Love Is Flower Like

Chapter 5

Edited 05/25/21

Meadow sat on the beach by herself, basking in the few rays of sun that escaped the big, white puffy clouds in the sky. A jacket was thrown across her shoulders to cover herself from the wind. It wasn't cold, but every time the wind picked up its speed, a slight chill crawled down her spine. She was reading a book while occasionally sneaking glances at her surroundings. She was waiting. She knew her dad meant well, but she wasn't going to listen to him this one time. Seeing the warning swimming in her father's eyes as he told her not to seek out Sam, Jared, and Paul did nothing to deter her away from her goal. 

Meadow turned a page in her book, completely immersing herself. She'd already been there for two hours. She didn't want to waste her time by doing nothing. The beach was the only place, other than Sue's diner, that she had seen the group hanging out. She wasn't going to make a scene at the diner, and the beach was more open and allowed her for an easier escape if things went south. She hummed a tune her mother used to sing to her and flipped another page. She was halfway through the song when she heard the rowdy boys enter the beach area. Her heart started racing in her chest and her palms started sweating. She wasn't ready. She was scared. Facing one guy bigger than you was already nerve-wracking. Facing three guys bigger than you was like a death wish!

She stole a glance in their direction and quickly looked away when she saw that Paul was already looking at her. And worse, they were shirtless! Now her heart felt as if it were about to burst! She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself before she confronted them. She went over what she was going to say to them in her head. She needed a game plan if she was that nervous. She tended to fumble her words when she confronted people. She wasn't someone who liked confronting people, but when it came to Jake, Quil, and Embry, well, she would do anything for them.

She snapped her book shut and stood up, dusting off the particles of sand that clung to her clothes and skin. She tilted her chin up and held her head high as she walked over to them. They watched as she made her way over to them, causing her to become even more nervous. She had no idea how that was possible, but it was. She paused her walking when she was a few feet away from them and crossed her arms. It helped to calm her nerves. Her arms were like fences protecting her from the unknown. She gave them her fiercest glare and asked, "Where's Embry?"

Jared and Paul glanced at Sam while Sam steadily stared at Meadow. Meadow met his stare albeit a little reluctantly. She didn't want to have a stare down with a guy who was almost a foot taller than her. Sam told her that Embry was fine and that he was at home. Meadow didn't believe it. If Embry were home, he would have talked to Jake or Quil already. They hadn't spoken to him since the diner incident, and he wasn't answering his phone.

"Bullshit," Meadow spit out. If lying was a trait the group held, then she wanted nothing to do with them. She could see why Jake didn't like them much. They held this air of superiority, whether intentional or not, and it was a bit narcissistic in Meadow's opinion.

"Hey, Meadow," Paul softly said, interrupting the whole conversation. "I wanted to talk to you again."

"I won't ask again," Meadow said without batting an eyelash. Even though hearing her name come from Paul's lips made her feel all fluttery inside, but she couldn't be distracted from her goal.

"I told you. He's at his house," Sam said without wavering.

"Why did you threaten Jacob and Quil yesterday?" she asked. She knew she wasn't going to get the truth from Sam's tight-lipped form, so she moved the conversation elsewhere. She would figure out what happened to Embry as soon as she was done with the conversation. Jared laughed at her question while Paul's face twisted into confusion.