Live Again

by Brittney Mulliner

  Caleb laughed and shook his head. “Be grateful you’re on this boat. Tony’s is half as big and half as fun. We’re leaving in a few minutes, so let’s start this party.”

  As if on cue, music started to play through well-camouflaged speakers. The crowd dispersed. A few of the guys claimed the couches, and a football game was turned on immediately. We were on a multi-million-dollar yacht and they went for the TV. Dumb boys.

  Mark and Justin appeared, offering us all drinks. I slipped away to the back of the deck and watched as we pulled away from the dock and set out for the open ocean.

  I gasped when I felt arms slip around my waist. Before I could turn, I heard Mike whisper in my ear. “You look amazing.”

  I smiled and rested comfortably against his chest. “Thank you.”

  We stood like that for several minutes as the coast became smaller. I’d always felt comfortable with Mike, and I trusted him. It was during moments like this that I wondered if maybe I could feel more. He would treat me better than any of my past boyfriends had; he already did. I pushed it out of my mind and tried to just enjoy the moment.

  Chapter 7

  The majority of the group congregated at the front of the boat as we approached the island. The sun was low in the sky, but we still had time before sunset. The captain announced over the speakers that we would soon be stopping and anchoring just outside the harbor. I guessed the boat was too large to go any closer.

  Caleb called out after that, telling us there was one smaller boat that would take groups of us to the island. Those who were camping out began to collect their bags.

  Talia came up behind me and looped her arm around my waist. “We should go change into warmer clothes. There’s going to be a bonfire later once the camp is set up.”

  I followed her down to our room, where the other girls were already gathered. Instead of changing, they were focused on Cassie. I could tell she was blushing at whatever was being said, but she smiling as well.

  “What’s going on?” I knew they were quizzing her on Caleb, but I wanted to offer her an escape if she was uncomfortable.

  She turned, and her smile grew. “Aubrey! I’m glad you’re here. I was just going to tell them what Caleb said.” She was obviously reveling in the attention.

  I smiled, encouraging her to continue.

  “He asked me if I would spend tomorrow with him. Just the two of us! He told me he has the whole day planned.”

  “No way! That’s so exciting, Cassie!” Her excitement was contagious. I loved how genuine and open she was, not bothering to act cool about her news.

  “You guys don’t mind, do you? I don’t want to bail on you all.”

  We all shook our heads and assured her that she should go. There was no way any of us would deny her the opportunity to spend time with her crush.

  Mckayla spoke what was surely on all of our minds. “You just have to promise us you’ll tell us everything!”

  Alexis nodded. “Yeah, that’s the requirement for skipping out on girl time.”

  “Deal.” Cassie was now beaming.

  I loved seeing my friends so happy. Talia and Mark seemed to be getting closer, although she was always the hardest to get information out of. Alexis and Justin were almost too perfect together. Their personalities worked so well together, and they seemed to bring out the best in each other. Mckayla and Sean were simply adorable. I’d never seen her so happy and content; I could see them lasting together.

  I tried my best to focus on being happy for them, but it was a constant reminder of how things seemed to so often go wrong for me. Mike was a great friend, but he could also be so intense. Gage had barely spoken to me recently; he didn’t return my calls or texts and mostly avoided me at school. I knew I had to corner him soon and find out what was going on.

  The one I really liked, though I would never admit it aloud, treated me like a little sister. Carter acted like the kiss on the balcony never happened, and that hurt more than anything else.

  When I snapped back to reality, I noticed the girls were already changing, so I grabbed a pair of shorts out of my bag and slipped them on under my dress. I turned my back to Mckayla, silently asking her to unzip me. Once I’d put on a hoodie, we joined everyone on the main deck.

  The first group was already on the smaller boat, heading toward the island. It would be a while before it was our turn, so girls moved toward the bow and sat along the benches. There was a slight breeze, bringing the smell of salt water. I sat against the rail and closed my eyes, focusing on the gentle rocking as waves passed below us. I was perfectly content listening to my friends talk and soaking up the last rays of sun for the day. We had only been gone for a few hours, and I was already feeling the stress of home melting away.

  By the time we made it to the island and met up with everyone at the campsite, the sun was low on the horizon. A few of the guys were gathering firewood and clearing an area for a bonfire. There were a few logs already in place, and chairs were being set up surrounding the fire pit.

  Mike motioned us over to one of the logs. “We saved this one for you girls. Caleb has some chairs that Justin is bringing back with him, so just hang out here for now.”

  He turned and headed back to the other guys, who were organizing everything. A few of the other girls were congregated around a fold-out table.

  Alexis held up a grocery bag she’d brought with us from the yacht. “I’m going to go set out this stuff. Save me a seat.”

  Talia laid out a blanket she had brought on the log before sitting down.

  I was shocked. “I didn’t even think to bring anything. You guys are on top of things.”

  Mckayla sat down and patted the spot next to her. “We’ve done this before, so we knew what to expect.”

  Cassie sat next to me, but her attention was across the fire.

  “See something that interests you?” I loved teasing her about Caleb since she was a good sport about it.

  “Oh, definitely! I’m still in shock that he even knows my name! I keep thinking that any moment now I’m going to wake up.”

  I slid my arm back and pinched her. She squealed and shot me a dirty look.

  “Nope, this is real.” I laughed with the others, and after a few seconds Cassie joined in.

  Talia leaned forward to look at us. “Normally I would get mad if any of you bailed on more girl time, but I’ll understand if you ditch us for Richie Rich.”

  “Oh, stop it. You guys know that’s not why I like him. And besides, we’re just getting to know each other right now.” The blush was back in full force.

  “I give it until the end of the trip before you guys are official.”

  Mckayla shook her head. “No way, Talia. I give it until tomorrow night. He has the whole day planned for her!”

  I smirked as Cassie’s face turned red. “Guys, stop.”

  Talia and Mckayla looked confused.

  “It will be a done deal by the end of the night.”

  We all started giggling, but when Cassie dropped her face into her hands, we lost it.

  Alexis came back in the middle of us laughing. “What did I miss?”

  Cassie gave us another dirty look. “They’re convinced Caleb will make us official by the end of the night. Apparently they find joy in embarrassing me.”

  Alexis scanned us and nodded. “You’re surprised?”

  I put my arm around Cassie and hugged her. “We just love you. I’ll admit I’m a teeny, tiny bit jealous. You guys are cute together.”

  She looked shocked. “Oh, Aubrey! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to rub this in your face or anything. I just got so excited.”

  I stopped her before she could continue. “Cassie, I’m so happy for you. That’s not what I meant at all. I’m beyond happy that you all have great guys. It just stinks that I have a tendency for picking losers.”

  They all fell silent. I hadn’t meant to kill the mood, but I didn’t share my feelings with them often, either.

  Cassie and Mck
ayla put their arms around me, and Alexis joined in the group hug. She ended up on my lap, and Talia moved in next to her. There was no warning before we suddenly fell back and landed on top of each other on the ground. We were all laughing too hard to try to untangle ourselves, so we lay like that for a few minutes until the laughing spree ended.

  “Well, what do we have here?”

  I looked over the top of Talia’s head and saw Tucker looking down at us with an amused expression. That was enough to get the girls to scramble off of each other.

  Alexis ended up kneeling next to me. “What do you want, Tucker?” she asked. I smirked at her normal greeting for him.

  “I was just coming over to see if you guys were ready for s’mores, but if you’d rather continue this, I’d be happy to join.” He winked at Alexis, purposely adding to her anger.

  She stood and helped Mckayla and Talia stand. Cassie jumped up, too, leaving me alone on the ground.

  Tucker stepped over the log and extended his hand to me. I accepted and he pulled me up, bringing me closer to him than was necessary. I looked up at him and caught his signature smirk. Pushing him away from me, I turned and dusted myself off before walking toward the fire, where people were gathering.

  I noticed that people were beginning to pair off. I looked around to see if the girls would save me from this awkward situation, but they had already found their guys. I sighed and considered my options.

  I could find Mike and potentially lead him on, ruining our friendship in the process. Not a good idea.

  I could find the other single ladies, but I didn’t really know them. More importantly, I couldn’t see any of them alone. Did everyone have a date here except me?

  I looked around for any of the football guys to hang out with, but they were all occupied. What was happening?

  Before I could officially panic, I felt an arm slip around my waist. Tucker.

  Was this really what the world had come to? He didn’t have a chance with me at the airport when we met, and he didn’t now. I opened my mouth to tell him that, but he stopped me.

  “I know you’re not my biggest fan, but just give me tonight. I’m not as big of a jerk as your friends give me credit for.”

  I knew what it was like for people to misjudge and hold things against you, even when they weren’t true. Not wanting to be that kind of person, I looked up into his eyes. “One night, Tucker. Don’t make me regret it.”

  He smiled in response and dropped his arm to go get us each what was needed for s’mores. He returned and handed me a metal stick with a marshmallow already on the end.

  There was only one chair left around the fire. Tucker tugged on my elbow to follow him. He sat and patted his lap.

  One of my eyebrows shot up. Did he really expect me to go along with that?

  “I promise I’ll be a gentleman. This is the only spot left.” He looked genuine enough.

  I perched myself on his knees, as far away as possible. His arm slid around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He left one arm around me and reached the other with his stick toward the fire. I took a deep breath, trying to get myself to relax. He seemed to be behaving himself.

  I held my stick into the fire with both hands. The fire was mesmerizing, and Tucker had to nudge me to get my attention back on my marshmallow, which was quickly turning brown.

  “Oops!” I giggled.

  Tucker took the stick away from me and offered me the graham crackers and chocolate with his other hand. I made us each a s’more and turned back to offer it to him. He looked down at his hands, which were holding our sticks, then back at me.

  “You’re really expecting me to feed you?”

  “I can only do so many things at once, Aubrey. I promise I won’t bite.”

  I shook my head at him, but held up the s’more and watched him open him mouth and bite in. The gooey mess covered his lips and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Very smooth, Tuck. You might need to lick your lips.”

  “You could do it for me.” He winked as I made a move to stand up, but the arm around my waist held me down. “I was kidding!”

  “That’s strike one. Watch it, mister.”

  Before he could respond, I shoved the rest into his mouth. He groaned and he glared at me while trying to keep it in his mouth. My laughter was making me shake on his lap.

  “What’s going on over here?”

  I looked up and met Mike’s disapproving gaze. “Nothing.” I said it so fast, it sounded suspicious even to me.

  Mike crossed his arms over his broad chest and sized up Tucker. “I had space saved for you over by me. That’s where your friends are sitting, too.”

  I looked down so he couldn’t see my indecision. I should go with him, but I was actually having fun with Tucker. He wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. “It looked pretty crowded earlier. I’ll just come find you guys later.” I bit my lip, waiting for his reaction.

  His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched. “Fine.” He turned and walked away before I could say anything else.

  “You could have gone with him.” I met Tucker’s gaze and saw the surprise in his eyes. I guess I had shocked all of us with my decision.

  “I promised you tonight.” I tried to push away the dread. I needed to prove to myself that I could survive on my own. I knew I would hear about it when I got back to our room tonight, but for right now I wanted to enjoy the night.

  ☼ ☼ ☼

  None of the girls said anything about my choice to hang out with Tucker, which shocked me. At the very least I was expecting a verbal beat down from Alexis, but nothing was said. I kept waiting for it even as we changed into our pajamas and figured out the sleeping situation, but it never got brought up.

  I was lying next to Mckayla on the bed, drifting to sleep, when Talia broke the silence. “Tonight was not forgotten, missy.”

  I sighed and sank further into my pillow.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what possessed your brain tonight, but I’ll just assume you weren’t yourself.” Gee, thanks, Alexis.

  “Girls, stop. She looked like she was having a good time. Maybe she brings out a good side in Tucker.” I nudged Mckayla silently thanking her.

  “Or he just wants in her pants.”

  “Alexis!” This time Cassie had my back.

  “What? That’s how he is.”

  Finally I broke my silence. “It was just for one night. He was a gentleman, but I’m not interested in him.”

  “That’s how he lures his victims in.” Alexis wasn’t going to give it up.

  “Maybe, but don’t worry. I just wanted to branch out a little this weekend. This doesn’t mean anything.”

  I heard Alexis grumble, but I couldn’t make out what she said.

  Cassie was understanding, though. “Good for you. If I hadn’t branched out, Caleb would have never asked me out . . .”

  “What?” We all sat up and looked at her. Through the dim light, I could see her blush growing.

  “I won!” I knew it wouldn’t take long.

  We all laughed before Cassie told us the story. Evidently Caleb was serious about her and didn’t want to risk any other guy snatching her up. How precious.

  Chapter 8

  The gentle rocking motion of the waves was surprisingly soothing. I woke up feeling refreshed, despite being crowded by Mckayla. I sat up and saw that Talia had moved over toward the center of the bed, making us all squeeze together on one side. What a hog.

  I slipped out of the bed and into the bathroom, taking the opportunity of having it to myself for a few minutes. I showered off and changed into my swimsuit and cover up. We had plans to snorkel this morning, and later in the afternoon we planned on girls’ time together to go shopping. On my way up to the main deck, I woke up Alexis so she could change next.

  Mike was sitting with a few of the other guys in the main cabin, eating breakfast. I smiled at them as I poured myself a glass of orange juice.

  “Good morning, early riser. We weren’t expecti
ng you girls to get up for a few more hours.” Mike beamed at me. Apparently he was a morning person.

  “I’m used to running in the morning, but I just woke up Alexis, so they should all be up soon.”

  Mike scooted over on the bench, offering me a seat.

  I looked around the table and asked, “Who’s going snorkeling this morning?”

  A few of the guys said they were, but most said they were waiting until it warmed up in the afternoon.

  Mike put his arm around my shoulder and leaned in. “Do I get you to myself today, or do I have to share with Tucker?”

  I elbowed him and laughed. “Why is everyone making such a big deal about that? It was one time!”

  Andy, Tucker’s friend from the basketball team, must have overheard us. “Because you’re too good for him.”

  I was shocked he would say that about his friend. Mike laughed and nodded in agreement. “You guys! He’s not that bad.” I’d seen a different side of him last night.

  “He didn’t come back last night. I got a text saying he was keeping one of the girls company for the night.”

  “Ew.”

  “So you see it now?” Andy laughed and stood to throw away his plate.

  “Whatever. I’m hanging out with you guys today, okay, Mike?”

  He squeezed me closer to him and agreed.

  Mike and I were some of the first to head out to the island after everyone was changed and ready. We were going to spend the morning together snorkeling, at his request. It took me over an hour to gear up and talk myself into getting in the water. Luckily, we went out with a group, so Mike didn’t have to wait for me to get my nerves under control.

  He came up as I stood at the edge of the boat, staring in the water. Sure, there were sharks out there and fish that could suck on my toes, but everyone was having so much fun. I took one more deep breath as Mike cheered me on, and sat back on the side and let myself fall backwards. The cold shocked me at first, but I forgot about it when I saw what was hiding below the surface.

  ☼ ☼ ☼

  After a few hours of heart-pumping snorkeling, everyone met together to get lunch before deciding what activity to do next. The girls were saving a place for me and Mike when we walked up to the patio outside of the restaurant. Still wet, I was jealous that they had spent the morning shopping, safe and on dry land.