Page 42 of We Thought We Were Invincible
I did my best to keep my face blank, but was sure the disappointed showed, hoping Aunt Kat would chalk it up to exhaustion. That was exactly what she did.
The doctor who'd stitched me up told me to avoid putting too much strain on the leg for a few days, but I was good to go.
With Aunt Kat's help, I made it to her car.
At home, I found the two halves of my board leaning up against the front door. Inside my room, I laid them on my desk and collapsed on my bed. That board was my mom's. When I was on it, I always felt closer to her, like she'd make sure nothing happened to me out there. Well, it had.
Tears came to my eyes. Wiping them away, I turned onto my side away from the board. That wasn't supposed to happen. The waves had always healed me. Never hurt me. Until now.
17
Jamie
“I don't understand,” Amelia said, her voice growing thick.
Please don't cry.
Please don't cry.
“I just can't do this anymore,” I said. “It isn't fair to you.”
“What isn't fair to me? Is there someone else?”
Was there?
“No,” I said. “That's not what I meant.” An image of Callie on the beach broke into my thoughts, her body soft beneath mine. Then that image changed to her getting thrashed about in the waves and me too far away to help. I stumbled back.
Amelia didn't notice. “But you slept with me like last week.”
“I know.”
I was always one to skip through relationships, but now actually felt bad about it.
“Look, Amelia.” I put my hands on her shoulders. She looked up at me, her lip quivering but an anger stirring in her eyes. “I'm sorry. I'm not the guy for you.”
“You're right about that,” she snapped. “You never were good enough.”
Her words hit a little too close to home, and I released her, turning away. “I have to go.”
“Ass,” she yelled to my back.
I sat in my car, my hands shaking. I could've lost her, Callie. Resting my head back against the headrest, I squeezed my eyes shut. She wasn't mine. She was Colby's. She was Jay's. And they'd never allow me to go there.
Knowing she'd be home by now, I headed there. It was time we had a talk.
I paused with my hand raised to knock on the door, glancing to each side to make sure Colby and Kat were both in their rooms. I didn't know what I was doing. This wasn't okay, but I'd seen her almost drown today and that wasn't an image I could shake. I needed to see her, touch her, to reassure myself she was okay.
My knuckles rapped against the door, and I held my breath as I waited.
“Sleeping,” came her voice on the other side of the door.
I leaned my forehead against the solid wood. “Callie.”
I opened the door, and she sat up on her bed, combing her fingers through her hair. I stood there, silently watching her. I'd replaced my swim trunks with jeans and a bright yellow polo. Callie had opted for a pair of sweats and ratty old t-shirt. We were so different, the two of us, but I liked that about her. She didn't try too hard.
“We need to talk,” I said quietly. Hurt entered her expression, and I wanted to kick myself for putting it there. She knew what I was going to say.
“Just go,” she begged. “Please.” Her eyes shifted away from me and my stomach twisted. Tears shone in her eyes and I followed her gaze to where it now rested on her broken board. This couldn't be going any worse.
