?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 48?
“Whenever you feel like he..ll, or if your past comes back
haunting you… don’t forget, I’m here for you, Alice.
You’re not alone anymore.”
I squeezed his hand before pulling mine away. “Thank
you.”
The next day, we were at the beach after breakfast. I
was wearing a yellow off-shoulder cropped top, purple
swimming shorts and a pair of old beach slippers.
The cropped top showed my bare shoulders and a bit of my
tummy.
The shorts ended a few inches above my knee. It was shorter than most shorts or skirts I’d usually wear, but it was decent and it highlighted my long legs, which I never
paid attention to before.
I had tucked Hunter’s necklace inside my top. I
contemplated on leaving it.
After all, it didn’t feel right to wear it anymore. When Hunter gave it to me, he said he was
in love with me.
It was because of my hopes that he would come back that made me wear it all the time. But now…
that hope was almost gone.
“Wow!” Denise beamed when she looked at me. “You
look hot!”
“Shut up. These were the only beach wear that Meredith
had that were… decent.” Last night, when I checked her
drawers to borrow some beach outfit, I discovered that she
only owned two-piece swimsuits.
Well, she had every right
to wear them. Meredith was pretty and I was sure she had a
hot body.
I felt bad because instead of spending some time charming guys on the beach, she had to work extra hours to fend for both of us.
I kept myself busy running errands for Denise, making
sure everything was done the way she wanted.
Being pressured by her was actually heaven compared to the
prospect of running into Hunter, or worse, Hunter with Tania.
Noontime, the sun was high up and the temperature
was at its highest.
The monster kids of Leighton High were still oblivious of my existence as they were too busy
befriending their Jacksonville counterparts.
I hadn’t run into Hunter yet and the chances of him showing up were getting slimmer by the hour.
I checked on the place where the AV systems were
going to be setup at the beach side.
I was walking back to
one of the cottages where Denise was when a group of kids
scurried off from behind me, literally running me over,
causing me to almost trip.
Good thing, I was able to hold on to the rail beside me
and broke my fall.
I resisted the urge to shout a curse at them. I looked down, and saw that my slippers did not survive the incident.
I reached down to see if I could still fix it enough to at least wear it until I reached the cottage.
Hopefully, Denise would have a spare.
As I tried to fix my slipper, I stood on one foot,
alternating my feet as the cement was too hot for my soles.
“You should get a new pair,” I heard somebody say
behind me. I turned around and found Hunter looking at my
damaged slipper.
“You think?” I asked sarcastically. I took a deep breath.
A minute ago, I was positive, the day was getting better. Now, it seemed menace after menace was happening to me in
batches.
“Come, let’s go to the gift shop. I’m sure they would
have plenty there,” he said.
“No. I’m sure Denise would have a spare.”
“The gift shop is over there,” he said pointing at the
small shop in the corner. It’s about a hundred steps away, a
short, easy walk—if you have footwear. Long and painful—if
you are barefoot.
“Not necessary,” I said, switching foot again. “The
cottage is not that far.”
“The gift shop is nearer,” he insisted.
I looked up at him sternly. “I’m fine! Can you just… go…
attend to your girlfriend? See if she needs help with
anything!” I shouldn’t have said that, but at that moment, I couldn’t help it.
He raised a brow at me and then, with a wicked smile,
he said, “Okay. As you wish.”
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