Chapter 8: In Too Deep

"It's not too late to turn around," Leban mocks me, watching me hesitantly enter into the freezing cold lake with Jay just in front of me.

"Yes, it is!" I argue for the important sake of arguing. "I'm in too deep! Literally!" I shout at him, my feet no longer touching the soft lakebed. Instead, I'm clinging to Jay's surfboard like a beautiful baby as he pulls me out further.

"You could stand if you let go of the board. We're not even that far from land," Jay says before watching something in the distance. "Incoming wave, dive under," he tells me in nonchalance, unfazed by it.

My eyes widen in bewilderment. "Wait, what? I just got in the water," I state but decide to get into action anyway. I'm a girl of few words.... I immediately lay on my stomach and begin paddling for the wave.

"What are you doing?" I hear Jay ask with an amused chuckle. "You're too late. That wave has broken already."

"Then allow me to break it more!" I shout, refusing to dive under the white bubbles when he does. If we were playing 'Simo Says', I would fail in pride.

"You're using your surfboard the wrong way," Jay warns me, coming up for a breath of air on the other side just as the wave hits me with full force. "You're riding it backward!" Jay hollers after me just as the wave pulls me under.

Suddenly, I'm doing underwater cartwheels, flipped over from side-to-side as the wave continues to tumble over me. Fortunately, I see the light shining through the cold water. When I try to reach the surface, another fierce wave rolls over me. 

It's a good thing I'm made of stone.

I summon up my immense power and kick up toward the white light, convinced I'm dead. However, I let out a breath of relief when my head breaks the surface. To be quite honest, my head feels broken.

I don't even know where the heck Jay's surfboard is. Instead, I find myself lying face-down on the shore. I enjoy the second of peace before feeling the powerful water surging past me, trying to pull me back into its deathly claws.

"She's dead!" I hear Troy yell before feeling his foot softly kick my side as if to make sure. "Finally!" He rejoices.

I lift my head to glare at him, spitting out a mouthful of sand and water before coughing like a lunatic. "I'll kill you," I try to scramble to my feet, limply reaching forward in a futile attempt to grab his ankles and trip him down to my level.

He jumps back and lets out a girly screech. "It's alive!" He squeals again like a four-year-old. "It's also disgusting-looking and covered in algae! I thought mermaids were supposed to be pretty! Told you guys that lake monsters exist!"

"I'll get you!" I slide on my belly, a foot away from him when the water starts to pull me in again, and with more brutality this time. "Oh no, Troy! It's got me!" I panic, stretching out both my hands in front of me, seeking help. "The current is pulling me into my death! The riptide has got me!"

"I will not be taken in with you!" Troy runs back up the shore to the others, leaving me stranded like a beached whale.

"You're literally not even touching the water right now," Leban says before reluctantly grabbing my hands and pulling me further up the shore, allowing me to slide on my stomach like a penguin all the way there. "You're freaken heavy, you know that, right?" He says, leaving me to flop back down in front of my so-called friends who are all laughing at me, not taking me seriously.

"Now's not the time, I was just drowning, wrestling in the water to save my own amazing life," I mumble into the warm sand and close my eyes, still trying to catch my breath. If Leban saved my life then I must be dead and in hell -- it's the only logical explanation.

"You were two feet away from the shore," Jed informs me, failing to hide a smirk.

"Exactly! Where most drownings happen, Jed!" I huff, frustrated at his lack of knowledge and intelligence.

"Where do you get your facts from?" He asks me with a shake of his head. "It wasn't even a life-threatening situation."

He's going to be in a life-threatening situation very soon if he doesn't shut up this instant!

"I'm stoked, Flower. That was rad," Jam chips in, blown away and mystified by my surfing abilities -- I'm a born natural. "You were crushing it. You killed it." He's so good for my self-esteem. I need him around more.

"Or it crushed and killed her," Boss Man offers with a snide grin. I need him around less.

Jay kneels before, water running down his face and body as he stares down at me in concern. "Aww, sweet Klutz, did you take a nasty wipe-out?" He asks me, barely hiding an amused smile when he plucks a piece of lake weed out of my tangled hair.

I don't answer, deliberately slowing my breathing, and feign death instead. It's less humiliating this way...or more...I don't really care.

"She's dying," Jay says, quickly catching on. "Oog, give her CPR."

"On it, Jaykie boy!" I hear Oog reply all too willingly, not even bothering to question Jay's command.

"It's a miracle! I'm alive!" I immediately jump up to my feet and spin around on my tippy-toes before spotting the mischievous glint in Jay's eyes -- he's pure evil sometimes.

"This is why I despise miracles," Melinda speaks up, a frown on her face at seeing a wonderful miracle take place before her very eyes.

Nonetheless, I'm focused on other matters. My hair feels all dewy from the water. I'm turning blue from the cold and I can't stop shivering. My teeth are chattering as I hug myself, trying to retain warmth. "This sucks," I voice my opinion.

All surfers must be stupid or something to voluntarily do this all the time...

Jezel strolls over to me with Riosh in her arms, feeling bad for me. "You okay, girl?"

"A little bit," I answer and fumble with my wetsuit zip before yanking half of it off, exposing my purple bikini top underneath. "Hey, eyes up here, freak," I point to my eyes, sending Leban a glower.

"I was literally looking in the opposite direction of you, Aqueela!" He snaps at me, agitated by my bizarre assumption.

"Not anymore..." I sing tauntingly, his eyes now on me. If Grey's not here, he will do.

Shaking from being cold and sopping wet, I head straight for my towel. I flop down on it and sulk, trying to soak up the last of the sun. Then, suddenly, Jay is there, right in front of me, blocking out the sliver of sunlight peeking out from behind grey, ominous clouds. "That's it, Aqueela, we're going back to the basics," he informs me.

I frown up at him while the dry sand stings up against me when the cool wind blows. There's no getting out of this. I can just spot the determination in his eyes. I hate that look. It's the one look I can't win against...but I'm going to try anyway.

"I'm tanning," I tell him and lean up ever so slightly on my elbow, shielding my face from the sun with the hand that is not supporting all my weight. "So get lost, thank you."

"In what sun?" Jay asks me, looking up into the sky as if to mock me.

"The one that you're blocking with your massive head!" I huff at him, frustrated.

"You're bronze enough," he replies, gesturing down to my golden-like skin and motioning to my stomach with his eyes. "You're outside way too much."

I wonder whose fault that is!

"I'll tell you what, it's not by choice! Against my will!" I close my eyes and shoo him away with my hand, ignoring his presence and his stupid demands. "I'm done talking to you, be gone, Taylor."

"You've done this to yourself," I hear him reply and that's when I feel him make himself comfortable on top of me, just about knocking me breathless in the process.

"Get off, pudgy!" I snap at seeing him sitting on top of my waist with his knees bent on either side of me. He's not even bothering to support his full weight by hovering over me instead, no, he's just letting me take the brunt of his heavy muscles. "Why are you so fat?!" I hiss and push at his chest but he refuses to budge.

"You're right," he says, staring down at his washboard abs. "This Teletubbie needs to stop snacking on his girl's secret stash of Twinkies and hit the gym more."

How does he know about my secret stash of junk food?! Oh well...jokes on him, I have several more hiding places than just one! Sucks to suck!

I frown up at him in confusion, combing my fingers through my blonde hair to rid myself of all the knots. His gaze follows my movements. It takes me a second or so before I process exactly what he's saying and discover why I'm experiencing a déjà vu moment. I fail miserably at hiding my smile as happy memories immediately flood my mind. His own boyish, half-smile takes form on his lips as he stares down at me with his electric blue eyes glimmering under the daylight, his dark lashes framing his eyes as water droplets run down from his wet hair to the sides of his face before falling onto my nose.

I sigh in defeat and whack his open chest with the back of my hand. I reach up and lazily mess up his dark hair for the sake of annoying him. With a shake of my head, I run my hand up his chiseled torso before dropping back down onto the towel in defeat. "You win."

He grins in satisfaction from above me before dipping his face to mine, his nose just touching mine. "As expected," he says cockily before I feel his soft lips against mine for a brief moment, and then he's getting up and forcing me to move.

*~*~*~**~*~*~*

My fiancé shakes his head at me in disbelief. "How are you struggling with this?" He continues to stare at me as I attempt push-up and pop-up surfing techniques. "You keep falling over. You're practicing on the sand. We're not even near the water yet."

"It's difficult to keep balance!" I hiss at him, frustrated. Does he really have to narrate everything that I'm doing wrong?! "I hate doing things that you do!" This is like when he tried to teach me to race five years ago. I need five years alone to practice this.

"Dude, how she's gonna cope in the water?" Kyle asks Jay worriedly, truly concerned about my safety.

"By drowning, hopefully," Leban says with a sneer.

Jay scoffs under his breath in irritation while zipping back up his own wetsuit again. "Ignore the idiot," he tells me, taking me by my hand and dragging me into the water a second time. "He's not helping me right now," he says as he carefully holds his surfboard still in the water, steadying it for me before gesturing me to climb on. He releases his grasp on the board after helping me onto my haunches.

"I always ignore him," I tell him in pride, doing my best to maintain my balance.

"You're gonna trip on the arms," he replies, spinning the board around so that my back is facing him. I feel his cool fingers against my skin before he zips my wetsuit back up too, something he should have done long ago -- maybe I would have done better on land. I cannot be expected to do things for myself and he should know this by now.

I attempt to spin myself back around to face him again but upon losing my balance and almost taking another tumble, I instinctively grab hold of his shoulders for protection.

Jay smiles and places his hands on my hips, aware that he's the only thing preventing me from toppling into the water again. He pulls me to the edge of the board, making out as if he's going to tip me so that I can belly-flop into the water like an idiot, like Leban. Before he gets the chance, I splash water up into his eyes and then burst out laughing at his shocked expression.

He tilts his head to the side and blinks down at me, recovering from his initial reaction before grinning a sexy smile. My heart flutters when he runs a hand through his wet spikes before that same hand comes to rest on the back of my neck. He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his blue eyes flickering down to my lips.

He steps closer to me. I look up and find him staring down at me with eyes that match the ocean. As if we both feel the rush, we're suddenly moving into each other at the same time and then he's pulling me that much closer while kissing me fervently.

I feel his hand slowly moving up my side, just below my ribs, and feel the heat from his skin even through the wetsuit. I trace my own hand up the black fabric resting against his torso, feeling the sudden tightening of his abdominal muscles before trailing my hand further up and feeling the unsteady beat of his heart within his chest. I smile into the kiss and run my fingers up through his brown hair, not missing the sound of his breath hitching for a split second at the unexpected action taken on my part – it's not often I lay down them Aqueela moves on him.

I love that Jay is mine. I love having him all to myself. I love that we're not fighting anymore. I love that I don't have to worry about losing him. Most of all, I love that he loves me.

"You're making surfing way more difficult than it has to be," Jay mumbles softly against my lips, pulling back slightly to look at me, an accusing glint in his eyes as if blaming me for him suddenly losing control and falling for my irresistible Lawson charm.

"Maybe you're just a bad teacher," I whisper cheekily into his ear before playfully pecking his lips, locking my legs around his waist and tugging him even closer to me.

Not willing to stop just yet, he presses his warm lips back against me and continues from where he left off. He coaxes me to respond and deepens the kiss, angling his head ever so slightly in order to evoke a response from me, the gentle brush of his fingers still tickling the back of my neck. I oblige him, quickly moving my lips against his, enjoying the feeling of being content, home, right where I'm supposed to be.

A soft sound leaves my lips when Jay takes a breather and begins kissing down my jawline with hot, open-mouthed kisses before burying his head into my neck, playing with the golden locks of my hair beneath his fingertips. It's also the exact moment that I come to Jay's senses (I have no common sense) and realize we're in a full-on makeout session in the middle of Lake Superior for all to see. I mean, we're literally on public display here and I don't really appreciate being watched when having an intimate moment with my future husband.

Fortunately, I take opportunities as they come...

When I see the wave approaching us from over Jay's shoulder, I get carried away with excitement, completely forgetting about whatever it is that I was so invested in a second ago.

Attempting to get into position, I eagerly shove Jay away and move out of his vice-like hold. I jump onto my haunches, accidentally kicking Jay in the face in the process. I internally wince and whip my head around to check on him, only to see blood pouring from his nose and into the water.

"Don't worry, I'm used to you making me bleed," he jokes reassuringly, sensing my concern.

"Stop it!" I immediately panic, fretting aloud. "You're going to attract sharks with all that blood of yours spilling into the water! You're polluting it! You're tainting it red!"

Oh, wait...that's right...sharks don't exist.

"I would stop it if I could!" He snaps at me, seemingly frustrated all of a sudden. "I'm beyond thankful that you barged your way into my life," oh please, I danced into his life like a ray of sunshine, "but trust you to completely pulverize a romantic moment between us! We don't even need our friends to interrupt us anymore."

I ignore him and his petty whining, keeping my eyes locked on the prize as I begin to paddle for the wave, hoping to regally stroke into it and prove just how impressive my skills are.

"Why are you swimming for a swell?" Jay asks me, at a loss for words, leaning his head forward in a futile attempt to stop his severe blood loss. "You can't surf a swell, 'Queels!"

The swell doesn't go over well...literally. Swells are useless, I think to myself as I float up and over it. I roll on my side to stare up at the sky in pure defeat, lazily bobbing up and down through the water.

"I cannot believe you just got kicked in your face by none other than your wife," Jed says as he wades into the water and rushes past me to Jay, trying to help stop the gushing blood flowing from his beautiful face.

"I wouldn't believe it if it weren't her," Jay responds with mild attitude, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"This is all your fault!" I decide to blame Jed for the sake of blaming someone. Besides, Grey's still not back from his dark adventures. I jump off my board and onto Jed's back, using all my strength to dunk him and drown him but failing miserably.

"I can stand, weirdo," Jed replies with an amused smirk, resisting my power and inhuman strength as I dangle over his head like a true assassin now trying to strangle him instead. "Try deeper water next time." He easily shakes me off and flings me into the water.

I take that as my cue to see the damage I've done and to see if Jay's once again survived it. "My love," I tease, my fingers dancing across his cheek, "you need to be more careful," I reprimand him.

Jay frowns from underneath my fingers and swats my hand away. "Sorry, my love," he emphasizes, "that I wasn't careful enough in dodging a blow to the face caused by my very careful girlfriend."

"Fiancee," I correct him with a smug smile.

"Kick me in the face again and that might change," he warns, threatening me with empty words.

"Puleease!" I scoff, taking his words as a joke. "You can't quit me," I say knowingly, using Melinda's words against him. "Besides..." I drawl, planting a kiss on his jaw and then his nose, "I'm really sorry," I confess, honest, as I wipe away a smudge of his blood with my thumb. "I'll be better."

He stares down at me for a second, holding his glare, before rolling his eyes. "You can't be better when you're already the best."

Even when he's angry, he's sweet.

I nod in agreement. "And I'm about to show you that now!" I say, determination set in, as I paddle for the next wave heading our way. I ignore Kyle and Jay's warnings for me not to take the giant wave.

I get into position in time and spin the board around so that I'm facing the shore. As the lip curls over, I begin to bravely swim into it. I grip the sides of the surfboard and swing my legs out from underneath my body so that I'm crouching on my board with my left foot in front of me and the other at the back. I waste no time in jumping up to my feet, managing to keep my balance while perfecting the pop-up technique.

Doing it on the shore was way more difficult....

Now feeling confident yet confused by my amazing abilities, I throw my arms out in order to gain more speed and begin to move with the wave, the rhythm of the water coming naturally to me. I race around the first section and use my front foot to make a bottom turn up on the wave. As a result, I rock up to the top of the wave, the nose of Jay's board pointing straight up into the air. I quickly whip my torso around and set my surfboard back in place, droplets flaying in all directions as a result of the freaken cool arc I created.

The drop back down the wave sends my heart into my throat and it's in that moment of pure adrenaline that I decide surfing is awesome. Why haven't I tried this sooner?! I race faster down the line of blue-green water despite my wet hair sticking to my face and blinding me.

It doesn't matter if I can't see, I'm having a blast and I'm clearly invincible. I'm practically a superhero! I'm a water bender at its finest! I bet I bent Jay's blood back there! Man, I'm just the best. Children will speak of me one day. My story will never end! I'm a living legend of a legacy! I'm undefeated!

When the lip curls over, I get arrogant and dig my hand in the water to make one last bottom turn. I hit the whitewater just as the lip snaps over and end up soaring through the air. I'm overcome by a foreign feeling of weightlessness. I haven't felt anything as awesome yet as fleeting as this, not even in street racing.

I guess Jay's not the only adventurous, adrenaline-junkie in this disaster of a relationship...

I pull a Superman pose, stretching my fist out in front of me, and pretend to be flying. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a moron? Probably. Because it's in that split second that I feel time come to a standstill that I realize that I'm about to die and that I'm not invincible or immune to death after all.

Upon hearing Jay's yelling, I direct my gaze to the surfboard just out of my reach, the same surfboard that I should have been holding onto for dear life, the board that I should have strapped to my ankle. However, spreading my wings like an eagle and being airborne distracted me from caring enough.

I swallow nervously at my impending doom.

Uh-oh!

Before I can act and scramble for the board, I'm belly-flopping back down into the wave with my arms flaying all over the place, taking the full impact of the awful landing. With the surfboard nowhere in sight, the wave sweeps right over me, the whitewater taking me under. It feels as if a ton of bricks collapses over me as I'm tossed about ruthlessly while being dragged to shore.

Fortunately, I feel a hand grab my arm and yank me up out of the water.

Screw that! I want to be a fire bender and electrocute the water when I'm not in it, and maybe only do it when Grey is in it – that's if he ever decides to make an appearance again!

"'Queels," Jay stresses, wasting no time in lifting me up into his arms, bridal style, "you okay, you klutz?"

I shake my head. "I have a headache all over my body, JJ."

Jay chuckles, his chest touching me as he carries me out of the lake. "Don't think that's possible, sweet girl."

"It's all Jed's fault for challenging me!" I complain, my head pounding as I try to catch my breath again. "I don't know how but he put a hit out on me."

Jed sighs in disbelief. "It's time I leave this continent before I really do hit you or something like that."

I could not agree more.

"Why are you giving every guy here a hard time?" Jay asks, having noticed. "More so than usual, I mean."

"Because I miss Grey!" I exclaim with a pout. "I just want him back here where he belongs! I want to hug him and then proceed by draining all the life out of him with my witty insults!"

I'm never going to be able to relax completely without knowing whether Grey's okay or not. And I don't know why but he's consuming my mind lately. I just need him back. I don't have a good feeling and although that's the usual feeling I have when around Grey, this time it's serious. Not to mention the fact that Zac is now on a wayward path to destruction, one that I'm not sure any of us can get him off of.

Jay doesn't reply, a thoughtful expression taking over his face as he considers my words.

"Well," Leban claps, breaking the silence, "that was as hilarious as it was painful to watch!"

"It was hot," Jay admits, winking down at me, finding his voice again. "You were doing so great until...you know...you fell and completely embarrassed yourself in front of everyone, including me."

"How'd you manage that?" Kyle asks me in wonder. "I thought you've never surfed before?"

"Yeah," Ava pipes up, "you were quite awful on land but you seriously amazed me when you were out there," she tells me with a smile, just as blown away as Kyle and everyone else. "How?"

"Wait for the stupid answer to come from her mouth," Melinda chimes in knowingly.

I ignore Barbie and focus on answering Goku and Ava in the most truthful way possible. "You see, Ave, it all came to me in a dream. I saw myself excelling at surfing. It was a vision that came upon me while I slept. The dream was a sign of what was to come, of–"

"Told you," Melinda cuts me off with a shake of her head, clearly envious of my badass skill – can't blame the poor serpent of evil.

Ava laughs, shooting me a friendly smile and I immediately return it, appreciating her sudden change in mood.

"You were fly, Flower," Jam tells me, embracing me tightly before applauding for me. "Literally. That last part was done with so much precision. You were magnificent!"

Jam needs glasses. I'm starting to think he's blind.

Jay glowers at him and crosses his arms over his chest, striking a defensive stance. "Suck-up," he coughs before grinning at Jam, letting him know that he's only messing with him.

"Babe!" Jezel races up to where I'm standing with Riosh settled on her right hip, her long hair flowing down her back. "You okay?"

"Totally, babe," I reply, having no idea why we're 'babing' each other. "It was all part of the plan."

Jezel, as well as everyone else, isn't convinced.

"Having the wind knocked out of you was part of the plan?" Boss Man asks me, failing to hide his taunting tone of voice.

I scowl up at him. "Don't you have a date to stuff up?" I ask him with a fake smile, purposely putting him ill at ease. I feel bad for him, just a little. Decoda can be very intimidating to the weak. "Better get to it," I add ever so innocently.

Calvin grins from ear to ear before patting Jay on the back. "I like her."

The man has good taste!

"I'm so embarrassed for you right now, Squirt," I hear his stupid voice before seeing his stupid face.

"Says the guy in a tiny speedo with a giant wedgie!" I hiss at Troy, ready to attack the next person who tries to throw an insult my way. I grab Rhys from his arms. "Stop putting my baby boy through this!" I say, defending the one who cannot yet defend himself.

Why should he have to endure Troy and his grossness?

Rhys giggles and kicks his feet back and forth before twisting his neck to look up at me with adoring eyes. When the stench fills my nostrils, I quickly hand him back to Troy with no explanation whatsoever.

Looking for another baby to play with, my gaze falls to Gland who is juggling the responsibility of Melby, Blanche, and Oog. I smile at seeing Gland tossing the babies, Oog included, up into the air individually before catching them, each of them getting a turn. The girls, Oog included, laugh out of their little bellies, enjoying the attention.

Trust me, girls, going airborne sucks!

"Them babies are cute, dawgs!" Gland grins over at us while Blanche snuggles into him, tucking herself against his giant chest of solid muscle. "I think I used to be one at some point. I officially accept them into my posse."

I don't think I've even been 'officially' accepted into his posse yet and I've known him for over five years. Those baby girls should consider themselves very lucky. I feel sorry for the boy that breaks one of their hearts someday because Uncle Gland is going to break him in half.

"I want some," FeeBee speaks up, her gaze drifting over the cute smiles of the girls. "Do you think Zac is ready?" She asks aloud to no one in particular.

Unable to hold it, I burst out laughing, aware of her strange relationship with Zac Attack. I'm convinced she has some kind of twisted crush on him, one that he either has no idea about or is turning a blind eye to it. I suppose with the state he's in now, he has no idea about anything. He was as high as rocket in outer space the last time I saw him – even gravity couldn't hold him.

With that thought in mind, I walk over to my towel where my beach bag is lying. I take out my phone and start a group chat. I send a message to Mia and Laiken saying that I urgently need to speak to them. If there is anyone able to save Zac from himself, it's one of them.

'Why am I on here? I don't even like Zac.' ~ BoyBand

My phone instantly beeps with a message from Benley.

'You have no life. Were you just waiting for someone to send you a message? Still as pathetic as ever, I see. I sympathize with AJ.' ~ Legend Lawson

What can I say? I haven't seen Ben for a while and I'm starting to miss him.

My phone beeps again and I frown when I read the notification.

BoyBand has left the group.

I re-add him just to annoy the hell out of him. In all honesty, he really doesn't need to be on this group. Neither does Blubber but I added him, Dylan and Xavier too anyway.

'I despise you with a passion. Leave me alone.' ~ BoyBand

'Someone's clearly missing her boys...' ~ Sexy, hot manager dude

'Clearly. Wish she'd catch a hint though.' ~BoyBand

'I'm so glad I now live far away from all of you!' ~ British Boy

BoyBand, British Boy and Sexy, hot manager dude have left the group.

However, Xavier didn't leave without first sending a photo of his Alexis – a typical dad move. I gotta say, she has her daddy's smile, that's for sure. I just hope she gets Em's personality.

'How rude! They were privileged to be on this group, your goddesses! ;) ~ Pork Chop

Pork Chop was removed from the group by Legend Lawson.

'Does no one have lives anymore?' ~ WhiteBoy

'Apparently, you don't either.' ~ Mia

'Law, what's up? You're scaring me. What of Zac?' ~ WhiteBoy

'I think you need to head over to Minnesota for this one, Laik. It's bad and I'm worried.' ~ Legend Lawson

I put my phone away only to notice Jay sitting beside me, hugging Blanche to his chest while watching all the others surf and splash around in the water, all except for Oog and Gland who have taken it upon themselves to politely crash some random guys' game of volleyball, intercepting their hits and serves. Of course, the guys are too afraid to dare kick Gland out.

I then take note of Rhys, Riosh, and Melby playing in the shallows with Jezel, Calvin and Boss Man. Each time a wave comes, the three adults grab the three babies and lift them up over the wave. The babies giggle and kick in the water, enjoying the new experience.

I love my family of friends.

"Wow! Look at that view," I voice my thoughts to Jay, seeing the rain way out in the distance. A rainbow has formed on the horizon as a result, lighting up the sky with color. "Nice."

"Yup," he replies, his hand finding mine in a not so subtle move.

"My mom loved rainbows," I say quietly, the thought passing through my mind at the gorgeous sight before me, and this time I'm not talking about Jay...although he's pretty easy on the eyes too.

Jay turns to look at me and gives my hand a comforting squeeze. "You don't often mention her...not to me, not to anyone."

"I don't remember much about her," I confess with a shrug. "I just knew that she loved me because I always felt it."

Jay sends me the sweetest of smiles in response, happy to break through another one of my barricades. "For however short, she was a great mother. You're living proof of that," he says, curling his fingers through mine before lifting our hands up and kissing my knuckles.

I lean my head against his shoulder and smile internally, his words meaning a lot to me. "Thanks, Jay." I really love him.

He rests his head on top of mine. "It's a pleasure, 'Queels. I mean it."

Blanche leans back against Jay's chest, staring up at us with her big blue eyes. Her gaze moves from Jay to me and then to Jay again before she suddenly lights up with the most beautiful and blissful smile. For once, she's not crying.

Jay returns her smile before directing it to me. "This is the brains of the bunch," he says, kissing the top of Blanche's giant, baby head. "She knows that we're going to be great together."

I laugh lightly, completely at peace. Despite the mishaps, this day has turned out to be perfect. This moment is perfect. I mentally take back the thought when a volleyball suddenly hits the back of my head.

That's it! Somebody's about to die!

*~**~*

Hey guys :)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be released on Radish soon.

1. Is Aqueela close to being invincible?

2. What was your favourite part of this chapter?

3. Rate Aqueela's surfing skills out of 10

4. Thoughts on Blanche and Jay?

5. Should Oog have given Aqueela CPR? Or someone else?

6. Is Zac ready for kids?

7. Thoughts on Aqueela's mom?

8. Is Jay a bad teacher or is Aqueela the bad learner?

9. Surprised that Leban 'saved' Aqueela's life?

10. Who threw that volleyball and who is going to die?

Take care :)

~CJ