Chapter 6
During the car ride home from the hospital, Jade tried to tune out her parents’ lecture from the front seat—surfing is dangerous, blah, blah, blah. She absently felt the five stitches on her scalp, relieved it was at the back of her head. Losing a bit of hair was nothing compared to having a scar on her face.
Beside her, Jade’s little sister Abby was nodding off. Jade gently rested Abby’s head on her lap and ran her fingers through her sister’s silky red hair, gazing out at the moss-covered trees passing by.
She responded to her mother’s concerns with the occasional “uh-huh” and “I know,” pretending to listen as her mind drifted back to the beach. She remembered the relentless waves, the searing pain of her board hitting her head, and the terrifying realization of how close she had come to drowning—a fact she would never share with her parents. She didn’t even recall how she got out from under the water, only the waves that kept pounding her every time she tried to surface. Her stubbornness had led her to push beyond her limits.
She wondered if Benjamin had been trying to prove a point too—maybe he didn’t dislike her as much as his friends did.
Once home, Jade hurried to her room and called Lacey. She needed a girl’s perspective to help process everything. After half an hour, Lacey’s headlights cut through the darkness, and Jade went downstairs to answer the door.
“Oh my god,” Lacey said upon seeing Jade. “We need to talk. Let’s get some comfort food. Do you have any potato chips? I’m craving them.”
Jade grabbed cookies and chips from the kitchen and led Lacey to the back porch. She sank into the hammock while Lacey settled into a cushioned chair, and they began to talk, their conversation filling the night air.
“You know, Jade, it’s kind of spooky out here. You live so far into the woods,” Jade said, hugging her legs tighter as she scanned the surrounding darkness.
“Trust me, I know. You get used to it,” Jade replied, letting Lacey’s nerves play out. She lay back on the hammock, peering past the edge of the porch roof to search for stars.
“So, who first? Aiden or Benjamin?” Lacey asked. “Don’t tell me you called me over here just to gaze mysteriously at the sky.”
Jade sighed. “I know. I’m just as confused by both of them. You choose.”
“Well,” Lacey began, “I’ve been dying to tell you how insanely good Benjamin looked when he carried you out of the water. You, of course, were flopping around like a dead fish, but he was like a hero in an action movie.” Lacey shook her head, as if the words were failing her, and fanned herself dramatically.
“Wait, he carried me out?” Jade grabbed a chocolate chip cookie, the need for comfort food suddenly urgent. The description of her near-death experience was already surreal, and hearing she looked like a dead fish in the arms of a ‘god’ made it even more bizarre.
“Yes, dummy. How else do you think you ended up on the sand?” Lacey said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t know…”
“Okay, let me paint the picture for you,” She continued. “The guys and I were sitting on the towels, chatting and eating, when Aiden suddenly goes, ‘Where’s Jade?’ The guys start freaking out because they can’t see you. Then I spot you by the pier, trying to catch that big wave. Sam’s like, ‘She’s going to do it,’ all impressed, but then you wipe out huge. We all started laughing because it looked ridiculous, but you didn’t come up. After a couple of minutes, Aiden goes running down the beach.”
Lacey took a deep breath. “And then, out of nowhere, Benjamin appears from a wave, holding you in his arms. His body is dripping with water, making the sun glint off of him, and his arm muscles are bulging. I swear, every girl on the beach practically sighed with envy. It was like something out of Baywatch. He sets you down gently, starts slapping you to wake you up, and then we all see you come around. We were so relieved until Aiden punched Benjamin in the face.”
Jade stared, a mix of confusion and relief. “So, Benjamin saved me?”
“Yep,” She confirmed. “And Aiden punched him for it, which is another story. But honestly, Benjamin was like a superhero in that moment.”
Jade nodded, absorbing the whirlwind of information. She picked at her cookies and chips, her thoughts tangled between Benjamin’s unexpected heroism and Aiden’s overprotectiveness.
At the mention of the love triangle, Jade groaned. “Why did he do that?” she asked, grabbing another cookie. A near-death experience followed by your guy friend punching your savior and potential crush in the face seriously required chocolate.
“Because, my friend,” Lacey said with a dramatic sigh, “you’ve been dropped right in the middle of a love triangle.”
“No!” Jade moaned, burying her face in her hands. Forget the chocolate; she needed something stronger—like tequila.
“Listen,” Lacey said, placing a comforting hand on Jade’s shoulder. Jade looked up, meeting her friend’s concerned gaze. “No guy punches another guy over nothing, and no guy is as attentive as Benjamin is to you over nothing. Something’s going on.”
Jade agreed with Lacey’s assessment. But it wasn’t just a love triangle; something was happening, something deeper.
Lacey continued, oblivious to Jade’s thoughts. “I know you might not want to hear this, but I’ve never seen Aiden watch someone the way he watches you like he’s always looking to protect you. Maybe you should talk to him?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Jade replied, wanting to leave it at that. She didn’t want Lacey to know she suspected more was at play. Aiden might not tell her anything, but Jade had asked Lacey over—to dig up information that Aiden would never share. She couldn’t resist asking Lacey, the resident boy genius, about Benjamin too. “So, do you think he likes me?”
“I knew it, I knew it!” Lacey’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You got the hots for Benjamin. And who can blame you?” Her gaze became dreamy.
“Um, Lacey?”
“Right, right, sorry.” Lacey shook herself out of her daydream. “I love Sam, but a bad boy is always dreamy.”
Jade sighed, not wanting to hear that right now. “And you think Benjamin is a bad boy?”
“Come on, Jade, let’s not state the obvious.” Lacey’s tone turned serious. “The real question is, would he change for you?”
Jade paused, trying to convince herself and Lacey that she wouldn’t be the one to try to change Benjamin. It never worked out, she knew, but a small part of her still hoped.
“I don’t know, not yet. But I promise, I’ll find out, even if it takes all the knowledge of boys I have and a little more snooping,” Lacey said with a determined grin.
Jade laughed, appreciating the new depth of their friendship. It was nice to have a girlfriend to gossip with and help her navigate her complicated love life, something she had never quite mastered.
“Have Benjamin and Aiden always hated each other?” Jade asked, curiosity piqued.
Lacey nodded, munching on a chip. “Yeah. It’s always been a thing. Do you know why?”
Lacey shrugged. “I’d say it was instant. Alex was the first of us to arrive, then I showed up a day later, Sam came with Aiden right behind him. We didn’t know each other then, but I remember vividly when Aiden first walked into the lunchroom. We thought we’d round him up and get him to join us, but when he walked down the cafeteria aisle, he paused and looked out the window at the misfits. They were all standing outside, staring at him with these seriously evil smiles. It was like some challenge. None of us knew what caused it, but that first day Aiden was nothing like he is now. He was angry and barely spoke to anyone. The next day we were all questioning if we wanted to keep him in the group, but he came back as the charming guy we know now. Still, he changes around them. Oh, and then there was Willow.”
Lacey paused to grab another chip, her eyes losing focus on the surrounding forest. Jade was on edge, eager to learn more. This could be the explanation she had been searching for.
“Willow?” Jade prompted, leaning in.
Lacey nodded, her expression serious. “It’s a mess, for sure. Willow left a trail of drama, and that whole situation set things off between Aiden and Benjamin. It’s not just about Willow anymore; it’s become personal. So yeah, if you started dating Benjamin, it could complicate things with Aiden.”
Jade sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. “I get it. I don’t want to make things worse between them, but at the same time, I can’t ignore what I’m feeling. It’s like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Lacey patted her hand comfortingly. “You have to do what feels right for you, Jade. Just be aware of the consequences. It might be worth talking to Aiden about how you feel before making any decisions. And remember, you don’t have to rush into anything. Take your time to figure things out.”
Jade nodded, feeling a bit better. The conversation with Lacey had given her a lot to think about. “Thanks, Lacey. I’ll talk to Aiden and see where things go from there. And you’re right—no need to rush.”
Lacey smiled, looking relieved. “Anytime. And just so you know, I’m here for all the gossip and advice you need. I’m like a one-girl advice hotline.”
Jade laughed, feeling grateful for her support. “Good to know.
Jade curled up in the hammock and listened to the breeze through the trees. That was the clue she had been waiting for, but she wasn’t so happy now that she had it. Even if Aiden and Benjamin had hated each other from the start, Willow had been the catalyst, and maybe Jade's presence had dredged up old wounds. She needed to talk to Aiden about this.
"Thanks for coming over, Lacey," Jade told her friend at the door an hour later. Their conversation had moved past the triangle and into school gossip. But it became so late that Jade’s pain meds had worn off, and she knew she needed to sleep.
Lacey smiled. "You know I’m here when you need me."
They hugged and Jade watched her friend leave before shutting the door and heading upstairs. Instead of lying awake for hours, as she had expected, sleep came almost instantly—and thankfully dreamlessly, considering her confusing thoughts.