Chapter 9 – Part 1

Thursday 21stAugust 2014

I swim until my fingers prune, and I feel more relaxed than I have in months. I leave the water reluctantly only when Cloud reminds me that he promised to teach me how to fish. I pout as he hands me a towel, making him chuckle and shake his head.

"There'll be plenty of time to swim over the next couple days," he assures me, waiting for me to pull my shirt back on before leading me over to the unstable-looking jetty. Jesse and Luca were already there, setting up their fishing stuff.

I feel like dousing myself with holy water at the thoughts running through my mind at seeing all these shirtless guys. When did I become so fickle about being attracted to people? It's like my emotions were running wild, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to reign them back in.

Instead of giving in to my thoughts and feelings, I focus on what Cloud is telling me. He explains very little, saying it's more of a learn-as-you-go kind of thing. He supervises me while I bait my hooks and stands behind me to help with my casting.

I'm concentrating so hard that I manage not to dwell on the shivers I got from his proximity, and actually manage to catch a fish. "Holy shit!" I exclaim, laughing and reeling in the taut line.

Cloud gives me a lop-sided grin. "On the first try, too. You must be a natural."

Jesse snorts from where he's standing a few feet away. "Cloud's just jealous that he spent hours on this lake trying to catch his first fish! I wouldn't listen to anything he says; he's probably going to try saying you only caught the fish because of him."

I couldn't care less about Jesse's insult, or when Cloud shoved him, causing Jesse to fall into the shallow water. I had proudly caught one of the fish that would become tonight's dinner, and I didn't care if Cloud had helped me or not.

"I hope you guys don't expect me to gut this thing myself," I say, watching the poor fish flop around on the wood. When none of them answer, I look up quickly. They all just look back at me, Cloud being the only one with the decency to look a little uncomfortable. "But I don't know how to," I whine, knowing full well that I sound like a petulant child.

"There's nothing wrong with learning," Luca says, a familiar smirk adorning his face. "It's not as bad as it seems." The other two nod in agreement.

I wrinkle my nose, looking back down at the fish, who was now sporadically gasping for air. I suppose killing it would put it out of its misery, and even if I didn't do it myself, one of the guys definitely would.

"Fine," I grumble, sighing.

Cloud pulls out a filleting knife and proceeds to show me how to kill it properly before instructing me on how to gut it. I dump the innards in the empty bucket he supplies and scoop a little water over the fish to wash off the leftover muck.

"Do you wanna go give it to Mason in the main cabin so he can get it ready for tonight?" Cloud asks, already picking his fishing rod up again.

"Sure," I say, holding the fish carefully so it didn't slip out of my fingers and into the water or onto the sand. I feel bad about killing it, but I suppose that this was what everyone has been doing here for generations, and I'm not about to turn my nose up at tradition.

Entering the main cabin, I find Mason and Reina arguing over whether capsicum was better fresh or grilled. It was pretty obvious that whatever side he was on, Mason was quickly losing. They spoke like two people who had known each other forever and weren't even a little bit shy to voice their opinions.

I'm jealous, knowing that it will be a long time before I know anyone well enough to be able to do that.

"Uh, hey… Cloud told me to bring this to you guys," I say nervously, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Both of their heads swing towards me and they look a little confused before their eyes land on the fish in my hands.

"Oh, nice!" Mason says, gesturing for me to place it on a chopping board in front of him. "Bigger than his usual catch."

It takes me a moment to realize that he's under the impression that Cloud caught it. I debate whether I should correct him, and figure I should continue with my honesty policy. "Uhm, I caught it, actually." I try not to sound rude, but I'm not sure if I succeeded or not.

Both of them stare at me, surprised, for a moment. "That's awesome," Reina tells me sincerely, smiling encouragingly. I smile back gratefully. I'm liking this girl more and more.

Mason bursts out laughing, startling me. "Oh man, he is never going to live that one down!" he howls, wiping a tear from his eye. I frown, silently wondering if he's mentally okay right now, but shrug it off. I don't think I'll ever fully understand these people.

I walk back outside to find Avery has joined the boys on the jetty. Not wanting to squeeze in and disrupt them, and feeling like I'd done my part for the day, I spot Kailya relaxing on the beach.

I bite my lip, debating on if I should join her or not. Sucking up my courage, I walk over and sit down beside her. The sun is beginning to set over the water, lighting the sky up with a rainbow of color. The water before us mirrors it perfectly, creating a breathtaking landscape.

I think about running back to my cabin to grab my phone to take a photo, but decide that even captured for eternity in pixilated form, a photo could never hope to replicate the pure beauty of what I'm seeing.

Glancing over at Kailya, who still hadn't said anything and was just staring lazily out at the water, I search for something to say. A group of bands around her ankle catch my eye, and examining them closer, I see they're like those friendship bracelets people make on school camps and stuff.

"Hey, cool anklets," I say, forcing the words out over my shyness. To be perfectly honest, Kailya scares the hell out of me.

She barely ever speaks without prompting, and when she does it's only a few words at the most. Now is no exception. "Thanks," is all she says, her voice flat.

Perhaps stupidly, I try again. "Where'd you get them from?"

Again, she answers bluntly. "I made them."

"Really?" I blurt it out, surprised. She doesn't seem like the crafty type.

She turns her head to raise an eyebrow at me, her face otherwise expressionless. "Do you not believe me?" Her pale blue eyes are piercing, seemingly looking straight into my soul.

I flush. "No – I mean, yes, uh… I just didn't really peg you for the sort to make stuff like that." God I sounded so lame. If she didn't think I was pathetic before, she surely would now.

To my utter shock, she laughs softly. "I could say the same about you, yet I've heard about your painting talent." She turns back to looking at the sunset and her nose ring glints in the light, distracting me.

I wonder what I would look like with a nose piercing, I muse, trying to picture it. "I guess I was a little quick to judge. Sorry."

"It's all good. Happens a lot. I mostly make them because my Mom owns the second hand store in town, she lets me sell them there. It's a good way to get some pocket money."

I hum my agreement before remembering something she said. "How did you know about my supposed 'painting talent'?"

She smirks at me. "Our Mom's are old friends, and yours spent a good half an hour one day telling mine about your paintings."

"Oh wow, that's embarrassing," I say, my face heating up again.

"It's sweet that she talks about you so much. The only one Mom seems to talk about in our family is Accy." Kailya rolls her eyes.

"Accy?" I ask, wondering who she was talking about.

"Yeah, Acacia, my younger sister. She's just turned fifteen and it's like the sun shines out of her ass or something."

I snort at her wording. "I know what that's like. Back in Santa Monica, Mom was like that with Skylah. That's probably why Sky's been sulking since we moved back, now that I think about it." I glance at Kailya sideways, noticing her natural smile. "I guess we have a lot more in common than I thought," I admit.

Her smile grows a little wider as our eyes meet. "Yeah, I guess we do."