2.8 | Miles Away

06 | six

A / N

Okay, you guys, this is totally unprecedented but I ran out of chapter titles... It happens when I write too quickly to care about aesthetics/miscellaneous and the such. I'll deal with those later, just bear with the sloppiness right now.

Anyways, Notorious readers, you'll get this one.

x Noelle

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0 6

(aka the one where Noelle has no chapter title)

NEWS TRAVELLED FAST in a small town like Caverly.

I didn't realize it until I headed to the beach. It had been a warm afternoon—warm for winter, anyway—and everyone flocked to the beach to catch some sunlight. On the way over, I couldn't help noticing several stares cast my way and my frown deepened as I approached my brother.

"Here's your sunscreen." I tossed the bottle up to him. Mom had sent me along with a tube of sunscreen and a kiss for him—the latter of which I definitely was not going to give, thank you very much. "Is it just me, or are people staring an awful lot at me today?"

Perched atop his lifeguard chair, Ean glanced down at me, then returned his attention to the water. It was a surprise how many people swam during winter. Or tried to swim, and then flailed and almost drowned because it was just too damn cold.

"They are," he said, and gestured to a group nearby. "Exhibit A."

I turned to look, only to realize that these were people I knew. Heather Fisher was among them, and she threw me a brilliant smile.

I gave her a wary wave and asked Ean, "And what has she been saying?"

Ean shrugged. "That you're selling Sereinn out to Hale & Co."

"That's not even remotely true! I have Sereinn's best interests at heart."

"I know that, idiot. But that's not what they're saying, and..." He stiffened as something in the far distance caught his eye. "Well, fuck, now we've got trouble."

I followed the direction of his gaze, and then groaned aloud at the sight of the new group headed out way. They walked like they owned the whole damn beach. It felt like high school all over again—with the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the sheep following blindly.

"Tulden," I greeted coolly. "What're you doing here?"

"Free beach, isn't it, Darce?" Liam Tulden was all six foot two of strapping muscle. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned towards me.

"Don't call me that. We're hardly on familiar terms."

"We can be familiar if you just gave me the time of day."

"Oh, you mean familiar like the way you are with half the girls in this town? No, thanks, I'll pass. I tend not to go for my cousin's hand-me-downs."

His eyes flashed in brief annoyance, but he laughed my words off. "Alright, let's get down to business. So what's the deal with you and that Callaghan guy? To be honest, we didn't even know he had a deal until you proved us wrong by dating him back then."

I met Liam's gaze squarely. "Is there a point to this conversation, or are you just peacocking around as usual?"

His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer. Caught unaware, I immediately backed up and hit Ean's lifeguard chair. It seemed to amuse Liam, because his eyes only gleamed.