Page 88 of Under the Waves

She was the kind of girl you couldn’t take your eyes off even if you tried.

Yes, she had scars that ran deeper than others.

Yes, she was snarky and angry and pushed people away.

Yes, she was tough to love and hard to understand.

But that was what made herher.

What made herWellsy.

My Wellsy.

So she was tough to love? I’d stand there by her side every day, accepting every single sliver of her guarded self that she offered. So she was hard to understand? I’d let her open up in her own time and listen so that she knew I was right there for her if she ever needed me. I had no plans to be anywhere else.

Poppy Wells was sharp and brave and strong anda fighter.

I’d drop everything in a heartbeat if only she asked me to.

“I guess you’re not the only broken one, Wellsy.” I laughed but I didn’t recognize the half sob that it turned out to be.

Some people in this town would always look at Poppy and see tragedy—see her parents in her. It wasn’t fair. She was so much more than that. She deserved so much more than that.

Her movement stilled. Voice quietened to near silence except the echo of her breathing.

“You aren’t broken,” she whispered. “And stop calling me that.”

“You love it though.”

“I really don’t.”

“Liar.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Poppy went silent.

Shit.Shit.

I just said that—oh fuck.

Way to make things awkward, Jasper.

“Would that help?” Her voice was barely audible above the bustling crowds gathered for the surfing heats. She cleared her throat, her body completely still against mine. “I mean—If Ikissed you, it would be just a one-time thing, right? To get it out of our systems. To help take your mind of Jakson.”

My mouth fell open. “You think I’d only kiss you right now because I need a distraction from what happened?”

She nodded slowly. “That’s why you said that, was it not?”

I wanted to punch someone. Anyone.Anything. Poppy Wells thought that the only way I could possibly stomach the thought of kissing her was if it was all a distraction. That she was nothing more than a distraction, a pit stop before the main event. Just something to pass the time.How could she not see how much more she was to me than that?

“Poppy—”

“Hey Jas, are you coming? The heats start soon, and coach wants us to warm up before we get called up,” Kai yelled, not waiting for an answer before he turned back and walked over towards coach and my teammates were warming up already.

“You should go,” Poppy said, stepping back away from me and wrapping her arms around her waist. “They’re waiting for you.”