"I'm so sore."

"I mean, what'd you expect? You keep tensing up."

"… I'm gonna to feel this tomorrow, aren't I?"

"Mhm."

"Ugh, I'm too tight."

"You are. Try to relax."

Claire positions her arms into a cartoonish fighting stance, rapidly knocking the air out in front of her. Their training session is almost over, but she painfully winces as she shakes out her inflamed wrists, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed with Maggie.

Gray impatiently rubs his forehead, throwing her a very unimpressed look. "Again, Blondie," he demands. "Get into your proper Southpaw position."

Maybe if she whines, she can get herself out of this early. "But, Gray-"

He swiftly pins one of her wrists under the grasp of his hand, much to her surprise. "Look, you weren't quick enough," Gray points out, grip tightening against her tender skin. He's jolted and awake, surely from the routine coffee he brewed for himself as soon as he got out of bed. Claire isn't a fan of caffeine, so naturally, she considers this cheating.

6:00 in the morning is way too early for this kind of crap. Claire hastily rotates her hips back and reaches with her other hand to rip him off of her. It's another one of those moments where she'd really like to clock him in the jaw again, this time, not as an accident.

"You need to be quicker," he says.

She ignores him, humming and snapping her fingers as she dances over a delicate bed of grass. "I would be, if you just let me bring my boom box outside," she sings. Bending down to lift Maggie into her arms, she moves to the rhythm of the internal beat that she's following. Maggie looks as unimpressed as Gray.

"Boom box?" he scoffs. "You mean the shitty, off-brand Sony CD player that you one hundred percent thrifted?"

Claire stops her dancing and singing for a moment, squinting at him. She uses Maggie's paw to mock punch him in the face, but much to her dismay, her dog whimpers until she gets begrudgingly handed off to Gray. "Listen, I'm a thrifty person."

"Ah-huh," he says, scratching Maggie behind her ears. Every time he's got her pooch in his arms, Gray's rough exterior crumbles in a matter of seconds. "Well, I'm not working out or training you with your garbage 80's CD's playing in the background."

"The Madonna Immaculate Collection greatest hits CD came out in 1990, so-"

"Smart ass."

"But, I found it at Goodwill when I was in middle school, and I brought it home to the convent, and one of the nuns was all like: 'I don't approve of this, but as long as you don't watch her music videos or listen to track number four, then I guess it's fine.'"

Gray frowns, placing Maggie down to tighten his sneakers. This can only mean that they're going on a run to finish off the training session strong. Claire inwardly groans. This really is her least, least favourite part. She always gets winded and exhausted after about three minutes of running. I wouldn't stand a chance if I was an extra in Scream.

"What's track number four?" he asks.

"Like a virgiiin, touched for the very first tiiime." Claire pokes his chest and laughs as he rolls his eyes. Gray grabs Maggie's discarded leash from the ground, picking it up and clipping it on her collar.

"Jesus Christ, get with the times. It's 2004," he says with a scowl.

He and Maggie start off running toward the entrance of her property, his shoes hitting the pathway with dirt and grass kicking out from underneath his heels. Claire resentfully follows behind, pacing herself along the stoned sidewalks of town. She much prefers when they run along her farm, or the Goddess Pond, because no one has to see her all disgusting and sweaty. At least it's so early in the morning that everyone's still sleeping, she internally reasons. Even Maggie is farther ahead than her, though. Gray slows down a bit to toss the leash to Claire, as if keeping up with her puppy will act as some kind of motivator.

Claire catches it, spinning on her heel and humming with her hands clasped together. "When you call my name, it's like a little prayer, I'm down on my knees…. I wanna take you there."

"What… is with you and songs about prayers?" Gray asks, only slightly out of breath.

Claire is panting at this point, though, cursing her swollen calves and pained lungs. "Umm… that's definitely… not about prayers." She can't help but laugh, slowing down to a pathetic jog. "Track number twelve… though. Such a… such a classic."

"Focus."

She huffs, whipping her head forward when she sees that Maggie is once again way ahead of her. "I'm so slow!"

Gray stops for a second to reach his hand out and tap her temple. "You said it, not me."

She scrunches her nose at Gray, sticking her leg out to try and trip him. He coordinately hops over it, fastening his pace. "I… hate you," she groans.

"Your speed sucks because you're spending your laps dancing and singing. Not my fault."

They're running past the clinic now, where Elli slowly makes her way toward. "Hey, El!" Claire calls with a smile. She's wearing a light pink nursemaid outfit, her brown, layered pixie cut tousled over her head. She looks sleepy, but given how early it is and how hard she must be working, it makes sense. Elli just slowly clamors into the clinic, acknowledging the two of them with a weak nod.

Gray stares at Claire in annoyance as she (once again) tries to catch up with him. "Would you focus?"

"I was just saying hi to Elli."

"She clearly didn't want to talk right now. Your boyfriend must be working her to the goddamn bone."

Why he dislikes Trent so much, Claire will never understand. She doesn't want to hear him bitch about her boyfriend, either. What a jackass. She sticks her leg out a second time, effectively causing Gray to stumble. His glare bores into her as she runs away. "Whoops."

"You're dead."

She snickers, running her way past the inn with Maggie as he chases after her. She finally gets to the Goddess Pond, panting heavily as if the wind has been knocked out of her. She stands by the water, trying to calm down as she gazes at her red-faced reflection. Gray leers behind her.

"Wait!" she begs, holding her arms out. "Do not push me in."

"I'm gonna do it."

"Don't you dare." Claire screams as he gets closer, flailing her arms in front of her. "Gray, get LOST!"

He shakes his head, laying back on the green meadow beneath them. He tiredly drags his arms behind his head, looking up at the sunrisen sky above them. His chest is rising and falling with the methodic rhythm of his breathing. Maggie pants, worn out from the run as she climbs on top of him, licking his face. "Watch, when you're not looking, I swear to God I'll throw you in."

Claire grins, seating herself beside him. "Do it, and you will officially be uninvited to my birthday."

He considers this, weighing out the stipulations on his fingers. "That would mean not having to get you a gift, or having to endure your shitty music taste, or having to even see you." He smirks, bringing his hat over his eyes and beckoning her closer with a quick motion of his hand. "C'mere, Blondie. Why don't you just make it easier on me."

She sticks her tongue out at him, even though he likely can't see her, pulling her tight ponytail out of its constraint. She wraps the pink hair elastic around her finger, firing this makeshift rubber band hand gun at Gray. It backfires and slaps her cheek. "Oww."

He chuckles, raising his cap a bit. "You're the reason they put directions on the friggin' shampoo bottle."

"You just crossed the Borderline."

He groans at her continuous Madonna references. Claire catches her hair tie that he's flung back at her, standing up to brush the grass off of her bare legs. "Okay, I'd better feed Maggie and get to work."

"What time is the beach today?" asks Gray, rising next to her.

"Three o'clock. And I am bringing my boom box, so don't-"

She shrieks as Gray grabs her waist from behind. Claire digs her elbow into the side of his stomach, hopefully hitting his stupid solar plexus thing, as his hands release her instantly.

"HA!" She smiles triumphantly, wishing that she was the kind of person who creatively finds ways to give others the middle finger like Ann does. "Why don't you take a long walk... off a short pier, Gray, because I just owned your ass!" SUCK IT SUCK IT SUCK IT!

Gray smiles, rubbing his side. "You're so lame," he says. "But that was actually pretty good."

She shuts her eyes and snap dances away arrogantly, before his strong hands push against her back, causing her to topple forward into the pond. Claire comes up and sputters out coughs of water as Maggie happily jumps in next to her, doggie-paddling around the pond. Her mouth is agape as she pushes the wet bangs out of her eyes. "Gray, you are the WORST!"

He holds his side by the edge of the pond while laughing, as if this action kind of hurts. She reaches her arms out to grab his ankle with all of her might, successfully causing him to lose his balance. Gray flails, falling in.

"The hell?" he mutters once he comes up for air. "I really dunno... why I keep choosing to be around you."

She grins, splashing him. "Love you too, Gray."


"Do you think I'll actually get a tan today?" Popuri asks, pulling her sunglasses on top of her head and donning her new bikini. Ann frowns at her, smearing white sunscreen over her thighs.

"Mm, don't think so." She turns to Claire. "Your tan lines are gonna be so weird!"

Even though Claire's one piece has a modest back, a few of her scars still manage to peek out from beneath the scarlet fabric. The neckline of the swimsuit is square, but low enough to show some of her cleavage, with a cheeky cut-out that rides up her hips. Given the fact that she already has a farmer's tan (quite literally), and existing marks from the boomerang-style bikini that Karen previously gifted her, an incredibly pale midsection doesn't faze her. Claire's knees dig into the hot sand as she sits back on them, knowingly patting her stomach. "Ah, but no one will know just how many carbs I consumed previous to this. Plus, I can totally front crawl in the water without feeling like I'm gonna flash someone."

Karen grins, seating herself on her rainbow towel and toasting her wine cooler in the air. "I'll drink to that." She watches Claire adjusting the knobs on her portable "radio CD player wannabe boom box" thing, gesturing toward the numerous albums in her rucksack. "What'd you bring?"

"80's classics," Claire replies with a wink as the music starts to play.

Ann groans. "Who are you, my dad? Try to fit in with this century, please."

The sound of flip-flops stepping across the yellow sand is heard. Gray and Kai walk over, nodding at the girls. Gray is wearing blue swim trunks, the lines of his muscular six-pack prominent against his slightly tanned skin, while Kai just has on a loose pair of track shorts with a white t-shirt.

"What's up?" Gray asks. He glares at Claire's radio. "What the hell is this?"

"Duran Duran," Karen answers with a scoff. "I thought you liked rock music."

"This is not rock."

Kai is staring at Popuri, who refuses to give him the time of day. She rises to pick up her beach ball that's been taken away by the breeze, her back toward him. His gaze stays glued to her figure, though, as if he's in a trance. "W-wow, Pope. You look so-"

"She looks hot," says Karen, poking Popuri, who has now seated herself back beside her. "Tsss."

"I was gonna say beautiful." His voice is so soft and faint. Claire wonders if Popuri has even heard him over the sound of seagulls swarming the air and waves crashing along the beach. She just shifts her eyes to the water in front of her.

"Don't you have a restaurant to tend to?" Popuri mutters, watching as the tide rolls its way slowly to shore. Kai kneels down beside her, causing Claire to take a step back in an attempt to give them some space.

"This is the part when he tells her about the egg-related changes he made to the Snack-Shack menu," Gray whispers to her.

"I added omelettes to the menu. And if you want one, maybe-"

"I don't," snaps Popuri, still not meeting his gaze. Claire can't help but feel horrible. This whole situation they're in royally sucks. "I don't want anything from you."

Kai adjusts his purple bandana fretfully. "Pope, listen."

"No."

His voice drops an octave, even though everyone can still very much hear him. "Did you get your period yet?"

Ann snorts. "Smooth, Kai."

Popuri's head finally snaps toward him, eyes blazing. She looks like one of those cartoon characters with steam coming out of her ears. "Oh, that's all that matters to you, huh?"

Kai lets out an exasperated breath. "I've been doing everything to get you back; you think that's the only thing that matters to me? You matter to me."

As if she doesn't want to give him another second of her attention, Popuri adjusts her glare toward the ocean once again, her rose hair blowing in the wind. "I'm four days late." And with that, she grabs Ann, storming off into the sea. Kai sighs, hanging his head low.

"She'll come around," offers Claire.

"Doubt it," mumbles Gray. Karen tosses the discarded beach ball at his head.

"Look Kai," she says reasonably. "Trust me, I'm an expert in relationships. Stay positive; it's all gonna work out."

And like a damn cue, "The Total Eclipse of the Heart" slowly starts to blast its way out of the CD player. Kai gets that look in his eyes, the one that he's painfully worn when it gets late at Claire's house, his lower lip slowly trembling.

"Uhh, we'll be back," Gray says, all panicked. He leads Kai quickly into the Snack-Shack behind them.

"You know, when you're not going through a break-up, this song slaps," says Karen, getting on her knees to air guitar. Claire just sighs, pushing the "skip" button.


Even though he's really, really trying hard not to, Gray finds himself staring at Claire through the glass of Kai's restaurant. It took all of his might to play it nonchalant and cool when he was standing next to her, so he wasn't ogling like last time, but being far away now, his eyes feel glued to that damn lifeguard-esque one piece. To the symmetrical curve of her hips, the creaminess of her thighs, the way that her breasts perfectly fill the neckline of her swimsuit. And even though she was in a skimpy bikini last time, one that left hardly any room for the imagination, he's having a difficult time deciding which one he likes more. But it's not like his opinion matters in that regard anyway.

"Kai, last time you made me a burger, it was super salty!" Stu complains, swinging his legs on one of the stooled chairs. I was right; he freaking cries into the grill.

"I bet it's 'cause he's an alien who replaced the salt shakers with salt shakers that make things double saltier," May whispers back to him.

Gray nods. "You hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what's going on." And Claire wonders why I can't deal with children; they're dumb as hell.

Kai just stares at the grill in front of him despondently. May pouts, grabbing Stu's stained shirtsleeve. "This is dumb! Gray, whenever you're with Claire, she makes you smile, but when you're around other people like Kai, you make them un-smile!"

Jesus, even the kids have got me solved. "Un-smile?" he asks. "It's called a frown." But the children have already tagged each other out of the Snack-Shack, the sound of their laughter emerging from outside. Kai still says nothing as the grill sizzles and pops in front of him. He's sprayed PAM on it, but makes no motion to place anything on top.

"I think I can man the barbecue," suggests Gray. "Claire gets mad when I burn stuff, but on burgers and shit there's like, purposeful burn lines… right?"

Kai remains silent for some time. He looks at the blank grill in front of him mutely, a spatula clutched in his hand. Gray isn't sure if his tear ducts have dried up, or he's finally trying to move on from Popuri.

"You really love her." His voice is flat and low, coming out as a surprise to Gray. "Don't you?"

He blinks. "What?"

"I dunno why I'm even asking. I know you do."

This statement irritates Gray more than a lack of coffee in the morning, kids, and Trent combined. He scowls. "Don't get all sappy with me. Why don't you focus on yourself so you can get over your breakup?"

"But I don't want to get over this!" Kai exclaims, putting the spatula down. His thick eyebrows are raised over his forehead, a desperate look crossing his face. "I told you that I love her... and I know I've said dumb shit in the past, but I can't just sleep my way out of this. I still care about her, and deep down, I know a part of her cares about me. I friggin' know it, man."

"So, you don't wanna try and move on from this? Isn't that the healthy thing to do?" But the words are hypocritical and ironic as soon as they fall out of Gray's lips.

"Jesus, are you serious?" Kai stares at him in disbelief. "Look who's talking! You're hung up over a girl who you haven't even dated, who's taken, and who you refuse to be honest with! Whose mindset is unhealthy here?"

Now, Gray's pissed. Not because Kai is talking out of his ass.

But because he's seriously got a point.

It isn't like Gray is incapable of getting another girl; he's had other girls. With his sharp features, good-looking physique, and piercing blue eyes that contrast against his rust-coloured hair, quite a few people would consider him a catch. Emotionally… well, he can work on his miserable demeanor and shitty temper, but he generally considers himself to be a nice, solid guy.

One that's hung up over someone he won't ever have.

Why can't I just forget about her?

Kai is right. It's because Gray... loves Claire. Because he doesn't want to stay away, because every minute with her makes his pain seem obsolete.

"Screw off," he snaps. "That's different and you know it."

"It's not, though. You're telling me to try and give up on Popuri, but I can't. I know there's still something there. You can't give up on Claire because there's something there, too. When you love someone, like, really love them, you can't just friggin' keep away. It's like I'm incapable. Because even though shit sucks, being around that one person makes it suck a helluva lot less." Kai frowns. "Aren't we all just tryna get a permanent kind of happiness?"

"That's some philosophical bullshit," mutters Gray.

Even though it's every word of the goddamn truth.


Claire grins at him as he walks by her in a daze. She's adjusting the volume on her radio again, tossing her sunstreaked hair over her shoulder to reveal a constellation of freckles embedded into her skin. "Don't worry. This is a much happier song," she assures him.

Is Kai some sort of Socratic genius? Does Gray need Claire in his life? Without her, he'd just be training alone, going to work, playing video games, drinking his life away, but she makes him... happy. Her presence makes him want to be a better person. And this is just her as his friend.

He wonders how much happier he'd be if he was actually... with her. Would being with him make her happy?

She seems pretty content with that asshole.

Gray's tried everything. He's tried telling her, tried staying away from her, tried protecting her. She's in his life because she manages to bring a smile to his face, as plain as little May said it. It doesn't have to go deeper than that, but it does. His heart is intertwined with her, mind constantly fixated on how much she matters to him.

What the hell is he supposed to do? Tell her the reasoning behind why he hates Trent? Like some petty little bitch? Claire won't even listen when he's tried to explain that the jerk only sees her as a new notch on his bedpost.

Karen gets up to throw her arm around Claire, singing along to Whitney Houston as Popuri and Ann return from the shallow water. Claire grabs Gray's hand and leads him through the sand, laughing and hopping around as she dances, an infectious ball of literal happiness.

Is Kai right? Is Gray doing the same amount of damage (minus the external crying), by longing after Claire from a distance? Ann warned him about this; if he's never going to be with Claire, he should work on getting over her.

"Whooaaa, I wanna dance with somebodyyy," she sings, bopping her head with that God-awful rhythm of hers. Or lack thereof.

But there's always a hope in the back of his mind that she'll see Trent for the shithead that he really is. Plus, Gray loves to be around her, even though he'd never admit that to her. She's a genuine good soul, with an optimistic and fun personality; she contrasts all of the misery and anger that he harbours internally. Claire's friendship is important to him, and despite their consistent bickering, he'd like to think that they have a good thing going on. It's just that dating her would obviously be even better. Not just for hooking up, and definitely not for sex, duh. But for the sole purpose of being in an actual, serious relationship with a girl that he's got nothing but love for.

He just always finds his way back to her.

"C'mon!" Claire shouts, dragging Gray and Karen to the ocean. "Let's go!"

He smiles at her. He really doesn't know what he'd do without her.

Karen releases herself from Claire's grasp, waving her hand flippantly. "You guys go on. We'll all catch up later."

"You shouldn't go too far," Popuri warns, wringing out her wet hair. "There's some nasty sea creatures the deeper you go."

"Don't you worry." Claire brushes her shoulders off. "I'm a pro swimmer."

Gray chuckles. "You wish."

And she runs off into the sea, Gray following after her like he's done the whole time.

"Those two need to hook up," sighs Karen. "She needs to kick Trent to the curb, and she needs some Gray in her life."

"Word," agrees Ann.


The next part feels like it's happening too rapidly to process. Like someone has pressed the fast-forward button on life. Gray's got Claire clutched in his arms, the sound of her crying ringing in his ears. Her face is knotted in pain as he frantically carries her out of the ocean. The run toward the shoreline, Popuri gasping, the stupid 80's songs all feel like a blur in his mind. It's a rush of adrenaline; a smattering figment of fear and trauma all rolled into one. The searing sun, the hot sand under his feet, the run to the clinic are like an out-of-body experience.

"Gray, it hurts," Claire whimpers. She's got her arms wrapped around his neck as he clasps her shoulder and the backs of her knees in his arms. He's careful not to disrupt the black splinters sticking out of her flushed red thigh.

"It's okay, Blondie," Gray tries to tell her. Claire grits her teeth to bite back a sob, burying her face in his chest. He isn't sure if she does this to avoid the brightness of the sun, or so that he can't see the discomfort on her face. "We're almost there."

Elli gasps when they stumble into the building. "Oh my God! What happened?"

Claire doesn't say anything. She's gone limp in Gray's arms, her eyes still shut. The small, dark puncture wounds have swelled into her skin, cracking and bleeding along the thorns.

"She was swimming against the bottom of the ocean, and a sea urchin stung her." Gray shakes her a bit, but her eyes don't open. "Blondie?" He shakes her more worriedly now. "Jesus Christ, Claire. Wake up!"

Elli rushes toward them, knitting her brow in discontentment when she stares at Claire's injured thigh. He widens his eyes. "Shit, she's out cold," she says. "This heatwave definitely isn't helping."

Trent exits his office at the sound of the commotion, freezing when he sees his girlfriend in Gray's strong arms. The two of them have leaked seawater into the office, a wet trail mixed with tiny drops of blood slipping along the clinic's tiled floor.

"What the hell? Claire?!" Trent runs toward them, quickly taking his girlfriend into his own arms. He barely acknowledges Gray's presence as he carries her like a rag doll in his office, slamming the door.

The clinic feels eerily quiet now; Gray's heart is pounding in his ears. He barely registers Elli grabbing his wrist, turning it over to glance at his hand.

"You got stung, too," she says.

He stares down at his palm, ten little splinters staring back at him. They're from when he pulled that spiky black mass off of Claire's leg in the water. Gray didn't even think twice about doing it; he hardly felt it.

"Guess I did," he mumbles.


Claire comes to, the feeling of her wet hair cold against her bare back. She's laid out against a chilly examination table. Trent is seated on a stool beside her, grabbing her hand. "Hi," he says.

She throws her arms around him, nuzzling the crook of his shoulder. She hasn't seen him since the wedding. "Trent!" she exclaims, breathing in a smell of medical supplies and... vinegar?

He holds her tightly back, looking deeply into her eyes before kissing her. "I managed to pull all of the spikes out. It took a few pairs of tweezers, and about a bottle of vinegar, but I got every single one. Interestingly enough, they're actually a part of the sea urchin's spine."

She kisses him back, a singular tear rolling down her cheek. Quit crying, it doesn't even hurt that bad anymore! Claire feels all loopy, likely from some kind of pain medication that her boyfriend's given her. She pulls away from him to stare at her right thigh, blanketed in a thick layer of gauze.

"Oh, Trent, I don't know how to thank you enough!" She sits up, careful not to bend her non-dominant leg. He takes her limb in his hands, extending it so that it's kept straight and elevated. Trent has positioned himself between her knees, her legs slightly opened in a suggestive manner, like the two of them are about to-

A pink blush creeps its way across her cheeks. Stop it! What the heck's the matter with you?!

"Is there any reason why I had to find you unconscious in Gray's arms, Claire?"

There isn't any right way to answer Trent's question, because she clearly must have heard him wrong. "Pardon me?" she squeaks out, her stomach sinking.

He glares. "Did he take advantage of you?"

Her eyes instantly well up. What the actual heck... how could her boyfriend ever think that of her best friend; of the person who keeps saving her accident-prone ass? Fresh tears begin to roll down her face. Trent stands, taking the clipboard from his lap to grip it tightly. He swears under his breath. "I knew it. He deflowered you, and you just let it happen."

This only makes Claire cry harder. How can he be so clueless? She buries her head in her hands. Trent's been so busy with his work that she hasn't had the opportunity to explain what the hell happened to her after the wedding. "You don't even understand the half of what I've been through. Gray's the one who saved me," she sobs out.

Claire doesn't take her face out from between her cupped hands, but she can hear the sound of Trent scoffing. "Relax, Claire. It's a sea urchin sting. At the most, it would have-"

She furiously drags her thumbs across her eyelids, swallowing as she raises her gaze to meet his sharply. "I was nottalking about that."


"Last one!" Elli promises, holding Gray's outstretched palm. She clutches a pair of tweezers in her other hand, hovering over the final black thorn under his index finger. Her blue nursemaid outfit contrasts the red blood on her gloves. "This one's stuck in your heart line."

Gray's eyes are fixated on Trent's closed office door. He barely hears the forced positivity in Elli's words. "My what?"

She huffs. "Don't tell me you know nothing about palmistry."

"Guess I'm guilty." Droplets of water are still leaking down threads of his wet hair, dripping onto the seat of his chair and falling to the floor. Gray's shivering cold, and he doesn't know the location of his hat, much less the status of Claire. He frowns. "Weren't you wearing a different outfit this morning?"

Her face flushes. "I changed so that you would notice, obviously." She's clearly lying, but she just cocks her brow at Gray. "By the way, I was meaning to speak to you about updating your medical file, but you stormed out of here during your previous visit."

"Mm, last I remember, you were the pissed off one."

Elli yanks out the last stinger hard. "Fuck!" Gray snaps. That one actually hurt.

"Oopsie." She sighs, looking more worn out than ever as she reaches for the bin of Q-Tips beside her. Elli takes some Polysporin out of her pouch, dotting it over Gray's wounds. "Anyway, your file states that your EpiPen is long expired."

That damn thing. "Not my EpiPen," he deadpans.

"Your peanut allergy is listed as anaphylactic," she warns. "Although it's your job to keep on top of your own health, it's our job to care when you refuse to do so."

"You sound like your friggin' boss," says Gray, gesturing toward Trent's examination room. He hopes that Claire is alright. "OW!"

Elli rubs the Q-Tip over his palm furiously, glaring up at Gray. "I'm not like him at all," she mutters.

A loud bang erupts in the other room.


Trent can't be hearing her correctly. His Claire is stupid, but not... not this stupid. He's slammed his clipboard against the wall, much to her shock, breathing heavily in a poor attempt to get his anger in check. He keeps himself busy for two weeks without seeing her, and this is what she does in her spare time?

"Did that guy in the valley rape you?" Trent snaps. Claire stares at him wide eyed, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. She cried when she woke up, she cried when she was defending the freaking blacksmith outside, she cried as she told him her "traumatic" story. Give me a damn break. "Did he?!"

She shakes her head furiously. "No. No he didn't, I promise. He just grabbed me, Trent. I'm sorr-"

"How could you let that happen?" he asks, trying to keep his voice low. Gray is surely trying to listen in on their every word, and Elli's probably doing nothing to stop him. She doesn't really try and stop anything.

"How can you just blame me like that?!"

Claire's yelling back at him? Is this for real? He narrows his eyes at her. "How can you not see that you could have easilyprevented this?"

She backs down immediately, choking out a sob once again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that he was still behind me, and-"

"What were you wearing?"

"What?"

"I said, what were you wearing?"

"My… my dress that I wore to the wedding. I didn't change; Zack took us straight there."

He whistles. "Wow, lucky you. Surrounded by a load of men that night."

This makes her cry even harder. "You can be upset, but it wasn't my fault, Trent."

"Why the fuck did you even go?!"

He hasn't sworn at her yet, or even let her hear him raise his voice like this. Trent exhales deeply once again, trying to remember the mantra of his Tai Chi meditations. Calm yourself. Relax. Don't scare her off.

Claire swallows. He gently tries to offer her a tissue from the desk, even though his hands are shaking with fury. "Kai and Popuri were wasted," she explains, dabbing at her eyes. She's leaked wet remnants of the ocean all over his office, much to his dismay. Elli's going to have a lot of cleaning to do. "So, Gray was going to go to Forget-Me-Not Valley on his own, because you didn't have anymore... Plan B, which is totally fine!" She holds her arms out fearfully, like she's afraid of him. Great, now I've done it. Trent's got to find a way to showcase that this was just an unorthodox outburst on his part. "But he was still kind of drunk, and I didn't want him to go alone, or get hurt, and-"

"My love," says Trent softly. He takes her hand, pressing her knuckles against his thin lips. "You're so compassionate." He kisses each knuckle, causing Claire to blush profusely. "But you cannot just risk your own safety like that. What if something were to happen to you? Don't you know how devastated I'd be?" His Southern drawl comes across as soothing, like a sheet of silk draped across a pillowcase.

She looks down at her lap, using the back of her free hand to swipe at her eyes. "It-it was stupid, I know."

"Yeah, you did something very stupid." Trent clucks his tongue, pulling Claire onto his lap. He is careful not to disrupt the perfect bandaging job that he's done on her thigh, though. "I really need you to make better choices, next time. You walk around at night in a dress like that... I'm sorry, but you're asking for it."

Claire buries her face in his neck, her words muffled. "I wasn't asking for anything, honest. I-I don't want that at all."

Yeah, I've heard that from you already.

"Fine, but what kind of a message are you sending out?" Trent shakes his head. It might be an old-fashioned way of thinking, but it's the one that he was raised with. "Even the way you're dressed now; it tells other men that getting between your legs is easy."

Claire crosses her arms over her large bust. Even with her face all puffy like this, his girlfriend is perfect. Sure, her nose is a little pointy, and the scars along her back have got to go, and he'd prefer a smoother complexion over the freckles that she's got, but other than that, she's flawless.

"I'm sorry, but I disagree," she says quietly. "I don't dress inappropriately at all. This is a swimsuit. And even if I did, it doesn't give anyone the right to-"

"You've misinterpreted what I said," he chides. She's so young, so naïve, so innocent; Trent's given himself the challenge to convince her of virtually anything. He pulls the back of her skull closer to him, kissing her deeply. "I just wouldn't be able to go on without you, my love."

Claire kisses him back slowly, before pulling away, much to his internal annoyance. "Please, don't let me see you lose your temper like that again."

"I'm sorry. I do Tai Chi to keep it in check, but-"

"Please," she interrupts. "You scared me. I thought you were gonna to break up with me over something I couldn't control."

Trent just kisses her again, much deeper than last time, grinning broadly in his mind. Claire's wrapped around his goddamn finger. He should be more upset; with her all apprehensive this close to her birthday, because of some horny shit from the valley, Trent's going to have to wait even longer to get what he wants.

But it's alright. He's got something else to satisfy his needs in the meantime.


"All set."

"You rock, El."

Elli shrugs, offering a small smile. "See," she says. "You're so cute when you're nice, Gray. And if you were like this more often, girls would appreciate you so much more."

He rolls his eyes. "That's what I want; the entire approval of the opposite gender."

"You're such a man."

"You got that right."

She groans, grabbing three small black pouches from inside the cupboard. "Here. These are so that you don't die when you make out with a girl who just ate a Reese's." She taps her foot impatiently. "I'd tell you to always carry at least one on you, but I doubt you'll do that."

"Right again."

"Keep one EpiPen in an accessible location, one at home, and one..." Elli pauses, thinking. "One at Claire's house. Since you're always there."

How the hell does she know-

Claire suddenly exits out of the examination room with Trent by her side, limping slightly. She's wearing the same attire that she came in with, only her thigh is all patched up with thick bandages now.

"Are you okay?" Gray asks her, forgetting about his EpiPens that Elli has tried so hard to make him care about. He attempts to reach out and help her, but Trent hands her off instead.

"I'd like to see you, Grayson," says Trent. "Elli, double-check Claire's blood pressure, and be sure to fill out a medical report. I'm going to examine his sting."

"Wh-what for?" Elli looks rather panicked. Gray doesn't understand any of which is going on. She pulled out urchin stings from his skin without any issues, but it worries her to double-check some vitals?

"I'm alright, Trent," Claire says with a laugh.

He narrows his eyes at the doctor. "Elli did a great job with my hand. I'm fine."

She looks over him gratefully.

"Nonsense. She's just a nurse," says Trent, his voice hollow. "A medical professional needs to make sure that everything has been done correctly."

"Like I said, Elli did it just f-"

"My office, please. Now." Trent gives an empty smile as he motions for Elli to guide Claire into the waiting room. She frowns before getting whisked away.


The doctor shuts his door carefully, demeanor quickly shifting from a cold professional to an angry psychopath. A regular Jekyll and Hyde. "What the FUCK were you thinking?!"

Gray blinks. No way this motherfucker is speaking to him like that. No freaking way. Where the hell does he get off? "What?"

"Answer the goddamn question."

The asshole inside of Gray is unleashed, like a genie getting rubbed out of their lamp. "I mean, originally, I was thinking of applying to UIC, then my mom got sick- you're well aware of that. I really stopped giving a shit, she died, I acted out way more than usual, now here we are." He shrugs. "Blacksmith in training."

"You cocky little punk." Trent steps closer to him, and Gray merely chuckles, like this is the funniest crap he's ever seen.

"I really don't give a fuck. I'll kick the shit outta you if I have to."

"Oh really? You'll upset Claire by beating up the town's medical doctor?"

What kind of question is that? Like this would be completely unbelievable for Gray. "Um… yeah."

Trent swears under his breath, adjusting his head mirror and stethoscope wildly. "I told you to stay away from her. You choose not to listen, and then all hell breaks loose."

"What the hell? We were at the beach, this could have happened regardless."

"Oh, and what's your excuse for taking her to the valley well past midnight, hm?"

His face feels hot. He doesn't even have an explanation for that, because he's well aware that it was wrong. He knowssomething could have happened to Claire on his watch; he doesn't need to be reminded of the guilt that he's already put himself through. "She's headstrong; she insisted on coming."

"And you let her? She could have been impurified."

Not "she could have been raped," or "she could have been killed." "She could have been impurified." What an absolute cock.

"You sick shit," spits out Gray. "You don't care about her safety at all; you only care about being the first one to get your dick wet in her."

"And you think that isn't going to happen?" Trent barks out a laugh, and if Gray's dominant hand wasn't injured, he'd sucker punch him right then and there. "You know it's her birthday next week."

"You sick shit," Gray repeats in disbelief.

"And I have arranged plans-"

"Screw off."

"-That you are not to disrupt or meddle with." Trent stares at him, hot rage flickering beneath his dark eyes. "What'd you think? You think because you kissed her during some stupid game that she would just give it up to you?"

Gray really can't even believe what he's hearing. Is this asshole honestly for real? "You think I care about that? You think I'm messed up like you, like that shit gets me off?"

"She doesn't want you. She never will. This is your reality check. You're going to ruin her if you don't just stay the hell away like I've told you to do."

"'Ruin her.' You're such a manipulative piece of shit. And I don't take direct orders from you."

"If you knew what was good for you, you would." And Trent opens the door, walking out with a smile. Claire sits on one of the clinic chairs with her legs crossed, smiling at the two of them.

"Elli had to run," she explains, fidgeting in her seat. "But she told me to remind you to grab your EpiPens, Gray." She scoffs at him. "How could you just not tell me you had a peanut allergy during our millions of rounds of twenty questions?!"

The twitch in Trent's eye is enough to make Gray's anger diminish. He laughs out loud. This is Claire; managing to de-escalate all of the horrifying bullshit he just heard.

"Be sure to soak your wounds in Epsom salt. I'll be seeing you both," the doctor mumbles, messily gathering his papers in his hand before shutting the examination room door.

"Seriously?" She keeps staring at Gray incredulously, hardly acknowledging her boyfriend's exit. She rises from her chair weakly. "How could you just fail to tell me?"

He smirks. "Back to being a pain in my ass, huh?"

Claire tosses her still-damp hair over her shoulder. "You know it." She frowns, extending the pouches toward him. "So, this one, Elli said is to be kept somewhere accessible, and apparently one's for my house... I mean, go figure, and-"

Gray just wraps his arms around her, holding her tight. "Quit friggin' scaring me like that, alright?" His grip squeezes down on her, like he's trying to make sure that it's really Claire in front of him, and not some imposter. He has to keep her safe. If she stays in his arms like this, nothing else can happen to her, right? "What the hell would I do without you?"

"Ummm, are you okay?' she asks, hugging him back tensely. She pulls away to look at him, her sapphire eyes even wider than before. "Did you get a stinger lodged in your brain or something?"

"Are we all still doing something for your birthday?"

"I mean, you would be invited, if you didn't push me into the pond." Claire grins. "But you just keep saving my ass, so as a thank you, I guess you can come."

What would he do without her indeed.


A/N: Did you see what I did there at the beginning ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°

Ugh, Trent's part made me so mad. I don't have that kind of mindset AT ALL, so writing a character who thinks like that just... infuriates me, to say the least lol, mostly because there's actually people like that in the world who'd agree with him T-T

What will happen to Kai? What will happen to Popuri? Will Claire become enlightened after she comes of age? WILL GRAY SOCK TRENT IN THE THROAT? StAy tUnED iN ThIS ThRiLLINg SaGA!11!1!

K, I'll update v soon. I love you guys :') ❤