✔︎ | Part of Me (Trilogy)

3 | sharks in the water

3 | sharks in the water

 I won't be okay until I see Axel

The human body is an amazing thing, isn't it? And by that I mean Axel's body when he pulls his shirt over his head to join Will and Jem slowly wading into the water. I glance away quickly and my eyes meet Mom's, but she looks away nonchalantly, pretending she hadn't been watching me. I blush and tip my hat forward, continuing to read my book. 

"You don't want to join them?" Mom sits in the chair beside me. 

I shake my head. "Not really." 

She sighs. "Do you want to talk baby?" When I don't answer her, just glance up at Axel splashing Will, who still hasn't even made it halfway in, she squeezes my hand. "I know I'm not around that much," she begins, "and maybe you'd rather talk to your dad about this stuff. But just so you know, I'm always here to talk. If you need anything, even just someone to listen, Mommy's here." 

I smile and peck the back of her hand. "I know," I mumble, "I just haven't figured it out yet." 

Mom nods and kisses my cheek and little Jemmy runs up to us, her body shaking. "Too cold," she shivers, and Mom quickly wraps a towel around her and lifts her up into her arms. 

"I'm guessing you don't want ice-cream then?" Mom smiles, but Jem's face lights up, and she giggles. "Alright!" Mom gives in, "let's go find Daddy and get some ice-cream. Do you want to come Avi?" 

I shake my head and wave them off as they step up onto the boardwalk, and glance back at the water. 

Will is finally in, and waving at me. "Avi!" He yells. "Come in!"

I wave back. "No thanks!" I yell back, but he cups his hand around his ear to hear over the waves. I wave again, hoping he'll leave me alone. 

Will turns at Axel and mumbles something I can't hear, and Axel laughs out. I scrunch my nose annoyedly and continue reading until Will is standing in front of me, dripping wet. "Avs," he mumbles, grabbing my book and throwing it only the chair. "We're gonna play monkey. Come on!" He picks up a beach ball and chucks it to Axel in the water. 

When I start to shake my head, Will laughs and grabs me and throws me over his shoulders. I scream and giggle and slap his back but it doesn't help as he rushes to the water. "William!" I screech, laughing too hard. "Don't you fucking dare!" But he does, and I go crashing into the freezing cold water, my dress still covering my body. I gulp and come back up, being as the water's only to my waist, and cough. "You dipshit!" I wipe my eyes. "I freaking hate you!" 

But Will and Axel are laughing so hard they might cry, and deep down, it makes me really happy to see my boys like this. 

"Oh, it's on," I snarl aggressively, wading out of the water to strip off my dress and pull my soaking hair into a bun. I shove my sunglasses back up my nose and march back to the water, ready to freaking shove them both under. Axel watches me a little too closely, and it makes me feel good about myself in my yellow bikini. 

Will screeches out loud and wades further into the water; he know when I'm being serious, and he should be afraid. He grabs the ball from Axel and whips it at me, and since we're covering beach volleyball in phys. ed., I easily spike it. Axel catches it and grins as if to say, 'I taught her that'. 

I make a face at him but I doubt he notices. 

"You're the monkey," Will tells me. "Get in the middle." 

"Wait," Axel murmurs. "How do I play?" 

"Just don't let me get the ball," I tell him, and he and Will spread out as he hits the ball over my head. 

Will easily bounces it back to him and it's harder than I realized to run in the water. I wade closer to Axel each time as the ball goes back and forth, and since I'm so short, this game really isn't fair. But then Will hits the ball back and it doesn't fly very far. In hopes to get it, I stumble back, laughing, and jump for it. It slips through my hands and I can't stop myself before crashing against Axel, who misses the ball too. 

He stumbles, too caught off guard to catch himself, and we plunge underneath the water. Axel's arms protectively fold around my waist and I splash around with my hands, trying to bring us back up. Axel lifts me and I gasp for air when my head peeps out of the surface of the water, and I have to stand on my tiptoes to keep myself above it. 

I squirm out of Axel's arms right away and turn to see our ball floating further into the ocean. 

Axel is right behind me though, tightening his arms back around my waist. His hands smooth over my stomach as he pulls me against him, making sure I don't float away too. My back is pressed up against his chest and I hope Will isn't watching too closely because my hormones go crazy. He leans in and mumbles into my ear, "do you wanna go get that?" 

"Um," I stutter, trying to find the sand below my feet. "I'll let you get it this time." 

Axel chuckles a little. "Are you scared the sharks are gonna eat you?" 

I grumble. So that's what Will freaking told him. 

Axel laughs harder and turns me around, making sure I find my footing before he swims effortlessly after the ball. I swim closer to Will and he doesn't say anything to me, just squints his eyes, suspecting something, and I don't know whether it's a good or bad thing. I don't know how weird it would be for him to have his best friend dating his sister. 

I mean, I don't think it would be that weird: he's dating one of my best friends. 

Then again, the probability of Axel and I dating is very low. He doesn't date. He said so himself. 

・・・

I'm finally heading to my last class of an agonizingly long Monday, my energy completely run out. 

Before I make it into the gymnasium, Tanner is standing in front of me, blocking my path. 

"Avi," he sighs, "we need to talk."

I scowl at him. "We're done," I mutter harshly. "There. We talked."

I try to walk past him but he steps in my way. "Avi, please, let me explain," he begs. 

I laugh angrily. "Explain? You hitting me was explanation enough." 

He shushes me. He doesn't want people to know. "I'm so sorry," he mumbles, "I really am. I didn't mean to. I was just so angry, and I—"

"Stop," I interrupt him, "I don't need your excuses. You fucking hit me, and I'm done with you. Don't ever fucking talk to me, or even look at me again. Now get out of my way before I make you." 

Tanner gulps, and he begins to say something, but I shove past him and into the gym. I want to congratulate myself for being so brave, but I can't, because I'm shaking, and I'm absolutely terrified. I won't be okay until I see Axel at the nets. 

OML who doesn't love some Taron Egerton. I know I do, haha.