Oakwood Academy (Book 1)

Chapter 13

I stepped out of the car and onto sand. "Are you sure you're allowed to park here?"

"Well, I've been doing it for years and no-one's said anything."

"That doesn't answer my question," I said taking off my shoes.

He grunted and proceeded to take off his.

"So, what is this place?"

He made a face at me. "A beach," he said as he started walking.

I had to run to catch up to him. "Well, yes obviously," I said when I finally developed a pace that allowed me to keep up—every step he took equaled two of mine.

"My beach."

My mouth dropped open. Of course it was.

When he saw my face, he quickly corrected himself.

"I mean it's just a place I always come to," he said through a laugh. "I don't actually own it."

"Oh."

"How rich do you think I am?" Now he was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach.

"Hey," I said, with a smile. "Can you blame me for thinking that? I mean you drove me here in a G wagon."

"Point taken," he said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Not wanting to make an even bigger fool of myself, I started walking toward the water.

"Hey," he said, grabbing my arm. "Do you even know where we're going?"

"No, but I don't want to just stand around while you laugh at me."

"I'm not—"

"I have to disagree with you there."

He apparently realized he wasn't going to win this battle—because I was right—and instead chose to drag me in the opposite direction.

"Excuse me, I—"

"Jesus Nadia do you ever stop talking and just let life happen?"

I didn't respond to that, and instead chose to stay quiet for whatever journey he was taking me on. Less existential, my ass.

Suddenly he stopped, and as I looked around, I wondered if there was something I was missing.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but um, this place looks exactly like where we were 5 minutes ago."

"Tsk, tsk," he said, shaking his head. "For someone so smart you can be so dumb."

"What?"

In response he just plopped down onto the sand, and patted the ground indicating where I should be sitting.

"But...the sand," I said, pointing to it and then my skirt.

"If you don't sit willingly, I have no problems using—"

"Force?"

"My god, do you ever stop interrupting people?" he asked, incredulous. "No. What I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted is that if you don't sit willingly, I have no problems using my poppy dog eyes."

I had to laugh at that.

"Fine, I'll sit. But only to spare myself from having to look at someone who's almost an adult acting like a child."

I tried to laugh it off, but the truth was, I'd seen him try to use them on Lu before. They didn't always work on her, but I knew without a doubt they would on me. Stupid heart.