Chapter 13

Last night was a blur, I got lost in memories, secrets, and fears.

There was only one person in my mind; Hayes.

I wasn’t even aware where I was, until a honk wakes me up.

“Alex! I see you slept well!” Jake shouts.

“Jake fucking stop with the noise.” I shout back.

“You slept in your car, Alex. You already lost in this argument.” He laughs.

Still tucked into the seat, I hear Jake approach my car. He’s dragging his feet on the pavement.

“What happened to you?” He asks.

“I’m sorry, did it not rain yesterday Jake!?” I ask.

“What were you doing catching the raindrops on your face? You’re wearing a jacket.” He says.

“Fucking screw you for not telling me Hayes was back. I called the cops.” I say. Jake covers his mouth.

“You called the cops?” Jake laughs.

“Yeah, I figured. Adam told me about that. Hey, did you know he’s back, too?” He mocks. I stay silent.

“He told me off too, gave me shit. I swear, college life is making him deranged.” He laughs.

Silence pours over us.

“Adam said I was being a “fucking dick” about Hayes being back and everything. Sorry, I didn’t tell you, Alex.” I nod at his apology.

“I finally found a ride to Rochelle’s party, we waited around for almost an hour.” He says.

“If you hadn’t noticed my car’s dead. Glad to you were worried about me. Tell your girlfriend, I got lost or something, I’m sure she’ll believe that.” I say.

I feel better. I know when we stop talking, the pit in my stom-ach will come back.

“She’s not my girlfriend, but I noticed your battery and brought you something.” He says.

“It’s temporary, so no road trips.” Jake laughs.

He hands me a double A battery.

“Fuck you!” I shout. He says it back.

~~~~~

It only took a few minutes for my guilty conscious, and memo-ries to come back.

My phone rings, it’s work.

“Hey Alex, we’re going to need you down in a few, your shifts in the next 15 minutes. Can you come in?”

Even though I didn’t have a running car, I was going to find a way to work. Too much quiet is bad for me.

Adam lets Jake burrows his car, Jake still had to take me to work though. On our way there we stopped at an auto place, so I could get a battery.

~~~~

Work wasn’t super busy today, it’s storm season.

This means, people stay away from the coast. It’s been like this for years. When three children drowned that day, the coast changed.

A year after Timmy died, after the Bartley’s split, I started training.

It was my way of coping, my escape. I never wanted what happened to Timmy, and that little girl to happen to anyone else.

Which is why, I’m a lifeguard.

Versa is beautiful, and a lot to take in. Yet, Versa is on the coast of Washington, which means it brings in heavy waves, and dangerous storms.

When you’re out in the water, you have to know what you’re doing even on a sunny day.

Even for lifeguards, it’s a risk. No matter how hard you train, you have to remember. The waves always win.

Since I started working at the coast, almost-three years ago, there hasn’t been any fatal DNS’s.

I take my job very serious, and it hurts to know, that when I leave Versa, I also leave Versa Coast.

It’s the place that I love the most. It’s where I picked up my photog-raphy hobby.

I take pictures of the water, of the birds, and life at Versa Coast. It’s a dream job in my eyes, but I want to see more of the world.

~~~~

When my shift is over, I go to the changing tower.

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“You never texted back.” He says.

He keeps looking at me. He keeps walking towards me.

“My car broke down.” I say. It sounds like a lie.

“You could have told me, I would’ve picked you up.” Jeff steps forward, I step back.

I hit the wall. We’re inches from each other’s face.

“We’re really close.” I say. He backs away.

“What, did you follow me or something?” I laugh.

“What if I did?” He says.

“No, Jake told me you needed to get picked up from work.” His voice is soft.

Fucking Jake.

I stay quiet, he’s waiting for me to say something to him, any-thing. I pretend to ignore him. I do this, so he’d go away, deep down I didn’t want him to.

“Come on Alex.” He says. He tries to touch my hair, but I move away.

I watch him run his hands through his hair. He smiles through the anger I’m causing him, I feel bad. He’s about to leave, when I grab his hand.

“Jeff, we can’t be anything.” I say.

“Why?” He asks.

“We just can’t.” I say.

“Can we at least be friends?” He asks.

“You want to be my friend?” I smile.

“I think you're cool.” He says.

I look at him for too long, he gets shy and looks away. I wanted to play along to this, I wanted to give into Jeff’s words. He was nice, and kind. He just popped into my life at the wrong time.

He leans into me. Our hands are now interlaced, the wall in my backbone. He’s so close I can feel his warmth.

He tries to touch my hair again, there’s heavy silence. He’s done this before, to other girls.

I move his hand. He stays quiet.

“Why are you being so rude to me Alex?” He asks.

“Why me? Why do you like me?” I ask.

“Don’t you know all about the Richards?” I ask.

“I know about your mom, I know about the Bartley’s.” He says.

That was enough for me. His words stabbed the shield I had built over the years. A few names are all I have to hear, to crumble. I leave the tower, and call Adam.

~~~~~

It took no more than ten minutes for him to pick me up.

When I got in the car, I could tell by the silence, that something had happened.

The car ride was silent, Adam said one thing. He said Hayes was back home.

Only then does the radio kick in and quiet my thoughts.

WELCOME HOME HAYES You Saved Me Once Book 1 Chapter 12: 6I’m Sorry I Said No To Your Letter worlds apart Chapter 76: Episode 75 The Witches Chapter 23: Meeting With Moxie ~~~~~

You Saved Me Once Book 1 worlds apart The Witches