Page 134 of The Perfect Spiral
“Yeah, that... that was me,” I say slowly, trying to figure it all out.
“No, I’m sorry I don’t remember you,” she denies sweetly but not convincingly enough, making my head turn back to face her.
She remembered me, I know she did. But whatever, I don’t have time to play these childish games. I move around her to get to the table to get some snacks.
“I’m so hungry from all that running,” I smirk down at the bowl and I hear a few chuckles behind me. I cup my hand and put some goldfish into it to eat.
I turn around and see Adam waving at me so I walk over to him and give him a big hug, making the other two and Lena hug me too. I’m still in my bikini.
Casting a sidelong glance, I notice the back door standing wide open, the pool beyond it beckoning me with its cool, inviting allure. I glance down at Adam, nudging my head subtly towards the pool, hoping he’ll catch my drift.
His smile broadens, and I turn to Noah, shouting, “Race you!” Without waiting for a response, I sprint towards the pool, diving in and submerging myself completely.
I linger under the water for a few extra seconds, hearing the splash of other bodies joining me. Resurfacing, I wipe the water from my face and look around to see my family and friends, their laughter echoing around the pool.
I spot Eden at the edge of the pool and am about to swim over when Knox scoops her up, holding her securely in the water. Eden’s not a confident swimmer, so she always needs someone to hold her—usually it’s Max or Knox. My mom emerges from the house, Eric wrapped around her, smiling at all of us until her gaze lands on me.
“You, sweetheart, are giving me too many heart palpitations!” she calls out over the chatter around the pool. Ace, Delilah, and Hannah’s parents join them on the deck.
I respond with nothing more than a grin, while we all relax in the pool—except for Lauren, who wears a bored expression on her face.
“Want to come in, Lauren?” Kyle asks, his polite tone at odds with his expression.
“No, I’m good. I just got my makeup redone. Thanks,” she replies, her tone snobbish as she checks her nails.
“Knox, I made dinner reservations for tomorrow night. I’ll have the driver pick you up first, then me. Alright, babe?” she coos,trying to sweet-talk him into dinner. I can’t help but giggle, catching his attention.
I mime zipping my lips shut, while he shakes his head, trying to suppress a smirk of his own.
“I’m here with my family, Lauren. I’m staying with my family,” he says sternly, not even bothering to look at her. She starts to pout, but he’s too busy playing with Eden to care.
“And don’t call me babe. We’re not dating,” he clarifies, twirling Eden around in the pool. Eden clings tightly to him, while I have Adam on my back and Noah clasping onto my arm.
Then Noah decides to swim over to Andy, and Kyle huffs, annoyed that her attention isn’t on him anymore.
After dinner, all the older kids gather outside on the sofa—the same one I’d shared with Knox the night before. I steal a quick glance at him, and he’s already looking at me, smirking as if he can read my mind.
I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. We all sit around, drinks in hand, relaxing. Knox sits across from me, with Andy and Hannah on either side of me, sharing a blanket.
Lauren left before dinner, thank God. I was tired of her moping and sulking because the attention wasn’t on her—it was on all of us kids.
“Let’s play a game! We all ask one question, and everyone has to answer! If someone is lying and gets called out, that person has to take a shot,” Andy suggests. No one complains, so we start the game with Andy, since it was her idea.
“Alright, celeb crush! Mine’s Zac Efron,” she declares, folding her hands over her chest as if picturing him. Hannah and I purseour lips, nodding in agreement that he is indeed hot.
“Megan Fox!” Kyle announces. As everyone shares their celeb crush, it gets to Knox, who says, “Margot Robbie.” I have to agree with him—she’s goals.
Hannah teases, “Knox Carter,” earning a round of laughter. “Sorry, Knox, I had to! No, but really, mine is Charlie Hunnam.” Andy and I agree, all of us wondering what he’s like in bed.
Finally, it’s my turn. “Hmm...Ryan Reynolds, because he’s funny and hot.”
Kyle’s turn to ask a question. “Let’s see...umm...who was your first kiss? Mine was Becky Claré.”
“Shut up, it was not Becky! It was Stella, wasn’t it?” Tyler interjects, leaning forward with a bottle in his hand.
“Dude, I swear it was! Stella was the same day, but Becky was first,” Kyle defends. I can’t help but roll my eyes, and neither can Andy, earning a round of laughter from the boys.
As we move on to the next person, it gets to Tyler, who says, “Sam Harrison. She was good, too,” smirking down at his beer bottle as if reliving the memory.
