Page 80 of Under the Waves

But she had nothing to worry about because I wasn’t going anywhere.

Ever.

I remembered flicking through my new Spiderman comic, sprawled across her comforter at one end whilst she read through all the new recipes in the cookbook I’d taken from my mom’s shelf in the kitchen at the other.

It was quiet…until itwasn’t.

The shouting came first, then the shattered plates and stolen screams. Small footsteps running up the stairs two at a time fearing the worst. The awkward squeak as the door opened, pushed by two pairs of tiny fingers.

I remembered the old, dusty smell of her closet we all huddled inside. The melodies that left her lips barely higher than a whisper. Small hands that clutched mine, gripping so tightly to my skin it almost cut off all the blood to my fingers.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, listening to the voices of her parents through the walls.

That was the day my life changed forever.

That was the day I realized just how strong Lia Davis actually was—to be able to walk around with the biggest smile on her face whilst carrying the weight of all her siblings on her back. What was worse was that I didn’t even think she gave herself a break.Ever. She was living on this highway that was constantly moving—constantly on edge, waiting for the next sign of danger: the slight raise in a voice, the slight change in footsteps up the stairs.

She was their protector,but who was hers?

“I…I was going to leave after you left early this morning. My parents called me last night a hundred times, but I didn’t see any of them. I was just delaying the inevitable by staying there, Jasper, and that’s what we fought about. He…he tried to get me to stay. He wanted me and my siblings to stay, and we fought, and…”

Her voice broke. She looked on the verge of crying but was holding herself back by whatever slither of determination she had left. That was Lia, though.

Where I got angry, she got sad, because Lia Davis had spent her entire life learning how to keep her thoughts quiet and her rage even quieter. She never lost control, fighting every sliver ofviolence that called to her because in the end, she never wanted to end up likehim. If she allowed herself to feel angry, it was as if she was letting himwin, proving to him what she had spent her whole life fighting:that she was just like him.

“—and he shouted at me. He slammed the door, and heleft. I spent over anhour, Jasper, comforting the twins because they were so afraid that it would all start over again. That his house might just be filled with monsters as well.Hours. Belle wouldn’t evenlookat me. Do you know how hard that is? To convince all of your little siblings that they won’t get hurt again even though they all know it’s a lie? It’s impossible, Jasper. It’s impossible and I can’t keep doing this.”

My heart dropped to my feet.

Fuck.

Without wasting a second, I pulled away from Poppy and jumped to my feet. Lia’s eyes darted across my face, scared and hesitant. I tugged her to my chest before she could think about what I was doing. There were tears forming in the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t care. I needed to hold her—to be there for her. I needed her to feel, toseethat I would always be there for her.No matter what.

She pulled back just as fast, uncertainty glistening in those dark, ocean blue eyes, before throwing her arms around my neck and holding onto me as her knees buckled from beneath her. I caught her weight, holding her against my chest.

“I-I didn’t know what to do…” She sobbed onto my shoulder, body shaking against mine. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay,” I hummed, idly stroking the back of her hair. “It’s okay, Lils. I’ve got you.”

Poppy stood up but her gaze wasn’t fixed on us…she was squinting out into the ocean.

I pulled back slightly, trying to grasp at what she was looking at.

“Is that—”

He seriously couldn’t bethatstupid, could he?

“Jakson?”

Lia’s head snapped up at the mention of his name. Her eyes followed my line of sight to where no one other thanJaksonfuckingCallowaywas already on his surfboard, paddling out over the waves.

It was so hard to be mad at him when his technique was near flawless, just like I’d taught him. Pride and rage battled in my heart. But one glance at Lia’s swollen red lips and puffy eyes was enough to make my vision latch onto him, dripping red.

Jakson aligned his board up with the coming wave before cresting it as it approached. He was propelled forward, striking each high point scoring move exactly like we’d trained. If he stuck it out through this without fucking it up, I’d congratulate the fuck out of him before punching his smug face. For Lia, and for me, and the rest of his teammates.

This entire show was reckless of him. We had a routine, he knew exactly where to go, how to warm up…and yet he was there, on the waves, showing off like a complete jackass. The heats didn’t start for another ten minutes yet there he was, disobeying every one of our rules as a team. As his friend, I found myself rooting for him each time he twisted the board into another position, riding the wave through, but as his captain?

I was fucking pissed at him.