Contagious Chemistry, Sian Webster [good beach reads txt] 📗

up small talk while she served us our ice cream.
“So how long have you to cuties been together?” She asked us innocently.
Jeremy and I looked at each other awkwardly. “I, uh, we aren’t… dating,” We said together.
“Just friends then?” She asked, brushing off the awkwardness she had unintentionally caused.
We nodded as she handed us our ice creams.
“Five twenty, thanks,” She smiled as we handed over our money.
“Have a lovely afternoon!” She called out to us as we walked out of the store.
“You too,” I called back.
“Where do you want to go now?” Jeremy asked me when we were outside.
“The park? The one down the road.” I suggested.
“Sure,” He smiled.
When we reached the park we sat on the swings, swinging slightly back and forth. Whether he was doing it intentionally or not, I wasn’t sure, but it was a habit of mine. We sat in silence for a while, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was the kind of silence where you were just thankful to have company but weren’t entirely sure what to say.
“Why do you hate Alex so much?” I asked Jeremy hesitantly.
He thought about this for a moment before replying. “He’s just a dick head, you know? All he wants is popularity.”
Alex’s words from the previous night ran through my mind like a broken record. ‘Do you think I want to be the most popular guy in school?’
“What if he didn’t want to be popular?” I wondered aloud.
“He wouldn’t be popular then, would he?” Jeremy said casually.
“I don’t know,” I thought about this. “I mean, all the girls think he’s attractive, and he’s never an asshole to them, and I suppose everyone likes him…”
“Do you think he’s attractive, Abby?”
I was taken aback at Jeremy’s question. “Me? No way.” I made a gagging sound.
He laughed. “Well if you don’t think he’s attractive than not ‘all the girls’ think he’s attractive.”
“True,” I smiled. We were quiet again for a while.
“Why do you call me Abby?” I asked him.
“What? Don’t you like it?” He wondered.
“No! I do! It’s fine! I don’t mind you calling me that, I was just wondering…” I told him.
“I don’t know,” He laughed. “I just do, I suppose.”
“No one’s ever really thought of giving me a nickname.” I told him. “I think it’s cute.”
“I think you’re cute.” He said quickly before going red in the cheeks and covering his mouth.
I thought about what Alex had said about Jeremy the night before but just laughed it off.
“Come on,” I said, jumping off my swing, and wincing a little because my ankle had started hurting again. I hoped he didn’t notice. “Where to now? Your choice.”
He jumped off his swing too.
“To the car!” He announced dorkishly before running off.
I didn’t really have a choice but to follow him.
7. Conversations in a Cave

“Where are we going?” I asked Jeremy as he swerved between cars on the freeway.
He turned up the radio, which was now playing My Chemical Romance.
“What?” He yelled over the music. “I can’t hear you; you’ll have to speak up!”
“Where are we going?” I yelled back.
“I’m not telling!” He told me, taking his eyes off the road to look at me and smile when he said it.
“Can we turn the music down now you’ve finished ignoring me?” I asked him.
“Of course not! Music is best listened to loud!” He replied.
“Not when my ear drums are about to burst!” I called.
“But that’s the best part! I’d rather go deaf listening to My Chemical Romance than anything else!” He told me.
“I suppose it is better than whatever crap they play on the radio.” I laughed.
“Exactly!” He yelled, his hand going for the volume on the radio.
“If you’re gonna turn that up, I’m seriously gonna kill you, my friend.” I yelled back.
That’s exactly what he did.
I gave him my signature death stare and went to turn it down, but he slapped my hand away.
“Hey!”
He just smiled at me.
I went to turn it down again. He grabbed my wrist and held it against my waist. His move made the car swerve from the middle of the road and back.
“No.” He told me jokingly.
“Yes!” I yelled over the music as he turned it up even further. I somehow scrambled out of his grip, making him slip, which also made the car swerve again.
I squealed as he scrambled to get the car straight again and he caught my wrist again.
“If we crash,” Jeremy called, “and I die, it’s all your fault.”
“If we crash and I die,” I told him, “Tell my mum I love her!”
He laughed and turned his attention back to the road.
Taking advantage of this, I reached forward to turn the music down, wondering what on earth the people behind us were thinking; weird emo kids in the car in front blaring My Chemical Romance and swerving all over the road.
In the corner of his eye, Jeremy must’ve noticed because he turned to me, unable to keep that cute smirk of his off his face, and grabbed my wrist again. I somehow managed to turn the radio off before he did. This time the car only swerved one way because his other hand slipped off the wheel. I gasped as the car wheel slammed into the curb next to us and it stalled. Jeremy and I just looked at each other for what felt like hours.
“You know,” I began, “We could’ve died all because–”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. Before either of us knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against mine and my arms around his neck. Our lips moved in sync as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I fiddled with the hair at the nape of his neck as his tongue explored the inside of my mouth, searching for a partner. I wondered how I could’ve even thought about dating Alex when Jeremy was here, right in front of my nose. I felt him smile against my lips and jumped when My Chemical Romance came on incredibly loud. I pulled back quickly.
“You can’t just almost kill me, then kiss me and expect everything to be ok!” I yelled over the music.
“That’s just the way I work, Abby!” He called back, putting the car in drive and driving away from the curb.
“Now you’ve nearly killed us both, will you tell me where we’re going?” I asked him, turning down the music. I was surprised he actually let me.
“Nope.”
“Please?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Please, Jeremy?” I asked again, giving him puppy-dog-eyes.
He looked at me and smiled. “Nope.”
“Asshole.” I muttered.
“Hey, now.” He said sternly. “My name’s not Alex Parker.”
I laughed. “Of course not. It’s Jeremy…” I trailed off and realised that I didn’t even know what his last name was. Well. That’s a start.
“Taylor.”
“What?” I was taken aback.
“Jeremy Taylor.” He told me, laughing at my confused face. “You didn’t know my last name. It’s Taylor.”
“Do you even know mine?” I wondered aloud.
“Um… Webster?”
“Nope.”
“Evans?”
“Nope.”
“Smith?”
“Oh, totally.”
“Stewart?”
“You’re hopeless, Mr Taylor.”
“Not really, Miss Tate.” He winked.
I gaped at him.
He laughed. “Come on, Abby. Did you seriously expect me not to know your last name?”
“Well, I didn’t know yours!” I complained.
“But you’re Absidy Tate, the only girl in history to reject Alex Parker!” He laughed.
“He’s never officially asked me out.” I pointed out.
“He’s always been making moves on you though, and you’ve always ignored him.”
“That’s not technically rejecting him.” I said.
“According to all the sluts at school it is.”
I laughed. “Well, they’re sluts! What would they know about getting asked out, anyway?”
Jeremy laughed with me and pulled into a parking spot near the beach.
“The beach? We came all this way and nearly died to go to the beach?” I asked in astonishment as I got out of the car.
“Nope.”
“Then why are we at the beach?” I asked stupidly as he met me near the bonnet.
“Come on.” He smiled, taking my hand. “Follow me.”
“I suppose I don’t have much choice, do I?”
“Of course not.” He winked, putting his arm across my shoulders while he was still holding my hand. I leant my head on his shoulder as we walked along the beach. We walked around the bay until the beach ended and there was just rocks. I stopped walking.
“Come on, Abby,” He smiled down at me. “I won’t let you fall.”
I sighed as he took his arm from around my shoulders, still holding my hand. He guided me up and over rocks until we reached a small cave. On the floor of the cave there was a picnic blanket, some old candles and a book. Jeremy led me over to the blanket and we sat down.
“How do you know about this place?” I asked him in awe.
“My Dad used to take me here all the time before he… died,” Jeremy said slowly.
“I’m sorry,” I gushed.
“Don’t worry about it,” He said, giving me a little smile. “You didn’t know.”
He put his arm around my shoulders again and I leant my head against his. We sat there for a while just staring out of the cave at the sea.
“You know,” I said, looking up at him from where I was sitting, “We could’ve slipped on those rocks and I could’ve died.”
He mumbled an answer which I didn’t quite catch, but it sounded something like, “I’ll always be there to catch you when you fall.”
I didn’t even let my feelings for Alex get in the way of that moment. We sat silently staring out to sea together until it was time to leave. Not an awkward silence, a comfortable one – one where you’re happy to just have company.

8. Interrogations and Confessions