House of the Scotts
In the afternoon, after our cheerleading training, I met with Sawyer at her home because there was still a lot to discuss. Things we just wanted to keep to ourselves for the time being, like Sawyer's crush on Justin and my relationship with Davis. We sat in her room, having cocoa and homemade cookies from her mom, while we talked.
"Our plan didn't go as planned," I said to Sawyer, while I took a cookie.
"It wasn't for nothing," she replied, taking a sip of cocoa from her cup. "I mean, if Davis hadn't nearly drowned, you never had the courage to confess your feelings to him."
"Actually, it was Jamie's idea," I confessed. "He said I should be honest with him and he was right. I'm glad I did it, even though I didn't know if Davis had the same feelings for me."
"You really didn't know?" Sawyer asked, astonished. "Honestly, Lydia, everyone but you knew that long ago. Sometimes you're simply running around with blinders." She suddenly changed the subject. "How is he doing?"
"He's fine. Tomorrow he can be released. And I can't wait to have him back," I said with a grin.
"Be careful!" She warned. "As long as you haven't broken up with Jude, I wouldn't be so open about your relationship."
"Yes, you're right," I admitted with a sigh. "I'll talk to him as soon as possible." I reached into the cookie jar again. "What about your necklace? Did you tell your mom that you lost it?"
She shook her head. "Not yet," she confessed softly. "You know, she didn't give it to me, I just took it from her. And now it's gone. I don't know how to explain that to her."
I put my cookie aside and reached for her hand. "Hey, your mom is pretty cool. I'm sure she'll understand."
"That I stole and lost the necklace her mother had given her shortly before her death?" She shook her head doubtfully. "I don't think she'll ever forgive me for that."
"We could search for it," I suggested. "What the ocean swallows is coming back eventually."
"Where did you read that?" She asked surprised.
"I read that in a book about tides," I replied hesitantly. "You can always find things on the beach, which were washed up on the shore."
"We can go to the beach and look for it tomorrow," she said with a shrug. "But I don't think we'll find it."
"It can't hurt to try. And while we're scanning the beach, we could figure out what to do with you and Justin."
"I don't know, Lydia," she sighed. "I'm beginning to think it's better if I really get him out of my head."
"You want to give up?" I looked at her in disbelief. "Now of all time, where he just decided to stay for another month in Tree Hill? You'll never get that chance again."
"Our stupid plan nearly cost Davis's life," she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to risk that again."
"We're figuring out something else, okay?" I promised her. "But please don't give up! We're so close." She looked at me and I smiled encouragingly. If I had managed to win the most popular boy over, then Sawyer could do the same with Justin. I was firmly convinced of that. Maybe the age difference of 5 years was still an issue, but in a few years the gap between them wouldn't be that severe anymore.
"Any more cocoa or cookies?" Sawyer offered.
"No, thanks." I got up. "Don't be mad, but I have to go now."
"Let me guess, you're going to the hospital to visit your sweetheart?" She asked smirking.
I looked at her in surprise. "How do you know?"
"It's obvious that you want to spend as much time with him as possible." She said, smiling. "I'm so happy for you, Lyddy!"
"Thanks!" I returned the smile. "And we'll make you happy, too." I could hear her laughing as I left her room and ran downstairs to the front door. I couldn't wait to see Davis again. The whole time I had only been thinking about him. And so I got into my car and drove straight to the hospital.
On the beach
Lydia was really serious about what she suggested yesterday, which was why she stood in front of my door one hour before my usual wake up time and urged me to eat fast and get dressed. I wondered why she had been so persistent. It wasn't until we actually were on the beach that I learned the truth.
"I called Jude yesterday," she confessed. "He told me he had visited Davis in the hospital. But apparently he said nothing about us."
"It's not his business to tell Jude," I said reproachfully. "You should do it and soon."
"His parents will fly to Paris in a few days. Then we have the house for ourselves. I want to tell him then." She sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "But that's not the reason why I asked you to hurry."
"I was hoping for another reason," I said, rolling my eyes. "We could have discussed that later, after school."
"Jude accidentally mentioned that Justin would always go jogging on the beach in the morning," she said. "And always at the same time." She looked at her watch and grinned. "Exactly 6 o'clock."
I checked the time. It was shortly before 6 o'clock. "Did he tell you that on purpose, or did you hear him out?" I asked, frowning.
She grinned sheepishly. "Well, I just asked him if he knew if Justin had any hobbies."
I looked at her startled. "You didn't really ask him that!"
"Yes, I did," she confessed. "If we want to think about a new plan, we need to know something about the target."
"Target?" I had to smile about this comparison. "We aren't detectives, Lydia. And Justin isn't our culprit."
"But that's usually what happens in movies, when you want to find out more about a suspicious person," she said and twisted her mouth.
"And Jude didn't find your question a little odd?" I asked.
"I don't think so. I'm sure he thought I asked for Jamie. The two are still best friends."
"All right," I sighed and dropped into the soft sand. "What now?"
"We wait here." Lydia looked at the clock. "It's almost 6. If he's left home now, he could be here in about 15 minutes."
"You're crazy, you know that?" I said with a smile and looked at my watch. "In the meantime we could look for my necklace. What do you think?"
When she nodded in agreement, I got up and headed for the water. Carefully I searched the ground for something sparkling, but the waves came and went without me finding anything. When I raised my head and looked at Lydia, I saw her staring into the distance. A glance at the clock showed me that it was a quarter past 6. Did she really think Justin would jog this way? And even if he would do it, what should I say to him then? I panicked and quickly went over to her. "If he stops by, what should I tell him?" When she didn't answer right away and stared fixedly at one point, I lost patience. "Lydia! Could you give me an answer?" I exclaimed indignantly, when suddenly she turned to me.
"Quick, Sawyer, drop in the sand!" She hissed.
"What?" Confused, I stared at her.
"Do as I tell you! He's coming!"
I stared into the distance and could see a person coming slowly closer. My heart started to beat faster.
"You fell and twisted your ankle," Lydia said. "Do it now, drop!"
I did as she told me to and dropped in the sand, staring intently at Justin, who came closer and closer. Lydia knelt next to me and felt my ankle.
"Oh no, does it hurt a lot, Sawyer? Can you get up?" She asked worriedly.
I had to force myself not to grin. Lydia had a great talent in acting. "I- I don't know," I stammered, glancing at Justin, who had almost reached us now.
"Oh, hi Justin! Glad you stopped by," Lydia said in greeting. "Sawyer fell and twisted her ankle," she explained.
In fact, he stopped and looked down at me and my heart almost jumped out of my chest.
"What are you two doing here so early?" He asked curiously.
"We wanted to look for Sawyer's necklace again," Lydia answered.
I held my breath reflexively as Justin knelt beside me in the sand and began examining my ankle.
"Does it hurt when I squeeze here?" He asked worriedly.
When he looked up and our eyes met, my head was suddenly blank. It was only when Lydia gave me a slight stab in the ribs that I woke up from my state of trance. "Um... yes," I lied.
"I don't think she can walk," Lydia interjected.
What exactly was she planning now? Did she really think Justin would carry me? Fascinated, I watched as he continued to examine my ankle with care.
"You really have a knack for getting yourself into difficult situations," he said, smiling.
My heart skipped a beat. That smile! I had to force myself not to do something stupid, something like pulling him closer to me and kissing him. Sighing, I leaned back, closed my eyes and enjoyed his gentle treatment.
"Does it hurt very much? Do you want me to call an ambulance?"
My eyes flew open and I looked at him in horror. "No, I... don't think that's... necessary," I stammered.
"Can you stand on your own? Wait, I'll help you," he offered his help.
I hoped he wouldn't hear how fast my heart was beating as he put his arm around my waist and slowly pulled me up. He was tall and strong, I realized, as I leaned my head against his chest and then closed my eyes. I could have stayed in that position forever, but I also knew that it was impossible.
"Are you here by car?" He asked, looking at Lydia.
She nodded. "Yes, we wanted to go to school afterwards. My car is parked in the parking lot right on the pier."
"Okay, I think that will go faster."
Before I knew what this comment meant, he had already lifted me up and carried me across the beach towards the parking lot. Cautiously, I put my arms around his neck and imagined it would always be like this. "Am I not too heavy for you?" I whispered. As he looked down at me and smiled again, I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach.
"You're as light as a feather," he said, moving forward.
We reached Lydia's car too fast, when Justin dropped me gently on the ground.
"Can I leave you alone now?"
I nodded quickly before Lydia could reply. "Yes, thanks again. Without you, I would probably still be lying on the beach." I gave him a tentative smile.
"Each day a good deed," he said, grinning, then pointed back to the beach. "I want to go on with my jog."
"Have fun!" Longingly, I looked after him and then looked at Lydia, who gazed at me smirking.
"What?" I asked frowning.
"I would say that plan worked out perfectly," she said, nodding in satisfaction. "Did you notice how he looked at you the whole time?"
I shook my head sighing. "No. My eyes were closed."
"You're as light as a feather," she repeated Justin's words, laughing. "Honestly, you two are really cute together. You as the helpless victim and he as the strong hero, just like... Superman and Lois Lane."
I rolled my eyes. "You and your comparisons. But you're right. He really is strong."
"And extremely good-looking. Don't you think?"
I poked her slightly into the ribs. "Hey, he's mine. Is that clear?"
She laughed. "Clear. I don't want anything from him. But now that the two of you had gotten so close, it's time to tell him that you wrote the poem."
I looked at her, frowning. "I don't know if it's not too early for that."
"Well, that's all I can do for you," Lydia said, sighing. "Now you just have to keep it rolling." She got into the car. "Where to now?"
"To school, of course," I said and buckled up, before Lydia started the engine and left the parking lot.
