I don’t think he liked me very much, but I still wanted to reach for his hand to hold it. I still wanted him to wrap his arm around me so I could hide inside his big arms and feel protected from what was happening all around us.
I bowed my head in remorse and shame.
“Are you ready, Daisy?” Uncle Alejandro’s rough voice filled the air from above me.
I nodded, lying. I wasn’t ready. I would never be ready. It surprised me when he reached for my hand. My gaze quickly followed the length of his arm up to his cold, dark eyes that never held any expression or emotion.
“The real world is a fucked up place,” he said in a neutral tone out of nowhere, making my eyes widen and my head jerk back by the way he spoke to me.
It didn’t faze him. “It’s better that you learn that now. You can’t stay a little girl forever, Daisy.”
“My name is Briggs,” I declared.
No more Michael.
No more Amari.
No. More. Daisy.
A part of me knew he wasn’t looking for an explanation. I didn’t say anything as we stepped forward, taking one last look at where my parents were laid to rest. Knowing I got my wish.
I had put them there.
Chapter 2
<>Austin<>
All the boys were like brothers to me. We grew up together in the small beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina. Our parents were all good friends since childhood, so it was only natural that we all became best friends with one another too.
Out of all the boys, I was always closest with Dylan McGraw. I don’t know why, that's just how it was. As we got older, I guess I felt like out of all of them, I could relate to Dylan the most. You could maybe even go as far as saying I looked up to him in some ways, since he was a year and some change older than me. He was twelve, and I had just turned eleven. He never gave a damn about what anyone thought or said about him. He would tell it straight to your face, not caring if he hurt your feelings or not. He never judged me. I wasn’t saying that the other boys did, but Dylan was different. He treated me like an equal.
Jacob Foster was the oldest of the boys, almost thirteen. That didn't stop Dylan from taking on the role of big brother to us all. Which was probably why I bumped heads with most of the boys and as we got older and our balls fully dropped, it only got worse. Jacob was the most levelheaded one and smart as all hell too. Which was interesting in regards to the girl he actually ended up with.
Then there was Lucas Ryder, who was only a year older than me. He was twelve going on thirty, and stubborn as shit. He had a smartass personality and sometimes he took it too far. We all loved to surf but Lucas was the most skilled, constantly riding into waves that had us all questioning his decisions. We butted heads more often than not. There were times that I thought our friendship wouldn’t survive it. The animosity towards each other grew more and more as the years went on. Eventually, down the long, unexpected road of life, I wouldn’t exist to him anymore.
We all looked out for each other in one way or another as kids. With all the time we spent together, our mannerisms and personalities crossed over from one boy to the next. It would have been rare if our traits hadn’t blended together over time.
Except for Alex.
Alexandra Collins. Our Half-Pint. The prettiest girl I had ever seen, even at the age of ten. She was wise beyond her years. There was something about her that pulled all of us boys in, time and time again. Her childlike demeanor was something she never grew out of. No matter how old she got, she constantly looked at the glass as half full. Growing up, she became our confidant, biggest supporter, and best friend. We often forgot that she was a girl and wasn’t just one of the good ol’ boys like the rest of us.
When shit really went down, I could always count on Dylan. It didn’t matter what it was or where I was, he was there at the drop of a dime. He had my back and I had his, but over the years I took our friendship for granted.
Years I couldn’t get back.
Years I couldn’t ever change.
As much as I wanted to…
As much as I tried.
After four months, we finally finished our tree house that we had been working on all summer. We messed around with Alex making her believe she wasn’t going to be allowed up there with us, telling her it was for boys only. We even went as far as making a sign that said, “No Girls Allowed” written in Jacob’s mom’s red lipstick. Of course Lucas was the first to cave and let her in, which was no surprise to any of us.
We decided to crash in the tree house that night to celebrate it finally being done. Alex was getting her sleeping bag and pillow before we even got the last word out. It was late by the time she passed out next to Lucas. They had a special bond, something none of us could come close to, or even begin to understand. It was much more than a bond. It was more like two souls destined to be together, a deeper level of love for each other and not just in the friendship kind of way. Lucas and I had our issues, but I would be lying if I said I didn't envy him when it came to her.
I think we all did in our own ways.