Chapter 1: Surprise
The endless sound of waves rumbling across the sand thrummed in the background throughout their entire day, accompanied by the salt-laced breeze whisking more of the fine grains up into the air. No matter where the trio was, the beach's natural anthem always played loud enough for them to hear and the wind continued to whip, trying to draw them back to the shoreline. As an answer to such a call, they spent most of their days riding across the rushing seawaters, laughing and goofing off like nobody else was watching until the sun began to set. Its fading light colored the sky in bright pinks and hazy reds with the occasional dash of orange that seeped into the ocean below easily. Headed back from their long day, the three walked along the sand, eagerly chattering about everything under the sun while the older brunette linked hands with the lanky, blond surfer boy.
"Best – day - EVER!" Brady shouted towards the waves happily, as each girl beside him laughed. "Yeah," Mack agreed, "It was pretty awesome, huh?"
"Awesome?" he questioned in disbelief. "Surfing all day – us being together? Awesome wishes it was this awesome." "Yeah, it was perfect," Mack settled with Brady nodding in agreement. The two lovebirds playfully started swinging their intertwined hands back and forth, both lost in each other's eyes.
"Nice to know that I'm also loved," the younger brunette sounded beside her cousin, sending a knowing glance to the couple as Brady and Mack both looked her way with slight guilt written across their faces. She knew whenever she went out with these two she would always ends up the third wheel, but today had been fun, so it hadn't bothered her as much as it usually did. Dishing out little jabs about their lack of acknowledgement towards her was just her way of making fun of them for being so love-struck.
"Oh come on Bree, you know today wouldn't have been complete without you!" Mack reassured, bumping the shorter girl's shoulder with her own for emphasis. "Yeah, well, I'm positive you guys didn't even know I was there about eighty-five percent of the time," she quipped, an amused smirk curling her lips.
Ever since Mack had met Brady, it was as if her cousin was lost in a whole other world, constantly daydreaming when he wasn't there or out surfing with him when he was. The sisterly relationship sustained between the two girls had grown a bit strained near the beginning, but after a few weeks and Bree was properly introduced to Brady, he stated that he was more than happy to have another surfer join them on their everyday adventures which for the most part ended up mending things. The trio became inseparable, spending day-after-day together out on the waves.
"Listen, I promise we won't ignore you at all tomorrow, alright?" Brady grinned over at Bree, who casually rolled her eyes at his promise.
At the mention of the following day, Mack trained her eyes on the sand banks ahead, ignoring how the seaside wind swept strands of her hair from her two messy braids. "Um…listen Brady…" she started, her face now drawn in a look of concentration, but the boy beside her didn't seem to notice. "Oh, did you hear about tomorrow?!" he exclaimed, jumping up like a small puppy. "Yeah!" she gasped, her mind now diverted onto another, more uplifting topic. "I mean, can you believe they're talking about forty foot waves?!"
Bree rolled her eyes once more, knowing that Mack still needed to tell Brady about the new school she was going to attend. Also, the fact that their Aunt was coming to get her tomorrow, but each time Mack came close to telling him, they'd suddenly get drawn into another conversation or she couldn't muster up the courage to tell him. If her cousin would just ask, Bree would tell him, but Mack had practically made her promise not to say anything until she was ready.
"There's supposed to be a huge storm coming up from the North," Bree supplied, looking out over the horizon with a stiff smile.
"I mean, a surf like that only happens once every – thirty years!" Her cousin's smile got brighter, swinging her and Brady's hands a little more with a skip in her step. "Can you imagine dropping in on a barrel that - that huge!" Brady shouted, overly-excited. They all laughed, anticipating the next day though clearly for different reasons; Mack was obviously trying to appear enthusiastic while her cousin did the same. "Summer's not over yet!" he hollered, letting his voice echo over the waves with another whoop of joy.
"Come on, I'm starving," Mack nodded in the direction of the house, dragging her two friends with her. "Race you to the house!" Brady sprinted towards the porch with Bree closely behind him, though the older brunette lagged behind.
"I clearly won!" he announced at the top step of the porch. "Hey!" Bree called in defense, setting her surfboard next to his against the side of the house, unfortunately chipping a piece of the dainty yellow paint with it. "Yeah, yeah," Mack lulled.
"First thing tomorrow we hit the beach and that awesome surf!" Entering the colorful beach shack, Bree walked ahead of the couple after hearing her cousin attempt at telling Brady the news for the second time that day. The familiar scent of salt mixed with a heavy cologne rose to her attention first as she walked back through the house, only to find her Grandpa cleaning up one of his old surfboards. With his white hair fluffed up at the front and his bushy eyebrows pulled together in concentration, he didn't seem to notice her presence beside him until Brady appeared in the doorway. "Hey!" he called, making them both turn back to look at him.
"What's up bro?" Grandpa asked, semi-paying attention.
"I'm here too you know?" Bree nudged him, earning a small grin from the older man.
"I can't believe you two are watching this without me!" Inching towards the two, Brady leaned against the board currently on the table, his eyes intently watching the tiny screen in front of them. The same as every day Wet Side Story played with the classical sixties characters dancing and singing across the screen; the music, bright colors, and outfits still just as interesting as they were the first time any of them had seen the movie. "If you're here, we're not," Grandpa smiled slightly, drawing away from his work on the surfboard.
"Please tell me this isn't_" "Wet Side Story!" Grandpa, Bree, and Brady all chimed together, bumping fists. "Yeah, that," Mack stated grimly.
"Ah," Brady lazily rolled his head to the side, "Nineteen sixty-two, surfers, bikers – best movie ever made!"
"How can you three like this silliness? Especially you Bree, and Grandpa." Trudging into the room, Mack stood at the end of the table, waiting for them to provide some sort of argument in defense. "Silliness?" Grandpa questioned as if she had insulted him, "Mack, my dear, this movie defined an entire culture!" "Exactly!" Bree agreed as Brady went on to further explain. "A surfer guy and a biker girl share a secret love while trying to unite the rivaling gangs as an evil real estate mogul tries to turn their hang-out into a resort."
Bumping his arm fervently, the young brunette picked up where he left off, "Don't forget that he tries by building a weather machine which blows up creating a massive storm!" Bree flung her hands back as an example, smiling as both men nodded their confirmation. "Silliness, really?"
"Well, can we watch it later because I really need to talk to you." Mack urged, seeming rather impatient. "Just watch my favorite part," he faced the screen again while Bree sent her cousin a sympathetic look. At least she was trying to tell him, so Bree couldn't take points off for that.
"When the two leads eyes meet," Brady narrated, "and they're pulled apart by the rivalling gangs." Everyone silently watched the TV, staring as one of the female characters sang and clumsily fell off the stage into the waiting arms of the other male lead. "And this – this is my favorite part," Grandpa pointed out just as Butchy, the girl Lela's big brother and arguably one of Bree's favorite characters, pried her away from the surfer guy. Suddenly, there was a dance battle between Butchy joined by his bikers and the surfers who had all come to their friend's aid.
"Come on," Mack sighed, not even paying mind to the screen anymore. "They sing for no reason, they come out of the water and their hair is totally dry, the girls never surf as well as the boys, and they sing for no reason. I mentioned that one again because even the second time, I don't get why."
"But it's always summer," Bree beamed. "Plus everyone just sings and surfs," Brady finished.
An abrupt knocking sounded from the front door, where both girls hurried over to answer it while Mack continued her argument. "Now, really, the surfing looks fake. They'd drown on a real wave – seriously, I mean, they sing in the ocean and never spit out water."
Before either of them could reach for the doorknob, someone pulled it open, revealing the scrutinizing gaze of their Aunt Antoinette. "Surprise," she announced, no trace of amusement in her voice while entering. Bree and Mack shared a brief glance of bewilderment, scrambling for something to say as Brady could be seen making his way over to them. "What's wrong girls? Aren't you going to give your Aunt Antoinette a hug?" Dressed in a pristine business outfit of mostly yellow and orange hues, the older woman welcomed the two girls with open arms, her jacket thrown over one of them.
Mack was the first to move forward, circling her arms around the woman's neck as she made a small noise of protest until Bree stepped up to do the same. "Well, you both are so…" she paused, trying to find an appropriate word, "Grown up. You both look absolutely – unacceptable!" Eyes going wide, Bree and Mack opened their mouths, prepared to defend themselves before their Aunt waved them off.
"Not you dearies," she turned, displaying the miniscule black device hooked around her ear as she talked to someone on the other end. "Tell him the offer is unacceptable. It's good to see you McKenzie, Brianne."
Their Aunt ventured onward, inspecting the furniture sitting around the shack with obvious distaste. "What are you doing here?" Mack lastly spoke up, "I thought you were coming tomorrow?"
"Well you thought wrong. We're leaving tomorrow. I hope you packed," Aunt Antoinette corrected her, while Brady's face turned into a scowl of confusion. The yellow of his rash guard reflected brightly in his dark eyes, showing the uncertainty as it also played on his face. "Mack, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow'?"
Aware of the fourth presence in the room, Aunt Antoinette turned with a critical expression pulling at her features. "A-ah – this is Brady," Mack stuttered as she watched their Aunt offer him a hand.
"Brady," her tone slightly read disapproval though she showed no signs of it on her face, "I am McKenzie and Brianne's Aunt. I'm sure they've told you all about me."
Choosing to ignore the woman's introduction, Brady still gazed over her shoulder at Mack and Bree. "Mack, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow'?"
Saving either of the girls from having to answer, Grandpa stepped out from the back room, a warm smile lighting his face. "Antoinette, welcome home."
"Oh, hello Father," she greeted formally, providing numerous air kisses without once actually coming close to his face.
"You know it's always good to…have you back…" Grandpa trailed off after seeing that she had forced her jacket into his arms. "Oh," Aunt Antoinette released with an air of disapproval, "I see you're still making…surfboards." Brady glanced back to the older man with a puzzled look, just as their Aunt placed a hand over her heart, feigning fright. "Oh, don't tell me – you still have that."
Everyone's eyes went to Grandpa's old surfboard hung above the doorframe. Its sleek body was laid horizontally, still polished and fresh as if it were waiting to hit the waves again. "Still have it?" Mack questioned in disbelief, "I mean, we all grew up with the legends about this board; it's part of the family."
"Me, your grandfather, and his father, we each found our destiny on it," Grandpa explained, mindlessly fooling with Antoinette's jacket as she waved her hand dismissively.
"There is only one way to 'find your destiny' McKenzie," she even managed small air quotes with her fingers before placing a hand on each of Mack's shoulders, "And that is too…?" The question hung in the air for several moments while Mack tried to sort through her mind, where Antoinette soon grew tired and simply answered instead. "Work hard for it," she finalized.
"Okay, alright," Brady snapped, "Mack, Bree, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow'?"
"Brady, as of tomorrow, one of my nieces will be attending the exclusive, overpriced, and did I mention exclusive – Dunwitch Preparatory Academy." Both girls watched helplessly as a look of betrayal and sadness washed over his face, a measly "what?" escaping his lips.
"Back East," Aunt Antoinette added which had his face crumbling even more.
"Antoinette, we should talk about this, please," Grandpa ushered her into the other room, but their Aunt stopped.
"There is nothing to talk about," she basically hissed. "This has always been the deal." Unable to find a reasonable point to argue out of that, Grandpa simply released a breath while Aunt Antoinette rounded on Mack, her stiff smile coming back within seconds. "Isn't that right McKenzie?"
Three different faces stared back at them as Bree quietly grabbed her cousin's hand, squeezing it for reassurance. Grandpa gazed at them blankly, unable to help fight against one of his own daughter's while drifting off to stare at something else. Aunt Antoinette had one of her polite smiles glued in place, waiting zealously to hear Mack agree; Brady being the exact opposite. His face conveyed his hurt just as much as his eyes, staring sadly at Mack in hopes that this was all some joke – that it wasn't true. And Bree was there to support whatever Mack decided; no matter if it was going with her Aunt across the country or staying and surfing with them for the rest of the summer, she would still help her cousin out in any way she could.
"Sure," the word floated to the ceiling as Brady's gaze dropped to the floor. "It's just tomorrow there are these extreme conditions I have been waiting my entire life to surf and I_"
"Surf?" Aunt Antoinette shook her head, "Oh, sweetheart, your new life begins tomorrow." Mack's guilty eyes travelled over to Brady, the both of them appearing utterly destroyed by her words. "Your endless summer has…it's come to an end." Without protest, Mack darted towards the door, the tears evident in her dark eyes, pulling Bree along with her until they were both outside.
Brady made an appearance not long after, strutting right up to the both of them as they sat on the porch railing with a frown, "Can't believe you didn't tell me."
"Come on, Brady, she's been trying to tell you all day but you wouldn't listen to her!" Bree hopped down, spotting his eyes widening from where she stood.
"You knew too?!" "Brady," Mack drew his attention away from her, "You don't understand how hard I tried, I just – I didn't know how!"
"You're leaving, just like that? Why are they making you do this?" the sadness filled his eyes all over again, replacing the anger that had been there moments before.
"They're not making me, it's my choice," she clarified. "So change your mind!" seemed to be his only response. "There's not enough time! My flight leaves at noon tomorrow."
"How can you leave?! This is your home! Your family lives here!" Brady frantically motioned to Bree, "It's where you surf! It's where I am!"
"I was really lucky to get into this school Brady," Mack tried to settle him down. "My Aunt says it'll pave the way to my future!" Rolling his eyes in exasperation, one look and Bree could tell he was not at all okay with this idea. "Look, I know you're upset and I should've told you, I just – I didn't know how!" Jumping off the railing, Mack scurried around to the other side of the house with Brady and her cousin chasing after her.
Grasping her waist, he pulled her around to face him, "Stop! What was this deal your Aunt was talking about?!" Bree watched hesitantly as Mack took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "After we lost my mom, the deal that I made with my Aunt was that I could stay here with my grandfather and Bree for the first part of high school. And then, when it was time to get serious, I would leave with my Aunt and go to this school like she did."
"S-so, she just shows up to take you away?" At a loss for words, Brady shook his head, "Aren't you happy here?"
Looking down at the small leather-bound notebook in her hands, Mack glanced up, "This is my Mom's journal." Bree and Brady both eyed the little thing solemnly, listening as their friend quoted something her Mother said. "'Most of all, I dream that my daughter becomes a great success - that she isn't just pulled through life, but marches through it triumphantly.'"
"She sounds amazing." "Yeah," she nodded, "My mom wanted to go to college, and make something of herself, but…she had me. Time passed and…she never got to live out that dream."
"That's not your fault," Bree and Brady replied in unison, affectionately comforting Mack in whatever way they could at the moment. "I know it's not," she marched past them, "But I also know that I can do what she never had a chance too."
"You don't have to be who your Aunt is! Mack, you can be anything you want!" "Brady, I have to do this!" Scampering off in attempt to go back inside and escape the following conversation, Brady shot out the one question Bree was sure Mack didn't want to answer.
"What about us?"
"How can there be an us after today?" she asked, her resolve growing weaker by the second. Powerlessly searching for an answer, Brady's eyes scoured her face, hoping what she was saying wasn't true.
"I'll wait for you," he declared. "I know what it feels like to miss someone Brady," Mack shook her head, "I care about you too much to ever put you through that."
"So you're saying you care about me enough to break up with me?" The boy couldn't make sense of what she was saying. "I don't want to Brady, but…what choice do I have?" It was as if the words had finally sunk in, and Brady turned away, silently leaning against the railing where Mack soon joined him, snuggling next to his shoulder.
"Thanks…" she lastly added, "For the most amazing summer of my life. I wish it wasn't over..."
Watching her cousin retreat back into the shack, Bree allowed her gaze to trail over to Brady. They stood together in a minute of silence, both not knowing what to say as the waves persisted in their rhythm. The afternoon sun had almost completely set as stars took to the sky, and without a word Bree inched closer, gently squeezing his arm for comfort. "You'll always be welcome at the Shop Brady, even if you don't want to come around anymore."
"Thanks," he stated, a hard edge in his tone that she knew wasn't aimed at her. "I'll see you around Bree." And just like that, his gangly form darted off down the shoreline after snatching up his board, leaving the younger brunette to clean up the broken pieces of the two teens' shattered hearts before morning came.
Trudging back inside, Bree was slightly relieved to see that their Aunt had had sense enough to leave the shack, for an eerie sort of silence settled over the usually joyous atmosphere from her visit. A quick glance to her left brought the warm summer colors of Wet Side Story back into her vision as the television in Grandpa's workroom was still on, though it was now muted. The characters carrying on with their always-enthusiastic lives without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the events that had just taken place right in front of their screen. If only the world today was as simple as it was in that movie, then everyone could end up happy.
On her way back to their shared room, the younger brunette could've sworn she saw a flicker of light sparkle from that old surfboard hung above the doorway. Surely, it was just her imagination; after all, there were a lot of emotions running high at the moment. If things didn't calm down, who knows what could happen? Bree could start seeing her Aunt's face pop out of the shadows at night like a ghost. Shaking her head vigorously to rid herself of such an image, she tapped on the wood of their bedroom door, hearing the sounds of quiet sobbing on the other side.
"Mack?" she whispered, closing the door behind her. Sure enough, her cousin was hunched over on her twin bed, hurriedly wiping away the tears that trekked down her cheeks. Navigating across the creaky wooden floorboards, Bree plopped down next to her, squeezing her shoulder lovingly. "Mack, it's okay."
"No, it's not!" Mack wrenched a pillow away from the top of the bed, hugging it tightly. "I-I didn't want to h-hurt him," she sniffled, "I k-kept trying to tell him."
"I know," Bree stroked her cousin's back. "Everything will work out okay. There's no need to cry."
"I j-just…I thought I would have more time. I thought I'd be able to explain everything to him so he'd understand. Aunt Antoinette wasn't supposed to show up so soon…" With her tears lessening, Mack took to mindlessly tracing invisible patterns on the pillows surface; eyes puffy and irritated. "Now I'll have to leave things the way they are, and I won't get to surf those awesome waves." The longing clearly colored her tone, and Bree couldn't imagine even going to the beach the next day without her cousin. Mack was meant to surf those waves.
"Well, your flight doesn't leave until noon, right?" The older brunette lifted her head at the other girl's question, curiously drawing her dark eyebrows together. "Yeah, but you know if Aunt Antoinette finds out_" "Oh forget Aunt Antoinette for a minute. You said it yourself, a surf like this only happens every thirty years! You can't miss out on something like that! That way, if even she does get angry at you for almost missing the flight, you can say you got to experience something you never could anywhere else." Such a plan was promising, but risky, and it could prohibit Mack from ever returning depending on how mad their Aunt was, yet it needed to happen.
If this was their last time ever surfing together for no-telling-how-long, Bree was determined for it to be the most awesome day of their lives.
Hello everyone! Yes, this is the end of the first chapter and if you've come across this because you follow me, note that I have not given up on any of my other unfinished stories, my creative juices have just run dry as of late.
Writer's block has been pretty intense over the last few weeks, and I've been incredibly busy as well and that will continue for a while, so I'll try to update when I can. Honestly, this is just a test to see what kind of reactions I get for this story, so be sure to review and tell me what you think!
If I don't get much feedback, I probably won't continue it because I have others I could be working on, but I will if people seem to be enjoying it!
Also, I may post one or two more stories for different things up, just because I've written out several drafts for other things and want to see which ones do good and which ones don't. Though, if I get more positive feedback for this one, I will concentrate on it!
Thank you for reading! Remember to favorite, follow, and most importantly, review!