"When you're alone, do you let go? Are you wild and willing or is it just for show?"
Love Bites by Def Leppard
SEVYN WAS RUNNING a little late tonight, but not excessively so in her opinion; she doubted the boys had even noticed. She'd stayed up to watch the sunrise that morning, realizing she hadn't seen one in a while and felt a strong urge to do so. It was a breathtaking blend of pinks, oranges, and yellows, the midnight blue gradually yielding to the pale hues of dawn.
This resulted in her waking up later than usual, and she refused to skip her workout. She took her time getting ready that evening after taking a shower – cat-eye eyeliner and a bold red lip. She opted for a white cropped top well above her belly button with open sleeves, showcasing her lacy black bra at the sides, paired with cutoff shorts and black Doc Martens. The amount of skin showing had all three dragon tattoos peeking out from under her clothes.
Sevyn admired her reflection, twisting and turning before grabbing her bag and declaring herself ready. Why was she putting in so much effort? She wasn't sure, or at least, she didn't want to admit it to herself.
She arrived on the boardwalk a minute later, casually strolling towards the usual meeting spot. She wondered if the boys were still there; she was an hour behind schedule. A pang of disappointment stirred within her.
Sevyn shook her head to banish the feeling. 'Don't be ridiculous. They're just a bunch of guys, so what if they're incredibly hot and really fun? You don't need to see them every night.' She mentally chided herself for being such a simp.
When she stumbled upon the boys, she froze in place. They were surrounded by a few rather eager-looking girls. The boys were clearly enjoying the attention, which wasn't surprising in the least. Even she could admit the girls were hot.
Anger boiled within her, and a sick feeling rose in her stomach. She was startled by its intensity and refused to label it.
Nope. Not going there.
Instead, she simply turned and walked away. She couldn't let herself get worked up. They were either hungry or horny, or both. Either way, it was none of her business, and she wasn't going to get involved.
Not her circus, not her monkeys.
It took her another half hour to regain her composure. The orange creamsicle was helping. Truthfully, she had no control over their actions. It was silly of her to get so upset over nothing. No one was doing anything wrong, they aren't hers.
Even if she had wanted to confront those girls at the time.
She was sitting on a railing, silently observing the crowd while enjoying her ice cream when someone sat down beside her. With a sigh, she prepared to dismiss the person when she got a good look at him.
Oh, hello.
He was cute. Very cute. He had tattoos from his neck down and a short, electric blue mohawk that accentuated his green eyes. His style screamed '80s punk. Not typically her preference, but he made it work and she was here for it.
He smiled at her, and she tried to suppress her outward swooning. He had dimples. She felt her face flush as she openly stared at him. You'd think she would be accustomed to these things by now after spending so much time with the boys, but that obviously wasn't the case.
Now, this guy wasn't nearly as sexy as them, but he was a close second. Or would it be fifth?
"Hey, I'm James," he greeted her, extending his hand.
Sevyn cleared her throat and took his larger hand in hers, giving it a single shake before releasing it. "Sevyn."
"Rad name. Are you new around here? What's your story?"
"Kind of? I've been here about a couple months now, I think. I needed a change, didn't really have a destination when I left, I just ended up here and decided to stay," she said, her voice slightly low. He made her nervous, but in a good way. "What about you?"
"Oh, cool. I came here about a year ago. I took a bus from Las Vegas to stay with some friends and fell in love with the place. There's so much life here, you know? Which is ironic considering its reputation," he joked darkly.
She giggled a little and shrugged. "Yeah, I heard that too. It really makes you feel like you can settle down and raise a family. I'm sure we're in a really great school district," she teased back.
James chuckled along with her. "I gotta admit, I saw a pretty girl alone and figured I'd introduce myself. I hope that's not too lame. Do you mind if I chill with you?"
Her blush returned as she stared at him in surprise. She thought about it for a moment before deciding why not. She had nothing better to do. Might as well make a human friend.
"Sure, I'd like that," she said softly with a small smile.
The two had been talking for a while when Marko finally stumbled upon them after catching her sweet scent. He had been searching for Sevyn after grabbing a quick bite to eat while waiting for her, hoping she hadn't gone home after not seeing them, only to find her flirting with some punk. He watched as this kid said something to Sevyn that caused her to throw her head back and laugh while giving him a playful shove.
A low growl rumbled in his chest as he prepared to charge forward, enraged that this guy thought he had a chance with their girl. That thought halted his actions. Their girl? He had been entertaining those kinds of thoughts about her for a while now, but he hadn't put words to them.
But he was sure now. She was their girl. He knew the others would agree. Or at least Paul and Dwayne would, he wasn't sure about David. He didn't think even David was sure if he would agree or not yet.
After making this realization, he approached the small, pink-haired girl. "Hey there, pixie girl," he said, moving closer to her side until they were pressed together.
"Oh hey, Marko! Where are your new friends?" Sevyn's face lit up in a mischievous smile when she saw him. She'd almost forgotten the earlier incident, dismissing them as a lost cause for the night.
"Huh? What new friends?" Marko looked puzzled.
"Those girls you were talking to? Did you strike out?" She teased with a mocking pout. She was in a good mood after making a new friend herself.
"Them? Nah, you know you're the only girl for us. Me and the boys took them out for a bite, but they're gone now. Couldn't hang with us like you can," he boasted, kissing her cheek and pulling her closer.
She knew what he wasn't saying – they were dead now. But the rest was going way over her head.
"Uh huh..." Confusion flickered across her face. His behavior was off – weirder than usual. Something was definitely up.
"Who's this?" Marko acted like he finally noticed the other boy, James' expression turning uncomfortable. A mocking grin spread across Marko's face as he placed a possessive kiss on Sevyn's shoulder, revealing a cruel satisfaction at the other boy's discomfort while establishing his claim.
"Oh, this is James. James, this is Marko," Sevyn introduced them, her eyebrows furrowed at the odd show of affection.
"Thanks for keeping my girl company. See ya, Jamie," Marko sneered, pulling Sevyn away from the railing towards the waiting bikes before James could respond. A silent fury consumed him as he navigated through the crowd.
Sevyn abruptly stopped walking after being dragged around for a few minutes, forcing Marko to turn around. Her expression spoke volumes.
"What the fuck, Marko? What was that?" she demanded, confused by his behavior.
"I should ask you the same thing. You ditched us to flirt with some guy? " His eyes flashed with a dangerous intensity, but he restrained himself from going back to find that kid. Too many witnesses. Maybe he could lure the kid to the beach with a false promise of Sevyn…
"I did not ditch you! I was late, and when I got there, you guys were busy, so I left. I can see that look in your eyes, you can't do something to him, he was really sweet." She stared at him incredulously. What was happening? They were just talking. Was she forbidden from making new friends? That was bullshit.
"Want to bet?" Marko challenged with a manic glint in his eye.
"No, I know I'll lose. But you better not," she pouted. She wondered if it was just her or if he was going crazy.
"He was flirting with you," he accused.
"He was not!" Sevyn defended.
"You were flirting back," Marko retorted.
"We were not flirting," she exclaimed, exasperated. "Besides, even if we were, I saw you guys hitting on those girls earlier. What, you can get laid, but I can't? That's not fair."
"You're ours, Sevyn. No flirting with other boys. You want something, you come to us," Marko growled, pulling her along again. He couldn't tell if she was that oblivious or playing some sort of game with them out of jealousy. He was leaning toward obliviousness; she wasn't the type to play petty games like that.
"Since when? You can't just decide these things, Marko!" Her voice rose in frustration.
"Since you came to our town. Now come on, the boys are waiting." His tone was final.
"This isn't over," she muttered, but he heard her.
"Sure it isn't, pixie girl," Marko taunted with a smirk, feeling victorious for now.