“I said I was hanging out with my friends. Dean just happens to be a part of that group. Unfortunately.”
“Yeah, how unfortunate that you choose to go hang out with people who treat you like shit.”
“Kye,” I said, ready to say more but not even knowing how to deny it. It was true.
“Daisy.”
“You seem to only call me that when you’re mad.”
“Yeah, well.” I heard something drop and him swear before he said anything else. “Why are you calling me if you are with your friends and boyfriend?”
“You are supposed to be my boyfriend.”
“No, I’m the fake one, remember? You’ve been with the real one. Or the ‘maybe’ real one? I don’t know. This shit is hard to keep track of.”
“Is that suddenly a problem?” I asked, trying to figure out why he was mad.
“No, but it is when you are bothering me when you are with him. I need to get back to work. What did you want?”
“Well, I needed a ride, but you’re being an ass, so I will just call an Uber.”
He was silent, probably deciding how much he didn’t like me at this moment.
“Where are you?”
“In the main parking lot at the Emerald Bay beach.”
He huffed loud. “And how did you get a ride there, but suddenly don’t have one back?”
“Because I came with that friend group, and they decided it would be hilarious to throw me off of the boat even though I am scared of swimming in deep water, and when they pulled me back in the boat, they called me names for having a panic attack. So really, I thought getting back to shore and letting them go back out was a better idea than staying.”
The line was quiet before he swore again. “Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck is that funny?” He yelled something and someone else yelled back before I heard his car start up. “I’m coming to get you under one fucking condition. You are going to promise not to hang out with these people anymore, at least not alone. That isn’t funny, Daisy. They are going to get you killed. Do you understand that isn’t how friends work?”
“Yeah, that’s kind of how it felt. And obviously I understand this isn’t how friendships should work, but, besides Dean, these have been my friends for years. It’s been hard to wrap my head around the idea that they really don’t care about me.”
“Well, wrap your head around it quick because I’m not going to be picking you up every time they hurt you, or waiting for them to leave you in the middle of the fucking ocean next time. This isn’t funny.”
“I know.”
“Alright, I’ll come quick, but it will still be a while. Do you have somewhere you can wait without them bothering you?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Fuck, Daze. They don’t even care if you’re upset or scared. Why is it even fun to hang out with them?”
“It’s not.”
“Then I don’t get it.”
“It was mainly Dean. He thought it would be funny. The girls tried to tell him to stop, but I think he’s just mad at me and thought it would be some kind of revenge.”
“The girls I know would kick my fucking ass if I did that to another girl. I wouldn’t be walking. Get better friends, Daze.”
“Maybe I just stop hanging out anytime he’s around.”
He huffed again but didn’t argue more.
“I’ll be there soon. Just stay out of sight of Dean.”
Kye made it forty-five minutes later, his car revving loud as he pulled into a parking spot. He didn’t see me at first, but he still got out and walked to the front of his car. He leaned back on his hood and pulled out his phone, calling me.
“I’m here,” he said, still annoyed.
“I see that.”
He looked around but still didn’t see me. He looked good, even from this distance. His hat was turned backwards, his glasses hiding any hint of his blue eyes, and I still couldn’t get over how hot I found him.
High school me would be laughing at myself that Kye Baker was the one making me lose my damn mind.
“So you called me out here to stalk me?” he asked. Finally, he broke into a small smile.
“Yeah, it’s so much easier when the person you’re stalking comes to you. It really beats having to track you down.”
“Good choice. You couldn’t keep up with me even if you tried to stalk me.”
“Is that a challenge to try to stalk you? How do you know I couldn’t keep up?”
