ZOE’S POV
The day was just as causal as it always was for me. Waking up without any hope was never a new routine in my life and the same thought of when would I get to make my life back to normal rang in my head and I let out a huge sigh before waking up from the bed.
I tidied my hair and got ready for the day and went down to have the breakfast and an found an unusual excitement in Mike face. Wow, he was really proactive today and I had never seen him like that in a very long time.
“Morning dad, Morning mom" I greeted them and sat on the table taking the glass of juice and Mike was still immersed in his phone.
“Dad, is it valentine's day?” I turned to dad and teased Mike indirectly and he realized I was talking about him.
“Ha ha ha …. Enough?” he mocked me back and I chuckled seeing his funny reaction.
“Dad, did you get to know about the new family shifting to the town?” The excitement he had rang in the words and I doubted if that excitement was for the new family. Where they any special??
“Hmm…they are sheriff George’s family. His daughter in law and her son" dad informed us and I didn’t find anything interesting about them in first look. But then it clicked my mind!!
“Wait a minute. That means he’s the son of ex-champion and record holder Grover?” Mike blurted out in shock and his eyes were wide open knowing the fact. If father was a champion, son would also definitely be one and it meant the arrival of a new rival for Noah. Sweetttt!!!
“But why are they coming back to the town after so long?” that didn’t make any sense to me so I asked dad and mom joined us by then.
“A tragedy happened in that family. Grover passed away in an accident” Mom informed us and I spilled out the juice I had drinking in the horror I just heard what the heck!!
“Oh my god, Mr. Grover’s dead?” It indeed was a huge shock for me. Well, who wouldn’t be shocked? That man was the legend of Beverly hills and no one had ever got to break his record ever and that legend was no more??
Gosh, that man was my idol. The stories of how he had gone against his father to go behind his dreams had always given me chills and it was a real terror for me.
“Zoe, you all right?” Mom and dad were looking at me with an eye full of worries and I knew for what it was.
“Hmm” I hummed in terror and cleaned my face in distress. This was the worst news I heard in a long time.
“ha haa…see what I found" Mike was again immersed in his phone and behaved ecstatically when he found Grover’s son’s social media account.
“Whoa, he’s a current champion of his academy high-school. Gosh, his achievements are incredible” a fan boy in him aroused instantly and he showed us the account. Wow, that was an impressive athletic record!!!
“I bet Noah’s not gonna like it" taking the tissues, I cleaned the table and smiled in mock. That man was just about to suffer his greatest rival!!
“Revenge of the past?? Bro, grow up" I mocked him for his plan and the smile he gave me made it clear that he was indeed up to what I thought.
“He should get what he deserves kiddo. Either way, I’m more excited to meet Sir Grover’s son" I had no idea what he actually wanted. He wanted to take revenge from Noah and also to meet Grover’s son. Both didn’t sink at all.
“Fire in the hall!! The high-schoolers have arranged a party for him on the beach. Zoe you must come" his eagerness to meet the new champion was on his peak and I knew why he was feeling so.
“Spare me. I don’t want to mess up the PARTY" I gave him the hint and he nodded to me. I had to stay away from Sophie’s drama, or else she would as usually get on my nerves reminding me of the fucking past.
Meeting the new boy was way out of my list but who knew fate was again going to ride me on?? I grabbed my sketchbook and bid them a bye making my way to the tree house. On weekends, tree house was my hide out and other time, it was the lighthouse.
The forest was peaceful and still the DJ sound from the beach could be heard here also. How I was reminded of those days. Jake was a diehard party man. And our gang was once the most popular and the only 4-member gang of the whole town until the two incidents changed my life for whole. One was a tragic accident and the other was an intentional back stab by my so-called ex best friend who had turned psychic for her ego. That’s when I literally realized how far humans could go for getting what they were obsessed for.
For the past one year, I had been dealing with shits in my life. Depression was on peak and above that, the curse I had fallen upon myself was incurable. Whom to blame?? Life is full of ups and downs and when it itself throws you down, you fall to a level even below the underworld. And I was still stuck in that level waiting to climb back up, freeing myself from the curse.
Everything inside me froze for some time when I sensed the presence of someone in the deeper forest. That’s strange!! This place had only seen my shadow in the last 2 years and the entry of someone else was really fascinating. I went ahead to see who was in my kingdom and was appalled to see a boy on his knees and the scene seemed more like in despair. Who was he???
His reaction on seeing was very curious as if he had never seen a girl in his life. Maybe it was because he never expected to see anyone that too in his present condition. Strangely, I felt his pain from his eyes which were moist with tears and his face had turned red. Was he the one I was guessing him to be??
I was never a kind of person who made things formal if it was not necessary. This man was shattered inside and if I was to be formal with him and go ahead without caring, that would have haunted me forever. And how could I not help a person in need. Though our introduction was a formal one, one I found out who he was, I understood he was not like the town boys. Man, he was extremely different!!
We got to be in a positive side and to make him at ease, I acted more like a guide to him. See, if he was like the town boys, he would have never ever stepped him legs on the forest and if he had chosen the path of the forest, it was either to get some peace or to let put his inner distress. And if he was seriously noted, then it was evident from his face that the town boys had made their impression.
Getting to know him more, I was going on growing curious and appalled the more confused he played about the town. Did he just say he had no idea about the town in which his father was a legend?? Was he serious when he said he knew nothing about the town?? I really felt he was simply joking around but as the matter got serious, I had to make him meet the reality. And as our conversation grew, I completely understood what kind of a man he was.
A charismatic bad boy who was obsessed with his dream of being an athlete like his father but now passing through the stage of post trauma stress. Geesh, he was going through a damned phase of his life and I took him to the tree house which I believed would give him the peace he craved for.
On our way, I answered all the questions he had about the town and the moment of shock I got was when I came to know that he had no idea about the GYT. What kind of an athlete was he?? The answer he gave to me when I asked him the same wad very unique. This man was far more than anyone would expect. Did he mean he still didn’t know wholly about the town?? If so, what would happen if he came to know it??
Once he got on the tree house, the distress he had inside him had vanished and my belief won. He was indeed at peace. Our first meet was going smoothly and his calmness was a proof of him being the shadow of his father. A man of honor and passion. A feeling of connection formed between and it was something new for both of us.
For a try I simply asked him if he was interested in visiting the lighthouse and when he agreed I was flushed with a very eerie feeling of happiness flowing in me. He was a personality worth knowing and that mysteriousness was pulling me towards him more and more.
The fear of passing through the people on the beach made both of us want to stay back for a second until his courage boosted mine too. I knew Sarah and her gang would definitely not like finding me with him and exactly that happened.
He freaking attitude didn’t even had the trigger to ignite any emotion in me until she mentioned Caroline’s name which made my blood boil and I clenched my hands in anger wanting to rip her heart out. When will she be done with her fucking rumors and gossips?
Bur what shocked me more was I’s reaction to their words. For the first time for 2 years someone other than Mike had taken a stand for me. I’s reaction really made me reminisce Jake. Standing on the lighthouse, I opened about to him about me and again he surprised me by not caring at all by it and thing went far too extreme when he addressed me as his friend.
His vibe made me get sure of one thing that our relation was not going to be a usual one and who knew the storm was yet to come……