Excerpt--
Take a breath, Lana.
Everything will be okay.
My stomach churned when I noticed his perfectly combed chestnut hair walking through the corridor by himself, just like any other day. I basically jumped out of the bush, nearly tripping in the...
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Luckily, no one took the volleyball net, and we were able to jump right into playing. Isn't the feeling of sand rubbing between your toes one of the best feelings? It's like putting your feet into those moon-sand products which were advertised towards children. But I definitely had my own box hiding underneath my bed.
"To make the game more interesting, we should bet something," Nate suggested, dribbling the volleyball in the air back to his hand.
"I guess, that's fair," I added, nodding in agreement.
"What should we wager?" Ambrose asked.
"If we win, can you guys leave?" Declan recommended, his expression cold as a carved stone statue.
"Oh, don't be so cruel, Declan," Nate winked. "I say whoever loses buys everyone ice cream."
"I'm good with that," I agreed.
"Whatever, let's get this over with," Declan commented, opening his hands wide for the ball.
Nate threw the ball, which Declan easily caught in his hands, and started positioning his palm behind the volleyball for some odd reason. Maybe I should've payed more attention in gym class so I would know something about sports. But we couldn't live with regrets we had to keep fighting forward.
Declan smacked his fist against the ball causing it to shoot up into the air and I swooned over how attractive it was when his bicep flexed. How did I get this lucky to find someone like him? His looks-- no, his body --no his everything could kill me with a single touch. My cheeks burned the longer I admired every single feature.
"Lana!"
BAM!
Gosh dangit.
Apparently, while I was gawking at Declan, I failed to realize the ball heading straight towards me. The volleyball was a poser; it looked as soft as a pillow but felt heavier than a flipping rock! Dramatically, I collapsed onto the ground, gripping my aching nose and checking for any blood. Luckily, my nose had stronger bones than I thought.
"Lana, are you okay?" Ambrose asked, his eyes glimmering with worry.
"Yeah, it was just painful and unexpected," I answered, rubbing my sore nose.
"Lana, you forgot the most important rule... No daydreaming," Nate said, keeping his lips as straight in line as he could.
The moment my eyes wandered towards Declan, his shoulders shook and his palm was covering his husky chuckles. At least someone found my pain enjoyable! This couldn't have gotten any worse. Universe, I'm asking for a little bit of mercy, here, please, and thank you.
"Are you okay to continue playing?" Ambrose asked, gently caressing my lower back.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," I smiled, dusting the sand off my hands.
