The Seaside Retreat

Chapter 29

Violet's POV

Remmy scared me. There was no better way to say it. The way she glared at me sent shivers up my spine. Seriously. I kept trying to figure out how she could take such a sudden dislike to me, but could think of nothing. 

Throughout dinner, the situation became increasingly worse. Her glares became more frequent, and if I wasn't mistaken, it seemed to me like she was scheming. And somehow, I just knew that she was thinking bad things about me. Even though, besides her continuous glares, she never said a bad word to me all night, I just knew that below the surface she strongly disliked me. 

I tried to be nice to her, but none of my efforts paid off. She stayed as cold to me as ever. Her friend, luckily, was nice to me. With her light brown hair, and caring gray eyes, she had an appearance that was trustworthy. I wondered how her and Remmy could talk and get along since they were such complete opposites.

I was relieved when she finally left, although I was sad to see her friend go. She had been nice to me throughout the dinner, thanking me when I brought out her food. When they were done eating, and Remmy was making her way out to the parking lot, she pulled me aside.

Looking at me with genuine apology, she told me, "I'm really sorry for how she acted tonight. I feel embarassed and bad that you had to put up with that." I looked at her face, seeing only sincerety. "Hey, it's not your fault." I replied, shrugging it off. "You weren't doing anything." She still looked a little unsettled. "She's usually not like this, I promise."Her brow was furrowed with worry. I seriously doubted this, but didn't say so. "Really, it's fine," I assured her, giving her a smile instead. 

She looked at me with relief in her eyes. "Thanks for understanding." Before leaving, she shoved something into my hand. Looking down, I saw that a twenty dollar bill was there. "What's this?" I asked, disbelief in my voice. "Just a little thank you for putting up with all of us tonight." She smiled at me. "And also for putting up with her. I know she's hard to handle when she's going through one of her "moods." I laughed, as did she. "Hey, it's not your fault." Looking down at the money, I felt guilty. "Are you sure you don't want your money?" I asked her uncertainly. She nodded her head up and down. "Absoulety. You did a very good and professional job tonight. I don't know if I would've been able to handle a group this big." Her genuine appreciation touched me. "Thanks so much! That means a lot." I told her.

She smiled before heading out of the eating area. In the next couple of minutes, the rest of the group slowly filed out. Once they were all gone, besides Mason, I started to pick up dishes. As I was making my way into the kitchen, Mason made his way to me. 

"Hey, do you need help with the dishes?" He asked. On reflex, I replied. "No, I'm fine, thanks for asking though." I smiled before heading into the kitchen. "Wait!" He reached out, his hand touching my arm. The contact gave me an electric jolt. I ignored it. "Are you sure?" He asked, doubt clouding his face. "That's a lot of dishes and you're parents have already left." 

It was true. My parents had already retired for the night, leaving me here to do the dishes and clean off the tables. Looking back at the huge mess that Mason's group had made, I hesitated. "Well..." I bit my lip, torn. "Oh, c'mon!" He encouraged, flashing me a grin. "If it's not too much trouble...." 

Mason headed back to the table, balancing a handful of plates in his hand. "I'm on it" He replied, chipper. I couldn't help but laugh at his balancing act. He smiled at my reaction, and we took the plates into the kitchen. We washed the dishes in silence. When I looked up from the washing, I noticed Mason staring at me. He had a serious expression on his face, as if he were deep in thought. I blushed, looking down at the dishes. The rest of the time we were doing the dishes, the feeling of being watched never left me. 

------------------------------------------------------

Mason's POV

As we washed the dishes, her washing, me drying, I couldn't help but glance at her every chance I could. I found I had to be with her; I didn't only want her, I needed her. I had never felt this way about a girl before.

Violet brought out a protective side of me. I knew that if she was ever in danger I would risk myself for her. I don't know how my feelings for Violet developed so suddenly; I had only met her a couple of days ago, but yet I felt like I had known her much longer. She was exactly what I'd always been looking for in a girl. She was perfect for me. 

Yet I knew she was off-limits. She was dating Seth, and I didn't want to get punched again. Sure, I could hold my own, but I really didn't want to get into it. Plus, Seth would never forgive me. I had already stolen one of his girlfriends from him. Remmy. Why I had ever gone out with her, I don't think I"ll ever figure out. I don't know what I ever saw in her. True, she was pretty, the ideal "popular" girl with her long slender frame and wavy blonde hair. But once you got to know her, as I figured out after going out with her, she was nothing but a shallow, whiny, needy girl. I finally got tired of her attitude and the way she treated others, and at the end of ther year, I decided to call it off.

Saying Remmy didn't take it well would be an understatement. She had a complete fit, cussing me out. After she had gotten all of her anger out, she had started to cry, which did make me feel guilty. I really didn't like to make girls cry, even girls like Remmy. I tried to comfort her, but she pushed me off. After wiping away her tears, she had left.

The whole memory was still painful, and throughout our whole "travel the coast before school starts" trip, I tried to keep my distance from her. I wanted to be friends with Remmy, but I knew that she still wanted to be more than friends. I knew I had to be careful so Remmy woudn't get the wrong idea. It wasn't going to be easy, but Violet was worth it.

------------------------------------

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!