Normal People || Baxter Radic

2| Mabel

I stare at them blankly. It's been three months since I last saw them yet they're acting as if I'm supposed to know who this Baxter guy is. 

There's a chuckle behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see 'Baxter' leaning on his board, brushing his pink hair back. Safe to say I really didn't look at him in the water, either that or I'm colour blind and my eyes have now decided to recognise the colour pink. 

"You should do, I'm kind of a big deal."

I scoff, looking back at Bodhi and Poppy who smirk. "Bax and his sister moved here from Queensland a couple of days ago. They've joined the surf club." Poppy smiles. "Bax, this is Mabel."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to know who that is?" Baxter smirks at me. 

Ignoring him,  I stay focussed on Poppy. "Did that information get lost in the mail?"

"We did text you, but you were probably dead to the world," Ari raises his arms to put them around my shoulders but stops himself. "I bet you haven't even checked your phone today."

I lean sigh, "I couldn't even tell you where it is." He laughs, scraping his long curly hair back. Ari is like the brother I've always wanted.

"No surprise there," Poppy says, "I bet you've been dying to get back to the beach."

"Honestly, if I spent one more second in Leeds I think I would have died. Self-inflicted or not, I'm not sure. I'm just glad to be back."

Marlon steps towards me slowly and I step away. "Well, we're for sure glad to have you back, Rosie." He breaks into a run and so do I, him chasing me down the beach.

"Rosie. Who is Rosie?" Bax asks as the others following behind us. "Hey! Is anyone going to answer me?"

* * *

We've been back in the country for seventy-two hours at most and I have already seen four - FOUR - separate girls exit Abe's room. He stumbles out of his bedroom after a girl sneaks down the stairs and out the door before my dad sees.

He leans on the doorframe and sighs. "She might be the one, you know." 

"You say that about them all." 

"No but, Mabes, she did this thing where mid gluck she rolled my ball-"

"You are vile!" I block my ears and race into my room, slamming the door behind me. 

I sink to the floor and pull my knees to my chest, watching the tree outside my window wave in the breeze. It's natural, I get it, the stuff my brother does but there's a niggle in my brain that sends a sinking sensation to my stomach which makes me clammy and gross. No amount of showers can rid the grotty sensation that rakes itself across my body. 

I reach for my phone, which has stayed on my desk for days and sure enough I have been inundated with texts in our group chat about Baxter and his sister, Wren. I scroll down and there's a reel of texts from Summer. 

Summer is Ari's childhood friend, she's from New York and stayed with the Benson's last year. She is the epitome of cool and care free. The total opposite to Ari but they match well because of that. She can make anyone feel good about themselves. She radiates comfort and right from the word go I felt safe around her. 

I'd never tell Bodhi or Poppy but there's things I've spoken to Summer about which even they don't know and we tell each other pretty much everything. With Summer, judgement isn't a thing. 

She's been learning to surf since going back to New York. Apparently it makes her feel more connected to us, like a part of us is with her in the US. Nobody else knows and I have been sworn to secrecy about it after she let it slip in a drunken call to me at a house party a few months ago.