Chapter 52

Andy's POV

I leaned further into the couch, trying to push aside the knot of tension that had been growing in my chest. I had almost given myself out to Bree about my situation with Jason, I silently thanked God I didn’t and now Violet was sitting across from me and Bree, her energy as irritatingly enthusiastic as ever.

I had a lot of issues with Violet- she always seemed to show up at the wrong time, always prying into my life when I wanted to be left alone. And I still hadn’t forgotten her little kiss with Jason, something she didn’t even seem to care about. Seeing her also reminded me about the other day when she and Jason had an argument. I silently reminded myself to ask Jason what they were arguing about.

“So, what about you, Andy?” Violet asked, her tone just a little too happy, as if she already knew the answer.
“Any new man in your life?” she asked and I clenched my fists by my side. She knew what she was doing.

I tried to keep my face neutral, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing me ruffled. Before I could respond, Bree jumped in with a grin.

“Oh, we were just talking about that before you came in,” Bree said, throwing a playful look in my direction.
“Andy’s love life is a bit… Well, let’s just say it’s complicated.”

Violet raised her eyebrows, giving me that faux-curious expression that always seemed condescending.
“Oh?” she said, dragging the word out in that sarcastic way of hers.
“I bet she has lots of fun.” she said.

I wanted to roll my eyes so bad but I stopped myself and plastered a smile that didn’t reach my eyes across my face. I knew what she was doing, she was trying to get to me but she wasn’t going to succeed. Plus, she was the last person I wanted to be talking about my love life with.

Bree instantly managed to change the topic. Oh how I loved her.

I tried to calm down and join in the conversation but I just couldn’t. My mind was still stuck on Jason and the sexual tension between us. I had to shake my head to snap out of the thoughts before I did or say something stupid. I let out a small breath to steady myself and tried to focus on the conversation we were having.

After a while, the conversation moved on to other things, and I was glad to stay quiet, letting Bree and Violet take over. But just as Violet left and we were about to go to our rooms, Bree’s phone rang- the sound drawing our attention and putting an end to the conversation abruptly.

Bree picked the phone and looked at it to see who was calling at that time of the night.
“Oh, it’s Emily,” she said as she picked up the phone.
“I’ll put her on speaker.” she added.

My brows furrowed in confusion.
“What’s she calling about this late?” I asked.

Bree shrugged and tapped the speaker icon. “Hey, Emily! What’s up?” she asked.

Emily’s voice came through the phone, sounding rushed and serious. “Bree. You and Andy need to come to the beach. Now.”

Bree blinked, sitting up straighter. “Wait, what? The beach? It’s so late, Em, what’s going on?”

“It’s important,” Emily insisted, her voice almost frantic. “Just come, okay? It’s very important, you know I would never call this late if it wasn’t. I’d give you the full details when you get here. Tyler and I are already waiting.”

Before Bree and I could say anything, Emily ended the call and we just stared at the phone dumbfounded. Then we stared at each other in confusion.

“What the hell?” Bree muttered. “Whatever it is that she wants to tell us, it sounds serious.”

I gave her a small nod as I felt my heart fall into my stomach. There was something about the way Emily had talked so I felt we should get there soon. “We should go,” I said quickly.

Bree stood up and I followed suit.

We quickly got up and headed for the door. The walk there was silent as I kept thinking about what was happening or what could have gone wrong for Emily to sound that worried. I looked at Bree and she too had the same worried expression on her face.

When we eventually got to the beach, we walked to our usual spot and Tyler and Emily were sitting there, waiting for us. As soon as Emily saw us, she got up and told us to walk faster. Her face was tight with worry and I became scared. When we finally got to them, we sat down and Bree spoke up.

“What’s the matter? What is going on and why did you sound like that over the phone?” Bree asked immediately, her voice filled with concern.

Emily glanced at Tyler, who nodded solemnly, and then she turned to me.
“I overheard Marissa talking to someone earlier today,” she said, her voice low. “It sounded like they were planning something- something about you, Andy. They’re going to do something to hurt you.”

My heart dropped. “What? What are you talking about?”

Emily let out a shaky breath as she looked around to check if anyone was looking at us, when she was sure nobody was, she continued.

“She didn’t see me and she thought no one was there but I heard her talking to the person and they were plotting against you. It was over the phone so I don't know who”

A shiver immediately ran through my body. I didn’t do anything to Marissa at all and even if Bree had told me that Marissa had always been petty, this sounded different. It sounded dangerous.

“What else did she say?” Bree asked, her voice sharp.

Emily’s eyes darted between us, her expression grim.
“She said she was the one who told Jake to… to do whatever he wanted to you. She’s the one who told him to hurt you, Andy.”

I momentarily forgot how to breathe and my heart fell into my stomach. I fell to the deck as my legs failed me. I couldn’t speak, I didn’t even know what to say.

Bree’s reaction was immediate.
“What the actual fuck?” She yelled, her voice angry as it echoed across the beach.
“Are you fucking serious right now!? That psycho planned for Jake to assault Andy?!”

Emily nodded, her face tight with a mix of fear and anger. “Yes, she did”

I just sat there, unmoving, my head swirling with different thoughts and emotions. knew Marissa hated me, but this? This was something else entirely. My body became stiff and heavy and I felt suffocated.

“I still can't seem to understand,” I finally let out with a shaky voice. “Why is she even doing this? Why would she go so far?”

Emily shook her head, her eyes full of sympathy. “I don’t know, Andy. But whatever it is, it’s personal. She’s obsessed with hurting you. And from what I heard… I think she’s planning something even worse than she has done.