08 | Touché

My head is spinning with all the information I just learned. Axel broke up with me because Adam entered his life and he thought he would hold me back if he told me. How could he have thought that?

Olivia, who's sitting beside me, coughs to get my attention. I look at her worn and exhausted face. "So, after that conversation with him, does that change things?"

My heart swells as I nod my head. "It changes a lot, actually. He said he broke up with me because he didn't want his family to hold me back."

If anything, it proves to me how selfless Axel is. He let me go so I could pursue my dream of becoming a photographer while he took care of Adam and his mom because his dad couldn't bother. Learning all of this makes me want to forgive him on the spot, but another part of me is reminded of the pain I've gone through. A part of me still blames him for breaking up with me.

A small and sad smile takes its place on Olivia's lips. "I'm glad he told you sooner rather than later. Maybe now the wedding won't be so awkward?"

One look between us, causing us to laugh. We both know that isn't true. I still have a few things to sort out with Axel and Elea. Now that she's here, we need to talk.

"I saw Elea," I admit to Olivia.

Her shoulders tense when she glances at me. "Are you going to talk to her here?"

I shake my head no. "Not today, I'm kinda worn out from everything." Olivia nods her head, agreeing with me. Standing up, I squeeze her shoulder. "I will soon though, before the wedding. We have some thing we need to work out as well."

Olivia grabs my forearm and squeezes back, giving me a tired smile. "You headed out?"

"Yeah, I need to go think."

Olivia's smile brightens, knowing what I mean. "You can barrow one of my swimsuits and James' board is in the garage."

I pull her in for a hug, not knowing what I did to deserve a friend like her.

On my way into the house, I hear Elea's familiar laugh. Peeking around a large tree, I see Elea is talking to Hudson. He's also smiling and laughing. What scares me the most is that it's genuine.

I force myself to walk inside so I don't get caught. Whatever is going on between them is something I'll have to ask Hudson about. Seems like all I'll be doing up to Olivia's wedding is talking to people.

After half an hour of walking, because my car is stuck between all the cars on the Torres' patio, I reach the beach.

Ha, that rhymed.

I shake my head at my own joke.

Lucky for me there's not too many people at the beach since most of our town is probably at graduation parties. By tonight, it'll be packed.

The saltiness of the fresh air fills my nose, already helping some of the tension leave my body. With everything going on the last several days, I hadn't realized I was starting to feel weighed down by it.

Once I'm closer to the shore line, I kick off my shoes and take off the cover up Olivia let me barrow, leaving me in my swimsuit. Still holding onto James' skimboard, I walk to the water and let warm water splash onto my skin.

Shrieking draws my attention from the water and, several yards down, I spot a few kids running around each other. Their laughter fills the air as they play tag. Their parents aren't sitting far from them and I can see the smile on their faces.

I smile to myself, watching the kids a bit more. That's the power of the beach. It brings happiness to people. With that, I jog along the shoreline and drop the board, hopping onto it.

Not long after, I spot someone on the shore. Its Hudson and he has two towels in his hand. I notice he's changed into his swimsuit as I grab the board and walk over to him, thanking him for the towel.

Wrapping the towel around me, we sit down and stare out into the ocean.

"I saw you talking to Elea," I finally say, still looking out at the water.

He chuckles, nudging his elbow into mine. "I saw you talking to Axel."

I roll my eyes in fake annoyance. "Touché."

My brother's smile widens, but turns serious just as quickly. "What were you two talking about?"

Dusting some sand off my knee, I shrug my shoulders to stall.

Hudson and Axel had stopped being friends after Axel had broken up with me. Similar to Elea and I not being friends after her and Hudson broke up.

"Did you know Axel and Jaden stayed friends after we broke up?" I ask, turning my head to look at Hudson.

He nods his head. "Yeah, I didn't like it at first, but then I found out they were going through the academy together. Can't say I blame Jaden for staying friends with him," Hudson answers honestly.

"I agree." My eyes find the water again and I sigh, getting ready to tell Hudson what Axel and I talked about. "Did you know Adam is Axel's half brother?"

The look on Hudson's face says it all. He had no clue. "No, I didn't."

"Huh," I say more to myself. "So Jaden and Olivia really didn't tell anyone else."

"They knew?" Hudson asks, the surprise obvious in his tone as he raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah, they said Axel asked them not to tell anyone, including us." Hudson shakes his head in disapproval. "At first I thought Adam was Axel's son."

Hudson's jaw tenses. "Meaning he would have had to cheat on you."

I nod my head. "And since I've been back that's why I thought Axel broke up with me, because I thought Adam was his son. That's what Axel and I talked about today, earlier. He said he broke up with me because he found out about Adam a week before I left for college. His dad has never payed child support and Adam's mom was struggling at the time."

"So, Axel took on the responsibility himself, didn't he?" Hudson asks me.

"Yup."

"And he never told you about it until today?"

"Mhm. He said if he thought I knew it would keep me from leaving Bayside and going to college," I say with disbelief in my tone.

Hudson chuckles, causing me to look at him funny. "Vienna, he's not wrong to think that. As long as I can remember, you've always wanted to help people.With it being a kid related to Axel, there's no way you would've left. Maybe for that first semester, but you would've come back as soon as you could have."

A comfortable silence passes between us as we think.

"Although I don't agree with Axel breaking your heart, I'm glad he let you go so you could pursue your passion of photography. It makes a lot of sense now why he broke up with you. If you stayed here, who knows what would've happened." Hudson's eyes stare at me intently.

"Exactly." I kick the heel of my foot into the dirt. "Who know what could've happened."

Hudson tilts his head. "Do you think you would've gotten your degree had you stayed here to help him?"

My shoulders sag in defeat. "No."

"There you go, you have your answer."

"What do you mean?" I lift my head to face him.

Hudson smirks, shaking his head. "You've always been bad at reading people. V, he still loves you. That's why he let you go in the first place."

"But why would he break my heart?"

"To let you go, so you could pursue your dream," Hudson says like it's obvious. "He loved you so much then that he knew he had to let you go, Vienna."

My head is reeling with all the information I've learned today. I concentrate on the crash of the waves against the shore to give my mind a break.

"You still love him too, don't you?" Hudson's question catches me off guard. By the way my brother smiles I can tell he knows the answer. "Maybe you two should give it another chance?"

The irritation from being related to him rises in me. I've always hated how he can read me like a book. "Maybe you and Elea should give it another chance," I retort.

He laughs, shaking his head. "Now that will not be happening."

Before I can ask him why, the kids I saw earlier walk up to us. There is four of them, two boys and two girls, all varying in ages from five to ten it looks like.

One of the girls, who looks to be the oldest of the bunch, eyes me as she gives me a shy wave. "Hi," she says softly. "We were wondering if you could teach us to ride the board you were riding?"

Hudson and I share a look, a smile passing between us. We'll be finishing our conversation later.

"Sure," I say standing up.

A/N: Long overdue update. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed and if you did, please vote!