Captains

Chapter 19

When I pull into the parking lot, I second guess myself even more. Do I really want my heart shattered? On my favorite beach? Do I want to let Rider break me? I realize that I have to do this, even if it's just for me.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I step out of the car. I tug my beanie tighter on my head, and walk into the beach.

The beach is still pretty crowded, even though it's already almost 7 o'clock. It takes me just a few seconds to find Rider's brown hair. As I walk up, I notice he keeps checking his phone.

"Please. Please. Don't leave me hanging."

I tap on his shoulder, and he jumps, turning around. Once the shock wears off, relief floods his face. "Thank god." He says.

I hold my hand up. "Before anything else is said. Explain to me why you ditched me, at my senior homecoming, for the redhead who cheated on you."

He shakes his head. "What are you talking about?"

I laugh, but it's fake. "Don't even deny it. After I went to the bathroom, I saw you leaving, with her."

"Wait." He takes a step back. "This whole time, that's what you thought happened? You thought that I left with her?" He starts talking to himself. "It all makes sense now. Of course she would do this. That bitch."

I wave my hand at him, catching his attention. "Hello? I'm still here, surprisingly. Mind telling me what you're talking about? I'm seriously debating leaving."

He takes a few steps toward me and grabs my shoulders, but gently. "It all make sense now. This whole situation. I can't believe I didn't see this coming!" He smiling at me.

I just frown. "I swear to God, Rider. I came her for one reason. And you have yet to answer me. Start explaining or I'm leaving." I say.

He nods. "Okay this is what happened. When she apologized to you, and I know she did, because Brooklyn told me. Anyway, when she apologized, it was so you would stop thinking of her as a threat. You didn't worry about her anymore-"

"For the record, I wasn't worried anyway. There's no threat, when neither one of us are dating you."

He looks at me. "I'm getting to that. When you didn't worry, you didn't keep an eye on her. When you went to the bathroom at homecoming, I got worried after 20 minutes, and went looking for you. I saw Kayla walking toward me, and tried to brush her off. She grabbed my arm and I told her to leave me alone that I was looking for you. She said she just saw you, and would show me to you. I didn't think anything of it. She giggled and grabbed my jacket sleeve. As she was taking me into the lobby, I turned around, looking to see if I could find you. When we got into the lobby, she pushed me into the janitor's closet. She grabbed my jacket and tried to kiss me, but I pushed her off. And do you know what I said to her?"

I can't help the tears that are falling down my face. I was wrong.

"I told her to back off. I told her to leave me alone, because I planned on never speaking to her again." he smirks a little. "And why would I tell a girl to get off me?"

I shake my head, confused.

"I don't know either. To be honest, this girl that I met, shook me up. From the day I dared to her to set fireworks on the beach a few months ago, to the night of that dance, I fell hopelessly. I haven't even been able to look at another girl after I taught her how to surf, and she can almost kick my ass at it now. I have never met a girl who has known as much about football as I do. When she shoved those tequila lime wings down her throat, I liked her. When she played the guitar for the first time, and sang Amnesia to me, I was gone. I have no idea how I'm going to finish out high school, without her. And what I really don't understand, is how I have yet to kiss her."

I laugh, and the tears stop rolling down my face. "And what makes you think I feel the same way?"

"Because you have yet to deny it outright." he says, gently laying his forehead on mine.

"And now what are you going to do since I have yet to deny it?" I whisper.

He doesn't answer me. He just crashes his lips to mine. You know in the books and movies, when the girls feel fireworks, and sparks, and all that jazz? Well I have never felt that, and I definitely have never believed that it existed.

But it does.

There is no possible way for me to deny that I have fallen deeply in love with Rider Calloway.

He pulls away, smiling. "Please don't tell me you are going to deny that you are completely in love with me."

I hit his chest, lightly. "Shut the hell up."  I say, grabbing his white tee shirt, and pulling him back to me, just so I can kiss him.

******************

After we sit on the beach for another hour, laughing at our stupidity and inability to communicate, Rider offers me ice cream.

We head to the ice cream parlor down the street, and Rider orders two cones of cake batter ice cream. He turns, and offer me one. I gesture to his own, silently asking why he got the same as me.

He just chuckles. "I have never had it before. Figured I would try a few new things." He says.

"Is that supposed to have a double meaning?"

He laughs again as I sit down in a booth. he sits down next to me, instead of beside me. "Yep," he sighs, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I lean into him.

"Just think, a few months ago, I didn't even want to talk to you, and now you're kissing me, and I'm letting you!" I say, unable to hold back the laughter.

We head back to my house, and walk in, me grabbing his hand as I walk into the kitchen. Brooklyn, Cali, Trystan, Flynn, and my brothers are all standing around the kitchen island, with a big cake, laughing. They turn toward us, and laugh even harder.

Brooklyn throws her hands up. "Took you long enough! I was beginning to think you hadn't heard him out, and this party was for nothing!"

I shake my head. "You knew the whole time?"

"Nah. But hello? Trystan is Rider's bestfriend. Obviously I'm going to connect the dots. I was just waiting on you to!"

I laugh, and join my friends. I look around the kitchen island. This is my life. I turn and lock eyes with Rider. This is my world. I kiss him lightly, then turn back to my family.

I guess Brooklyn was right. I can have a happily ever after. And I found it.

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Epilogue to come.