Seafoam //Completed//

Chapter 28.2

When she reached the end of the street, she could see someone walking ahead of her, his long hair swirling in the cold breeze. Zac. Her chest clenched in anger, but still she followed close behind him. Once more, it astonished her how easily he navigated his way around, with only his cane. At one point he did trip, and it took all her efforts not to run up to him and help him up, despite her resentment, but he got up easily enough and kept walking. It didn't take long for her to realize where he was going, but when they finally reached the beach, he didn't walk through the sand towards the lighthouse. Instead he took a right and headed towards the ice cream shop. Lulu stopped dead in her tracks at the end of the familiar alleyway, but Zac kept going, his footsteps sure. He slipped in easily through the window at the bottom of the side of the building, and Lulu's eyes no longer saw him. Instead, she was seeing herself at thirteen, with another brown haired boy sneaking in through that same window.

Her feet wanted to carry her forward, into the dark where he had disappeared into, but she forced them to stay put. Instead, she waited for him, her heart in her mouth, and after a surprisingly short time, he pulled himself out of the wall and walking out of the alley. This time, he did go to the lighthouse, pausing at the bottom step before setting his jaw and ascending the stairs.

The water was raging in front of her and the waves were so loud, beckoning. With every crash of a wave, she heard her name being called out.

She ignored them for the moment, opting to follow Zac instead. She climbed the stairs, not caring if he heard her approach. Inside the watch room, Zac wasn't facing towards the sea like he had been the last time she found him there. Instead, he was sitting in the shadows, his head bowed as if defeated, his hands holding something she couldn't see.

"Zac," she called out.

"Lulu?"

"Yeah."

"I was hoping to find you here." He got up gracefully, biting his lip nervously.

"You were?" she asked surprised. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Just a hunch." He ran his fingers through his hair like he always did when he was upset. "Uh, you dropped this during the storm." He opened his hand and on his palm was her starfish. Her hand shot up to her neck instinctively.

"I think it was from your necklace. Starfish?"

"Yeah. It was a gift from a friend a long time ago. Thank you." She reached out to take it and to her surprise, he closed his hand around hers. Blushing, Lulu pulled her hand out of his softly, put the starfish in the pocket of her jeans.

"I'm sorry," they suddenly said at the same time. He chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, me too. I shouldn't have done what I did. It was immature and stupid, but I promise I did it with the best intentions."

"'The road to hell is paved with good intentions,'" she quoted. "I'm sorry too. It wasn't your fault, Zac. You're right, you shouldn't have done what you did, but I should've known Matty was unhappy." Her eyes filled with tears at the memory.

"What he said to you was cruel, but I don't believe he actually feels that way. He was hurt, and because of me, he lashed out at you. I need to make it up to you, Lulu. I need to." He walked out of the shadows, and she could see the purple bruise on his cheek and the cut on his lip; mementos from the beating Matty gave him.

"He shouldn't have hit you. I've never seen Matty so out of control." Unthinkingly, she reached up and traced the bruise with her fingers. He flinched, but didn't pull away.

"I deserved it," Zac whispered.

"No."

"Listen, I know Ava has a full house, and I know you were staying with Matty after what happened to your house. Since you can't stay there anymore, what if you stayed at my place?"

"How did you...No, I couldn't do that." His offer caught her completely off guard.

"I know we don't know each other well, but you know Liam and Gemma stays over quite a bit. It's the best thing I can think of to make up for everything." He seemed determined and his face was so sincere. It warmed her heart a little to see him trying to make amends. If she was being honest, it was a solution to the looming homelessness she faced.

Her eyes traveled past him, towards the balcony that faced the water. The waves had stopped crashing and were now swaying smoothly upon each other. It was a saving grace, what he offered, but everything she touched she destroyed, and all good things in her life were wolves in sheep's clothing. If she went with him, something terrible would surely happen.

But right now, it was her only answer. Tonight, she would go back to Ava's house, but tomorrow, maybe the tide would turn and maybe, just maybe Zac would bring on a new hope. A new light to see with in the darkness that had begun to creep around the edges of her life.

She looked back at him, his face still hopeful, and took a deep breath.

"Okay, Zac. I'll stay with you." It was his smile that gave her confidence; radiant and honest and she thought, maybe everything would be okay. Not perfect, but okay.

Super short bit but I didn't want you guys to get bored reading sooo many words at a time haha

I hope you enjoyed it. I really liked writing this chapter! Please be sure to vote and comment. Your thoughts are always appreciated.