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Seaside Pictures Chapter 44
Zane"Pants." Jaymeson eyed me up and down wearily. "Blokes wear pants.""It's too early to use the word 'bloke.'" I muttered, slapping his ass as I walked past him to grab a cup of much-needed coffee.With a grunt, he placed his hands on the counter and moved his lips like he was praying."Jay?""Shhh.""Jay?""I'm counting to ten, so I don't blow your bloody head off.""America!" I shouted. "Fun fact: did you know your accent's really thick in the morning? Almost impossible to decipher if you're actually speaking English or something else."Jaymeson pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm suddenly remembering why I hesitated before saying yes, yes Zane I'd love to have you come stay with me and my new wife. You need a room? A bed to sleep in? A roof to cover your head? Hell, take my bloody dog while you're at it! Oh, what's that? You want to steal my friends too? Be my guest."With a grin, I sat on the barstool and sipped the hot, bitter liquid. "You done yet?""Yes." He fr
Seaside Pictures Chapter 45
Fallon"Stop screaming!" I hushed Maggie with my hand. "You're going to attract attention... people... Seagulls!"She jerked away from me, her expression one of complete exasperation. "What is with you and birds?""Never mind!" I shivered and shoved my hands in my jean pockets. What had possessed me to tell her about meeting Zane? No idea. Maybe it was the fact that I was a horrible liar, and when she saw the scratch on my glasses she started asking questions. Had I run into a tree? Gotten hit by a car? Tripped over my own feet? Okay, fine so all of the above have at least happened to me once, in my life, but that wasn't the point.The point was, when I opened my mouth, I wasn't fast enough with my lie, and Maggie had known me since we were in first grade, meaning she saw right through me."Was he hot?""He was shirtless." I swallowed past the constant dryness in my throat, the dryness that had been there since yesterday when Zane stole my chapstick and asked me to make a house
Seaside Pictures Chapter 46
ZaneShe'd caught me by surprise by completely throwing me off my game, then pissed me off so horribly that I seriously wanted to do physical damage, something - anything.Ribs.She said she'd seen ribs. Like I was hungry.And of course, because words had the power to bring back memories and with those memories feelings - I was transported, like I was living it all over again: the hollow feeling of being starved, the helplessness as she gave me more of her food since I was a growing boy. And the guilt, that while she tried to strengthen me, she grew weaker and weaker."When you said marshmallows were your addiction, I thought you were exaggerating.""Does this look like an exaggeration?" I pointed to the four grocery bags we'd just loaded up from the store and shrugged. "Besides, you never know if they'll run out or if zombies take over the world. I mean what if the only food zombies can eat to return to their natural human state is marshmallows?""Yes." She nodded seriously.
Seaside Pictures Chapter 47
FallonI wasn't entirely sure what a nervous breakdown looked like, but I did know crazy, and Zane fit the bill. Who just walked into some stranger's house, a house that said stranger is letting you stay in and starts pulling off their clothes?And he didn't have any sort of... underthings.I mentally shook my fist up at my grandma in heaven. She was the reason I used weird language. Always calling bras "braziers" and underwear "underthings", as if the word panty was too brazen to say out loud.It literally took me five trips to the Victoria's Secret in Portland to finally stutter out the word "bra." And even then, I was so exhausted and embarrassed afterward that Mags was afraid I was going to pass out.Then again, she was probably hoping I would so she could call in some hot paramedics. She was good at that, using my social awkwardness to further her dating calendar.I shoved my glasses aside to rub my burning eyes then put them back on. It was no use; the glasses were so old
Seaside Pictures Chapter 48
ZaneDon't ask me why I did it. I'd probably lie to you just like I was lying to myself. I didn't want to go back to the house.It was lonely.And I honestly hated being there when it was empty. Typically, I at least had one person stumbling around, but now that Linc was shacking up with Dani I didn't really have anyone.She loved helping him on set.Amongst other things.And Jay was busting his ass making sure they all stayed on schedule for production.I had a date with a pizza carton.That was my future.Half was loneliness, the other half was curiosity, what type of family did this odd girl come from? My little four eyes. She probably thought I was insulting her, when really, it was the exact opposite, almost like the type of name-calling you do on the playground, where rocks are reserved for the cute girls and all that shit."Don't ask questions!" Fallon smacked my arm as though we'd known each other for years. I liked it. Damn it. "And just, when my dad starts talking
Seaside Pictures Chapter 49
FallonMy hands were shaking.And I was sweating.There was nothing attractive about the fact that I was barely able to keep the trembling out of my voice, meaning everything I said came out harsher than I wanted it to.Did he have any idea how difficult it was to just be around him and try to act normal? To focus so desperately on my speech, on the formation of every single word just so I wouldn't stutter as much?"Holy shit." Zane's breath hit the back of my neck causing warmth to spread down my arms. "Is that crab real?"I smirked at the giant, glass fish tank at the front of the restaurant. "You mean Helga?"He whistled. "You know what they say about names. If you name something, that means you have to keep it." A flash of emotion came and went, making me more curious than I needed to be.Because it was Zane Andrews.He acted like it didn't matter.But it did. And anyone with two eyes could see that he was just used to the world giving him things."Table for two," Zane
Seaside Pictures Chapter 50
ZaneThe morning light pierced through the curtains, dancing along my fingertips, its warmth reminding me that it was a new day, and I'd made a really shitty life choice by inviting someone to share it with me.What the hell had I been thinking?I knew it was a bad idea the minute the offer left my lips. She was too perceptive by half - most of the people I knew, didn't give a rat's ass that I didn't like crowds. They assumed it was a complete privacy thing.But that was the really unfortunate part about studying your own brain and human behavior - you realize that sometimes there is literally no explanation for why you go into fight or flight, or why for some reason, I can handle crowds if I'm distracted or with a friend, but have trouble going to the grocery store by myself.One meltdown.I'd had one meltdown at a concert last year.The record label wasn't pleased.It wasn't my fault everyone assumed it was drugs, the perfect storm of overheating, being dehydrated, and havi
Seaside Pictures Chapter 51
FallonYou know how doctors always say never to do an internet search of your symptoms? I believed them. I refused to Google anything.I'd always been cautious to a fault.Half nerd, half goody two-shoes.More focused on my grades than my hair or the fact that girls around me were wearing heels while I was still sporting chucks and vintage band T-shirts.So, the morning after seeing Zane, after agreeing to his asinine plan and walking home in a complete daze.I did the unthinkable.I typed in his name.Zane Andrews.My first mistake was assuming that it would be all about his music and his time in Seaside.Instead, there were so many pictures of the guy shirtless that I almost dropped my phone in my bowl of oatmeal, and about died on the spot when my dad snatched my phone instead of his off the table.And being an idiot, mine wasn't password protected.So he got a huge eyeful of chest.And nearly collided with a wall in an attempt to get away from the kitchen and his dau
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