Page 22 of Our Final Encore

“What?”

“You’ve been staring at nothing for like five minutes, while I was talking to you.”

I finally pull my gaze away from the two of them. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well, I’m kind of tired.”

“When aren’t you? You hardly ever sleep. I swear you need to see a doctor about that, it could be a sign of something serious.”

A smirk pulls at my lips as I shake out my towel and lay it on the sand. Maisie wants to be a nurse, so she obsessively reads about rare diseases and conditions.

“I’m fine, promise.”

“Come on,” she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the water. I reluctantly follow behind her, knowing it’s going to be uncomfortably cold.

“Maisie!” One of her guy friends, James, calls out to her and waves his hand. We wade over to him and the group of people surrounding him.

I feel entirely out of place, the same way I always do around Maisie’s other friends. She’s beautiful, so she gets a ton of attention from guys, but some of them come off as a bit sleazy.

“Opal, this is Cole. Cole, Opal.” James waves his hand between his friend and I. He’s tall, with short brown hair and a nice smile. I’m pretty sure he’s on the basketball team. He’s definitely cute, but not at all my type.

Maybe the problem is that there’s only ever been one guy that I felt was my type. I need to stop being so damn picky.

“Hi,” I give him a quick wave and a grin.

“Hey,” his eyes graze down the front of my body, and I suddenly feel two inches tall.

“Let’s play chicken,” James says, elbowing Maisie. “You want to, Maze?”

They’ve gotten close recently, and I can tell he’s really into her, but I think she’s just playing along because she’s bored. That’s usually her M.O. when it comes to guys, and I can’t say I blame her. Better than getting attached and hurt.

“Sounds fun. You in, O?” She smirks at me, knowing full well that this is not the type of thing I enjoy.

“Eh, I’m not sure…”

“Oh come on, don’t be a baby. I promise I won’t push you too hard.” She and James share a laugh before she splashes me playfully.

My heart races and I feel a bead of nervous sweat start to drip down my forehead before I wipe it away. “Okay,” I groan, and her face breaks into a smile. I’ve never been good at saying no to anyone, especially Maisie. She’s very convincing.

We climb onto the boys’ shoulders. Her on James, and me on Cole. It feels way too intimate having my legs wrapped around his neck, and I’m starting to wonder if the teachers are even okay with us playing this game. They don’t seem to be paying a bit of attention though.

The two of us try to push the other into the water, but unsurprisingly I’m the first to go down, and it doesn’t take long. I crash into the water with a loud splash, and it swallows me whole. It feels freezing cold on my neck and face, but it’s kind of a nice sensation. Certainly more comfortable than sitting on Cole’s shoulders.

I pop back up and wipe the water from my eyes. “Fuck you!” I yell at Maisie when I regain my ability to see. The three of them laugh at my expense, and I can’t help but laugh a little bit, too. My wet braid is stuck to my back and I know mascara is running down my cheeks. Wearing makeup today probably wasn’t my best idea.

She throws her arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek playfully. “Love youuu.”

THIRTEEN

Alex

“Did you even hear me?” Brooke’s voice interrupts my train of thought, and I look over to see her with her hands on her hips.

“No, sorry.”

She scoffs and shoves a bottle of sunscreen towards me. “I need you to put this on my back.”

I grit my teeth, annoyed that she’s acting this way, but not surprised.

My eyes slide back over to the other side of the lake, and my jaw ticks as I watch some douchebag put his hands all over Opal. She doesn’t look particularly comfortable with it, either. Next thing I know he’s lifting her onto his shoulders and gripping her tan thighs.

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