Chapter 14

"It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them." -Dale Turner

Breathe, I thought to myself as I sat in the shallow end of the pool, watching Alexander do laps. I sucked in a large breath and then slowly let it slip through my pursed lips.

I kicked my feet back and forth as cold water lapped around my stomach and arms. A warm flowing gust of wind caressed my body and I shivered as the wind whizzed past, leaving behind a cold touch to my already frozen limbs.

The aftermath of my blatant show of disrespect towards Kierra and her outraged outburst had left me reeling, head spinning in circles.

I still couldn't believe that I stood up to her. It felt surreal and dream like, a great accomplishment, but I knew there were going to be consequences for my actions; a punishment that I would have to endure at a later time, but in the presence of the Kings and Jaxon, I was safe. For now.

I wrung my hands together and bit my bottom lip as I replayed the incident in my minds eye. The fleeting feeling of bravery that caused my outburst and then the immediate panic that followed bombarded me as I replayed Kierra lifting her hand to slap me, and then the overwhelming sense of relief when Jaxon, thankfully, intercepted her.

I shivered at the possibilities of what could have happened had Jaxon not stopped her. Horrified, I shook my head and refocused on my breathing.

In, out, in, out.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

I looked up at the source of the question and then dropped my head again. Alexander stood in front of me wearing a pair of red board shorts. He moved forwards and sat at the edge of the pool and patted the space next to him.

I hesitantly pulled myself out of the water and scooted next to him, both our legs still submerged in the water.

"Fine," I muttered, my cheeks turning hot.

"Good, good." He nodded to himself.

I snuck a quick glance at him as he studied something in the horizon. His hair was wet and looked as though he had run a hand through it, making it even messier than before.

His skin glistened in the light of the sun as droplets of water lazily rolled down his chest and his muscles tensed as he rubbed his hands together-long fingers pressing into his palms.

His seashell lips were pursed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and jade eyes narrowed.

I quickly averted my eyes in case I got caught again. I glanced over my shoulder and watched as the adults sat talking and eating. Serena lay under an umbrella with white sunglasses, tanning, and reading a book.

Brooklyn was just coming out of the house when Terra appeared behind her. She whispered something into Brooklyn's ear-earning her a wicked scowl-and then sauntered over to the other side of the pool, opposite of where Alexander and I were sitting.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and then bent over in her skimpy pink bikini that left nothing to the imagination, right in Alexander's line of sight.

I watched in confusion as Brooklyn moved behind her and lifted her left leg, knee bent. She catapulted her leg straight at Terra, her foot connecting with her scantily clad behind.

Terra jumped forward and slapped face first into the chilly water, the rest of her body caught up as her torso and legs flipped and then splashed into the water.

I sat there mouth hanging open in shock and looked up at Brooklyn who was glaring down at the submerged form of her sister.

A soft chuckle sounded next to me and I turned to find Alexander holding a hand over his mouth trying hard not to laugh. I couldn't help but join him and soon we were both laughing our asses off.

"What the hell, Brook?!" Terra screamed as she resurfaced spluttering, her hair a tangled mess, and mascara running down her face.

By this time everyone had noticed what was going on and they all stared at the scene in amusement.

"What? Did that hurt?" Brooklyn asked innocently.

"Yeah, it did!" Terra said whining. "Look at my hair!"

Look at your face, I thought cynically.

"Aww you poor little whiny b***h, that's what you get for being a w***e," Brooklyn replied icily.

Brooklyn blew a kiss to Terra who was now struggling to pull herself out of the pool without exposing herself to anyone-her hands clutching at her soaked bikini, before taking a seat next to Serena who high fived her and proceeded to kick back and relax.

"Is it always like this?" Alexander asked amused.

"No never. This is the first time something like this has ever happened."

We had lapsed into a comfortable silence when Alexander abruptly turned towards me, and upon meeting my eyes said, "I'm sorry."

For what? I thought surprised

Almost as if reading my mind he continued and said, "For being an a*s yesterday. Well, this morning actually." He dipped his head down frowning.

"I shouldn't have said the things I did."

"It's fine," I replied quickly, taking this chance to reconcile with him. "You were right anyways."

"No, I wasn't. I was wrong, so f*****g wrong. You are stronger than I gave you credit for and what I said is inexcusable. I'm so, so sorry."

He looked down at me with nothing but remorse and I felt my heart stop. I took a calming deep breath before replying.

"It's fine, honestly. I needed to hear it, no matter how much it hurt. I probably wouldn't have done what I did if you hadn't lectured me. So, thanks."

"Truce?"

"Yeah, truce."