Chapter One

THE MOVE

DAKODA

"I'm struggling to understand why we have to move. I mean, seriously... we live in the beautiful state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest, and now they want us to move to Hawaii? It's so humid there, I'll probably die. Or at least melt. And let's not forget that school has already started there."

Jax walks up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a hug. "You never know, babe; this might be good for your tan. Besides, Hawaii isn't really that far from Washington."

"Don't joke, Jax."

"Look, all I'm saying is that you've been dealing with a lot of crap since that party. This move might be good for you. It sucks that I won't be able to see you whenever I want, but we still have FaceTime and holidays."

"I know, it's just a big change, and they didn't even ask me if I was okay with it. I'm sure I could have stayed at one of my friend's houses until the end of the school year."

"You shouldn't give them a hard time, Dakota. They've been through a lot," Jax scolds me, making me feel guilty.

"Yeah, and so have I. Why do I feel like you're pushing me out the door?"

"Because you're overthinking it, as always," Jax says, kissing me on the forehead.

"Aw, screw that." I'm not some naive little girl. I know something is going on.

"Dakota, are you ready to go?" My mom yells from downstairs.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm coming," I yell back.

"Are we okay?" I ask Jax

"Yes, baby, we're good," he says, as he pulls me into his embrace.

Jax helps me carry the stuff I can take on the plane down to the car my dad rented for us to get to the airport. It's ridiculous that we can't even drive to Hawaii; we have to ship our stuff and wait for it to be delivered. Once we get our stuff into the rental car, we say goodbye to our friends and family. I'm trying my best to hold it together, but seeing tears in my friends' and boyfriend's eyes for me makes it even harder.

"It's going to be okay, baby girl," my mom says, for what feels like the hundredth time.

"Really? Because you're forcing me to move somewhere I don't want to go, in the middle of the school year, where I know nobody... all for what?" I vent my frustrations.

"You know why, Dakota, and those people who have tormented you since..." My mom can't bring herself to say the words or talk about it, so I give up and put my earbuds in, drowning out the world with music as we head to the airport. We board the airplane without any issues, and off we go to my new hell. "Yes, I'm being a petty bitch right now, and I really don't care. I'm tired of never being asked what I want or need. I mean, come on, it's my senior year of high school, and what's so damn special about Hawaii anyway, right?"

"Stop worrying so much, princess. You're going to love it in Hawaii. I promise," my dad speaks up for the first time all day. "Besides, you loved it in the summers when you and your sister would visit your grandparents."

I just walk to my assigned seat and sit down, putting my earbuds back in, tuning everyone and everything out for this eight-hour and fifty-minute ride.

Finally, we arrive in Hawaii, and man, it's beautiful, although I would never admit that to my parents. A car is waiting for us as we walk out of the terminal, ready to take us to our new home that my parents bought before we moved. My dad, being a successful lawyer, was offered the opportunity to run their office in Hawaii, and he took it.

We reach our new house, and holy shit... I think I might be in love. This place is enormous. It has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. "Yep, you heard me, six bathrooms, one for each bedroom and a guest bathroom."

"Okay, princess, go ahead and pick your bedroom," my dad says, coming up behind me. I smile genuinely for the first time since I found out about the move.

I walk through the house, exploring the three bedrooms downstairs and the two upstairs. I head upstairs and open the first door to a lovely room with a daybed, nightstands, and white lamps. The bay window has a cozy reading nook filled with pillows, and bookshelves line the sides. On the other side of the room, there's a desk with a Mac computer already set up. I think my dad knew I would appreciate having a space for my hobbies and interests. This room feels cozy and inviting, and I can already imagine spending hours here, lost in my books and writing.

I move on to the next room, which is painted in a calming shade of blue. The walls are adorned with surf-themed artwork, and there's a surfboard propped up against one corner. The bed is covered in a vibrant, tropical print, and the room is filled with natural light. This room feels like a beach getaway, and I can picture myself waking up to the sound of waves crashing and spending my days exploring the beautiful beaches of Hawaii.

As I enter the last room, I'm greeted by a burst of color. The walls are painted a bright coral shade, and the room is filled with vibrant decorations and artwork. There's a vanity table with a mirror surrounded by fairy lights, and a cozy seating area with colorful cushions. This room feels energetic and lively, and I can imagine it being the perfect space for hanging out with friends and expressing my creativity.

After carefully considering each room, I finally make my decision. I choose the room with the cozy reading nook. It feels like the perfect sanctuary for me, a place where I can escape from the world and indulge in my love for books and writing. I can already envision myself spending countless hours curled up in the reading nook, surrounded by my favorite novels.

"Do you like it?" Mom asks, surprising me as she wraps her arms around my waist from behind.

"It's amazing, Mom. I absolutely love it," I reply, wiping away unexpected tears.

“That makes me so happy, sweetheart. Your dad and I know this move has been tough for you, especially during your senior year with all your friends. But trust me, this new place will be a fresh start for all of us."

“I know, Mom. I was just being a dramatic teenage girl."

Mom throws her head back and laughs genuinely, a sound I haven't heard in a long time.

“You, my beautiful darling girl, have always had a flair for the dramatic. I've always told your father we should have put you in drama classes."

“Very funny, Mom." She kisses my cheek before heading downstairs. As she walks away, she turns back and calls my name.

“Hey Dakoda."

“Yes, ma'am?" I respond, turning to face her.

“Why don't you take a walk on the beach and get a feel for our new home?"

“That actually sounds like a good idea, Mom. Thanks for suggesting it."

“You're welcome, baby girl." I take her advice and slip on my flip-flops, so I can feel the sand between my toes. I grab my earbuds from the table downstairs and yell down the hall to let my parents know I'll be back soon.

With a few hours of daylight left, I can walk along the beach and still see our house. As I make my way down, I spot some surfers and decide to head towards them to get a better view. I used to love surfing when we visited my grandparents here, but it's been years since I've been back.

Lost in my thoughts, I approach the crowd watching the surfers.

Oh my god, they're incredibly attractive, like movie star hot straight off the cover of GQ. No wonder everyone is gathered here. You know that commercial where the surfer emerges from the water, droplets cascading down his abs? Well, that's happening right now, and he's definitely showing off his ripped body in all the right places. And his face isn't too bad to look at either. Actually, everything about him is stunning, along with his two friends walking beside him.

Each of them has unique features. The first guy has dirty blond hair, a captivating smile, and muscular arms. The next guy has dark brown hair, a tan complexion, and a more mature, stocky build. The last one has black hair and a youthful, beautiful face, clearly the youngest. As I mindlessly stare at these three strangers, a girl shoulder checks me.

“What the hell are you looking at, haole?" she snaps.

“Not you," I respond.

“You better get your eyes back in your head before I knock them back in there for you, bitch," she threatens.

“Me?" I can't believe she's talking to me like that. Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I'll let people bully me. "Wrong bitch," I retort and turn to walk away.

“Oh, so you think you're somebody, huh?" she sneers.

“Walk away, Dakota. Walk away," I repeat in my head. But before I know it, she pushes me, causing me to stumble and trip over my own feet. As I quickly regain my balance, ready to fight back, a large hand grabs my wrist.

“What the fuck?!" I yell.

“No, you don't! You don't get to come to our island and start fights," a deep voice says.

“Seriously, were you watching a different scene? She's the one who started it all," I argue.

“Hey, what's going on here, bro?" the guy with the incredible abs asks the one who grabbed me.

“Just this haole trying to start shit with Harlan," the guy, whom I now know as Barley, explains to Abs.

"Well, Barley, from what I saw, Harlan was the one starting shit with her as she was trying to walk away. So how about you let her go and let her continue on her merry way? Okay, buddy?" Abs suggests.

“Yeah, sure. Just watch who you mess with from now on," Barley warns me.

“Sure thing, asshole," I reply, turning around and walking back to where I came from. As I walk away, I hear someone burst out laughing.

“Bro, she got your ass."

I simply smile to myself and make my way back home.

🏄‍♀️🏄‍♂️

The following day is Sunday, so I decide to go purchase a surfboard and find a peaceful spot to surf. My dad bought me a car before we left Washington, and our belongings arrived shortly after we did. Now I can drive without running into anyone I saw yesterday. All I want for today is tranquility and an absence of drama. I want to make the most of today before school starts tomorrow. I find the perfect spot and park my car in a lot right in front of the beach. I get out to remove my surfboard from the top of my car and change into my bikini. Then, I make my way down to the beach. I paddle out and sit on my board, patiently waiting for the perfect wave.

After a couple of minutes, a massive wave approaches, and I ride it successfully without falling off my board. I feel proud of myself for the accomplishment. Following that enormous wave, only small ones come, so I decide to sit them out and enjoy the view of the water. Suddenly, I hear someone yell, "Watch out!" and before I know it, someone crashes into me. Annoyed, I hear him complain as he collides with me. "Humph!" I respond as he runs into me. "Dammit, you can't just sit in the water when people are surfing," he scolds me.

"First off, jerk, I was surfing in this area first, and everyone knows that when someone is surfing, you don't invade their space. Secondly, I was the only one here for a while, so how was I supposed to know someone started surfing after me?" I retort.

"Well, first off, this is our island, haole, and nobody is allowed to surf on it. Secondly, you must not know who I am because it doesn't matter if you were here first or not. If I want to surf, I will surf, and you will get out of my way," he arrogantly responds.

"Oh, shit, sorry, God, is that you? Let me apologize," I sarcastically reply, flipping him the bird and swimming towards the shoreline.

"Fuck, brah! She's hot as hell," a guy I hadn't noticed says from beside me. When I look over, I realize it's the guys from yesterday, the attractive ones who stood up for me when the other guy and girl were causing trouble.

"Yeah, but she has a mouth on her," one of them comments.

"Come here, baby, let me show you what you can do with that mouth of yours," the tall, brown-haired one says, grabbing me from behind.

Without thinking, I turn around and punch him in the throat, then quickly swim out of the water and run to my car before they can catch up to me. Regardless of their attractiveness, I refuse to let them treat me like an object.

As I'm strapping my board onto the rack and opening my car door, the blonde one, "abs," reaches me and forcefully turns me around to face them. He pins me between the car and his body. "Now, I think you owe my friend here an apology, don't you?" he demands.

"The fuck I do? He should have kept his hands to himself," I reply defiantly.

"Oh, sweetheart, the sooner you realize we can do whatever we please around here, the better off your life will be," the blonde one tells me.

"Oh, honey, the faster you realize I don't play by anyone's rules, the better off you will be," I spit back at him.

"Is that right?" he says, working his hands up my thighs before I can slap them away.

"Don't do that," he warns me with a look in his eyes that I can't quite decipher.

"Or what?" I challenge.

He smirks and grabs the back of my hair, pulling my head back painfully and starts licking his way up my neck. My whole body shivers.

Damn girly hormones. He smirks at me. "You like that, huh?" he whispers.

"In your dreams, asshole."

"No, baby, I don't dream about girls like you."

What the fuck does that mean? Girls like me?

"Fuck, bruh, this is making me hard as hell," the baby-faced one says, and sure enough, I look over and notice a bulge in his wetsuit.

I need to get out of here somehow. "This is going to hurt," I whisper to the beautiful man holding me.

"Huh?" he asks, confused.

Then, I knee him right in the groin. When he drops away from me, clutching his crotch in pain, I quickly step into my car and drive away.

I'm shaking the entire way home. That was so intense. When I arrive home and walk through the door, my mom asks me how my day went I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before responding to my mom. "It was... eventful," I say, my voice slightly shaky.

"Are you ready for school yet?" Mom asks as I'm walking to my bedroom to get a shower.

"Yeah, pretty much," I tell her, although the truth is I'm not ready at all. Going to school without Stella feels so wrong. It was always our thing to do together.

I start the shower and let the water rain down on me, trying to wash away the memories of those guys' hands on my body. It felt so good, but it's confusing. They're strangers, so why do I feel this weird pull towards them?

"Fuck, Dakota? Get that shit out of your head!" I scold myself, pushing those thoughts aside. I quickly finish my shower, wrap a towel around myself, and blow-dry my hair. Then I change into my comfy pajamas and slide under the covers, reaching for my phone to call Jax.

He answers on the third ring, sounding sleepy. "Hello," he says.

"Oh, shit, babe, I'm sorry I forgot about the time difference. I'll call you back tomorrow at a better time," I apologize.

"No, I'm awake now," he says, his voice still groggy.

"Oh, um, okay," I say, feeling a sudden awkwardness between us. Something feels off, but I can't quite figure out what it is.

"How are you, Dakota?" he asks.

"I'm okay. Still hating it here. I tried to go surfing today, and some guys were total assholes to me," I tell him, frustration evident in my voice.

"You tried to surf? You know how the natives are about their land," he says, sounding concerned.

Whoa, thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole, I think to myself. "Yes, I surfed, and yeah, I know how they can be," I reply, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Look, you obviously aren't in a good mood because I woke you up. I'll let you get some rest," I say abruptly, hanging up before Jax can say anything else.

I lie down in bed and think about Stella, how much she loved it here when we used to visit our grandparents. Then the tears start flowing. I cry for her, for me, for my parents, for Jax. I cry until there are no more tears left, and exhaustion takes over, lulling me to sleep.

I wake up the next morning, realizing I've spent the entire night thinking about my sister. It's going to be a long day at school without her. I miss her so much, her presence, her advice. We would have talked about those mean boys and laughed about it all night. But deep down, I know what we would have really talked about - how damn fine those boys were.

As I groggily open my eyes, the reality of my sister's absence hits me like a wave crashing against the shore. It's the first day of school without her, and I can already feel the weight of her absence hanging heavily in the air. The thought of facing the day without her by my side fills me with a mix of sadness and longing.

Today, as I prepare for school, I can't help but think about the incident with those mean boys yesterday. If my sister were here, we would have dissected every detail, analyzing their actions and finding solace in each other's understanding. We would have laughed off their immaturity, finding strength in our shared experiences.

But amidst the laughter, I know that our conversation would have taken a different turn. We would have playfully teased each other about how attractive those boys were, secretly acknowledging their undeniable charm. It was our way of lightening the mood, finding humor in the complexities of teenage life.