water's edge//mgc

0.4

Song for this chapter: Where Did The Party Go by Fall Out Boy

Louisa's POV

My aunt insists on taking me to the boardwalk once again after work, much to my dismay. We eat dinner at a Mexican restaurant and she directs me towards a surf shop called Jake's where I can get a new bathing suit.

I find myself hoping that there aren't any rowdy teenagers in there; they make me nervous. I walk through the entryway, which is a door frame with beads hanging from it, and head to the back of the shop, where I see bathing suits hung up on the walls.

I find myself admiring a cute baby blue Triangl bikini, when all of a sudden I hear, "Louisa!"

I hesitantly turn around; that was definitely not my aunt's voice.

Calum is standing a little behind me near the surfboards, with a huge smile on his face.

"H-hi Calum," I say nervously. He just seems so social and it's kind of intimidating, to be honest.

"Nice swimsuit," he nods at the bikini top I'm holding in my hands.

"Thanks," I say and laugh a little, "are you looking for a surfboard?"

"Oh-uh yeah, yeah I am. I surf a little," he says.

"Cool," I say. "Well I'd like to watch you sometime."

Wow. Where did that burst of confidence come from?

His face turns white and he mumbles "yeah."

"You don't actually surf, do you?" I ask.

He laughs a little before responding. "No. I'm not that cool. I actually just saw you walk in and wanted to say hi but I thought it would be a bit creepy if I followed you."

"Oh," I blush.

"Actually, there's another thing. I'm having a party tomorrow night when my parents are out of town and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to stop in? I mean we are neighbors after all and there's a lot of cool people to meet."

A party? The closest thing I've ever had to a party was when I stayed up all night on a group chat with three of my internet friends. Parties scare me. I don't like big crowds and loud music. It could give me a panic attack and I don't think it's a good idea.

"Okay," I say before I realize what just came out of my mouth.

Shit.

"Cool, I'll see you there Louisa," he smiles and walks out of Jake's, leaving me dumbfounded and already nervous.

*****

The next day at work is boring and I find myself longing for Thursday, when I can see Michael again. I just want to know what's up with him. He's so timid.

All the while I'm worrying about the party tonight. My nerves are on edge and I'm slightly shaking throughout the whole day.

We arrive back at the house and I race upstairs to decide what to wear. Maybe that'll get my mind off of the idea that I'm actually going to a party with other teenagers who are probably nothing like me.

I decide on a simple black bodycon dress with black heels which makes me feel self conscious but at the same time confident. My aunt is surprised when I tell her where I'm off to, but she doesn't question it and just tells me to be safe, earning an eyeroll from me.

******

The music is already on full blast by the time I get to the front porch. The door is cracked open and I go inside.

Some people are dancing on furniture with red cups which no doubt have alcohol in them. Others are making out on the sofa or doing body shots.

What have I gotten myself into?

I'm just about to turn around and go back to my aunt's when I hear Calum yell, "Louisa!"

He runs over and engulfs me in a bear hug, which is weird considering we've only met twice and both conversations weren't longer than five minutes.

He releases me from the hug and his eyes are bloodshot. He's drunk already. Great.

"Louisa, this is Luke," he says, gesturing to the boy next to him, who is super tall and has a lip ring.

"Hi," Luke says. He seems more sober than Calum.

"Hi," I say in return.

"So Calum tells me you're just here for the summer?" Luke asks.

I nod and blush a little bit. Calum's talked about me?

"Y-yeah I am, I'm living with my aunt who's just a couple houses down," I respond.

My this point Calum has already sauntered away and is dancing on a table with some girl wearing nothing but an ugly neon pink tank top and light blue mesh shorts.

"Do you want something to drink?" Luke asks.

"N-no thanks, I don't drink," I say. Drinking seems like a bad idea to me right now.

"Ok," Luke replies and we just kind of stand there awkwardly for a bit.

"Here, let me introduce you to some people," he says after a minute.

*****

Luke introduces me to some of his friends and after a while I feel pretty comfortable around him. At first I was a little pissed at Calum for inviting me then leaving me with him but he's actually a really cool guy.

We end up hanging out in the kitchen for about an hour before a girl comes in and whispers something to him.

"I gotta go, Louisa. It was nice meeting you," he says before exiting out of the kitchen and leaving me alone.

My palms start to get sweaty and my breath hitches in my throat. I'm suddenly realizing my surroundings now that I'm not with Luke. Everything is crazy and loud and I start to panic.

The first thing I think to do is run up the staircase, so that's exactly what I do.

Once I get upstairs I find the bathroom and go inside of it, shutting the door. Just as I do that, however, I look to my right and see the shower turned on with two people in it. Luke and that girl who whispered to him. He opens the curtain, revealing his completely naked body and we stare at each other for a second before I dart out into the hallway.

Well that was single-handedly the most awkward experience of my life.

It does get my mind off of having a panic attack, however, but I still need somewhere quiet to go before I go into anxiety mode again.

I check two other rooms which both have people hooking up in them. There's only one room left and the door's shut. I turn the knob and open it, waking a sleeping boy with red and black hair.

Michael.

a/n: hey guys i really want this to get more reads so if you read could you please recommend it to other people :)

*vote, comment, like and all that good stuff

love you more than michael loves luke,

em