Mikey, Kwan and I slowly made our way down to the dock. Although Mikey and Kwan didn't really know one another, it was impossible to not get along with Kwan, who seemed genuinely interested in Mikey's future plans. I stayed silent as they talked, basking in what it was like to be around people again. I had spent a lot of my time since Sam had left absolutely and utterly alone because solitude was easier. No one could have possibly understood what I was going through, how much I missed her and loved her; how much I needed her back in my life. But now that I was around people again – people who weren't Tucker and my family – I realized that I'd missed having friends.
And Sam was back. I had been in the same room as her briefly. From there, it would be a simple hop, skip and jump to a conversation and then bam, she'd love me again and everything would be right with the world. After Kwan and I finished this contest, I would have to go track her down. She couldn't realize how much she missed me until she could see me, but as soon as we'd locked eyes … It would all come rushing back to her. It had to.
But first I had to beat Kwan, because I swore to him that I would and I was a man of my word.
We stopped at the edge of the dock, surveying the lake. It wasn't a large lake – I could clearly see to the other side. There was an orange buoy bobbing around in the middle of the lake.
"So," I said to Kwan, "To the buoy?"
"We could …" Kwan said slowly.
"Or?" I prompted, because I knew that he wouldn't finish his sentence otherwise.
"We go all the way across the lake," Kwan proposed. "And back."
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Are you sure you can handle that?"
Kwan flexed, his arms bulging. "Scared, Fenton?"
Looking at him, I had a momentarily flash back to when we were fourteen years old, when Kwan had been nothing more than Dash's lackey – just as mean and even more stupid than the blond tormentor. "Scared, Fenton?" they would chant as they reached for me, to throw me into lockers or garbage cans; to lock me into closets with Tucker for so long that when we escaped, the light burnt our eyes; to punch me hard enough that there would be bruises left for weeks.
What the fuck is wrong with you? I demanded of myself. Kwan is your friend. He has been for years. Get over it. Nothing is like it was when you were fourteen.
"Wait," Mikey cried before I could speak. "If you guys swim around the lake then how am I supposed to monitor that?"
"Paddle boat!" I said quickly, pointing to one of two bright blue paddles boats that were tied to the dock.
Mikey pointed to his skinny legs and then to his skinny arms, which looked even smaller compared to how muscular Kwan looked. Kwan could make me look like a shrimp, and I was nearly twice the size of Mikey. "I can't handle one of those things by myself."
Kwan's brown eyes lit up with an idea. "Starr will paddle with you!" Before Mikey could protest, Kwan was already shouting to his girlfriend. "Starr, babe! Come here."
Mikey deflated as Starr approached. While even I could admit that she had gotten a hell of a lot better since Paullina had dropped off the face of the earth (good fuckin' riddance), that didn't mean Starr was perfect. She knew how to put her nose in the air with the best of them, and despite the fact that they were cousins, that didn't mean that Starr didn't look down on Mikey. She plastered on a smile though, and it didn't even waver when she looked at him. A lot of people are shocked when they find out Mikey and Starr are related, but I wasn't one of them. They look enough alike that they could be twins. They're the same height, with the same skinny bodies, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. The two of them standing in front of each other was like some kind of crazy, gender-bending carnival mirror.
"What's up?" Starr giggled, looking up at Kwan.
One of her redeeming qualities is how much she loved Kwan. It was one of the reasons I had avoided Kwan over the summer. I knew how in love he was with her and it made me fucking sick. Why did Kwan get to be happy and I had to suffer? I was just as in love as he was … Maybe more.
"Can you paddle with Mikey?"
Starr frowned, and I saw a hint of Paulina's patented bitch face appear on her features for a moment. "Why?"
"Danny and I are going to race across the lake and Mikey needs someone in the paddle boat to ref with him." Kwan looked at her, his puppy dog face coming out in full form. "Come on, babe. You'll get to see me do sports. You love to watch me do sports."
Starr giggled. "Okay, I'll do it for you!"
He kissed her, and I thought that I was going to be sick. I should have that. I know that I messed up royally, but she had to forgive me sometime. I had apologized. I had admitted that I knew what I had done wrong, and I had tried to tell her that it would never happen again because she mattered too much to me, but Sam was just too stubborn to listen.
"Ready?" Kwan interrupted my internal monologue.
"You ready?" I challenged right back.
We prepared ourselves at the end of the dock while Mikey and Starr situated themselves in the paddle boat.
"Wait! What are the stakes?" Mikey asked.
Kwan and I looked at each other.
"Meal at Nasty Burger?" We bet in unison.
"Okay!" Mikey shouted. He and Starr had paddled a bit away from the dock. "On three!"
This was going to be so easy. While Kwan was athletic, he wasn't nearly as strong as me. He didn't have ghostly abilities that would get him through nearly anything. Kwan had to do complicated things … like breathing way more than I did.
"One!" Starr squeaked.
"Two …" Mikey continued.
"Three!" They shouted together, and Kwan and I dove into the lake.
The first half was the easiest half. I swam past the buoy without any effort at all. I didn't know where Kwan was, but I could tell that he was far enough away that I didn't have to worry about him at all. But a little way past the buoy, I could feel that I was slowing down. When I reached the far end of the beach and turned around, Kwan was a hell of a lot closer than I would have guessed. I kicked my feet as hard as I could. Kwan could not win this. I swam under the paddle boat as Mikey and Starr went in a circle before they figured out how to turn the boat around. I felt the water move around my feet. Kwan was close. Too close. I dragged my arms through the water, passing the buoy for the second time. I kept closer to the surface, pulling air into my lungs as fast as I could. I could see Kwan out of the corner of my eye, heaving harder than I was, but holding his own. I gave an extra kick, and then I slammed my hand down on the warm boards of the dock.
"Holy," Kwan panted, hanging onto the dock just enough to keep himself from sinking. "Good job."
"You too," I replied, sincerely meaning it.
"Danny won!" Mikey announced as he and Starr docked, as if Kwan and I didn't already know that.
"But you did so good, sweetie!" Starr cheered, hands shaking as if she still had her pom poms.
"You should have gone for a swimming scholarship instead of a football scholarship," I said to Kwan as I hauled myself out of the water.
"They have those?" Kwan gasped.
I laughed. "Yeah, bud, they have those."
I grabbed one of the towels that were sitting on the dock, towelling myself off with it. I looked back up toward the cabin. It was time to go find Sam. It was time to have a conversation that, in my opinion, was long overdue. The last time I'd seen her, she had said she hated me. And while she might still be a little ticked off (I was kind of an ass hat, I know), she had to at least talk to me, because she had to still feel something for me. And I could work with 'something'.
I tugged my t-shirt on and waved to the group. "I'll see you later."
I headed up the path, keeping my eyes peeled. I finally caught sight of her up on the deck with Tucker. Internally, I sighed. My best friend was not supposed to be present for this … Still, Tucker's presence might keep her from running away long enough to realize that she should talk to me. I climbed up the stairs, approaching them from behind as they looked over the railing.
"Danny would kill for Jazz, no questions asked."
I caught the tail end of what Tucker had said to Sam, and I frowned. "Why am I killing for Jazz?"
It wasn't my ideal opening line but the comment was so strange that it warranted asking.
Tucker turned around to face me, nothing in his face hinting at his intent. Sam turned around too, and my eyes locked on her face. She was exactly how I remembered her. Long black hair, big purple eyes, skin so soft and pale that holding her was like curling around your favourite pillow.
Sam wouldn't look at me.
"Just sayin' how protective you are. You know, if Jazz was ever in trouble," Tucker responded.
I wrestled my eyes away from Sam to look at Jazz, sitting with a girl I didn't know. Of course I was protective over Jazz, she was both my conscience and my sanity … She was also my sister. And now, with all of this shit going on with Vlad, I had even more reason to look out for her. He knew that.
"She's okay, though, right?" I checked in anxiously. Anything could have happened while I'd been with Kwan and Mikey.
"Oh yeah," Tucker said quickly, dismissing my fear. "She's all right. We were speaking hypothetically."
Sam said something – I saw her lips move but she was too quiet for me to make out the words. My heart ached. I missed her voice.
"Ass!" Tucker cried out in response to her, his elbow poking into her side.
He was allowed to touch her. Even though the contact was platonic and friendly, I still envied Tucker like I had never envied him before.
"Bite me!" Sam shouted at him, pushing his arm away.
"You're a kinky little thing, aren't you?"
Sam went bright red at Tucker's taunt. She looked beautiful with a blush, and I almost said so.
"Whatever." Sam rolled her eyes at him.
"So, Sam." Tucker began, as if I weren't even there.
"Tucker," Sam said back.
I didn't even care for the moment. I was standing here, listening to her voice. I had forgotten the little things about her tone, her lilt, how she sounded exactly.
"Why were you so happy when you showed up a minute ago?"
Sam's mouth formed an 'O' and my curiousity was piqued, although I felt a wave of depression hit me. I had been destroyed ever since she had left Amity, but she got to be happy? I didn't want to be upset that Sam was happy, but I was … a little. I wanted her to be happy with me.
"I kind of have … a date," Sam admitted, and my world came crashing down.
I felt hot all over, and my vision started to narrow. A date? Sam had a date? I turned away, my hands shaking. I needed to process this. I heard Tucker talking, but I was too focused on getting away. I needed to calm down before my ghost powers burnt a hole in the floor.
But then I heard a name … and not just any name.
Sam had said Gregor. As in … No. So this was how he was going to get to her. This was how Vlad was going to be sure that he had complete control.
I whipped around, shouting in her face. "Vlad Masers' nephew? Sam! You fucking can't!"
I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.
~TLL~
