“Uh, sure,” Mark says, grabbing his board.
Just as they are almost in the water, Cush grabs me from behind. I was carefully studying every move Brooklyn made and did not hear him sneak up on me.
“Ahhhhh!” I scream.
Brooklyn turns around to see Cush pick me up and twirl me around. Then he drops my feet into the sand and kisses me.
It’s a long kiss, but I’ve yet to close my eyes. I’m still staring out at the ocean. Out at Brooklyn, specifically.
And Brooklyn chooses this exact moment to finally lock eyes with me. The look of disgust he gives me makes me feel like the broken shards from my heart are now flying into my eyes, piercing them.
And it pisses me off.
It’s not my fault we’re not together.
I didn’t leave him.
I didn’t hook up with someone else.
Um, okay, so I did, but that was only after he ditched me.
I decide it’s only fair to throw a few shards back in the jerk’s direction.
I leap up and wrap my legs around Cush’s waist. He grabs my butt to hold me up while kissing me. I close my eyes and get into the kiss. Start running my hands wildly through the back of his hair. Trying to show Brooklyn how much I like Cush. How what he did didn’t hurt me in the least. Because I’m happy, and lucky to be with a guy like Cush.
After our big PDA, Cush sets me down. “Want a piggyback ride?”
I don’t reply, just jump on his back, wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss his shoulder while he runs back up the beach.
When I hop off his back, he turns to me and says with a smirk, “That probably pissed him off, huh?”
“Probably. Is that why you did it?”
“Yep.” Then he gives me the sweetest looking face ever and whispers, “Plus, I love you.”
I give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Well, I don’t care what he thinks,” I lie.
I want to look back at him, but I can’t bear to, so I change the subject. “Vanessa is super pissed.”
“We knew she would be.”
I grab my phone and read him what she said. Another text pops up on my screen. This one I don’t read to anyone.
Vanessa: You might just be as big of a bitch as I am. Enjoy your day in the sun, Keatyn. None of those people are your friends, and I’ll ruin you. Pinky swear!
I think about what I just did to her. How I made her look at school. How I wanted to hurt her.
I look out in the water at Brooklyn and think about how I put on a show to make him feel bad. To hurt him.
I gulp and realize she’s right.
I may have become the biggest bitch of all.
Friday, May 27th
A herd of sheep.
1pm
Finally. School is out for the summer! We finished up the last of our finals, checked in our textbooks, and got out at noon.
Vanessa and RiAnne have been ignoring Cush and me at school this week. Not that I blame them. And it’s what I wanted, right?
It just doesn’t feel very good.
Cush and I went out to lunch with a bunch of the guys from his soccer team and some of their girlfriends. They were all going to spend the rest of the day at a nearby water park, but we decided to go back to my house and lay on the beach instead.
We’re tired. We both studied really hard for our tests, and I didn’t sleep well all week. I think my subconscious is trying to punish me for being a bitch by giving me horrible dreams.
Kym is in the kitchen working on her laptop when we wander in the house.
“Keatyn, let’s talk about your birthday.”
“My birthday? It’s not until August.”
“I know, but you’re going to be seventeen. Don’t you think it’s time we throw you a big bash? A Super Sweet Seventeen?”
Cush says, “That’d be tight. You didn’t have a Sweet Sixteen.”
“That’s because we went to Australia, and when I got home, they had remodeled my closet! It was my best birthday ever!”
“Aren’t you supposed to want a car when you turn sixteen? That’s when I got my car.”
“I get to drive the Rover and most of Tommy’s cars whenever I want, so I didn’t really need one for my birthday.”
“So what kind of party are you thinking, Kym?” Cush says. He seems enthralled with the idea, and Kym is eating it up.
“Well, I was going to ask the birthday girl what her dream party would be. But what do you think?”
Cush turns and looks at me. “I think you should rent out The Side Door. That place we go dancing. Get your friend to DJ, bring in some food. Invite everybody. It would rock.”
“Is that the club you go to on Thursday nights?”
“Yeah, it’s really fun. Huge. But I think for my birthday, I might just want something small. Maybe a nice dinner with the family or something.”
“What’s wrong with you lately?” Kym says. “Most girls would kill for a party like this. I’m talking dancing, rap stars, everyone cool from your school. You’re young. You’re beautiful. We need to introduce you to society.”
“You gonna marry me off for some beach property and a herd of sheep?”