be aware of that, okay?”
Alec just laughs.
The park in Lindale is only about a minute’s walk from our houses. We turn onto the road leading to the entrance, a terraced row of cream houses with black iron railings. The park is located right by the coast, a road away – I can taste the sea breeze on my tongue. Alec clears his throat. “Speaking of falling at someone’s feet . . . my mom is getting married.”
I choke on air. “Are you kidding me? I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.”
Alec looks at me, slightly bemused. “Her girlfriend-slash-fiancée’s name is Fiona, and she’s a soldier.”
“Oh wow, sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed –”
“She and Mom have been dating for a couple years now, and she proposed on the visiting day last weekend,” Alec says. I guess he thinks my apology is irrelevant. “It’s the first time Mom’s seen Fiona in a month. They’ve been meaning to marry for years but wanted to wait until Fiona quit her status as a soldier fully.”
“That’s romantic.” My heart warms, but there’s a question I mean to ask Alec which has just been brought to the forefront of my mind. I take in a deep breath, aware this is a slightly risky topic. “So . . . is your dad going to go?”
Alec releases a short exhale. “My parents divorced just before Millie was born. I haven’t spoken to my dad in years, so no, I assume not.”
“Why did they divorce?”
“He’s not a nice person.” Alec’s reply is short and slightly curt, and I’m instantly uncomfortable that I asked. Of all people I know how to respect privacy, and I don’t want to push Alec to answer anything he doesn’t want to.
“Sorry. Do you want to talk about something else?”
“No, it’s okay, it shouldn’t exactly be a secret or anything.” He runs his hand haphazardly through his hair, and that’s how I know that this conversation is stressing him out. “Dad didn’t react well when Mom told him she was bisexual.”
“Right,” I hum, staring at my feet. I’m tentative around him; I don’t want to say the wrong thing around such a delicate topic. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for Marie – to have been rejected by the one she loved, because of who she was. Similarly for Alec and Millie, to have their foundations crumble so quickly. When my parents divorced, I’d had time to adjust – there was a slow build-up to the announcement. Millie and Alec must have seen their parents’ marriage disintegrate in a matter of days.
“He wasn’t a great dad beforehand, but he hasn’t wanted anything to do with us since that announcement. Now I don’t want anything to do with him either.”
“I’m so sorry, Alec. That must have been horrible.”
“It was fine,” he replies curtly. “We got through.”
“And now your mom is getting married to someone she loves,” I reply, trying to divert the topic into something more positive again. I can sense any more pushing on the father front might be a little too far for Alec, at this stage in our friendship. “So, will I ever get to meet Fiona? She sounds cool, although I’m not going to lie, the whole soldier thing is kind of intimidating . . . she could shoot me if she doesn’t like me.”
Alec smiles gorgeously and just like that, the conversation has been swept under the rug. “I’m positive you’ll get to meet her. She’ll be home for good in a few months, and that’s after the engagement party, which your family has been invited to by the way. She’s really cool, good with Millie too I guess.” Thinking of his younger sister, his eyes lift up from the ground to check on her, skipping along ahead of us. “Millie,” he says threateningly, “I’m gonna chase you . . .”
Millie glances back and squeals as she sees Alec approaching.
“You’re a pretty adorable big brother you know,” I say. “It makes me wish I had an older sibling to play with me when I was younger.”
“Don’t call me adorable.” Alec wrinkles his nose. “Sexy? Yes. Manly? Yes. Rugged? Yes. Adorable? Hell no.” He turns back to Millie and wriggles his fingers tauntingly. He’ll chase her in a second.
My smile sparks deviously and my voice morphs into an exaggerated coo. “What a cutie you are, Wilde. Adorable. You’re like a giant, fluffy teddy –”
Alec interrupts quickly. “I think you better start running.”
I grin and jog to catch up with Millie.
“Quick!” I tell her. “Alec is the mean monster and he’s trying to catch us! We need to run away!” Millie gasps at the news, abandoning her skipping and grabbing my hand. Together we run (well, jogging for me, running for Millie) down the sidewalk as fast as we can. Alec is making monster noises behind us, playing along, and Millie squeals as she hears him getting closer. After a second of running however, Millie is yanked away from me and “eaten” by Alec. I can hear her giggling loudly as Alec tickles her.
I’ve reached the park’s entrance now. “Run, Riley!” Millie screams, and this time I really do run. It doesn’t take long for Alec to catch me, though. He grabs me by the waist, hitting my ticklish spot, and pretends to take a bite out of my shoulder.
“Delicious.” He grins, and I swat him on the chest. Millie runs up behind him and hooks her tiny arms round his waist.
“Let’s go to the playground!”
“Look at Millie, she’s making friends!” I point over at the playground from where we’re sitting, watching the little angel talk to a couple of girls her age. She wouldn’t let Alec and I stay in the playground, claiming instead that she wanted “freedom”, so we’re sitting next to the skate ramps instead and keeping our eyes on her from a slight distance.
“Riley, that guy is staring at you.”
“What?” I turn to Alec, to find him completely and utterly involved in the skate ramps, more specifically by the boys around our age doing tricks by the fence. Sure enough, one of them is already looking at me as I look up, and he smiles when I meet his gaze. He’s cute. Really cute.
And then he starts heading towards us.
Alec stiffens.
“All right, bro?” He grins at Alec before his twinkling green eyes flash back to mine. He’s quite good-looking, with dark curly hair and a lip piercing. Not my type but still pretty hot. He throws me a wink, and my immediate response is to look down at my lap.
“Yeah, I’m good cheers,” Alec replies coolly, yet he is stiff as a statue on the bench. Then, ever so casually, he throws his arm round the back of the bench, round me. I stare at him, surprised. The boy in front of us watches the action, and I start to feel a little unsettled. What is this, a possessive thing? I glance over at Millie. I’m glad she’s okay playing with the other girls. They seem to be getting on well, at least. Maybe I’ll escape over there.
“I’m Nick.” The boy grins. “You any good at boarding? Want a go?”
“Alec. And no thanks, it’s not really my thing, Nat.” Alec’s voice sounds slightly defensive and cold, and I watch him cautiously. Why is he being so rude? Nick’s eyebrows rise a little at his reaction before he turns to me with the twinkle returned to his eyes. What a flirt.
“It’s Nick,” the boy says. “What about you, babe? Want a go?”
I glance over to Alec before shrugging. Nerves squeeze my windpipe, and it takes all my effort to ignore it. “Yeah, I think I will.”
Nick grins, offering me a hand to pull me up. “That’s cool.” He smirks. “Yo, dude, I think your girlfriend here has bigger nuts than you.” He kicks up his skateboard and offers it to me, smiling smugly over at Alec when he thinks I’m not looking. As for Alec, I don’t think he’s even noticed me leaving; he’s too busy glaring at Nick. Boys and their stupid pride. I grab the skateboard and begin to walk towards the ramps. I climb up a medium-sized one in the most dignified way I can, setting the board on the edge and placing my foot on it to steady it. I can sense th
em all watching me, and I falter. No pressure then.
I place my weight on the board and slide down the ramp towards the jumps. I’m no expert, but I used to skateboard a lot a few years ago. Toby and I used to do it together, and we came here to practise. It’s been months since I’ve even touched my skateboard. The wind rushes in my face, and I feel the familiar rush of adrenaline as I jump down the ramp. Boom! The skateboard spins beneath my feet in an ollie that I’ve practised many times (usually in my backyard because I’m sad like that), and then I continue to slide up the nearest jump. My skateboard flicks high in the air at the end, and I catch it, landing firmly on my feet.
Still got it.
I turn towards the boys and offer Alec a small curtsey, feeling smug. I’ve missed skateboarding. Nick is full on grinning, but Alec just looks shocked. Is it really that surprising? I chuck Nick his board back, and he catches it neatly. “Thanks.” I smile as I slide not-so-gracefully down the ramp and back onto solid ground. “I needed that.”
“You’re welcome.” Nick steps closer. A little too close for my liking, despite how hot he is. The player vibe is practically dripping off him. “Maybe I could get your number in return?”
Instantly my throat tightens again and I splutter.
I go to reply but Alec beats me to it, interrupting. “I think we should go now, Riley. Nice meeting you, Nash.” Alec grabs my arm, purposefully getting Nick’s name wrong again. I cock an eyebrow at him as he drags me away from the guys. I can hear them laughing behind us. Alec is either jealous, or those guys have said something really rude to him. He pulls me into the playground, away from the skateboarders. Waves of pure anger pour off him and he avoids my expression entirely.
“Okay, what’s up?” I sigh. “Because you’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
“You should be thanking me,” he grunts. “I saved you from that pig.” His arms are crossed. The resemblance between him and a pouty kid right now is astonishing.
“Saved me?” Yeah right. “Oh, noble Alec, however can I repay you for stealing me away from the cute skateboarding guy who wanted my number?”
“He wasn’t good-looking, and he was a pig. You don’t need him.”
That’s true, but still.
“Besides, when you were going down the ramps, all he was talking about was your ass.”
“And who can blame him?” I joke, winking at Alec.
He just shoots me a blank stare in reply, and I roll my eyes. “Okay, seriously, Alec? I was kidding, you grouch. And for the record, I don’t need you monitoring my social interactions – I actually really liked skating but I guess that’s not important to you.” Rolling my eyes, I decide to separate from Alec and head over to the swings and slides, where Millie is playing with her newfound friends. All of the girls look up at me when I approach, and Millie offers me a big grin.
“This is Riley,” she tells her friend. “She’s my babysitter. Alec, my big bro, is her Prince Charming. Aren’t you, Alec?”
I spin round. I hadn’t realised that Alec was still behind me. He ignores me and looks at Millie instead. “Prince Charming? Oh I don’t know about that. Riley isn’t the princess type. She’s more like a toad or a –”
“A knight,” I finish for him, shooting him a glare. “I think you’ll find that Alec is the swamp monster, definitely not Prince Charming. Gosh no.”
“Swamp monster? I don’t think that’s very fair.”
“Someone’s cheered up,” I observe.
“I was never grumpy,” he mocks.
“Yeah sure,” I drawl sarcastically.
Alec ignores my comment. “So, I have something to ask you.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “What?”
No, no, no. He’s not going to ask you out. Shut up, Riley. Seriously, shut it.
“We’re headed to the beach on Saturday. You and Violet up for it?”
Not like I was expecting anything else, was it? Stupid swamp monster.
12
The Beach
When Alec invited us to go to the beach, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. It made me feel warm and appreciated – the fact that he wanted us to join them – but I also had my doubts. Being in my swimming costume in front of guys I’ve only just befriended? That’s actually kind of intimidating. I also haven’t been on a group trip out with friends for . . . well about a year now. I’m unused to this kind of thing. To make matters worse, there’s also the minor detail of me not being able to surf.
Yet somehow, Violet still managed to convince me into saying yes.
“I know you aren’t comfortable with them just yet, but they like you, and they want to spend time with you. This is not a scary thing or a bad thing; it’s an opportunity to defeat some of your fears and get close to some pretty nice people,” Violet had said to me, when I expressed my nerves. “Plus, I’ll be there with you if you ever do want to leave, or feel uncomfortable. Come on, Riley, you’re great and you can do this.”
I said yes. Now my poor unfortunate ears are facing the consequences.
“The wheels on the bus go round and round!” Joe’s voice bounces around the car as he belts out the rhyme in quite possibly the worst tune I’ve ever heard. He clutches his chest dramatically, blissfully unaware of the way the rest of us are wincing at the pitch. “Round and round, round and round!”
“Dude, we’re in a car,” Alec deadpans from beside me. His warm arm is slung round my shoulders in a casual gesture, which somehow still makes my skin tingle and my heart race. Dylan and Violet are sitting in the back making small talk, with Chase driving and Joe sitting shotgun. We’ve been on the road for the best part of five minutes and already my ears are bleeding. Luckily for me, we should be there soon, and part of me is actually excited.
Sparking a bright idea, I fish around in my pockets for my phone and my earphones. Joe has moved onto a rendition of “Humpty Dumpty” now. If he doesn’t shut up then I’m just going to have to drown him out instead. Alec spots me fumbling and leans closer to speak quietly to me. The hair on the back of my neck rises at our proximity.
“Can I listen too?”
“Sure.” I pass him an earbud with a smile. “Taylor Swift or One Direction? I don’t have any other music on this phone.”
“Nice try,” Alec scoffs, elbowing me playfully so as to make more room for himself in the middle seat. “I know you aren’t into that kind of music. I practically hear your playlist on repeat, from your bedroom speakers. Put Twenty One Pilots on or something.” Impressed by his observation of my music, I do exactly that, chuckling as I elbow Alec back and sling my legs over his as best I can with the seatbelt. I win.
“Guys, can you just date already?” Chase groans from the driving seat. “The sexual tension in this car is unbearable. My boy radar is picking up on it.”
Joe stops singing to gape at his best friend.
I inhale sharply at this, fighting the urge to laugh. “Is that your indirect way of saying we’re turning you on?”
“Maybe.”
“Just think of your grandpa in the shower. Naked.” My voice is laced with a daring sense of amusement, and Alec cringes beside me.
“Ahh!” Joe yelps loudly, covering his eyes as though it’ll help. “I’m imagining it too!”
I hear Violet snickering behind me, and she pats me supportively on the shoulder.
“You’re going to make Chase crash the car,” she points out. “He looks horrified enough as it is. In fact, all the boys do.”
I glance over at Chase, letting out another dark giggle. At the moment the poor boy is blinking repeatedly, as though he hopes to get rid of the image that way, and his face is coloured a bright red hue. Serves him right.
I wonder briefly what we’ll be doing today, but the answer is pretty evident. The surfboards are attached to the roof of Chase’s car – a dark truck with the licence plate peeling off at the back. My minimal experience of surfing was noted and ignored, and Violet happily pointed out that we can just go swimming, sunba
the or walk around instead. It’s her first real bonding time with Chase, Joe and Dylan and she seems to be fitting in really well. Not that I’d expect any different from my bubbly best friend.
“Can you surf?” Alec asks, as if reading my mind. I shake my head. “Guess I’ll have to teach you.” He looks oddly pleased by that fact. After the skateboard incident, guess he’s just happy that he’s better than me at something.
“I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it,” Joe says, winking at me. “If she doesn’t, then it’ll be funny to watch her failing, so it’s a win-win situation for all of us.”
Alec smirks at this, high-fiving Joe. I guess boys will be boys.
“Fail like your last Math test,” I mutter under my breath. I don’t think Joe heard it, but I can tell that Alec has from the widening of his smile. We turn onto the coast-side road and turn into the little dusty car park. Chase pulls up promptly in the first car parking space, right by the steps down to the beach. The beach in Lindale is small and sandy, a beach for locals rather than tourists. There are a few small stores in the road behind it, but nothing major. I don’t even think we have a hotel in a fifty-kilometre radius, that’s how lonely this place is.
“The waves look great,” Alec says as we all clamber out of Chase’s Range Rover. “I call dibs on the red surf-board!”
The sun beats down on the pale skin I have exposed, and I pull my sunglasses over my eyes.
Chase curses. “Dude, you know I love that surfboard!”
“Slim, sexy and gives one hell of a ride,” Alec agrees, subtly winking at me. This boy should sell innuendos for a living. Dylan smacks him lightly on the back with a grin, and immediately the three boys scramble to get the surfboards down. I feel like a bit of an awkward lemon, standing watching. I would help, but I’m a bit short.
Chase begins to hand out surfboards as they come down. Alec gets the red one he wanted. Violet’s is pale blue, with a rounded top.
“Right, let’s roll.” Chase shoves a slightly smaller yellow surfboard into my arms, and I mimic the others’ positions of holding as we make our way down the steps, me trying my absolute hardest not to fall down. The beach isn’t crowded luckily, but there are a few people dotted along the sands because it’s a hot day. Usually it would be empty. My flip-flops sink into the hot sand, and Alec’s tanned skin does wonders at distracting me.