Against the Odds (Book 2)

♥ Chapter II ♥

6 weeks later

Today had been one of the fastest times I've ever left my house, and I hadn't seen my parents in weeks.

The past six weeks had been bliss for me and my best friend. We'd spend three weeks in Paris and the other three in London where Jada met a hottie named Kai. Suffice to say, they had fun.

We shopped, we sight-saw, we tanned, got our hair done, got mani's and pedies every two weeks, went sailing, went clubbing, and everything else those beautiful places and people had to offer.

More importantly, though, we stayed together. Even when we went out and Jada invited Kai, she never let me out of her sight. We'd promised ourselves that would be the deal. We weren't going to let anything happen to the other. The only time we were apart was if I was staying in the hotel and she was going out with her new interesting partner.

I hadn't been worried about him though, Jada had a guy do a background check and found out he was legit.

She had connections.

At the end of our trip, I had to drag her through the airport. It didn't help that Kai had accompanied us, something I knew would turn out ugly.

My parents weren't home when I'd gotten in, not so surprisingly, even though I'd told them when I'd be back. It hadn't bothered me though. I was jet-lagged and braindead, so I dragged myself up to my room and passed out.

I slept for almost a day, only getting out of bed to the sound of my alarm. Jada and I had planned to go to some beach party that was announced on Instagram by one of our former schoolmates. A bunch of them were hanging out and we though why not.

So I'd gotten myself out of bed, went to take a shower and dressed in some cutoffs, a loose crop top and converses.

I'd been bounding down the stairs, happy and ready to see some familiar faces again, when I'd ran into my parents downstairs.

I was happy to see them, they were my parents after all, and we did some catching up. I told them about all the things we saw and places we went even though they've seen and gone to those places themselves. Conversation had been easy, and I felt okay talking to them like I usually did before things took a turn for the worse.

At the first sight of a prolonged pause, I was up and out of there because that was where the conversation usually dies before going up in flames. I simply wasn't in the mood for a screaming match before going out so I'd bid them a quick goodbye and lied about seeing them 'later'.

Jada and I found out about the beach party like how most people find out about parties they're not invited to—Instagram.

It's not that our former classmates hated us, but most of who we knew were aware Jada and I weren't in the country. But it was a nice way to be welcomed back in town and a segway into our college shopping that started soon.

The sun was setting when I got to Santa Monica and before my bare feet even touched the sand, I found the crowd I came for.

I sent Jada a quick text, letting her know I'm on the beach, and asking where she was.

My hair rustled around in the wind and I felt peace watching the orange-pink sky and waves crashing against the shore.

The closer I got to the massive crowd of moving bodies, the louder the laughter and music got. In front of the crowd, I spot Jada waving at me with a huge grin. My own grin split across my face and I slipped my phone into my back pocket and sprinted across the sand toward her.

I jumped on my best friend, both of us laughing as I wrapped my legs around her torso and she stumbled back but otherwise kept her arms under me, hoisting me up.