The weekend had come around quickly. I managed to hand in my Chemistry homework the next day after ditching school and the girls asked me several times if I felt well enough to be there that day. To which I said yes. Theo was back at school and I avoided him like the plague. Or maybe he was — I didn't see him anywhere. Luckily I hadn't had business class yet so I thankfully didn't need to work with him for our project — which still we hadn't come up with an idea. The deadline was drawing closer and closer.

Going back to the day I physically saw my Dad with my own eyes, cheating on my Mom, I didn't have the courage or the heart to tell my Mom about that so I had come to a section to keep it to myself for now. When I drove back home after spending the day with Theo, she questioned me so I had to make up a lie. I told her I was feeling really sick — which I did so I wasn't necessarily lying. Was I?

She bought the "lie" but I couldn't help but feel ridiculously guilty. I'f just have tell her properly, with no lies, another time. Another time when I felt like I could open up and confess it to not only her, but myself. It just didn't feel real.

I felt nauseous every time I came to think about Dad and what he had done to us.

I know I wasn't quite ready to fully believe what was going on.

Theo had sent me those photo's I took of when we hung out. Was that even the right word? I don't know if you would call it hanging out because I didn't casually hang out with someone like Theo Willis. God knows why he even asked me to go with him somewhere. He must've hit his head on his board whilst surfing.

Theo hadn't just sent me those photo's and that was it, no. We had actually sent a few messages back and fourth to each other.. Well, mostly me thanking him for helping me out last week. He just sent me a smiley face or thumbs up or maybe if I got lucky, a 'no worries.' At those messages I got the hint that he didn't like to message me so I had just stopped completely. I think that's for the best anyway because I didn't want Stephanie and her sidekicks chasing after me or something. I really didn't want any of the drama.

Today, to clear my mind, the girls wanted to go to the beach this weekend and today was finally the day. To be honest, I was quite excited since I hadn't been to the beach for a day out in a very long time. The only last memory I had on the beach was of me crying.

I'd decided to stop leaving things last minute and to stop being lazy so I had thrown myself in the shower. I found out if you sat down too much on the couch, you could get this thing called a sofa bum. It meant you'd have no bum whatsoever because you're always sat down.

I found that out on the internet when I searched up 'Was it bad that I'm always on the couch?' That scared me so I tried to motivate myself to stay away from anywhere I could sit down on.

The warm droplets from the shower head brought me back into the reality. I leant my head against the cold wall and let the warm water drown me and my thoughts. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up. Everything had been a complete mess and I didn't know who I could really speak to. Betty was over in England and I needed to talk to someone face to face. But you were probably thinking that I could speak to my friends. I would do, but I hadn't known them long and I wouldn't want to burden them with my life.

I groaned out of frustration and stood upright to wash out the conditioner from my hair — and before I knew it, I was giving myself a pep-talk on how brave I needed to be and how none of this was my fault. But I couldn't help but feel apart of why my Dad had cheated.

I lazily ran the razor over my legs to remove the stubble that har started to grow from over the week and took in a deep breath, chucking the razor somewhere on the side. I let the water consume me one last time before I made the strong decision to turn off the shower.

I pulled the curtain to the side and brushed a hand through my wet hair, combing it and scrunching out the excess water. As soon as I stepped out I wrapped a towel around myself. I dried myself off and walk in front of the mirror, grimacing at the sight.

I sighed and stretched out my skin on my face. Chubby. I know I was not overweight or lacked my slim mothers genes, but I did have a chubby face. It' was something I hated so much about myself. No matter what I ate or do to stay in shape, (which was not much apart from walking to and from the fridge), my chubby face never seemed to go away. I might actually need to do face exercises or something else — whatever it was I needed to do, I wanted to give it a go. Girls my age, my friends even, had amazing tight skin and their skincare was amazing. Something I envied. When was it my turn?

Glaring at myself through the mirror, I forced my eyes away, hand reaching to pick up my face scrub. I wiped some it onto my face and then rinsed it all off.

I hadn't been neglecting my skincare for a couple of days. I had barely been able to get out of bed to get to school let alone wash my face or brush my hair.

Spending a few good minutes finding my hairbrush, I located it from my Mom's room — the memory of Theo seeing me dressed up in just a towel and the hairbrush in my hand — came straight back to me. That still gave me chills everytime I thought about it. I brushed my hair carefully until I could feel and see no knots left, and then walked back into my room.

Humming along to Avicii — his songs had been stuck in my head for days now. RIP Avicii — I walked over to my closet and took out my bathing suit. It was a pretty purple floral bikini set that I had bought not that long ago but never had the chance to wear it. I picked that up along with a vintage skirt and a little cardigan to go on top of my bikini top.

After slipping into my clothes I took my favourite white tote bag from the bag rack I had in my room and stuffed in all of my things in there. It Ends With Us book, my AirPods, my sunglasses, portable charger, card, towel and sunscreen. All of the essentials that I NEEDED.

I made my way downstairs and took a deep breath. "H-Hi Cal." I said as soon as I was in the kitchen but then I realised he wasn't alone. "Jackson? Oh, hi!"

Jackson and Callum were sat down on the stool seats with a glass of something in their hands. Jackson lifted his head up, smiling but I could see Callum rolling his eyes. I felt a little hurt. I was going through this too. It wasn't not just him. "Hey Will. Where are you off to?" Jackson asked, looking at me from head to toe.

I spun around, smiling partly as my skirt lifted up and spun around too. "I'm off to the beach very soon."

Jackson sat up, taking the last sip of his drink. "Need a lift? I'm sure we can drive you there." Jackson offered, nudging Callum's arm harshly to make him at least look up from his lap. "Can't we?"

"Sure, whatever." Callum said blandly, rolling his eyes and I nibbled down on my lip. I still hadn't spoken to him properly and I felt like I didn't ever want to. Not when he was acting like I was against him.

"It's okay. I'm getting picked up." At my words I saw Callum let out a relieved sigh and he leant over to the bottle of alcohol to re-fill his and Jackson's glass up. I swayed on the balls of my feet and bit harshly down onto my lip.

"Who's picking you up?" Jackson winked and I smiled at what he was trying to pry information at.

"It's nothing like that. My friend's are picking me up actually." My voice raised at the mention of my friends. As much as I loved my new friends, I wished Betty was here. I missed her so much.

"Awe shame. Would've loved to go and have a chat with the guy- or girl! Because it's a free country!" He said frantically and I snorted.

"I'm sure you would've." I said and grabbed some fruit from the fridge. "It's nice to have someone care about me." I added, though my words weren't aimed at Jackson. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the kitchen, leaving them in awkward silence.

I ran back up into my room and sat down at my desk. I was sitting, staring outside listening to the birds chirping whilst I munched away on some cherries and grapes. Cherries were one of my favourite fruits.

Feeling bored and still had an hour until my friends picked me up, I decided to do some housekeeping and re-arrange my bedroom. I had practically turned my bedroom upside down when all of a sudden, I heard a car honking outside. I popped my head out the window and wiped my forehead clean from any sweat.

Angel looked through the car window and I could see her eyes scanning over my house then stop as soon as she saw me. She energetically waved like a mad man.

I quickly told her I'd be a couple minutes and she gave me a double thumbs up.

I rushed over to my bag and double checked I had everything. Seeing that I did, I shoved my phone into my bag and swung it onto my shoulder. I slipped into some white sliders and ran downstairs and out the door.

I made my way over to the car and Cadence swung the car door open for me to get in beside her. "Heyy girl!" Angel said and twister herself around on her seat. "I can't wait to sunbathe and swim!" She squealed and Cadence looked at me.

"She's been like this ever since we picked her up." She answered my unanswered question and Charlotte laughed, giving me a nod through the wing mirror to which I did the same. "For once it's not me." Cadence added but I shook my head.

"We'll see how you are later." I said and Angel nodded in agreement.

"Onto the beach!" Angel shouted, pointing towards the dead end of the road.

"We've got to turn around. Hold that sentence." Charlotte said, spinning round the car and driving along the road. I sunk into the seat and looked outside. Be happy today. Today was supposed to be exciting!

"Onto the beach!" Angel shouted again and this time she was correct. Least there were no dead ends in the way this time. "I've got a disposable barbecue too by the way!" She said, poking her head around her seat to look at me.

"Great!" I smiled and as soon as she turned herself back around, that smile dropped from my face.

I almost jumped out of my skin when Cadence nudged my arm. "Are you okay?"

I sat up and intertwined my hands together, squeezing them as tight as possible. "Y-yeah, course." I tried to make my voice come out strong but it just sounded shaky and weak. Way to go Willow!

Cadence gave me a wary look but before she could say anything more, I looked out the window. My chest growing heavy.

Watching as all the trees and people blurred into one outside, I sucked in a tight breath. I felt the guilt eating away inside of me. I needed to tell my Mom about Dad else it'd just come to bite me in the ass.

My Mom was like one of my best friends and I didn't want to think about what was going to happen when I would tell her. Obviously she was my Mother and I knew she'd love me to the end, but finding out that her husband was cheating on her and her children knew all about it but chose not to say anything, how would she see that?

I leant my head against the head rest and brought my fingers up to the glass. Cold. I shivered at the feeling and brought my hand away.

Satisfied by the outside world blurring together from how fast we were driving, that suddenly came to a stop when we turned into the ice cream parking lot. The one we parked in when we all decided to get ice cream together.

I pushed open the door and pulled my bag onto my shoulder, feeling the air brush against my naked skin. I almost shivered at the feeling when I felt how warm today was. Like any day in LA.

I cleared my throat and shook my head of my trapped thoughts. I walked round to the trunk when I could see Angel struggling to get something out. "Need help?" I snorted. She was trying her hardest to get the biggest umbrella I had ever seen — okay maybe an exaggeration — out of the trunk.

"Please." She whined. I placed my bag down onto the floor and tugged on the wood, hoping at some point it decided to come out. "This is never going to work!" She groaned and I saw Cadence sneakily taking a picture of us and Charlotte posing it in whilst we looked like we were constipated.

"I have an idea." I opened one of the back doors of the car and slid myself in. I pushed the umbrella from the inside and suddenly it dislodged itself from its place.

"You're a genius Willow!" Angel jumped up and down in victory and I rested my head on the head rest.

"How did you get it in there in the first place?" Charlotte asked, helping to steady it. I picked my bag back up from the floor and took one end of the umbrella, Angel on the other end.

"I have no idea. My Dad put it in somehow!" She explained and I sucked in a tight breath.

Angel guided us safely down the pathway onto a quiet, secluded area somewhere on the beach. As we found a perfect spot to have to ourselves, Angel tipped the umbrella upwards and I stabber it into the sand. Charlotte walked down behind us with an excited, squealing Cadence behind as she tried her best not to fall over.

"Where should we put these?" Cadence shouted, hopping around. Angel helped set down the deckchairs and I shrugged off my little cardigan. I dug my hands into my bag to took out my sunglasses and I situated them on my face.

"Should I start on the barbecue my loves?" Charlotte shouted and Angel nodded. Charlotte ran over to the big bag and took out the disposable barbecue, along with a drink cooler and some snacks. I felt my stomach growl at the sight.

I sat myself down onto one of the deckchairs and stared out at the ocean that was not far from us. I leant my head against the chair and crossed one leg over the other, watching as the clear water spiralled and clashed. "Want a cola?" Cadence asked, closely to me. She still had that wary look on her face.

I sat up and put my glasses on the top of my head and took the can from her hand. "Thanks." I smiled and popped it open.

"It's okay." She smiled back and patted my arm before sitting herself down next to me in her chair.

I sipped on my drink and reached into bag to pull out my book. Before I opened it I looked over at my friends. I didn't want to seem anti-social. Especially when this was a girls day. "Can I read?"

"Of course you can!" Angel laughed and Charlotte twisted her head.

"It Ends With Us. I love that book." She commented and I smiled up at her. "Have you just started reading it?"

I let my fingers graze the front of the book and then down the spine. "I'm halfway through it. Have you read it too?"

Charlotte nodded, ripping open the packaging to the burgers. "Yes. I've read it at least five times."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief, with a slight chuckle. "You must really like it then."

"It's definitely different to some of the books I've read." She snorted. "Once you've read it all tell me how you found it."

"Okay. Sounds good." I nodded my head and lifted my legs up to the deck chair, the book in my lap. I flicked through the pages to find what page I was on and I relaxed further in my seat. A genuine, warm smile appeared on my face at the view of the beach in front of me, the smell of the barbecue cooking and a cold can of coke next to me.

After half an hour of reading a couple chapters of my book, I placed it back into my bag and picked up my drink, wrapping my hands around it. The can had now gone lukewarm.

I looked back at my friends who were each doing their own thing. Charlotte was still working on the barbecue — the girls had already had something to eat but I wanted to get read of the book before I ate anything — Cadence was playing around with the beach ball by herself and Angel was lounging out on her phone, her big straw sunhat covering most of her face. I sighed and chugged down the rest of my drink before walking over to Cadence who was aimlessly punching and kicking the ball.

"Can I play?" I asked and Cadence looked up at me, her hair a mess looking as if she had just slept in a bush.

"Please! I must've looked weird playing on my own. Somebody would've thought I have no friends." She laughed to herself and I smiled affectionately at her. I stood back and so did she.

We managed to come up with a couple rules.

If the ball went behind me, that was her point, if the ball went behind her, it was my point. But! If the ball went off the sidelines then depending on who threw it, would be the other persons point. You could also use whatever technique we want, whether or not that was kicking it or throwing it, punching it or dribbling it. Could you even dribble a beach ball?

It was worth a try.

Cadence stepped back slightly, lining her foot up against the ball. I tried to not blink, keeping my eyes open and wide to make sure I didn't miss anything. Or worse, lose. She suddenly kicked it high up into the air and I looked up towards the sky, one hand blocking the sun. My sunglasses weren't enough. Not knowing where the ball went, I looked back to see Cadence who was no where in sight. I gasped and turned around, seeing her standing with the ball next to her.

"One point to me!" She smiled with her teeth showing and I frowned. "Be ready this time!"

"I was ready I was just caught off-guard!" I reasoned. Before I knew it she was kicking the ball again. But this time I made sure my competition game head was on. I caught site of the ball and hit it.

Me and Cadence ended up tackling each other but I managed to hit it into her side. Meaning I was scoring the point this time.

"See that? That's winners luck!" I shouted and she tackled me back down onto the sand.

"You're no winner. I am!"

"No I am!"

"No. Me!"

"There can't be room for two winners!"

Cadence stood up, pulling me up too. I dusted myself off of any sand and I playfully glared at her. "Then whoever gets five points, wins!" She extended her hand out for me to shake. "Does this sound like a good deal?" She arched a brow up.

"Deal." I nodded firmly.

"Do you remember the rules?" She asked, passing me the ball for me to start this time. "We are also starting back at zero."

"Aye aye Captain!" I saluted her and she stuck her tongue out. I took in a deep breath and I felt a little bit of happiness wash over me. My chest didn't feel so heavy.

"Are you starting or what?" Cadence called and I rolled my eyes playfully. I lifted my leg up and kicked it high up into the air. Both me and Cadence stood still, unsure of where it went. Even I couldn't see it yet. After a couple seconds it dropped back down, harshly hitting the sand.