How to Stay Afloat

~15: Where She Ends Up on the Beach~

Play the song above and read this chapter it's so beautiful!

(This Chapter is dedicated to @ZainabAnsari6
Thank you so much for all your love and support)

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CHAPTER 15: 

Where She Ends Up on the Beach

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(Trigger Warning: Bullying)

"I haven't been to the beach in years." I sighed as I dug my toes into the cool sand.

Somehow the two of us had ended up here after running aimlessly till my legs had given out from exhaustion.

Archer gave me an incredulous look. "You're telling me that you live in Long Beach  and you haven't been to the beach in years?"

I gave him a small smile.

He ran a hand through his mussed-up hair. "I've always loved coming here." He spoke quietly. "It's the one place here where I feel like I can actually breathe."

My eyes trained on the waves crashing onto the shore and then quietly retreating. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds casting everything in silver. There was no one on the beach aside from us. It almost made it feel like it belonged to us.

"The last time I came to the beach I was in middle school," I said softly. My fingers drew random patterns in the sand. "There was this beach carnival and the school had agreed to take our entire grade, I saved up for it for months, I even got my foster mom to sign the permission slip, I was so excited." My voice wavered and Archer instinctively shifted closer to me as if he could sense that something horrible was coming.

I took a deep breath. "It was fun in the beginning, I played all the games, ate so much junk food that my stomach hurt, and went on so many rides." My lips turned up into a brief smile but it disappeared quickly. "But when the sun had set and it was finally time for us to leave a group of kids from my class cornered me. I tried to run away but they caught up with me, I was so small and skinny back then, they easily overpowered me. One of them covered my head with a foul-smelling black cloth and the others tied my wrists and legs together. I could hear them laugh and holler as they carried me. I started to scream when I heard the sound of waves and understood what they planned to do but my screams were muffled by the cloth. They dumped me in the cold water and one of them held me down. They let me come up for short breaks before shoving me down under the water again. I remember feeling so terrified. I couldn't see anything. All I could hear were their malicious laughs when I came up and the roaring of the ocean when they pushed me under. I don't remember how long it went on for exactly, to me it felt like years, but one of the teachers finally found us and made them stop." I wiped a stray tear that had escaped from my eye. "I've forgotten most of them but I remember Billy and Jenny Scott. They made my life a living hell back then. I never really understood why they hated me so much."

I swallowed. "Anyway, I never really felt like coming to the beach after that."

For a moment we didn't speak. The only sound was of the waves crashing.

Then his fingers curled over mine. My heart did a little summersault at the contact.

When I tilted my face up to look at him his eyes were dark and his jaw was clenched so tightly it looked painful. "I want to kill them." His voice was hoarse. "I want to make them suffer for making you hurt like that Fallon." His shoulders heaved and his breathing became ragged.

I could feel my expression soften at his words. I gave him a gentle smile. "It means a lot to me that you care. But it was a long time ago. I like to believe that they grew up and became better people. I don't think I can find it in myself to forgive them though." I trained my gaze ahead.

His fingers grasped my chin and tilted my head till my eyes met mine. "You don't owe anyone your forgiveness. You're allowed to be angry and hurt by what they did to you."

Tears blurred my vision.

"Sometimes I fear I'm too damaged to ever be whole again," I whispered.

I had never told anyone that.

Archer's eyes searched my face, waiting patiently for me to continue.

I chewed on my lower lip nervously. "I have so many bad memories Archer, what if there's just no space in my head for good ones anymore?"

His eyes didn't stray from mine as his forehead came to rest against mine. "Then we'll just get rid of the bad memories and replace them with good ones, together."

Then suddenly he was getting up and taking off his shirt making me yelp in surprise.

"Archer, what are you doing?" I sputtered as I watched him throw his shirt on the sand, his socks and shoes came off next.

He gave me a lopsided smile before he suddenly bent down, my eyes widened in shock as his hands grabbed my waist and he effortlessly hoisted me up and put me over his shoulder. My hands thrashed wildly as I was suddenly tilted upside down. 

"Archer, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I screeched. 

One of his arms clamped over my back to stabilize me and my breath hitched when I felt his other hand on my calf. He tugged off the boots from my feet one by one.

"We're replacing a bad memory." I heard him say before he started jogging us towards the ocean.

All the blood rushed to my head as my entire body swayed with every step he took.

He gently put me down, and the water lapped against my ankles.

I could feel a prickle of fear jab at me as old memories started to resurface.

The heavy weight of their hands on my shoulders as they pushed me down.

Icy water burning my windpipe as I struggled to breathe.

The roaring of the water in my ears as I went under.

"Do you trust me?" Archer murmured. His voice seemed to pull me out of whatever dark place my mind had started wandering off to.

I nodded without even thinking.

The moonlight made his features look sharper. He looked absolutely breathtaking.

Without another word, he took my hand and led me deeper into the dark water. He didn't stop till the water reached my shoulders, although I noticed that it barely even came up to his chest, drawing my attention to our vast height difference.

Suddenly his hands were on my waist and he was lifting me up again, but this time he didn't put me over his shoulder, he just lifted me above the water till only my calves were submerged.

My hands settled on his shoulders for balance and my hair fanned around us as I tilted my head down to look at him.

He smiled up at me.

I felt like someone had cracked open my chest and filled it with starlight.

"Hey, Fallon." He whispered hoarsely as he held me up.

"Yeah?" I breathed.

"I'll never let you go down under again."