Avery's POV
"Stop I-" Axel splashed water in my face this time.
"I hate all of y-" I feel a set of hands pull me under the water causing me to shriek.
I open my eyes and attempt to see who pulled me under. Dawson's hazel eyes messy hair, even under water, makes me immediately recognize him.
I feel his hands slide down to the back of my thighs which make my eyes widen and my lips to part.
What was he doing?
Although my vision was extremely blurry I can see his head leaning in but in the last second before his lips met mine, Dawson smeared muddy black sand against my face. My lungs start to burn so I swim up for air. Dawson follows behind me. He was laughing. I definitely wasn't.
I smack his chest but leave my hand there. "What the fuck?!"
I don't think I was mad about the sand. He probably knew that.
"You're cute when you're mad." Is all he has to say to that. Dawson turns away from me and begins to swim away. Dammit.
I wipe the mud away and reach down to grab my necklace.
I don't feel anything but my damp chest. I look down and don't see the silver chain or matching locket.
I look all around me as if it'll magically be floating right next to me.
It wasn't. I knew it wouldn't be but I was hoping It'd defy the odds of gravity and show up.
"Son of a bitch!" I shout drawing attention from most of the boys but only for a few seconds.
"Language!" I hear Sawyer yell from her spot a few feet away from me.
I turn towards her and her frown turns into a worried look as she seems my panicked stance.
She swims towards me. "What's wrong?" Sawyer asks right away.
"I-I lost my locket." She doesn't ask any questions about why I was so worried over a stupid necklace which I appreciate.
"Hey, I'm sure it's around here somewhere. Let's tell the boys and we'll look, yeah?" She tells me after placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
She motions for Elliot to come over and tells him about. I explain what it looks like and he says he'll tell all the guys.
Sawyer and I decide we'll look by the car and on the beach first and then check the water with everyone else.
I was really worried I'd lost the last thing I had from my mother. I'd had this locket for almost five years now and it held a special place in my heart.
"Do you remember the last time you had it on?" Sawyer asks from the bed of the truck.
"I don't know." I answer honestly. "I've worn it everyday for five years. I don't really know what it feels like without it. I don't know I'm just used to it." I admit.
"That's alright." She tells me sweetly.
I nod and check around the area we parked at.
"Maybe ask some of the boys if they saw it on you at the apartment? Maybe it's there." Sawyer says hopefully.
"Maybe." I say vaguely.
After searching all around the parking areas and by our towels in the sand and finding nothing, we head back to the water.
I look near the shore for my necklace and make my way out but knowing it's dark and probably far from here, I don't have much hope for finding it.
All the boys weren't laughing anymore and were searching all around. It was sweet, but pointless.
"We're not gonna find it." I tell Sawyer who was close to me at the time.
Her head snaps up and tilts to the left a bit. "Don't say that. We'll find it. I swear." She told me.
"Be realistic Sawyer. It's a tiny necklace in a big ocean. I'm not gonna see it again." I mumble the last part quietly as if just realizing I wouldn't. Accepting that fact was..difficult to say the least.
"Let's just head back. I'm sure it's late. I don't wanna keep the guys or you up any longer." I tell her. She yawns sheepishly.
"I guess you're right. Head back to the truck, and I'll have Elliot gather everyone up."
I swim back to the shore and wrap a towel around myself and begin my trek back to the truck.
I can't believe I lost my locket. How stupid could I be? It held the only picture I had of me and my mother.
I mean it wasn't a very good one since I was an ugly new born baby covered in blood and she'd literally given birth just minutes ago but it was the only pictures I'd had with the both of us in it. Other than the photos of her and my dad when she was pregnant.
That was the second picture in the locket. It was of her painting the nursery pink and eating a pickle which I thought represented pregnant women everywhere. What was it with pickles and soon to be mothers?
She had the biggest smile on her face as she covered the wall in a pale pink color. My room back at the house was still the same color. I never had the heart to paint over it knowing that she and my father had done that together.
I reach the truck and wait outside so I could help everyone load the stuff in the back instead of having everyone else do the work. I toss my towel off and hang it over the side to dry a bit.
Now that I think about it I'm sure they'd be fine doing it on their own...
I check the spot that I left my clothes which was the same spot I'd sat in with Dawson on our way over here. Except they aren't there. Neither is Sawyer, Dawson, or Elliot's clothes.
I hear a wolf whistle behind me, different from Axels one earlier. He was just joking around. Something was different between the two.
I ignore the boy and walk over to the windows of the truck and check inside for my shorts and crop top. I see them folded on the back seat along with everyone else's outfits.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone at an hour like this?" Someone asks from behind me. I ignore them. That's what us girls have to do.
I check my phone to see the time. 12:54.
"Ah, playing hard to get I see." Another voice asks. So there were more of them.
I press down on the home button of my phone until it unlocks. I open up Sawyers contact and ask where she's at.
We're on our way. You ok?
She texts me back only seconds later
I respond with an I'm fine just hurry if
you can.
I can hear the group of unknown boys behind me continuing to ask questions and make comments but don't really register what they're saying to me. Instead I just open Instagram and scroll through posts to distract me.
It works for a minute or so until one of these idiots grabs my ass.
I almost drop my phone but instead place it on top of the truck and spin around to face them.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I ask incredulously.
There were about five of them. They looked about my age. Maybe a year younger.
"I'm just having a bit of fun, Sugar." A blonde says with a wink. He was the one closest to me so I assumed it was him who groped me.
"Exactly." I tell him with a glare. "You're having fun. Not me."
He rolls his eyes at that. "Come on. Stop being such a prude." The boy tells me walking closer to me.
I laugh but it was quite sadistic. Like when I was with Rosemary. That was a good day.
"Come on. Stop being a dick who cat calls girls and touches them without consent."
"Don't lie babe. You obviously wanted it."
And with that it's like he opens the door to a room filled with anger and violence.
My mouth drops open a bit and eyebrows raise as he makes such an assumption and statement.
My face falls blank and I lift my knee.
The blondes face scrunches up and he falls to the ground and my leg makes contact with his balls.
I kick his jaw once he was on the ground I squat down to his level and roughly grab the part of his jaw I kicked.
"Don't lie babe. You wanted it." I repeat to him and walk to the other side of the truck.
***