The cuddle buddy code

11 & 12

[explicit language]

I didn't want to come out. I wanted to stay there, in my little cave alone. I waited. It felt like hours but I knew it was only minutes. A large splash echoed through my little cavern. I shifted weight on the small ledge I was sitting on. Second later I saw one of the boys underwater, coming up in the middle. It was Nixon.

"Bex!" He sounded so relieved. "There you are" he smiled brightly and swam over to my ledge.

"Here I am." I sighed as he pulled himself up onto the ledge.

"You okay?" He put a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off.

"I wish Dylan wouldn't think he owned me." I whispered.

"He doesn't think that." He said in return. I nodded vigorously, looking down at the stone beneath the water. "Well, what else has gotcha down?" He looked over at me.

"I don't have an anchor." I said quietly. He sighed loudly, not daring to look at me.

"You know I would if I could but I c-" I interrupted him,

"What? You can't? You're so whipped that you can't take care of me? You told my mom that's what you were doing, and now you're being just like her. You're not taking care of me." I shook me head looking up at him. He shook his head too.

"I can't because I'm scared." He whispered.

"What is it? What are you scared of?" I twirled my legs in the water.

"I'm scared that I don't love Abigail." He shouted, startling me and obviously startling himself. I narrowed my eyes.

"If you can't be sure if you love her, you don't." I hissed, feeling a nibble on my toe. I looked down to see a small sunny in the water.

"It's more complicated than that." He huffed, running his hand threw his hair.

"It's really not." I laughed a little, a forced laugh but still.

"You don't understand." His voice continuously rising.

"What don't I understand?" I asked, matching his tone looking up at him. Next thing I know his hands are holding my cheeks, he dove in and placed his lips heavily against mine. My heart skipped a beat my breath hitched and he pulled away, he pressed our foreheads together.

"I'm totally going to come clean here." He whispered, his breath smelled mint and fresh, mixed with the fading smell of his cologne, I felt at home. "I love you. I have for years. Then I thought you didn't like me because you would never be flirty or anything and I gave up. But when you moved in, I could stand it anymore and the feelings came back. I love you Bexley. I don't care who knows it." This time I crashed our lips together. Home. I was home with him. With Nixon, my anchor, my cuddle buddy, my best friend. I didn't have many friends, but he was at the top of that list. When we pulled away he was smiling like crazy. A small chuckle erupted in his throat. He slid down into the water. I followed his lead and we swam out, one after the other. He came up in the surface and I popped up after him.

"You slut I saw that!" Dylan shouted. I pulled myself up onto the rock.

"What are you talking about?" I hissed he walked over to me.

"You stupid whore!" He shouted.

"What are you talking about?" I shouted back. Then he slapped me. I fell back, my butt hitting the ground hard. My fading bruise burned. I began to cry.

"What the fuck!" Nixon shouted, shoving Dylan. Cam came over and helped me up, walking me over to the path out. "You fucking dick! You don't fucking hit a mother fucking girl!" Nixon raged.

"I-I-I didn't mean it!" Dylan tried to defend himself.

"Fuck 'you didn't mean it' you did it! You fucking hit Bex you asshole!" He shouted again. "You're so stupid!" I couldn't see what was happening, Cam wouldn't let me turn around.

"Bex!" A shout from behind he sobbed, "Bex I'm so sorry," the voice became limp and repeated, "I'm so so so sorry." This time, I didn't even want to turn around.