"You what?!"

Jacob's features glow a dim red at Cas's scolding, both fear and embarrassment flooding in. "It was an accident!"

"An accident eh? Aries just accidentally ended up with a black eye?"

"Cas, I-" His glares are enough to have me cowering back behind Jacob, clenching the ice pack with trembling fingers.

"Aries, you have about five seconds to explain yourself before I beat you."

"WewenttothepartyandIhadsomebeerbutitwasgrosssoIgotawetclothbutIbumpedintoaguyandhehitmeandthenJacobsavedme!" I blurt out.

Caspian falls back onto the bed, rubbing his stubble then temples before patting the spot beside him. "Never again. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes." My lip trembles and Caspian holds me, glancing up at Jacob every now and again.

"Let me see that." Jacob presses his bruised knuckles flat against my cheek where the ice pack was, his skin warming mine back up. "Let's just not tell my parents." He quietly adds in.

Caspian draws away from me. "You both reek of alcohol."

Jacob pulls his shirt over his nose, exposing a tad bit of stomach and 'underwear' as the humans would say. "I guess we do. We could ask my girlfriend for some makeup to cover up the bruises."

Bam. Everything shatters. The ice drops out of my limp hand as I fall silently into Caspian's chest. He didn't, he doesn't, he can't! I-

"Are you alright?"

"Just lightheaded from getting the day lights beat out of him." Cas answers for me.

A girlfriend. I came from the freaking bottom of the ocean for Neptune's sake just for him to have a girlfriend?! Seriously?!

"I'll go call her and see if she can bring some over before my parents get home. He rubs his hair with his bruised knuckles before exiting the bedroom and leaving me alone with Cas and my empty self.

"We can always just break them up."

"Cas, even I know how wrong that is."

"I'm not just going to let Neptune knows what happen to you because he doesn't kiss you. You two will kiss whether he has a girlfriend or not."

"He has to actually love me for it to work."

I lay back on the bed, curling into a ball of depression. My fingers run over my own lips aching to know how Jacob would feel against them. His pink lips moving against mine with the arid land air circulating between them. The sinking feeling worsens as the door opens to a blonde, her green eyes glistening in the room's lights.

"Ouch." She says as her eyes land on mine. "You should've told me to grab more makeup Jakey-poo."

Jakey-poo.

My frustration boils over even more as Jacob wraps his hand around her waist to pull her closer into an embrace, my heart melting faster than...than...than...I'm too upset to think of a good word! A shrill shriek comes out of me as I bury my head in the mattress behind Caspian's back. Jakey-poo. JAKEY-POO?!

Caspian rubs his fingers down my spine, pressing down on the skin every now and again until the stress fades away. My mind feels fogged, like everything has just been stuffed into it and refuses to come out. It's like a head-cold but more emotional. The girl stands around for a while before setting up jars and bottles full of creams and sandy stuff. With curiosity overcoming heartbreak, I sit up and spy over my brother's broad shoulders. It's enough to hide my face but the girl still smiles at me none the less.

"So you're the ship wreck boy?" She gabs, grinning down at me with sparkling blue lids.

"Uhh..."

Caspian once again saves the day by answering for me. "Yes."

"Can't remember a thing." Jacob shakes his head pitifully, crossing his arms to sit down at a dresser of sorts.

"Hmm." The girl applies a cool cream to my eyes, layering it with other liquids, creams, and 'powders'. "Was anyone else on board?"

Jacob wipes some powder off his pants. "It was a cruise ship, of course there was."

"Where is your family?"

"Dead." I reply, briefly thinking of mother and how she never woke up. I wonder what the townspeople did when they found us gone and mother bloody. Do they think we did it? Think we were taken by a madfish? Or rather that mother killed herself, but then how would she be able to rip out her lungs?

Jacob's voice breaks me out of my mental fog as he laughs down at his phone. "Max said meet him tonight at the beach for fireworks. I almost forgot today is the fourth!"

"You two have fun then."

"You two are coming as well." Jacob chuckles, examining my bruised eye with his unharmed hand. "That's pretty good. You can't even tell you just got the shit knocked out of you!" He jokes.

"Hardy har har. So funny."

"You know it." The wink at the end has me swooning, my heart rate going off the charts as I grip the bed sheets for assistance. Why does he have to be straight? Maybe he isn't...maybe that wink was a subtle way of him flirting with me. Mhmm. We'll go with that.

I wink back and he falls backwards laughing telling me to repeat the movement so he can send it to Max. Glad to please him I wink again, his laughter echoing off of the bedroom walls and rattling in my mind. Hot damn I want to be under him.

He glances outside at the night, eyeing the moon with a relaxed smile and posture. "Do you know what fireworks are?" He asks me.

I shake my head, not quite remembering what the word means. He waves his undamaged hand to get me to join him at the window where he opens up the glass to let in the salty night air. It smells like home. I slightly jump back as a light explodes in the sky. First red then blue then tiny purple teardrops falling and disappearing into the night.

"Did that scare you?" He chuckles, holding me by the arm and supporting my back for just a magical moment.

"Again!" The sparks fly and I'm sticking my head out of the window watching the colors burst. "I remember these! Cas! Cas!"

He nods to show he remembers, curling up on the bed with his lids closed and a smile playing at his lips. I remember how I would swim to the surface to watch the colors explode in the sky. How it always brought a smile to my face to see them shimmering up in the inky-black sea.

"They're beautiful." I whisper to myself.

"Happy fourth." He whispers back to me. "I bet Max will have some down at the beach. We can make our own magic." He smiles.

"What do I need to wear?" I ask as the fireworks go off once more.

Jacob gets up and rummages through the closest, almost waking up a sleeping Cas on the bed. "And this is...?"

"Red shorts, black Vans, a white V-neck, and a black and white striped pullover hoodie." He answers me though I understand none of it.

I dress myself and stand in the mirror in awe. I look pretty good. I trot over to the bed where Cas lies. "Hey, we're about to leave."

"Go get your boy. I'm just going to take a nap." He rolls over with a smile, pulling the blankets over his face to shield himself from me and the light.

"Caspian isn't coming." I tell Jacob as I climb into the car, my eyes shut ready to leave.

"Neither is Rebecca. I guess it's just you, me, and-"

Caspian walks out the front door and towards the car, climbing in the backseat with a thud. "I just remembered what happened last time I left you two alone." He says, gesturing towards my makeup covered eye and Jacob's bruised knuckles.

We drive about fifteen minutes to the beach where something red rests on the sand as well as lots of colorful packets. "What's this?" I ask Max. Before he can stop me I stick my hand into the red thing, immediately regretting it as pain shoots through me. Caspian and Jacob leave their duty of unpacking the truck to come to my rescue.

"What happened?" Caspian asks as I lay with my hand pressed against my chest and my body in a ball.

"He stuck his hand in the fire." Max panics.

"What's fire?"

I'm on the sand now, the tears coming harder as Jacob attempts to pry my good hand from the injured one. "I need to see it." He says calmly. "It may be really bad."

Finally I look up at him and into his eyes. My vision is blurry from tears but I can see the concern in his expression. I let go of the hurt hand and allow Jacob to examine it, not once letting my eyes leave his face. "It hurts!" I whimper as he unfolds my hand, kicking at the sand with my feet and beginning to scream. Just his fingers brushing the skin is agonizingly torturous.

I spot Cas coming in the corner of my eye, his hands cupped as if holding something. He sits on the other side of me across from Jacob, the water in his hands swaying as he crouches down. He moves his hands under mine, drenching the hand in the water to cure it. Max watches us from afar, my screams becoming one's of panic as I notice it isn't working.

"Why won't it work?!"

"I don't know." My brother whispers. "It usually does."

My hand has curled back into a ball and Caspian has went over to speak to Max about something. My arm is shaking now out of pain, my head hurting and my tears stinging.

"I know it hurts." Jacob whispers once more. "I know you're scared but you need to uncurl your hand."

"No."

"Look at me." I'm trapped under his spell as I stare past his eyes and up into the starry sky, fireworks erupting above us. He stares back at me bringing his face to my red hand and kissing it. Nobody sees since we are facing the water, our backs to them as the water current picks up.

"Ow." I say but manage to smile because of the gesture. His lips land on my wrist next, my forearm, my shoulder. His other arm is supporting my body and he slowly lifts me towards him, his lips falling on my neck, my jaw, they hover over my lips as the current goes wild. Our lips aren't even a fingernail apart when the waves crash over us, the car, and Cas and Max.

My eyes spot a familiar tail before a hand lashes out and grabs Caspian, disappearing with him under the sea. I rush to my feet, cradling my hand as the trees are ripped out of the ground around us. "Caspian!" I scream, running towards the water. Max holds me back but Jacob pushes him aside, running to the water's edge on a cliff with me. Down below lays an unconscious Caspian and only feet away, inching towards my brother, is the same shark that killed our dad.

A/N: Yay for cliche fireworks! Also, sorry this lacks the same detail/description as Crossblood. It's just that when I get really descriptive I get a bit deep and then everything turns dark and doom and gloom after that.

I want this to be a light and fun bubblegum pop story so sorry about lack of amazing detail!