When They See Us (Book 1.0)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Yesterday's game went great. We won, as usual, and Macy was there in the stands watching. She hasn't opened up to cheer me on as my parents do, but her smile gives me the confidence I need to perform.

When school ends, Macy and I hop in the car going straight to the beach house instead of home. This is my grandparent's house, but we use it for family functions. A few years ago, they added three extra rooms to accommodate all of their grandchildren. The first room contains a queen bed, and the other two have double beds. Because I was the eldest of my siblings, I naturally received the room with the queen bed. After a few more years of us getting older and possibly giving them great-grandkids, I'm sure they'll either add on to the house or buy the one next door. I park in the driveway and get out to retrieve the duffel bag containing both of our belongings. We walk up to the unoccupied house, and Macy is taken aback by how large it is, just as she was the first time she came into my house.

"Wow. This is huge," she says, twirling in the foyer.

"Yeah, and we get the whole house to ourselves for the weekend," I say, wiggling my eyebrows at her. She smirks and walks further inside, admiring each room.

As I carry our belongings upstairs to our bedroom, I notice her close behind. She sits on the bed and sighs before crossing her legs. My head tilted as I stared at her.

"What?"

"Can we go down to the beach?" she asks, grinning.

I nod my head and extend my hand out for her to take. She puts her hand into mine, and I guide her down to the private beach. The sun is starting to set, and the fluorescent view is breathtaking. We walk hand and hand to where the water and sand meet. Macy looks at me with pleading eyes, and I shake my head at her.

"Come on, get in with me."

I continue shaking my head. "For one, Mays, we aren't wearing bathing suits right now, and two, the water is freezing."

"Sooooo," she says, backing into the water fully clothed. She smirks at me and starts splashing water in my direction.

"Don't you dare?" I dodge the cold water. She tries her luck again, throwing a bigger wave and getting it all over my shirt and shorts. My eyes get big from the shock of the coldness of the water. "You did not!" I gasp.

"What you gonna do about it?" She prances around, teasing me, still tossing water. I shake my head and run towards her, but she runs further into the water.

I gasp as the chilled water rushes up my thighs, but I continue walking towards her. When I finally grab hold of her, I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her into the air before slamming her back into the ocean. I hear her scream as she becomes submerged underwater.

She tries to take me down with her, but I fight my way free and flee the scene. It doesn't take long for her to come back up for air and try to get back at me by jumping on my back. Her attempt falls as I hold my ground. I have the upper hand now that she's clinging to me like a koala, so I leap backward to dunk her a second time.

By this point, we are both completely drenched and laughing uncontrollably. She begins splashing water in my face once more, but I reach forward to stop her.

We both catch our breaths as she wraps her legs around my hips. When I look at her, I see that she is beaming with happiness. The sun has completely set, and the moonlight glistens in her pool of honey-brown orbs.

Her arms around my neck begin to pull me closer. My gaze is drawn to her plumped lips as she licks them. I gradually lean forward till my lips brush against hers. She breathes deeply, and the warmth of it drives my pulse to thump faster. As our lips connect, the beat of my heart travels down my chest and between my legs. I can feel her grip tightening around me.