chap 2: even across the globe, they'll always find me

The sand is warm against her back as she lays against the sand, silent. Adonis had left several minutes ago for dinner with his father, and she was glad he had gone. She knew that every dinner he spent with his father was crucial, and she'd spent a few minutes convincing him to go.

She flips her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder, adjusting her bikini slightly. Her green eyes narrow in on the horizon. The gorgeous pink hues dotted the sky as the sun slowly set behind the never-ending sea.

This was the only place she ever wanted to be. She spots a ship on the horizon, sailing peacefully towards the island. It brings a stark contrast to the gorgeous ambiance of Greece's seas. The ship veers closer and closer to the island as minutes pass and she continues to watch the horizon.

When it's beside the beach she is currently resting on, docking at the port near the far side, she frowns, the beach-side is a private property and belongs solely to the owner of the house which was her father.

Nobody else is even permitted on the beach. She stares at the ship, taking an uneasy breathe as she approaches it, her pace picking up as two figures emerge.

Her heart stops in her chest. The toned legs are unmistakable- they're mile high as always, and glow in the dimming light. And she would know the face to match it anywhere.

"Fuck" she mutters, a grimace slowly making it's way onto her face. She'd run away to Greece for the summer to get rid of these very people, but it seems as if they had come back to haunt her. No matter what. And she could keep running, to the end of the very globe, and they would find her.

And the most ironic thing was that they all hated her. The game was the only thing that continued to tie them together. When they'd first met, they'd truly gotten along. That was until freshman year, when they first played the game.

After they had all seen the darkest in each other, they'd slowly drifted away. It'd taken a year, but by the end of freshman year, only a few bonds remained, and they had never been the same.

She hadn't kept any bonds.

Blair and her had almost had a bond, but that bond was beyond repair.

The only person that liked her aboard that ship was Eric, and very soon, he was bound to hate her. She can see him from this distance- his brown hair and his striking features. Defined abs, long muscled legs.

Eric and her had been a fling, but he'd fallen for her. And while she did recuperate the feelings, she refused to let herself get attached. It had done nothing for her in the past, and she knew Eric. She'd grown up beside him, she knew exactly how he charmed girls and left them begging at this feet.

She wasn't going to be one of those girls.

Not in a million years. And even if Eric claimed he had changed, she didn't care. She was watching out for herself, and only herself. She was done getting stepped over.

She remained still as she waits, watching them step by step. She couldn't drop her gaze. She doesn't want this, but she knows that running away is worse. Running away will allow them to believe that she's scared of them. Afraid.

Blair reaches her first, and she wraps her arms around her. Alexis stiffens at this. Blair and her haven't been on amicable terms for more than a year, and Blair is well aware Alexis hates every single fucking thing about her.

It's hilarious that less than a year ago, they were actually friends. Blair and her were polar opposites, but somehow, it worked. They'd made it work.

Until she'd caught Blair and Parker in bed. Oh Parker, her darling ex-boyfriend who had promised he would love her forever. He clearly had not, but she had moved on, finally. She could finally say she was rid of him.

Telling her he would love her forever was just one of the many broken promises he'd made. And on top of that, Parker had spent the last year drowning himself in anger. For what? She didn't know. Parker had never attempted to apologize to her, but acted as if she was at fault. As if she wasn't allowed to move on.

Blair and Parker had been a couple ever since Alexis and Parker had ended, but Alexis didn't mind. She had watched them for a couple of months, and she saw what they couldn't see clearly. It was a toxic relationship. Parker drowning himself in his anger- her always striving to be the perfect girlfriend, begging for attention.

Oh, it was a disaster in the making. And everyone could see it but them. She did not mind watching them self destruct in front of her eyes. It was rather amusing.

"Watch out for Parker," Blair hisses into her ear, breaking Alexis out of her reverie "He's out for blood"

She was seconds away from drowning Blair in the pool several feet away from them. If anything, Blair was the source of that problem.

"I don't remember giving you permission to touch me" Alexis calmly replies, with a peeved glance at Blair, who simply rolls her eyes, stepping aside with a sigh.

Eric has finally made it, and he steps up to Alexis. He's silent for several seconds, looking her up and down. She doesn't even blink at his gaze, managing to keep her emotions in check. She won't slip up. She knows better.

"Summer did you good," Eric comments a slight smirk forming on his lips as Alexis cringes at these words. He'll regret ever being polite to her.

"I see you didn't lose your phone" he adds a few seconds later glancing at the phone in her hand this time, biting his lip. And Alexis hates the way her cheeks flush at this simple action.

"Of course I didn't lose my phone" Alexis lazily replies, not missing a beat. She keeps her phone in clear view. She wasn't going to give him any signs she had the slightest bit of interest in him. And she doesn't miss his slight frown, but he masks it quickly.

He turns away from her, and Blair stares at her curiously, an amused smile crossing her face. Blair's intuitive. She knows.

When Alexis had lost Parker, she'd lost two people. And it'd hurt more than it would have if he'd cheated on her with someone she didn't know. But Blair was someone she had finally trusted enough to confide in.

"She must have changed her number" Blair comments, and Alexis flashes her the dirtiest possible look she can. Blair visibly reclines at it, but her smile remains on her lips.

She ignores Blair's comment, instead focusing her eyes on the ship in the horizon. She hadn't noticed as they slowly walked closer, and closer to it. She spots Parker almost instantly once they reach 50 feet within the yacht. His gaze is focused on Blair solely, and she watches as Blair spots his upset gaze. Blair avoids the gaze, ducking her head.

"Trouble in paradise?" she mocks, a bemused smile crossing her face as she tucks a strand of hair behind her face. Blair's reaction is almost instant, her black eyes narrowing as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. Her tanned golden skin shimmers in the sunlight, and her eyes almost twinkle.

"At least I have a paradise" she sardonically replies, meeting Alexis's gaze without faltering.

Little does she know. Alexis thinks.

Alexis places an acrylic on Blair's wrist, tracing delicately. Blair watches her warily, without any movement. Alexis is unpredictable, and she knows better than to upset her.

Alexis doesn't think before she places her acrylic on Blair, slowly tracing the outline of her hand before she roughly flips Blair's hand over, without the slightest warning.

A flash of ink on bare skin is revealed before Blair attempts to pull her hand away. She's unsuccessful.

Alexis's grip on her hand is too hard, and Blair blinks slowly, taking a deep breathe, as Alexis's nails almost tear into her skin. Parker is watching them, and as she looks up to meet his gaze, she cringes.

He's furious.

Alexis's derisive laugh only makes matters worse, and Blair can barely breathe as Alexis finally lets go of her hand. Eric is silent, but she can see his annoyance clear as day.

Alexis doesn't believe it. Blair is as naive as she has always known. The tattoo of Parker's name on her hand is a clear sign of that. She can't stop her laughter, but the look on Blair's face is more than enough amusement for her. Parker is beside them in seconds, staring at Blair, who isn't able to meet his gaze.

"May I please see what is on your wrist? " he quietly asks, and his tone is low enough that nobody but Alexis can hear it.

She finally realizes that he has never seen the tattoo before. And his words are not spoken in the way one should speak to a lover. His tone is still polite, but at the same time, flooded with arrogance. As if he hates her, but puts up with her because he has too. It brings her pleasure to hear him mistreat her because Blair deserves it. They both deserve it.

Blair is silent for several seconds, and she shudders, breathing heavily. She has never been as scared of anyone in the entire world. She longs to please him, but she doesn't know how.

She knew this was a mistake once it was done, but she'd truly believed he would appreciate it. That was until he'd voiced his clear disapproval for tattoos representing a person in any way. He hates anything that was not removable. She knew Parker. He believed things came and went. She'd made sure to cover in foundation, but in her rush, she'd forgotten.

And she knew she would pay now. And she forced herself to calm down, take a deep breathe.

Alexis watched like a hawk, eyes focused on Blair. Blair's fear radiated off her in waves, yet Parker continued to stare at her. Without blinking.

Finally mustering the courage to flip her wrist around, she turns away as Parker focuses his gaze on her wrist.

The crack of a hand against skin is clear seconds later. Alexis whips her head so fast to face Parker that she gets whiplash. It's exactly what she thinks. And while she is fine with them self-destructing, physical abuse of any kind doesn't sit well with her. Blair, reclining, head in hand, a red hand print on her cheek. Parker is furious, staring at her with contempt reserved for your worst enemy.

Eric does it for Alexis, slamming Parker into the sand, and landing a fist on his face. Parker doesn't attempt to fight back. Eric doesn't stop until Max, who had sprinted from the ship once he'd seen, pulls him back, calmly muttering something in his ear.

Flashing Parker a disgusted look, Max continues to hold back Eric until he's calmed himself. Parker chuckles, wiping blood from his upper lip slowly, stumbling towards Blair.

Alexis doesn't let him touch her, putting herself in front of Blair without hesitation. Parker wipes the blood off his lip, gaze firmly on Alexis who didn't even bat an eyelash. She was not scared of Parker. She would never be.

When she'd last seen them, even though she was aware that things weren't working out, she'd never believed Parker could lay a hand on anyone.

Blair's hand is still nestling her red cheek, and a single tear is making its way down her cheek.

"Don't you ever, ever lay a hand on Blair again" Alexis warns, eyes glossing over as she stare at him. She can't even look at him. What he's become. She can't believe she ever saw anything in him.

Parker stalks off into the distance without another word, and they're left in complete silence. They all turn to stare at Blair, who continues to stare off in the distance, lost in her own thoughts.

And then they are left, silence completely enveloping them.