He was crazy, evil even.
Chaos Salvatore created destruction everywhere he went, leaving chaos in his wake, sparing no one. Cold and emotionless, he was feared by all, known as the man who could never be tamed or softened. Love was never in his pla...
Saturday rolled around, and Jessica and I were finally out of the house. It was just past ten in the morning when we packed our beach essentials, ready to soak up some sun. Jessica beamed with excitement as she loaded up the car.
"I can't believe I finally have a day off!" she said, tossing her towel into the backseat. "It feels like forever since we've just hung out, you know? Work's been insane. I've missed this."
"Me too," I replied with a smile. It felt good to have a distraction, something normal for once. A day with no thoughts of Chaos, no worries—just the beach, sun, and sand.
The drive to the beach was supposed to be short, but traffic stretched it out longer than we expected. Jessica sighed as we crawled through the bumper-to-bumper cars,
"Well, at least we're still going to make it. I don't even care if we're late, I just want to relax."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we arrived at the beach. The sun was shining bright, and people were scattered all over, swimming, playing volleyball, and laughing under the summer sky. But there was something odd. Jessica and I both noticed the number of cops patrolling the area. They were everywhere.
A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the news article from last night. Chaos Salvatore. Cops being involved with his escape. Chaos killing the family of the cops who locked him up.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. Chaos had been taking up too much space in my head lately. I was here to relax, not obsess over something I couldn't control.
We set our towels down on the sand, Jessica plopping beside me. I'd borrowed one of her bikinis for the day, but it felt... snug. Jessica had a smaller chest than me, and as I lay down, I couldn't help but notice the way the bikini top barely held me in. I felt eyes on me from all directions, male gazes tracing every curve, and I shifted uncomfortably.
Jessica, sensing my discomfort, laughed lightly. "Girl, you have no idea how jealous I am of your body. You look incredible. If I had that figure, I'd wear this every day."
I rolled my eyes playfully. "Yeah, but it's like I'm a walking billboard for unwanted attention."
We laughed, the sound carried away by the ocean breeze. Soon, our conversation turned to my mom. Jessica sighed, fiddling with her phone. "Speaking of attention, your mom's been blowing up my phone again."
My stomach twisted. "What now?"
"She wants to talk to you. Like, urgently. She called me three times yesterday."
I groaned. I wasn't ready for that conversation. I hadn't spoken to my mom in a week, and the more time passed, the harder it got to face her. I knew what was waiting—lectures, guilt, maybe even anger. But I also knew I couldn't avoid her forever.
"I'll call her later," I promised. "I just don't want to ruin today. I need this."
Jessica nodded, understanding. "Yeah, you should. But enjoy today first."
We ate snacks, talked about everything and nothing, and even joined a group of hot guys who invited us to play volleyball. One of them caught my eye—Mason. He had tan skin and dark brown hair that curled just slightly at the ends. He was charming, his smile easy, and his energy infectious.
During a break in the game, he walked over to me, grinning. "Hey, I'm Mason."
"Anita," I said, smiling back, my heart skipping a beat as we shook hands.
"Anita, huh? Well, it's nice to meet you, Anita. And for the record, you've got a killer serve. You might just be my secret weapon." His voice was smooth, and he winked, causing me to blush.
I laughed, trying to brush the hair out of my face, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Oh, she's blushing," Mason teased, his eyes glinting. "Am I that good?"
I playfully nudged him, shaking my head. "You wish."
We continued playing volleyball with the group, and for the first time in a while, I felt genuinely happy. The beach, the sun, the fun—it was exactly what I needed. Everything else, all the stress and anxiety, seemed to fade into the background.
At some point, I heard the familiar hum of a snow cone truck, and my attention snapped toward it.
Mason noticed. "Snow cones, huh? You wanna grab some for the group?"
"Yeah, sure," I said, a little too eagerly.
We made our way to the truck, the line moving slowly. As we waited, something caught my eye—two men talking to Officer Rufus, a local cop I recognized from around town. My stomach dropped. The two guys... I'd seen them before. The alley.
"Did you hear me?" Mason's voice broke through my thoughts. I blinked, realizing I'd been staring.
"Sorry, what?"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "I was saying I used to love snow cones as a kid."
My eyes darted back to Officer Rufus and the men. Why were they talking to him? Was it about Chaos? No, I couldn't think like that. But still... the coincidence was unnerving.
Before I could spiral, Officer Rufus noticed me. His eyes locked onto mine, and within seconds, he was making his way over. My heart raced.
"Hey, Anita, right?" Rufus asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.
"Uh, yeah," I replied, trying to sound normal.
He crossed his arms. "Got an update on your phone the other day. We're still looking into it, but I wanted to ask—by any chance, you seen a tall, blonde man around? Might've been lurking near the area?"
I stiffened, trying to hide my reaction. Chaos. He was fishing for something, but I couldn't give him anything. If Chaos found out I was talking to the cops about him... I didn't want to think about it.
"No, I haven't," I lied smoothly.
Rufus didn't look convinced, but he didn't push it. "Alright. Well, if you remember anything else, let me know."
Mason must've sensed my discomfort because he stepped in, gently placing a hand on my back. "We'll be sure to do that, officer. Come on, Anita, let's go get those snow cones."
I nodded quickly, grateful for the escape as Mason steered me away from the conversation. My mind was still reeling, but I was glad to be away from the cops. Whatever was going on, I didn't want to be part of it.
'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'
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