Page 36 of Guarded By Death

He stumbles a little as he stands next to me and I notice the flask he pulls from his jacket. "Want some?" he asks, and I grab it before he brings the liquid to his lips.

"You're driving," I remind him, and he shakes his head.

"No, I paid a freshman to drive us home." He tells me, his eyes roaming my face. "Scarlett, you know I would never put you in harm, right?"

I know he would never harm me, no matter what Pierce may think.Pierce... I take the flask and bring it to my lips, hard liquor. The burn slides down my throat and I scrunch my face in disgust.

Zack laughs as he takes the flask back and brings it to his lips. "It's just whiskey, Scarlett."

He sits down on the sand and pulls me down beside him. I nervously rub my hands against the tiny grains, enjoying the warmth they hold from being scorched by the sun all day. But the air is chilly this far from the roaring fire and I shiver at the cool breeze.

He wraps his jacket around my shoulders before putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "You know you deserve better than him, right?" he asks, his eyes searching my face.

"I don't want to talk about him, please," I beg, and he nods. We sit in silence for a moment, staring into the obsidian ocean.

"You really do look beautiful tonight." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear as he brings his face closer to mine. I blush, and then suddenly he brings his lips towards me. They touch for a brief moment before he abruptly jerks away. No wait... he didn't jerk away; he was pulled away from me. My eyes try to adjust to the midnight darkness around me to find out what happened.

When Zack lands in the ocean about ten feet from the shore I gasp and stand on my feet, my toes dig in the warm sand, rooting me in place.

Zack quickly regains his composure as he shakes out his hair and heads back towards the shore.

There's a man at the edge who is waiting in a stiff, almost animal-like stance. The silhouette comes into better view and my stomach drops as I realize it's Pierce.

Pierce’s sharp jaw turns towards me and a worried expression sets on his face as I step towards him. To my dismay, he holds up one finger and shakes his head before turning back to Zack.

The thin sliver of moonlight showcases Zack's angry expression. "What the hell, man. What’s your problem!? You left her. Left!" Zack's voice slices the sounds of the waves and I stand in place, frozen. Pierce lifts his hands to Zack's shoulders, for a moment I cringe wondering if he's going to hurt him, but I calm when Zack simply looks at me and then walks back towards the party.

My heart begins to thump violently as Pierce turns, making his way towards me in a few quick strides. Is he coming back to me?

He lets out a deep sigh, he's so close I can feel his minty breath against my face. "I'm so sorry, Scar." His tone is remorseful as his green eyes bore into mine, the moonlight is not giving me enough of his features. I dart my eyes around his perfect face.

"Pierce," I whisper, my eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't think you would ever come back.” My voice cracks.

His expression goes grim, he tilts his head sideways and places his warm hands on my shoulders. The comfort I feel at that moment is overwhelming and I lean into him. He looks into my eyes and I feel a calming trance wash over me.

His tone is pained, laced with so much grief it's unexplainable. "I would suffer by your hands for a thousand years, but I will not allow you to suffer at mine for another second."

He takes a deep breath, and I fall into a trance at the sound of his voice. "You will forget this ever happened. You came down here with Zack and wanted a moment to yourself before returning and having a wonderful night with your friends." He emphasizes the last word before he nods his head towards the distant party. His voice is calm and calculated but I hear a small crack in his resolve. "You have to forget you saw me, it's for the best." I look into his eyes and they are full of sadness. I try to move my hand to smooth the lines of worry on his face, but I can't remember why I’m concerned.

He plants a lingering kiss on my forehead as he brings his free hand through the back of my hair. "Be happy, Angel," he whispers in my ear before returning to rest his head on top of mine.

The warmth is nice as I peek around his shoulder, glancing my eyes forward to stare up into the moon as it cascades its silver light over the dark waves.

I admire the ocean for a moment longer before the warmth disappears. I skip back towards my friends, feeling a sense of happiness as we celebrate throughout the night.

Twenty-one

Bridal style

On the way home, Zack slides into the backseat with me. His clothes were soaked after he randomly jumped into the water, so he's been shirtless since then. True to his word, he paid a freshman to drive his Jeep. Liv sits in the front with him.

At this point, it's been hours since his last drink so Zack would have been okay to drive but I'm thankful he's taking extra precautions. I'm feeling much better than I have in days, mostly thanks to the alcohol but I'm feeling really hungry.

With the windows down and the radio turned up we all sing and laugh, I let the warm air surround me as my long hair blows around the back. It hits Zack in the face a few times and I laugh as he swats it away.

Liv turns the radio down a notch so I can hear her. "Hey Scar, do you want to go with me to the Pier tomorrow? I need some new summer clothes."

"Yeah, of cou-" My body begins to violently heave. I throw up on the metal floors of the Jeep.

---