0 8 | c o o g e e

BONFIRE PARTIES WERE A SUMMER STAPLE IN SHELLSIDE BAY. You weren't a local if you didn't attend at least five over the break – and end up smashed, half naked in the water at four in the morning.

Well, that was one thing I wouldn't be doing today. Not if Tom Buckner had anything to do with it. Although, it might save time walking to work if I just passed out on the beach instead of walking home.

"Not much of a party."

I turned to face Everett as we slowly approached the beach. He was right. A group of teenagers danced and laughed and drank – not more than thirty kids, really. A huge bonfire sat in the middle, music pumping from a nearby Bluetooth speaker.

"It's a small town," I shrugged. "What did you expect?"

"Man, you should've seen the parties we had back in New York," Everett mused. I turned to see him grinning widely, his eyes far away in memory. His lips twitched as if he remembered some specific party he'd attended, and he exhaled sharply through his nose. "They were... insane."

"I can imagine," I smiled back. He faced me and slowly his smile fell. He swallowed thickly, shrugging and turning back to the beach.

"Yeah," he muttered, instantly in a sour mood. I quirked a brow at him, itching to push him further, but instead deciding to leave it. Clearly, he didn't want to talk about it, no matter how curious I was.

"Anyway," I said quickly, changing the topic before the atmosphere grew too tense. "I'm sure some tourists will join in later as it starts to pick up."

We stepped onto the sand, quickly joining the party. I scanned the crowds, looking for the boys. Most of the people here were kids from school, but I wasn't friends with them. Not really.

Sky and I tended to stick to ourselves – occasionally hanging out with Austin, River and Connor when we felt like it. The boys were like magnets – people were attracted to them and stuck around them constantly. It was exhausting.

"Isla."

I jumped, spinning to find Connor and River grinning at me, an inch from my face. I staggered back, my eyes wide, and Connor began howling in laughter at my reaction.

"You idiot," I scolded, whacking Connor's chest and River's head.

River rolled his eyes, reaching out to hand me a beer. "Peace offering?"

"Hmm," I hummed, smiling sarcastically and taking the bottle. "I'll consider it."

"Everett, man," Connor grinned, tossing an arm around his shoulders and leading us further towards the fire. "Glad you came. Charlotte's been looking everywhere for you."

I raised a brow and Connor sent him a wink, nodding in Charlotte's direction. We all turned to see her in a bikini, waving excitedly at us – or more accurately, at Everett.

"Oh," Everett said, his eyes widening. He turned to us and I noticed his cheeks had tinted pink. "Well, I'll umm... I'll see you guys then."

With a curt nod, he turned, bee lining towards Charlotte. I rolled my eyes as she squealed loudly, pulling him into a tight hug – a blatant excuse to press her chest against his. I snorted, taking a swig of my beer and turning back.

"So, I guess it's just the Nauti Buoys tonight then," I teased, winking at the others. I furrowed my brow, pausing. "Speaking of which, where's Austin?"

River and Connor exchanged a smirk before turning back to face me.

"Take one guess," Connor said, his smile wide and deliberate.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're no fun, Monroe," he replied, rolling his eyes but still grinning. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. I scrunched my nose – he already stunk like alcohol. "My boy's getting some tonight."

He nodded to the left and I spun, quickly searching the dark beach for Austin's floppy brown hair.

And there he was. Standing bare chested on the sand, laughing and joking, swaying tipsily. He shoved a hand through his waves, and I grinned subconsciously, stepping forward. But then I saw who he was with.

Mia.

She dragged her nails down his chest, leaning too close for comfort. In an excruciating instant, she craned her neck up to brush her lips along his jaw and his smirk grew wider.

My heart sunk into my stomach, and I spun before I could see anymore, my face burning.

"Yeah," Connor whooped, grinning. "That's my boy."

River watched me carefully, his eyes narrowed. He lowered his head in a nod that meant are you okay? I nodded, avoiding his eyes and taking a long drink of beer.

For the millionth time tonight, I wished Sky was here.

The beer splashed over my tongue and I scrunched my nose at the bitter taste. I never liked the taste of beer, but I held it firmly against my lips anyway, letting it wash down my throat.

"Woah, slow down," River said, his eyes widening.

"Stop being a buzz kill, River," Connor teased. He arched a brow at me, raising his own beer. "Chug, chug, chug, chug!"

"Connor," River scolded.

"Chug, chug, chug, chug!"

I flashed him a smile, bringing the bottle to my lips and letting it pour down my throat. I chugged it quickly, beer flowing past my lips and trickling down my neck to my chest. I finished it with a loud sigh and handed the empty bottle to Connor.

"Yeah, Monroe!" he cheered, slapping me on the back.

"You're fuckin' sticky now," River grumbled, though he grinned and raised a brow at me. He glanced at my empty bottle. "I'll get you another."

River turned, marching to a cooler someone had brought. I laughed, tugging my beer-ruined t-shirt off to reveal my bikini underneath.

"Careful, Isla," Connor started, smirking. "Got some real shitheads here tonight."

"Relax, Connor. None of them will do anything to me," I rolled my eyes at him, shoving him lightly. "Not without knowing you, River and Austin will murder them."

Connor laughed, opening his mouth to reply when his name was called out from behind. We both turned to see some of the other guys in our grade waving him over.

They shouted at him, nodding towards the ocean, and we both instantly knew what they were asking.

He turned back to me, raising his brows in question, and I chuckled, shoving his shoulder.

"Go, Connor," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'll be fine."

"You're the best," he smiled, turning and sprinting towards the surf.

I watched as he joined the others, jumping into the rising tides of the ocean and tackling each other into the water. Soon, some girls had joined, and he was making a big show of carrying each one like they weighed nothing before dropping them into the water.

I scoffed, shaking my head at him. Connor had always been a show-off.

"Where'd Thompson go?"

I spun to see River standing beside me, two red cups in his hands. I took one from him, staring down at it cautiously.

"What is it?" I asked dubiously.

"You don't trust me?" He teased. I raised a brow at him, and he laughed. "Vodka Sprite. Heavy on the Sprite. You've got work tomorrow, idiot."

"Just how I like it," I winked, raising it in cheers and taking a gulp. Well, he wasn't exaggerating when he said heavy on the Sprite. Half of me wondered if he'd put any vodka in there at all.

"So," River started slowly. "Where's Connor?"

"Right," I said, blinking. "He went for a swim."

River's head whipped to the side and he watched as Connor lifted another girl – a tourist, probably. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a drunk, sloppy kiss before he tossed her into the water, guffawing.

"Oh," River said simply, turning back and swallowing a sip of his drink. "There."

I sighed, pursing my lips. "And then there were two."

I scanned the crowd slowly, my eyes landing on Austin and Mia. They'd moved to the middle of the beach to sit near the bonfire. He had his arm around her, and she had her fingers in his hair, giggling every few seconds.

I resisted the urge to gag.

Slowly, she pulled him closer, connecting their lips in a deep kiss. Around them, people began to cheer, egging them on, and I watched as Austin smiled against her lips.

I frowned, turning away, unable to watch any longer. I took a large gulp of my drink – yep, definitely only Sprite – and found Everett instead, still with Charlotte, except also surrounded by a group of girls.

They sat nearby on a log, their voices loud enough for me and River to unfortunately hear everything.

"Oh, my God. Say burger again!" one of them screeched.

Everett flashed a smile, laying his American accent on thick. "Burger."

They screamed.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to River and finishing off my drink.

"You know what," I started, tossing my soiled shirt over my shoulder. "I think I've had enough of this party."

"You've been here for ten minutes."

"Ten minutes too long," I grumbled.

River sighed, nodding in agreement. "When did summers become so shit?"

"When Sky left for Cambodia," I started, frowning. "She always kept us in check."

"That she did," he agreed, cocking a brow. "She'd probably be beating their arses right now if she were here."

I nodded, letting out a bark of a laugh. She had always been the glue of the group. We wouldn't have all stayed friends through high school if she hadn't moved here from Sydney.

I could practically hear her, telling them off.

River's only here for another few weeks! She'd probably shout, dragging them by their ears. So, let's all spend our time together instead of drooling over some plastic bitch's tits! It's our last summer together. Let's make the most of it.

Except she was in rural Cambodia, having the time of her life, and I was here – too shy to do anything. And River was beside me, too in the closet to say a word.

My lips twitched and I found myself laughing. I leaned forward, resting my head against River's chest, my shoulders shaking in laughter.

"Isla?" he asked, frowning. I laughed harder. "What's funny?"

He paused, hesitating. "Are you drunk? I swear I only put Sprite in there."

"No," I gasped, out of breath from all my laughter. "No. I just –" I released a breath, shaking my head. "We are so bloody useless."

"Bloody fuckin' oath." He chuckled, taking a drink from his cup.

"I just... it's our last summer together and we're all falling apart," I sighed, shaking my head. I paused, narrowing my eyes at him as I finally processed his words.

"I knew this had no alcohol in it," I said, raising my cup. "You little sneak."

He shrugged, smirking. "You should be thanking me. Don't you have to be back here in – what? Six hours?"

"Yeah," I sighed. I glanced back at Austin. He was still holding Mia, occasionally leaning down to kiss her. I frowned. "Know what? I'm leaving."

"You want a ride?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, you stay. At least you can get smashed. I have work in the morning."

"Right," River said. "See you tomorrow then?"

I nodded as a way of saying goodbye, chucking my cup in one of the designated rubbish bags and turning to leave. A peel of laughter caught my attention and I paused, remembering Everett.

He sat in the middle of a group of girls, ranging from locals to tourists – all fascinated by his accent. Beside him, Charlotte sat in her tiny bikini, dragging her nails over his bicep and pushing his cup to his mouth, enticing him to drink more.

With a begrudging sigh, I realised I couldn't leave him. He was my responsibility. What would Mrs Clemente think if he passed out drunk on a foreign beach? What if he got off his face and drowned in the ocean?

Deciding to be the responsible young adult I was supposed to be, I made my way towards Everett and his little fan club.

I paused, crossing my arms at him.

"Isla," he grinned, swaying slightly. I raised a brow at him.

"Are you drunk?"

"Hey," he shrugged. "The best thing about Australia is your drinking age. This technically isn't illegal."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "Let's go."

He quirked a brow. "Now?"

"Yes, now."

"We just got here."

"And?"

He paused, his lips flattening into a straight line. "And I don't want to leave."

"Well, I do. So, let's go."

"No."

"Everett," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "I can't leave you here."

"Why do you want to leave so bad?" He asked. I ignored him, swallowing hard as the image of Austin kissing Mia flashed in my mind. My vision blurred and I blinked.

"Doesn't matter."

"Oh?" He cocked his head, his eyes trailing over my shoulder. His eyes lit up in realisation and a smile spread across his face. "Oh."

"Come on, Everett," I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Please?"

"Looks like Lover Boy's moved on," he teased, smirking. His words slurred slightly, and he eyes grew dark. His voice quieted. "How does it feel, being the second choice?"

I froze, clenching my fists.

Second choice.

A pressure grew in my chest and I felt my blood begin to boil. I hated him for riling me up like that. I hated him for seeing right through me and knowing exactly how I'd been feeling all night.

I dragged my eyes back up to meet his, ready to fight back, but he seemed distant. His gaze was far and dark, and his mouth had been pressed into a thin line.

It almost felt like it wasn't me he was talking about.

"Don't make him go," one of the girls said suddenly. I turned, narrowing my eyes at her. She grinned condescendingly. "Don't be such a bitch."

"Yeah," another one agreed.

"Come on, Isla," Charlotte said. Her lips twitched up snidely at me. "Can't you take one day to not be so annoying?"

I blinked, my brow furrowing. The girls around her laughed, and I whipped my head to meet Everett's eyes. His jaw clenched, but he avoided my eyes.

I didn't know what I was expecting. For him to do something? To defend me? To be a decent person?

He wasn't capable of it. That much was clear.

"Fine," I spat, stepping back. "Find your own damn way home."

Before he could reply, I spun, storming out of the beach and leaving without him.

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A U T H O R ' S N O T E

They do be fighting a lot tho hahah let me know what you thought of this chapter! Any predictions? About Everett's past? Austin's future? Isla? I want to hear it!

Now that I'm on break, I'll have more time to write which hopefully means more updates! See you soon x