Page 64 of Didn't See That Coming

Kill. Me. Now.

Bile burns its way up my throat as the two of them walk down the pier toward us, smiling and waving. And holding hands; I’ve mentioned that already, right? I mean, what gives? Where are our strict Chinese Indo parents when we need them? Why isn’t a random auntie popping out of the bushes to tell us that holding hands leads to teen pregnancies?

And to make matters worse, Liam and Peishan lookstraight-up fire. He’s in casual wear, his off-white linen shirt showing off his biceps, and she’s in a peach-colored sundress that grazes the tops of her knees, and they look like they belong in an Instagram ad. I curse myself for choosing to go with denim shorts. What was I thinking? I’m ridiculously underdressed. Liam’s eyes flick toward me before he abruptly looks away. My skin is already burning, and it has nothing to do with the blinding sunlight.

Jonas holds up a champagne bottle with dramatic flair, andI resist the urge to remind him that, (1)We are underage, and (2)It’s barely ten in the morning. I mean, I really, really want to remind him of that, but I don’t know where Liam falls when it comes to drinking, and I don’t want to seem uncoo—

What the hell is wrong with me? Who gives a shit what anyone thinks? I shouldn’t care. What’s happened to me? The old me, the one from Mingyang, wouldn’t even have hesitated before telling Jonas to put down the stupid bottle of champagne.

The realization of how much I’ve changed and how there is so little about myself that I like now hits like a sack of cement swung into my chest. I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat and force a smile at Liam and Peishan.

“Looking good, guys!” Jonas calls out. “Please, climb on board theCatalina.Sexy name for a sexy ship.”

Liam and Peishan laugh at this, though I’m not quite sure if Liam’s laugh is a cringey one or if he’s just grimacing because of the blinding sunlight reflecting off the water and the incredibly shiny yacht.

“How’s it going?” Peishan asks me.

I shrug. “Good.” I don’t dislike Peishan, I really don’t, butshe’s just a reminder of this shitty thing I’ve done. She’s done nothing wrong aside from being an A-plus human. “I’m good.” I force a smile and try not to notice how, as Liam walks past me, he completely avoids my gaze.That’s okay, Liam. You’re not the only one who has a hard time looking at me.I can no longer look at myself too long in the mirror either. Ever sincetransferring to Xingfa, I’m liking myself less and less each day.

We walk across the plank onto the yacht, and as we’re climbing on board, Jonas hoots and swings the champagne bottle against the side of the yacht. Instead of shattering, thebottle hits the polished surface with a surprisingly loudthunkand leaves a mark on the shiny white polish before bouncing out of Jonas’s grip and falling into the ocean.

My hand flies up to my mouth, but not before a shocked laugh coughs out. It is nearly physically impossible to keep the smile from taking over my face. I’m biting my lower lip so hard that I swear my teeth are about to meet. I turn away so Jonas won’t see my smile, and I catch Liam looking at me, one eyebrow up and his mouth looking suspiciously close to stretching into a smile as well.

Jonas moans. “Oh no. My parents are gonna kill me.”

Right. I should be feeling bad for my supposed boyfriend. I reach out and pat him gingerly on the arm. “There, there. It’ll be okay.” That’s what a girlfriend who isn’t secretly repulsed by her boyfriend is supposed to do, right?

Jonas gives me a baleful glare. “It’s going to cost thousands to repair this.”

“Then maybe you should’ve thought twice before smashing a champagne bottle into it,” I snap.

Jonas is about to retort when Liam claps him on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine,” Liam says. “I’m sure we can google some way of, like, rubbing it out or something.”

Grumbling, Jonas nods, and the two of them lead the way inside the yacht. I hesitate, wishing I were anywhere else buthere.

“Come on,” Peishan says, linking her arm through mine. “He’ll get over it soon, I’m sure.” She gives me a kind, supportive smile, which sears even more guilt into my gut.

Inside the yacht, we’re greeted by a blast of cold AC and a surprisingly spacious room decked out with beautiful leather furniture and a fully stocked bar. There’s even a bartender, shaking a mixer with gusto. Next to the bar is a table laden with canapés. Jonas seems to have recovered from his battle with the champagne bottle and is waving his arms and saying, “Nice, huh? Help yourselves. Only the best for my friends and my girlfriend. Isro here is making margaritas.”

“I’ll have mine virgin,” Liam says.

“Me too,” I say quickly.

Jonas frowns. “Seriously? You guys are lame. Peishan?”

She shrugs. “I’ll have one cocktail, but that’s it.”

Jonas grins and raises his eyebrows at her. Gross—is he hitting on her right in front of me and Liam? Not that I’m jealous or anything, god forbid, but it’s just such a maximum slime thing to do. Liam doesn’t seem to notice, though. He’s looking through the array of canapés with interest.

The yacht starts moving as the drinks are served. I look out of the windows and marvel at the land behind us gettingsmaller and smaller, wishing that I could jump into the water and swim back to shore. I sip my virgin margarita, which is really very good, and try to tune out Jonas, who’s telling everyone about the huge swordfish he caught last week with his dad. Liam eats the food appreciatively and chats with Peishan, and the silence between me and Jonas is almost physically painful. The yacht slices across the waves with speedy ease, and before long, we’re surrounded by nothing but bluesea.

Jonas tells us it’s time to start fishing, so we all clamber out of the room, blinking in the bright sunlight. We move to the side of the yacht, where a row of fishing rods has been prepared for us. The baits are even attached already, so we don’t have to get our hands dirty. Jonas picks up one of the rods.

“Okay, so this is how you fish properly—watch closely, guys. Look!”

Ugh, I swear this kid can’t get enough attention. I’m so glad I put on my oversized sunglasses so I don’t feel the need to hide my disdain toward him. I take another gulp of my drink and bend down to pick up a rod but sway with the movement of the boat and nearly fall over. A strong hand shoots out and grabs my arm just in time to keep me from face-planting, and I look up to see Liam frowning down at me with concern.

“You okay?” he says as he pulls me up.

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