Swamp Monster
“Twenty-eight . . . twenty-nine . . . thirty! Ready or not, here I come!” Alec’s voice ricochets faintly around the house, causing Millie to squirm in anticipation on my lap. After the meeting I left straight for next door to see Alec. We went to pick Millie up from preschool and have just come back, and now we’re playing hide and seek (Millie’s favourite game). Alec is upstairs right now, and Millie and I are crammed in the storage cupboard under the stairs. The amount of shoes and sharp things I’m sitting on now should be enough to take me into hospital. Uncomfortable is an understatement for this freaking cupboard.
Above us, Alec’s footsteps are enough to make Millie fidget nervously again as he treks down the stairs. What is he, an elephant?
“He’s doing that on purpose,” I mutter under my breath.
Millie giggles quietly, curling further up into my lap. It’s pitch black in this darned cupboard, but even so I can tell that Millie’s eyes are sparkling with excitement. She adores her big brother, and recently I think she’s been truly warming up to me as well.
Alec’s footsteps pass by the cupboard towards the lounge, and I hold my breath in anticipation. Part of me is wishing that Alec would hurry up and find us so that I can finally get out of this horrible torture chamber (I think I’m sitting on a Lego brick – the worst kind of pain), but then the other part is giggling in excitement, similar to what Millie’s doing now. “Shh.” I smile, putting my finger to her lips. She giggles again, more quietly this time, but it’s possible that Alec heard it.
Sure enough, we don’t have to wait long until the footsteps head back towards us, and Millie tenses in my arms, releasing a high-pitched quiet squeal and shielding her eyes. “I wonder where they could be . . .” Alec ponders loudly outside, obviously for Millie’s sake.
I snort in amusement but Millie gasps, squirming to get as far away from the cupboard door as possible. “Is that a giggle?” Alec’s footsteps get closer and closer, until I can hear him standing right outside of the door. Even I’m squirming at this point. “Is it coming from in there?” he muses. “No, can’t be. They’re much too big to fit in that tiny cupboard.”
“Well excuse me,” I say sarcastically as I hear him walking away, and Millie screams as his footsteps stop, knowing that he’ll find us. He obviously heard me. To be honest, I think the whole street did – I said it purposefully loud. A smirk curves my lips as Alec swings open the door dramatically, his eyes searching for Millie.
“Gotcha,” he whispers and grabs Millie by the waist. She screams loudly as he brings her up effortlessly to his chest, before blowing a raspberry on her bare stomach where her top has risen. She’s giggling and squirming as he tickles her, laughing. I watch on, feeling like a creep for watching such an intimate sibling moment, but it’s just too cute not to. You don’t see this part of Alec every day – I need to make the most of it.
I think I need to move now. That Lego brick is imprinting itself into my ass.
I shift and stand up in the cupboard, brushing off my jeans and pulling down my beanie. Alec glances at me and something flutters in my stomach. It’s getting so much more difficult to speak to him for some reason – it’s so difficult to explain.
“So, squirt,” I call Millie as Alec places her down. “What do you want to do now?”
Millie’s eyes light up with excitement. “Can we go to the park?”
Immediately, Alec and I exchange a look as if to ask for the other’s approval. We’re actually kind of similar. It’s only about 4.30 p.m. so it’s not too late.
“Sure we can.” Alec nods. “Go and put your jacket on and we’ll walk. I’ll even get you a lollipop if you’re sharpish.”
Millie beams in awe before darting off upstairs to grab a jacket and leaving Alec and I on our own in the hallway. My cheeks begin to heat the moment that Alec looks at me. I curse internally.
“Beanies suit you,” Alec says softly before jogging into the kitchen.
I stand paralysed as my mind runs over those three words millions of times. Did Alec just compliment me? After a second, he returns, sliding some loose change into his pocket. He’s holding a packet of wild berry Skittles in his hand, and when he catches me staring at them he wriggles his eyebrows. He didn’t think anything of the compliment, which reassures and disappoints me at the same time.
“Want to taste the rainbow, Riley?”
I laugh. “I’d rather not, thanks.”
“Lying to yourself again, huh?”
I stare blankly at him. “You know, I’d like to see things from your perspective but I genuinely cannot fit my head that far up my ass. I mean, can you give me some tips? Is there, like, a Wikihow page I don’t know about?”
Alec grins. “No, it’s much more complex than that. It’s all about the angle, Greene. You have to have a natural talent, like me.”
“Oh, bite me.”
“Just tell me where.” He winks. “You ready to go?”
I nod in confirmation, just as Millie clomps down the stairs wearing her adorable little denim jacket. A wide-eyed and rather creepy baby doll is cradled in her arms.
“Is Alicia coming too?” Alec asks Millie unhappily.
Millie nods. “Of course, Alec. What kind of a mommy would I be if I left her here?”
She says it so seriously that I burst into laughter. Alec groans, ushering us both out of the front door as I continue to giggle, and I barely have time to put my jacket on before we’re standing outside. Alec locks the front door behind us, and I take the liberty while his back is turned to steal the packet of Skittles from his jacket pocket. Of course, he notices.
“The blue one?” he scoffs, frowning. “What are you, a smurf? The red one is clearly the people’s favourite.” He snatches the pack back from me and we walk down the driveway towards the sidewalk as he shovels red Skittles in his mouth. I scowl at him; the red ones taste amazing, but the blue ones dye your tongue. So much more fun, let’s be honest.
“I beg to differ,” I chime, shoving a few more carefully selected blue Skittles into my mouth. “Blue is underrated. I’m like a Skittle hipster – I don’t go for the mainstream flavours.”
Millie looks back from her place skipping ahead in front of us, nodding in agreement. I offer her a high five.
“I’ve got red, you’ve got blue . . . Wanna make purple?” Alec winks, leaning in to make kissy noises in my ear.
I squeal a little bit and shift away, throwing a sweet at him in defence. I have incredibly sensitive ears. It’s my weak spot. I watch sadly as the poor defenceless green Skittle hits him on the nose, before falling to the floor with a clatter.
“You’re a waste of Skittles,” I huff. “Stop hitting on me, dude.”
“Hitting on you?” Alec raises an eyebrow. “I don’t need to hit on girls to make them fall at my feet.”
“Cocky grasshole,” I mutter.
“I’m sorry, what was that, Riley?” Alec says. “Something about my cock? Don’t worry, girl. I can assure you that it’s in perfect condition.”
“I don’t want to know!” I yelp, grabbing some Skittles and shoving them into his mouth to block what he’s going to say. “There are two pairs of very innocent ears walking beside you,” I warn him. “Be aware of that, okay?”
Alec just laughs.
The park in Lindale is only about a minute’s walk from our houses. We turn onto the road leading to the entrance, a terraced row of cream houses with black iron railings. The park is located right by the coast, a road away – I can taste the sea breeze on my tongue. Alec clears his throat. “Speaking of falling at someone’s feet . . . my mom is getting married.”
I choke on air. “Are you kidding me? I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.”
Alec looks at me, slightly bemused. “Her girlfriend-slash-fiancée’s name is Fiona, and she’s a soldier.”
“Oh wow, sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed –”
“She and Mom have been dating for a couple years now, and she proposed on the visiting day last weekend,” Alec says. I guess he thinks my apology is irrelevant. “It’s the first time Mom’s seen Fiona in a month. They’ve been meaning to marry for years but wanted to wait until Fiona quit her status as a soldier fully.”
“That’s romantic.” My heart warms, but there’s a question I mean to ask Alec which has just been brought to the forefront of my mind. I take in a deep breath, aware this is a slightly risky topic. “So . . . is your dad going to go?”
Alec releases a short exhale. “My parents divorced just before Millie was born. I haven’t spoken to my dad in years, so no, I assume not.”
“Why did they divorce?”
“He’s not a nice person.” Alec’s reply is short and slightly curt, and I’m instantly uncomfortable that I asked. Of all people I know how to respect privacy, and I don’t want to push Alec to answer anything he doesn’t want to.
“Sorry. Do you want to talk about something else?”
“No, it’s okay, it shouldn’t exactly be a secret or anything.” He runs his hand haphazardly through his hair, and that’s how I know that this conversation is stressing him out. “Dad didn’t react well when Mom told him she was bisexual.”
“Right,” I hum, staring at my feet. I’m tentative around him; I don’t want to say the wrong thing around such a delicate topic. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for Marie – to have been rejected by the one she loved, because of who she was. Similarly for Alec and Millie, to have their foundations crumble so quickly. When my parents divorced, I’d had time to adjust – there was a slow build-up to the announcement. Millie and Alec must have seen their parents’ marriage disintegrate in a matter of days.
“He wasn’t a great dad beforehand, but he hasn’t wanted anything to do with us since that announcement. Now I don’t want anything to do with him either.”
“I’m so sorry, Alec. That must have been horrible.”
“It was fine,” he replies curtly. “We got through.”
“And now your mom is getting married to someone she loves,” I reply, trying to divert the topic into something more positive again. I can sense any more pushing on the father front might be a little too far for Alec, at this stage in our friendship. “So, will I ever get to meet Fiona? She sounds cool, although I’m not going to lie, the whole soldier thing is kind of intimidating . . . she could shoot me if she doesn’t like me.”
Alec smiles gorgeously and just like that, the conversation has been swept under the rug. “I’m positive you’ll get to meet her. She’ll be home for good in a few months, and that’s after the engagement party, which your family has been invited to by the way. She’s really cool, good with Millie too I guess.” Thinking of his younger sister, his eyes lift up from the ground to check on her, skipping along ahead of us. “Millie,” he says threateningly, “I’m gonna chase you . . .”
Millie glances back and squeals as she sees Alec approaching.
“You’re a pretty adorable big brother you know,” I say. “It makes me wish I had an older sibling to play with me when I was younger.”
“Don’t call me adorable.” Alec wrinkles his nose. “Sexy? Yes. Manly? Yes. Rugged? Yes. Adorable? Hell no.” He turns back to Millie and wriggles his fingers tauntingly. He’ll chase her in a second.
My smile sparks deviously and my voice morphs into an exaggerated coo. “What a cutie you are, Wilde. Adorable. You’re like a giant, fluffy teddy –”
Alec interrupts quickly. “I think you better start running.”
I grin and jog to catch up with Millie.
“Quick!” I tell her. “Alec is the mean monster and he’s trying to catch us! We need to run away!” Millie gasps at the news, abandoning her skipping and grabbing my hand. Together we run (well, jogging for me, running for Millie) down the sidewalk as fast as we can. Alec is making monster noises behind us, playing along, and Millie squeals as she hears him getting closer. After a second of running however, Millie is yanked away from me and “eaten” by Alec. I can hear her giggling loudly as Alec tickles her.
I’ve reached the park’s entrance now. “Run, Riley!” Millie screams, and this time I really do run. It doesn’t take long for Alec to catch me, though. He grabs me by the waist, hitting my ticklish spot, and pretends to take a bite out of my shoulder.
“Delicious.” He grins, and I swat him on the chest. Millie runs up behind him and hooks her tiny arms round his waist.
“Let’s go to the playground!”
“Look at Millie, she’s making friends!” I point over at the playground from where we’re sitting, watching the little angel talk to a couple of girls her age. She wouldn’t let Alec and I stay in the playground, claiming instead that she wanted “freedom”, so we’re sitting next to the skate ramps instead and keeping our eyes on her from a slight distance.
“Riley, that guy is staring at you.”
“What?” I turn to Alec, to find him completely and utterly involved in the skate ramps, more specifically by the boys around our age doing tricks by the fence. Sure enough, one of them is already looking at me as I look up, and he smiles when I meet his gaze. He’s cute. Really cute.
And then he starts heading towards us.
Alec stiffens.
“All right, bro?” He grins at Alec before his twinkling green eyes flash back to mine. He’s quite good-looking, with dark curly hair and a lip piercing. Not my type but still pretty hot. He throws me a wink, and my immediate response is to look down at my lap.
“Yeah, I’m good cheers,” Alec replies coolly, yet he is stiff as a statue on the bench. Then, ever so casually, he throws his arm round the back of the bench, round me. I stare at him, surprised. The boy in front of us watches the action, and I start to feel a little unsettled. What is this, a possessive thing? I glance over at Millie. I’m glad she’s okay playing with the other girls. They seem to be getting on well, at least. Maybe I’ll escape over there.
“I’m Nick.” The boy grins. “You any good at boarding? Want a go?”
“Alec. And no thanks, it’s not really my thing, Nat.” Alec’s voice sounds slightly defensive and cold, and I watch him cautiously. Why is he being so rude? Nick’s eyebrows rise a little at his reaction before he turns to me with the twinkle returned to his eyes. What a flirt.
“It’s Nick,” the boy says. “What about you, babe? Want a go?”
I glance over to Alec before shrugging. Nerves squeeze my windpipe, and it takes all my effort to ignore it. “Yeah, I think I will.”
Nick grins, offering me a hand to pull me up. “That’s cool.” He smirks. “Yo, dude, I think your girlfriend here has bigger nuts than you.” He kicks up his skateboard and offers it to me, smiling smugly over at Alec when he thinks I’m not looking. As for Alec, I don’t think he’s even noticed me leaving; he’s too busy glaring at Nick. Boys and their stupid pride. I grab the skateboard and begin to walk towards the ramps. I climb up a medium-sized one in the most dignified way I can, setting the board on the edge and placing my foot on it to steady it. I can sense them all watching me, and I falter. No pressure then.
I place my weight on the board and slide down the ramp towards the jumps. I’m no expert, but I used to skateboard a lot a few years ago. Toby and I used to do it together, and we came here to practise. It’s been months since I’ve even touched my skateboard. The wind rushes in my face, and I feel the familiar rush of adrenaline as I jump down the ramp. Boom! The skateboard spins beneath my feet in an ollie that I’ve practised many times (usually in my backyard because I’m sad like that), and then I continue to slide up the nearest jump. My skateboard flicks high in the air at the end, and I catch it, landing firmly on my feet.
Still got it.
I turn towards the boys and offer Alec a small curtsey, feeling smug. I’ve missed skateboarding. Nick is full on grinning, but Alec just looks shocked. Is it really that surprising? I chuck Nick his board back, and he catches it neatly. “Thanks.” I smile as I slide not-so-gracefully down the ramp and back onto solid ground. “I needed that.”
“You’re welcome.” Nick steps closer. A little too close for my liking, despite how hot he is. The player vibe is practically dripping off him. “Maybe I could get your number in return?”
Instantly my throat tightens again and I splutter.
I go to reply but Alec beats me to it, interrupting. “I think we should go now, Riley. Nice meeting you, Nash.” Alec grabs my arm, purposefully getting Nick’s name wrong again. I cock an eyebrow at him as he drags me away from the guys. I can hear them laughing behind us. Alec is either jealous, or those guys have said something really rude to him. He pulls me into the playground, away from the skateboarders. Waves of pure anger pour off him and he avoids my expression entirely.
“Okay, what’s up?” I sigh. “Because you’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
“You should be thanking me,” he grunts. “I saved you from that pig.” His arms are crossed. The resemblance between him and a pouty kid right now is astonishing.
“Saved me?” Yeah right. “Oh, noble Alec, however can I repay you for stealing me away from the cute skateboarding guy who wanted my number?”
“He wasn’t good-looking, and he was a pig. You don’t need him.”
That’s true, but still.
“Besides, when you were going down the ramps, all he was talking about was your ass.”
“And who can blame him?” I joke, winking at Alec.
He just shoots me a blank stare in reply, and I roll my eyes. “Okay, seriously, Alec? I was kidding, you grouch. And for the record, I don’t need you monitoring my social interactions – I actually really liked skating but I guess that’s not important to you.” Rolling my eyes, I decide to separate from Alec and head over to the swings and slides, where Millie is playing with her newfound friends. All of the girls look up at me when I approach, and Millie offers me a big grin.
“This is Riley,” she tells her friend. “She’s my babysitter. Alec, my big bro, is her Prince Charming. Aren’t you, Alec?”
I spin round. I hadn’t realised that Alec was still behind me. He ignores me and looks at Millie instead. “Prince Charming? Oh I don’t know about that. Riley isn’t the princess type. She’s more like a toad or a –”
“A knight,” I finish for him, shooting him a glare. “I think you’ll find that Alec is the swamp monster, definitely not Prince Charming. Gosh no.”
“Swamp monster? I don’t think that’s very fair.”
“Someone’s cheered up,” I observe.
“I was never grumpy,” he mocks.
“Yeah sure,” I drawl sarcastically.
Alec ignores my comment. “So, I have something to ask you.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “What?”
No, no, no. He’s not going to ask you out. Shut up, Riley. Seriously, shut it.
“We’re headed to the beach on Saturday. You and Violet up for it?”
Not like I was expecting anything else, was it? Stupid swamp monster.