Boardwalk [OPEN] tw:boys being assholes throwing girls off things, drowing

[abster]

This town was freaking dumb. Okay, so there were nice people here. But so far she hadn't met any of her siblings or rather, she hadn't gotten the nerve up yet to meet her siblings. She was staying in a crumby motel that had toilet stains older than she was and some really unsavoury connections elsewhere. And she had about two hundred more bucks to her name after she'd fixed some broken pawned items and answered a couple of Covelist job wants. And still nowhere near enough money to get her back to Washington with her car. Which meant she might have to sell it or worse ask her father for help which was infinitely worse.

Watching as a couple of kids, well people her age, jumped off the boardwalk she rolled her eyes. It didn't matter if you were in Washington on cliffs or a boardwalk, kids were going to be idiots no matter what. She could just see Sam doing it a couple years ago. Ugh, that asshole.

"Coming through," Abigail gripped the rail as one of them bumped into her on their way past to throw themselves off it again.

"Jackasses," Abigail muttered under her breath as she passed the teenagers wearing letterman jackets for what she assumed was the local high school. Hearing them mutter to themselves, she felt them slide their hands beneath her arm and lift her up off the safety of the boardwalk. Laptop bag dropping to the ground, she began to struggle as they pulled her towards the edge where they had all been jumping off. "Get off me! Hey! Get your hands off me, don't I can't- HEY! QUIT I-AAAAAAAH!"

Abigail screamed as the boys threw her over the boardwalk fencing towards the deep waters of the ocean, flailing she shrieked as she hit the water and sunk like a stone. Kicking her legs panicked, her arms hit out as she tried to push against the water weighing her clothes down and pulling her down. She could feel her body fighting her, trying to change but she could do this, she could do it. Feeling the cold water strangle her, she coughed as she managed to break the surface and gasp air in and swallowed salt water before she was pulled beneath a wave.

"Dude, why isn't she getting up? Fuck, we're in trouble- hey! Hey! HELP! I think she's drowning!" One of the kids shouted, calling out as Abigail began to be the world's first siren to freaking drown.


ooc: come save abby from drowning!

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[abster]

The rush of air into her lungs didn't make her stir for one long, awful moment before she coughed, her hands coming up to push the person away. Choking on the water before she turned and coughed out the water trying to make friends with her lungs. Sucking in fresh air, she coughed with her hands resting on her would be hero's chest.

"Oh g-god," Abigail spluttered, blinking as she looked blearily up at the guy who'd saved her. Lips trembling at the cold, she shivered as she pressed back against solid land. "I'm on land?"

[writtenby_caden]

Caden sits back on his haunches when the girl pushes him back, grinning in relief and keeping a comforting hand on her shoulder as she coughs up saltwater into the wet sand. He puts his other hand over her smaller one on his chest and nods, patting it a few times before letting go.

"Yeah, you're safe," Caden tells her, smiling reassuringly. He notices how bad she's trembling and immediately goes to remove his jacket before remembering that 1) it's up on the pier and 2) he's also freezing wet. He could pull her up against him, but he doubts that would be appreciated.

"Do you want me to call an ambulance?" He jerks his chin towards the pier, where the boys are still watching with worried, petulant expressions. "Or the police?"

One timid looking boy is walking towards them with Caden's jacket and shoes and a laptop bag he assumes must be the girl's. He hands the stuff over and fidgets, looking down at the girl without meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they were gonna do that. I - I should have tried to stop it."

"Yeah, probably," Caden snaps. He's so nice and laidback on a good day, but he can't stand bullshit like this. He grabs the stuff from his hands and shoos him away, ignoring his own trembling fingers to sit the girl up and wrap his thick peacoat around her. "Okay, hat should help."

[abster]

Gasping in air, she tried to not puke up more water or cough it all up. Curling up, she rubbed her hands down her arm and shivered as she looked at the hideous deep, treacherous water. She didn't want to go out there again, didn't want to be there at all.

Shaking her head at the question of the ambulance or the police. She didn't want to end up stuck in this town while they tried some stupid dumb kids for being stupid and dumb. She just wanted to get warm and dry and get the water off her skin, get the need to change out of her bones.

"N-next time, don't throw strangers in the water asshole. I can't s-swim," Abigail stuttered as she shivered. She breathed out as her rescuer wrapped a thick coat around her. Shivering she let out a quiet thanks. "At least they didn't get m-my laptop."

[writtenby_caden]

"Get out of here, and don't pull shit like this again. High school ends, you know. Then it's just you in the real world, and no letterman jacket will help you." Caden waves him off and turns back towards the girl once he's gone, laughing a little and hauling the laptop bag up onto the dry sand where it's safe.

He smiles even as he shivers, thin tee shirt clinging wetly to his muscular frame, and runs his fingers through his hair to get it up off of his forehead. "At least there's that. I'm a writer, so I know how precious a laptop can be."

Her lips are starting to go pink again, instead of a ghastly white, and Caden nods a little in relief. It makes him a little nervous that she doesn't want to see a doctor, but it's her choice. "I'm Caden, by the way."

[abster]

Abigail didn't have to look to know her make-up was half way down her face, that the hair pins that usually kept her errant hair in place had been lost to the ocean and her dark clothing clung to her beneath his stupidly warm coat. She looked a state, wiping her eyes stubbornly and brushing her fingers against her neck she could almost feel something there. Almost but not quite.

"It's... everything. I could get another one but it wouldn't be the same. It has everything on it," Abigail murmured, rubbing her face against her damp knees. She can feel a pink flush come to her cheeks as she knows her blood does its best to warm her but she's cold. And he looked equally as cold. "Abigail, Abigail Flynn."

[writtenby_caden]

"Hi, Abigail. I think that might have been the first time I ever got to first base with a girl without knowing her name." He winks and blushes at the same time, just trying to make her laugh. He reaches out to wipe some mascara from under her eye with his thumb and then gets up and holds out his hand to her. "Come on, you should probably get up and move around a little. I can take you home."

[abster]

Abigail's laugh turned into a cough that had her almost bent double. Breathing in racking sobs, she smiled a strained smile before she looked up. Feeling his thumb wiped the mascara and eyeliner from beneath her eyes, she took his hand and let him help her up. Everything was stiff and crappy and cold. Her jacket was probably going to be ruined as well from the sea water. Assholes. "That'd be a t-trip. Home's in Washington, I'm s-staying in a motel though. The one on the outskirts."

[writtenby_caden]

Caden rubs her back soothingly while she coughs and frowns when he learns where she's staying. He's seen the motel. It's run down and not very inviting. He doesn't like the thought of her there alone after such an ordeal.

"Hey, why don't you come warm up at my place? I'm just over there." He points to a row of houses lining the sand. His own more modest bungalow is mostly blocked from sight by Coop's upscale digs, and more some reason that makes Caden chuckle. "I have a pretty kickass fireplace. You can borrow some clothes and warm up while I toss yours in the wash, and I can have some food delivered."

It's only after he says it that he realizes that it's kind of a weird offer. Like, hey girl I've never met who I just pulled out of the ocean, why don't you come to my house and wear my clothes? God, how awkward. He gives her a warm smile and shrugs. "I mean, if you want. I just know if I was in your position, I wouldn't really want to be alone."

[abster]

The people in this town were weird. Like Stepford Wives weird. Apparently every guy she met just had to offer her the use of their place when they just met. Maybe it was a thing, maybe it was a Siren Cove thing that no one included in the brochure. It would explain a lot (it would explain her dad.)

"Uh, okay?" Abigail muttered, looking at him cautiously. His place looked so more inviting than Roach Motel, they check in but they don't check out. Abigail sent her mom a text to let her know where she was first though, she wasn't about to be the first victim in a horror movie. "I'm fine with alone, wet and cold n-not so much. I don't know why people like water."

She did, some part of her but she liked to stubbornly push that deep, deep down.

[writtenby_caden]

Caden gets up and helps her to her feet, laughing a little. He leads her up the beach towards his house and looks out at the waves. "I love the water, but I couldn't tell you why. I just do. Feels like home."

He's shivering, fingers and lips nearly blue by the time they reach his back deck. He unlocks the door with trembling fingers and leads her inside, going over to the thermostat almost instantly. There are copies of his new book stacked on the coffee table waiting to be signed and sent out to various bookstores, along with coffee cups and markers, and scribbled in notebooks. "Sorry, it's kind of a disaster area in here. I've been sort of lost in my work."

The fireplace is gas, thankfully, so he gets it going quickly and holds up a finger as he ducks into his bedroom. He comes back with a pair of sweats that are too small for him and an undershirt, both neatly folded and smelling of fabric softener, and hands them over. "Here. They'll be too big, but it's the best I can do right now. You can shower in the guest room. There are towels in the cabinet and soap and stuff in the shower. And I can wash your clothes when you're out."

He looks at his pea coat and wonders if it can be salvaged. No big deal if not, he can just get another one. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower and order some food. Pizza okay?"