Page 11 of Under the Waves
I resisted the urge to pinch my temple.
It was only one party.
A few hours at most.
I wouldn’t have to go home.
I could have fun.
I could behappy.
“Yeah,” I offered him a half smile, as much as I could summon. “I guess it does.”
This didn’t mean I forgave him.
This didn’t erase what happened to me.
I repeated the words over and over inside my head, my anxiety flooding my system with panicking outcomes and parasitic thoughts.
Just breathe, Poppy. Nothing bad is going to happen.
Grinning like an idiot, Nate threw one of his arms over my shoulder and guided me down the road and along one of the many streets of beach homes and summer lake houses. Strips of green lined the road and paths, as well as the equally spaced palm trees. Each house was practically identical—the same materials, same style, sameeverything. It almost looked creepy, as well as the fact that everyone knew each other almost a little too well.
By the time I could hear the blazing music and echoes of tipsy students chanting as we neared the party destination, I learned that Nate liked to talk about himselfa lot—likea lot. I learned that he was hoping to lead his surf team to victory this year. I tried to ask him something else, something that wasn’t aboutsurfing, but he just kept talking and I felt…invisibleto him. Like I was just an accessory for him to show off to his friendsand then abandon me the second a new shiny girl passed his vision.
“…and she was a good hook up, you know? But I passed her along to Emilio. I swear the freshmen get hungrier every year,” He laughed to himself.
Did he really just talk to me about his latest hookup?
Just before I could tell him this was mostdefinitelya mistake, he hopped in front of me and opened the door for me, gesturing for me to step inside. Like an idiot, I walked through the door, him following behind shortly after.
The chaos inside hit me like a wave. Within five minutes someone had already puked over my shoes, stripped their top off and started fucking against the door, and had been walked into by at least ten different people.
God,I fucking hated parties.
Tipsy students were bouncing around the halls, probably on something and soaring high as a kite on a wave of ecstasy. The main hall opened up into a spacious lounge area that was overlooked by a balcony of the second floor. I could just make out the cupboards and lights of the kitchen behind it. Pearly-white walls matched the gold and beige beach theme, with cream pillars and cushions decorating the pristine couches.
“Wanna grab a drink for me, princess?” Nate asked, before sending a wink to a group of guys by the pool table. I wanted to laugh, until I realized he was serious.
The nerve of that man—
“Actually, I think I’m going to—”
I was cut off by the screaming of four different people over the railing from the floor above, but before I could register their words, Nate pushed me forwards, and his gaping face, which started laughing at my expense, was the last thing I saw before everything wentblack.
6
Jasper Ridge
The raging noise of the party behind me was loud enough to deafen anyone within a twenty-mile radius. Tipsy students bounced from one end of the ping-pong table to the other, sloshing their drinks as they stumbled around.
The only reason I was here was for Jakson, we’d been good friends since kindergarten. He strolled in one day wearing an Anakin Skywalker costume without a care in the world and sat down next to me with the goofiest grin on his face, his messy blond hair falling over his eyes.
Since then, there hadn’t been a single day where the big idiot wasn’t glued to Lia’s side or mine. Together, the three of us made up the original troublemakers of Hawthorne Hills, wreaking havoc wherever we went. But after Jakson and I both joined the surf team at Hawthorne Hills Elite Academy, our little group expanded to include our three other teammates: Malakai Foster,Lachlan Kidd, and Xander Hawthorne.
It didn’t matter to any of them that Kai and I were the only on the team because of our scholarships. After all, we were Hawthorne Hills troublemakers, and we were damned good at it.
My dream was to get to the Pros. To have a good year, since the sponsors wouldfinallybe turning their gazes upon us. Sonny (Aka, Jakson, since he flat out refuses to be calledJakby anyone other than Lia) and I had always dreamt of going Pro together since we were kids, and this year, there was nothing to stop us from finally achieving it.