THE SPAWNS

Chapter XVI—Jayden

A Love Story Worth Writing About

© DarknessAndLight

“I’m just saying, when the dye in her hair messes up with the pool’s pH, I’ll let your parents ground your ass until kingdom come,” Maika mumbled beside me, her hands the only part of her touching the water.

“You’re just jealous because her hair is awesome,” I replied back, flapping my hands in the water trying to move around the pool, closing my eyes, enjoying the sun on my skin.

Maika snorted and flicked water my way. “Why would I be jealous of her fake hair when my real hair is fabulous?” 

She had a point here but I wasn’t going to reward her with any kind of agreeing.

“I just don’t get what you see in her,” she added, her voice flat.

Again, I didn’t say anything. Was I seeing something in Dakota? I sure was seeing her boobs but those were hard to miss, so was her hair and porcelain skin and the way she was too pretty to be real. Okay, yeah, I might have been seeing something, but it wasn’t exactly in her, more like, outside her. Personality wise she was wild and slightly crazy and just a bit unnerving and I didn’t know why but it was thrilling.

“What are you overthinking about now?” Maika groaned beside me, snapping me out of my reverie.

I sighed, smiling a little. “Nothing.”

I didn’t see her do this, but I could put my balls in line and say she was rolling her eyes at me. “Let me guess. Boobies and red hair?”

I smiled fully this time. “Why are you asking if you already know the answer?”

“Okay, let’s be hypothetical here. Let’s say by a sheer struck of chance, you do end up banging the red head.” I opened my mouth to argue about this but Maika raised her hand stopping my before I could say anything. “No, shut up, I don’t want you to comment on that. So let’s say, you do hook up with her, then what? She’s not staying here, she’s leaving at the end of the summer, or until the cops catch her. What do you do then?”

“Do I really need to think that far ahead? Summer break just started,” I pointed out. I didn’t want to tell her there was truth in what she was saying. I mean, come on, weren’t summer fling a big thing?

Maika ignored my whining. “Be realistic. Starting anything with that girl is just going to end up disastrously.”

I snorted. “So then, what do you want me to do? Why don’t you find the girl that’s appropriate for me, but doesn’t clash with your taste and that won’t break my heart, because frankly, I’m not getting any younger!”

I got water splashed my way. “You’re eighteen, you turd!”

I raised my glasses, to give her a look. “Exactly, my best years are behind me. Look at me.” I make a sweeping motion over my body. “I’ve reached my beauty peek. I can only go downhill from here.”

Maika make an exasperated sound. “You are such a girl.”

At that moment, Belly, Cole and Dakota came back into the yard, all wearing bathing suit, ready to join us in the pool.

And obviously, the first two really weren’t the one I was staring at. Dakota in a bikini… There was way too much skin showing, even though there really was no such thing as too much skin showing.

I have to admit, I was kind of gapping like a moron, so Mai took advantage of my distractedness and pushed me off my air mattress and into the pool. I got my head out of the water just in time to hear her mumble, “Wanker.”

Oh, it was on.

I rushed to her mattress and grabbed it from under, turning it around, my arms wrapped around both it and Maika, and kept her under water for a few seconds. Of course, she managed to wiggle out of my grip. I threw myself towards her because trying to run in the water was always kind of a fail. I only managed to grab one of her leg though, but still pulled her towards me, while she squealed and trashed. I ignored her pleas and lifted her over my head and threw her back in the pool.

That’s pretty much at that moment that Cole had time to canon ball in the pool, right beside me

“Come on Mace Maidu, kick his ass,” Cole laughed.

“TRAITOR,” I yelled, which was kind of a bad idea, because I had my mouth open when Maika splashed me with her feet like a wave had hit me in the face.

I choked and coughed out water, but before Maika could reprisal again, Belly who was in the water now, jumped on Cole’s back, making him let go of my arms, and pushing him under water.

“GRAB HER JAY,” she yelled, laughing, just before

And then it was pretty much an all out water war, with the four of us practically drowning all the others. Belly was usually on my side but she couldn’t always back me up because Cole could easily grab her and stop her, so Maika and I were often the ones facing the other while my sister fought to get out of my best friend’s grip.

At one point, I saw Dakota dive in the pool, but she didn’t join us or take any side.

What finally stopped us is when Maika started to yell, “One of my tits is out of my top ONE OF MY TITS IS OUT OF MY TOP!”

“Well, stop screaming about it, and put it back in, damn double jointed ninja,” Cole yelled back, while we all just pretty much laughed.

“Are you guys done now?” Dakota asked, lounging on my air mattress.

Cole frowned a bit, and then shoved water my way with his entire arm. He smirked afterwards, proud. “Sure.”

I glared at him but didn’t reprisal. It would escalate into a full on war again if I did.

            Instead, I swam towards Dakota, who was floating in the deeper part of the pool and kept afloat beside her. “You comfortable up here?” I asked, smiling.

            Dakota didn’t look at me, but still answered. “It’d be better with a drink, but we can’t get everything we want now, can we?”

            “Yeah, I think life doesn’t usually work that way.” Life doesn’t work that way? What is wrong with me, jeez! Change subject so she doesn’t realize you’re a turd CHANGE SUBJECT! “So, what’s up?”

She laughed, but in the “it’s really not funny, actually” way. “You mean apart from being dragged to a hick town against my will and being forced to live with my cousin who’s a little diva most of the time?”

I sulked a little at her words. “I gather you don’t want to be here.”

Finally, she looked at me. “Well, I mean, you’re fun. And pretty hot. But I’m still pissed about being shipped away.”

SHE SAID I WAS HOT! I kept from screaming that though, and tried keeping the conversation flowing. “Can’t really be that bad. You’ll have the whole summer without parents. Because Cole’s parents aren’t actually parental authority if you know what I mean.”

She snorted, and nodded for an answer.

The conversation kept on going that way. Sometimes she’d say something that hinted she thought I was hot and the next second she seemed completely indifferent. Mixed signals much?

Around noon we got out of the pool and ate hot dogs at the patio set in the middle of the yard. And then we went back to swimming until Maika had to go back home to have dinner with her grandparents, and Cole had to go home to eat with his parents.

“I really hope I don’t have to drag her ass everywhere I go, because otherwise this summer is really going to suck,” Cole groaned to me when Dakota was already sitting in his car.

I didn’t want to disagree with him, because to me, if he took her everywhere he went, I’d be kind of happy. Really happy actually.

“We’re pretty creative, I’m sure we can find a way to kill her and get rid of the body,” Maika offered.

“Worse case scenario, we just burry her in the backyard,” Belly mumbled. I frowned, confused. Did she really not like Dakota too? That would be weird—Belly liked everyone.

“Now now Beth, keep your claws in,” Cole teased, and she smiled at him, but it didn’t really seem to reach her eyes.

“I suggest you get in your car soon before the fellow gets behind the wheel and steals it,” Maika said, and sure enough, Dakota was starting to slid into the driver’s seat.

Cole dragged a loud, “Fuuuuuuug” and ran to his car, while we just laughed at him.

“Well, I should get going. Try not fantasizing about Dakota all night long, perv,” Maika told me, hugged Belly and left too.

I turned to my sister then, but before I could ask Belly why she didn’t like Dakota, she rushed in the house and up to her room.

Oh well… I wasn’t going to rush her into talking about something she didn’t want to talk about.

Instead, I went to sulk in my own room. I had a lot to think about. A lot of confusing things. What was up with Dakota? Why was she giving me mixed signals. Was she even giving me mixed signals? Maybe she was just playing with me… But she was soooo hot. Ugh. This was annoying.   

Lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I was imagining a hundred scenarios where I could manage to kiss Dakota, a few of which necessitate a hurricane, or at least a seriously huge thunderstorm, the kind that would trap us in the house, alone without electricity, and we’d need to use body heat to survive through the night… okay that one was a little farfetched.

            When I looked at the time, I realized we’d probably eat soon, so I got out of my room, dragging my feet, still completely confused.

When I reached the stairs though, I stopped walking. Lilibeth was sitting there, right in the middle of the stairs, looking down at the living room. “What are you doing?”

She put her index over her lips, telling me to stay quiet. Curious, I took a few steps down and sat behind her.

And then I saw what she was looking at.

Our parents dancing in the middle of the living room.

“Aren’t they beautiful together?” she whispered, leaning against me. I kissed the top of her head for an answer.

Yes, they were. Für Elise was playing softly in the background and they were valsing around the room, smiling at each other, that way they only ever smiled to the other. Of course, they smiled at me and Belly with love too, but this was completely different. This wasn’t just pure love, this was understanding and trust and so much more that simply couldn’t be put into words.

How was I supposed to live up to my parents standards? My parents had a love story worth writing about.

At twenty they were getting married. At twenty two they were having me. At twenty five they were having Beth. I was nineteen and I never even had any kind of serious relationship, ever. As far as most people thought, I was in a relationship with one of my two best friends, one being a guy and the other one being crazy.

Growing up, that was always the point of reference, my parents love. That was what I wanted, what I was looking for, but looking at them right now, I couldn’t help but realized it wasn’t going to happen to me.

No one could ever really love me that much.

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A/N:

Hey guys. So sorry if this is a little short and probably full of mistakes and slightly rushed. I was suppose to work on it longer tonight/this morning, but I just got called to work this morning and I really wanted to upload now, so I figured you guys would be happy with this.

Thanks for always being patient, I really appreciate it! :)