The Boy In the Basement (Completed)

~Mr. Ruin Everything~

The stairs held up their end of the deal, staying intact while we raced down. The spiral shape caused me to crash into the sides every third turn I made, and my head was spinning at 60 mph. I saw Jaxon crash into the edge and tried to stop the laughter bubbling in my throat. We couldn't increase our speed any more, or make a safe calculated stop, so we just kept flying over the steps. I caught up with Jaxon, and that started a cycle of smashing against each other down the twirling staircase.

We got to the bottom and both slammed through the door. It swung open and failed to stop our momentum. Jaxon and I both went shooting out of the exit and a little ways further before tripping and crashing on the sand.

"Ow, my foot..." Jaxon complained, holding it and rolling around. I was laughing so hard with no breaths in between, it just made everything ache more. I laid face up on the sand, my chest heaving up and down. That was fun. Really fun.

"Catch me... if you...can" I breathed out, forcing my body up and eventually getting to my feet. Once both were planted in the sand, I took off running. The world was still spiraling, therefore I was swaying and stumbling around and falling when my knees gave out. Jaxon tried desperately to keep up, but he kept hobbling due to his foot condition. I gained the upper hand and watched from a short distance as he struggled.

"Having a hard time, are we?" I asked smugly. He shot forward a couple feet, hopping on one leg, and then collapsed by my feet. I bent over, watching him rub his foot tenderly and glance up at me.

"You poor, poor thi-" Before I could finish, Jaxon pushed me to the ground, laughing and taking off. I really liked that he wasn't afraid to be a little rough with me, unlike other guys I know. His injuries caused him to limp a little, but he was really going for it now, using the energy he had stored for this very moment. Sneaky move, my friend.

"Hey!" I got up dizzily, and ran after him. The effects of the stairwell were wearing off. I slowly advanced, reaching the point where Jaxon was.

"Jerk!" I shoved him aside, setting him back a couple steps. The group was appearing in the distance. They were all closer together now, probably getting ready to leave to the dance. Maybe I should just walk the rest of the way.

My foot slammed hard into something solid hidden in the sand. I went toppling downward, landing on my knees with a sharp intake of breath. Jaxon slowed to a stop. He turned and eyed me for a brief second, then sighed, jogging back up.

"This is all your fault," I told him. He laughed at this.

"How?" He said cockily, "I've done nothing wrong." I grabbed his arm and helped myself up, not waiting for his permission. He kept it in place, letting me use him to regain footing.

"Just is," I said stubbornly. I did an inspection, and luckily, the fabric of my dress didn't rip, it was just sandy and a little ragged. I bent over to brush the sand off and smooth it over when a sharp pain stabbed at my head and poked holes in my vision. Too soon. Just before I hit the sand again, Jaxon grabbed hold of my arms and lifted me back upright.

"Okaaay no more falling. Let's take a nice, slow walk." He still let me hold onto his arm the way back. We reached the group in a minute or so. Austen found me first thing and stole me away, grabbing my hand. I could sense we were in a bit of a hurry. I found my heels alone in the sand and carried them with me up the dune. I should have told Austen about the lighthouse, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea, since Jaxon was involved. When is he not involved these days?