Summary: You got me runnin' baby, wild at heart. -Gloriana
A/N: Okay, so I know it's totally cliche to write HS fics, but I have a serious addiction to them and I've yet to see one that is pretty much just Carol, Doug, Susan and Mark. So I'm attempting to do something different. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not like, YOU DO NOT have to review. Kaypeesh?
Dedication: Miss Rachel. The Carol to my Susan. I was just jokin' around about doing this, but she helped me come up with a viable idea. LOVE YOU RACH!
Disclaimer: Pfft. NAHT FREAKIN' MINE!!!
"What time did Doug say he was getting here?" Susan Lewis asked, glancing at her wrist watch.
"As soon as basketball practice was over as far as I know." Carol Hathaway replied. Carol and Susan sat on the picnic table in the Hathaway front yard, clad in shorts, flip-flops and their bikini tops.
"Did he say who he's bringing?" Susan asked, crossing her legs, she leaned back on the warm wooden table.
"Nope." Carol dug through her bag, pulling out her sunglasses and sliding them on.
Soon, they heard the all too familiar noise of Doug Ross's old pick up truck. The girls stood and stretched as Doug pulled up in front of Carol's house. He parked, climbing out. A blond haired teenage boy climbed out as well.
"Girls, this is Mark Greene. He's new in town and he's on the basketball team." Doug walked over to them, "This is my cousin, Susan." He then wrapped his arms around Carol, "This is Carol."
"Get off, Doug. You smell." Carol shoved him playfully.
"Don't be fooled, she really loves me." Doug said and winked at her.
"Hi." Susan smiled at Mark.
"Hi." Mark shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans.
"I figured you guys wouldn't mind if I invited Mark to go with us to the beach." Doug said, his eyes moving back and forth between the two of them.
"That's cool." Carol shrugged.
"Fine with me." Susan muttered, her eyes never leaving Mark's.
"Okay, well let's load this stuff up." Doug grabbed the cooler that sat in the grass, Carol grabbed her bag and tossed it in the bed of the truck. He looked around, "Someone is gonna have to ride in the back."
"I will." Susan volunteered, she loved riding in the back of the truck.
"I'll sit with you. No reason you should be stuck back there by yourself." Mark told her.
"Thanks." Susan placed her bags in the bed and then climbed in herself. Mark followed her, they sat right behind the windows of the cab.
"Holler if you need anything." Carol told them, Doug turned the truck on.
"So, I didn't know there was beaches in Indiana." Mark joked, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Just the Dunes." Susan chuckled, "It takes like an hour to get there."
"Okay." Mark smiled, "So you're Doug's cousin?"
"Yeah." Susan nodded, crossing her legs and rolling her shoulders, "Doug and I have been tossed together since the dawn of time. Our Moms are sisters and they used to be really close. So they thought Doug and I should be too." Susan chuckled.
"That's cool." Mark smiled at her.
"Yeah. Doug and I have always gotten along really well and we met Carol in Pre-school and we haven't been apart since."
"That's so great that you have that." Mark smiled, kicking off his sandals and resting his feet on the hot metal bed.
"So, Mark. The new kid in town, where are you from?" Susan asked.
"Everywhere." Mark muttered, "My Dad's in the Navy."
"Oh. Well, where'd you come from?"
"Hawaii." Mark explained.
"Hawaii?" Susan looked at him, both eyebrows raised, "Hawaii? Like the islands in the middle of the ocean, Hawaii?"
"That'd be the one." Mark laughed.
"You're so white!" Susan exclaimed and Mark laughed harder.
"I don't tan. I burn." He explained.
"Oh. So.. wow. Hawaii. Must suck to be stuck in the Middle Of Nowhere." Susan looked at him as she tucked her feet under her.
"Well.. when you put it that way." Mark shrugged, "I thought it was gonna suck, but today is shapin' up to be pretty good."
Susan blushed, "Well.. I, I'm glad."
Mark nodded as Carol slid the window open, "You guys riding okay back there?"
"We're fine." Susan reassured her and she shut the window again. Susan looked at Mark again, "So, if your Dad is in the Navy, what are you doing here?"
"He's working at the recruiters office." Mark explained.
"Oh, so..." She drummed her nails on top of the cooler.
"So, you're Doug's cousin. Carol's your best friend. What else is there I should know?" Mark asked, running a hand through his blond hair.
"I have a sister, Chloe... she's kind of crazy." Susan explained.
"Crazy as in..." Mark searched for the right comparison, "Wynona Rider in Girl, Interrupted."
"Nah.. she's just... eccentric." Susan explained, "You'll see her when school starts. She's a senior."
"You're a junior, right?" Mark asked.
"Yeah. Same as Doug and Carol. What about you?" She picked aimlessly at the peeling black nail polish on her thumb.
"Junior."
"Awesome." Susan smiled, "You got any siblings?"
"Nope, just me, my Dad, my Mom and her Hummel's." Mark explained.
"Hummel's?" Susan raised an eyebrow.
"I have no idea." Mark said and made a face. Susan laughed and Mark's heart soared.
"Well, I'd rather my mom collect Hummel's than Cookie and her collector plates." Susan shook her head.
"Cookie... collector plates?" Mark raised an eye brow.
"My Mom's nickname. I'm not even sure what her real first name is." Susan laughed.
"So.. Cookie.. has collector plates?"
"Mark." She put her head in her hands, "I swear, one from every fifty states, a small rare Elvis collection and then the original Charlie's Angels."
"I'll have to see that sometime." Mark commented.
"You'll have to come over sometime." Susan looked at him hopefully.
"I'll have to do that."
--
"How do you think it's going?" Doug asked, glancing in his rearview mirror.
Carol glanced over her shoulder, "I'd say fairly well."
"I hope so. I think he'd be good for Susan." Doug switched lanes, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the sounds of country music coming out of the radio.
"This is 104.5 Michiana Country." Carol and Doug said together as the commercial ran.
"Yeah." Carol propped her feet up on the dashboard.
"Div did a real number on her last year." Doug said, he was always looking out for Susan, she was the sister he'd never had and he looked out for her when Chloe wouldn't.
"I'm glad he's gone." Carol agreed.
"Yeah." Doug mumbled, he turned again.
"Doug, are we lost?" Carol asked, crossing her arms.
"We're not lost. We're temporarily misplaced."
"We're lost."
--
"The Cubbies?" Susan asked.
"Best team ever." Mark smiled.
"You're such a Chicago boy and you don't even live there." Susan laughed.
"I will someday."
Carol opened the window, "Doug says to tell you, we're temporarily misplaced. So we're stopping at the next gas station for a bathroom break and directions."
"Leave it to Doug." Susan laughed as Carol closed the window.
"We're lost?" Mark gave her a look.
"Don't worry. He probably forgot to turn somewhere." Susan craned her neck, looking around, "Yeah." She spotted a sign, "We're almost to Michigan City. Not too big of a detour."
"At least we get to stretch our legs." Mark shrugged.
"Good point." Susan agreed.
Doug turned into a Clark Station, he parked next to the door. Mark stood, jumping over the side of the bed and held his hands up to help Susan down. She rested her hands on his shoulders and his rested on her waist, he lowered her to the ground.
"Thanks." She smiled at him.
"No problem." He replied breathlessly.
"Hey Doug." Susan called.
"Yes, Susan?" Doug asked, holding the door open for Carol.
"How many times have you been to the Dunes?"
"Shut up Susan."
"Never." She grinned at him as she entered the air conditioned building.
"Ignore her." Doug pleaded with Mark, "I think I took the wrong jog back at the highway."
"No worries." Mark shrugged.
--
"He likes you." Carol said, leaning against the sink while Susan dried her hands.
"Who?" Susan asked, oblivious.
"Blondie.. Mark." Carol pointed out.
"Carol, don't start." Susan glared at her best friend.
"What? I'm just sayin', Doug would never help me out of the truck like that." Carol winked at her.
"Stop it." Susan chucked her used paper towel at her.
"You like him too." Carol pointed, "You're blushing."
"I'm wind burnt."
"You're blushing."
"Shut up. I don't like you anymore." Susan grumbled as she opened the door.
"I think it's cute." Carol exited and Susan followed her, they walked over to the coolers of drinks and sifted through them.
"I think I want a Yoo-Hoo." Susan chewed on the inside of her lip, trying to make a decision.
"Nice. I'll just stick with my water." Carol grabbed a bottle.
"On me." Doug walked over and took their drinks from them.
"Quit putting on a show." Susan laughed.
"Yeah." Carol agreed, "Mark, don't be fooled. If you weren't here, we'd be forced to pay for our own drinks."
"Hey!" Doug put a hand over his heart, "I am wounded. I can be chivalrous."
"When it makes you look good." Susan retorted, taking her Yoo-Hoo from the cashier.
"Why, Susan Caroline, I am offended."
"Shut up Douglas Alan, I know your middle name too." Susan laughed, they all walked back to the truck and Susan climbed up over the tailgate.
Mark climbed in after her, "How much longer?"
"Twenty-ish minutes." Susan explained.
--
Doug parked in the parking lot for West Beach. They climbed out of the truck, grabbing their coolers and bags.
"That's a Dune?" Mark looked at the huge hill of sand.
"That's a Dune. Ready for the walk of your life?" They started on the trail that lead to the swimming area.
The walk to the swimming area didn't take very long but it was labor intensive. They found a spot on the beach and claimed it as their own. Dropping the coolers, towels and blankets down, they removed their outer layers of clothing.
"Okay, everyone. Cool off and then lunch?" Carol suggested.
In agreement, they sprinted towards the water, running into the waves and diving under the water. Doug picked Carol up by her legs and tossed her into the water, she came up, "Doug, you're dead."
"You have to catch me first." Doug said and took off.
"What's the deal with those two?" Mark asked, pushing the hair back from his face.
Susan slid a hair tie off her wrist and pulled her hair up, "They've been on and off and on again for as long as I can remember."
"Doug loves her?" Mark floated for a moment.
"Yeah, but Doug's not always the greatest at showing it." Susan explained, "C'mon, let's go eat." She grabbed his wrist and lead the way out of the water. Susan dropped down on her purple towel, crossing her ankles and staring up at the sky.
"It's so beautiful out." Carol said, making herself a sandwich.
"Yeah." Mark agreed.
"I can't believe school starts it a week." Susan pulled a grape off the vine and popped it in her mouth.
"The sooner, the better." Doug commented around a bite of turkey sandwich.
"Doug, are you finally coming out of the closet for being the geek you are?" Susan teased.
"No. The sooner we start, the sooner it's over again." Doug explained.
"That much is true." Mark agreed.
"So, Mark." Carol popped open the tab to her can of Pepsi, "Did you have a girlfriend back in Hawaii?"
Susan nearly choked on her food, glancing at Mark.
"I did." Mark nodded, "Jennifer. We ended things though a few weeks before we moved.
"I'm sorry." Susan said softly.
"No big deal." Mark shrugged.
"How are you liking Indiana?" Doug asked, tossing a piece of ice at Carol.
"Well, I hear tell there is no better place to play basketball." Mark chuckled.
"Damn straight." Doug grinned.
"It's good. Now that I know people." Mark explained, "Won't look like such a idiot when school starts."
"Stick with us." Susan reassured him.
"Yeah. We'll take care of you." Carol reassured him.
"You two are like mother hens." Doug teased, "Relax Marky Boy, we'll help you out."
--
After lunch, Doug pulled out his portable radio, turning on the radio, "Sorry Mark, Country is pretty much the only thing that comes in around here." Mark nodded.
"I brought my Frisbee. Want to play?" Carol asked.
"Sounds good to me." Susan said as she slid on her aviators.
"Nice glasses." Mark chuckled.
"I know." Susan shot back. They created a square, tossing the neon green Frisbee around. Doug always throwing harder than necessary, trying to get one of the girls to trip.
"So how does classes work?" Mark asked as he passed the Frisbee to Susan.
"We have trimesters." Susan explained, "Everyone takes five a tri."
"It sucks." Doug said, tossing the Frisbee back to Mark, who then tossed it to Carol.
"Back in Hawaii, we took seven a day." Mark explained.
"Welcome to the mainland." Doug chuckled.
"Have you signed up for your classes yet?" Carol asked.
"Yeah. The basics. Pre-Calc, AP Bio. US Government.." Mark said.
"Hey, we're all signed up for AP Bio. Maybe we'll have a class together." Susan hoped.
--
"Carol! You cheat!" Susan yelled as she tried to push her friend off her cousin's shoulders.
"How can I cheat?" Carol laughed, pushing back, "You have my hands."
Susan pushed up and shoved, causing Carol to flip off Doug's back, "I win."
Carol surfaced, "And you say, I cheat?"
Susan shrugged and fell backwards off Mark's shoulders. When she surfaced, she gasped, "Mark, your back is red!"
"It is..." Mark patted his back and cringed.
"Didn't you put sun block on?" Doug asked.
"I forgot about my back." Mark sighed.
"C'mon." Susan pulled at his hand, "Let's go see if my aloe is still in my swim bag."
"Okay." Mark agreed and followed her, "Uh, Susan.. you're burnt too."
"I am?" Susan looked over herself.
"Your shoulders." Mark touched them gently.
"Crap." Susan sighed. She picked up her bag, dumping the contents on the towel. The bottle of green goo fell out, "I am so glad I never unpacked this." Susan laughed, "Here, turn around."
Mark followed her direction, turning to face the lake. Susan dumped some of the green ooze on her hands and ran them over Mark's back, "Sorry, it's cold." Susan explained as she felt him jump.
"No..no big deal." Mark shrugged as her hands ran over his lower back, "I think I'm good."
"Okay." Susan dropped her hands immediately.
"Your turn." Mark took the bottle, pouring some onto his hands, "Can you lift your hair?" Most of it had fallen out of the pony tail from the vicious game of Chicken.
"Sure." Susan lifted her hair off her neck and Mark spread the cool gel over her shoulders and up her neck, running his finger under her halter string. Her skin tingled and she fought the urge to giggle like a school girl.
"There." Mark dropped his hands and Susan turned around, "You need some on your nose too." Mark reached out, swiping her nose with the Aloe Vera Gel.
"Thanks."
"Of course."
--
Susan shivered in the back of the truck on the way home, her swimming suit was still damp and the breeze was freezing on her sun burnt shoulders. Mark sat next to her in his bright green swim trunks and dark blue tee-shirt.
"You cold?" Mark asked and Susan nodded. He dug through his basketball bag, pulling out his hoodie, "It's clean, I swear."
"Thanks." Susan smiled and pulled it over her head.
"No problem." Mark smiled.
--
"He just gave her, her sweatshirt." Carol whispered above the radio.
"Interesting." Doug glanced in the rearview, watching Susan lean closer to Mark.
"They'd be cute together, don't you think." Carol asked, playing with the strings of Doug's hoodie she was wearing, it was identical to the one that Mark had just lent Susan.
"Like puppies." Doug quipped.
"We could all go to homecoming together." Carol imagined it.
"Oh, we're going to homecoming this year?" Doug asked.
"As long as it isn't stupid like last year." Carol laughed, their high school had put on a post-game 'rave'.
--
"This is my stop." Mark said as Doug parked in front of a two-story white house.
"Nice place." Susan stretched, "I'm getting off here. I just live a street over and down a few blocks."
"Cool." Mark grinned. They climbed out, grabbing their bags.
"See you guys." Carol called as Doug rode off.
"Let me toss this inside and I'll walk you home." Mark volunteered.
"You don't have to." Susan explained.
"Ah, but I do. I want to see this famous plate collection." Mark grinned.
Susan bit her lip and her hair glowed in the fading August sun, "Alright. Since you're so curious."
"Come on. You can see the Hummel's and then we can cut through the backyard." Mark said and lead the way inside. Susan grinned and followed him into the house, just inside the front door was a wide stair case that lead upstairs, "My room is up there. Wait here, I'll toss this in the laundry room." He took off to the right, through the kitchen.
She stood awkwardly, rocking back and forth on her flip flops, her bag hitting her knees. Mark came back into the room, "This way." he lead her into the living room, "This is the Hummel's."
"Well, that's nice." Susan chuckled, taking in the cabinet of figurines.
"Kind of scary, you fall asleep on the couch, wake up and you're sure one of them is staring at you." Mark grinned.
"Point taken." Susan smiled, her hands snaked into the kangaroo pouch of his hoodie that she still had on.
"Alright." Mark placed his hand on her lower back, leading her through the house and out the back sliding door, "I want to see these plates."
"They aren't as cool as the Hummel's." Susan laughed.
"Well, of course. The Hummel's are like demonic creatures, you can't top that." Mark laughed with her.
The walk ended too quickly and soon they were standing in the Lewis front yard. The house was a two story, identical to the Greene house, with the exception of being grey instead of white and a trellis lead to the top of the porch roof.
"Susie! Who's this?" Cookie Lewis stepped onto the porch.
"Crap." Susan mumbled, "Mom," She called a little louder, "This is Mark Greene, he's new in town. On the basketball team with Doug."
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Lewis." Mark walked over and introduced himself, "Susan was telling me about your plate collection. I'd love to see them."
"Of course dear, come with me." Cookie lead them inside.
"Don't encourage her." Susan whispered.
"Susan, is that his hoodie you have on?" Cookie asked.
"Uh, yeah.. I got cold on the ride home and Mark gave me his sweatshirt." Susan explained.
"That's so sweet of you." She opened the cupboard and pulled the bubble wrapped plates down.
"Well, I wouldn't want Susie" Susan glared at him, "To be cold."
"Hey Susie Q!" Chloe Lewis walked in, Henry Lewis right behind her.
"Great. The whole goon squad is here." Susan mumbled under her breath.
"Who's this?" Henry Lewis asked, grabbing a beer from the kitchen.
"Mark Greene, he's new in town. He leant Susie his sweatshirt when Doug made her ride in the back of that awful pick up truck of his." Cookie explained.
"Mom, I volunteered to ride in the back!" Susan protested.
--
Susan sat on her roof, bare feet on the shingles, in plaid shorts and Mark Greene's basketball hoodie. She had showered and her hair was drying in the warm night wind. She took a drag off the cigarette she had stolen from her dad.
"You smoke?" A voice called from the shadows.
"What the hell?" Susan glanced around.
"It's me." Mark stepped into the dim street light.
"Oh, Mark. Gosh. you gave me a heart attack." Susan chuckled.
"You smoke?" Mark asked again.
"On occasion." Susan replied quietly.
"You shouldn't." Mark told her.
"Thanks. I saw the after school special on that one." Susan said, but put out her cigarette anyways, "Did you come for your hoodie?"
"Nah." Mark chuckled, "I hear there is a good park around here."
"Well, you're about six blocks in the wrong direction." Susan told him.
"See, I was kind of hoping I could get a beautiful blond to accompany me." Mark called back to her.
"Well, let me check inside and see if I can scrounge one up for you." Susan laughed, glad he couldn't see her blush in the dark.
"Come with me?" Mark asked.
Susan bit her lip, hesitating for only a moment, "Give me two seconds?"
"Sure."
Susan climbed back in her window. She slid on her black Converse and climbed back out the window, she climbed down the trellis and smiled at Mark, "Hello."
"Hi." Mark whispered, standing chest to chest, "Your hair is curly?"
"Yeah. I work hard to straighten it." Susan explained, running a hand through her damp hair.
"It's beautiful." Mark whispered.
"Thanks." Susan whispered back, they stood still, staring at each other momentarily.
"Let's walk." Mark suggested, his blue athletic pants drug on the sidewalk while they walked, his white shirt illuminating his face each time they passed a street light.
"Here." Susan said, opening the gate to the city park, walking over to a swing and sitting down.
Mark leaned against the pole, watching her rock back and forth, "Want a push?"
"Sure." Susan smiled.
Mark stood behind her, pushing her softly, being cautious of her sunburn, "I had fun today."
"I did too." Susan agreed, she loved the swings -despite her severe fear of flying.
"I was thinking.. maybe, tomorrow you could show me around town?" Mark asked, "Ya know, so I'm not lost or anything. Good places to eat and what not."
"I can do that." Susan grinned, "Are you gonna swing?"
"Sure." Mark sat down in the swing next to her. They swung in silence for awhile, watching the sky and the stars that seemed to be shining extra bright that night.
A star shot across the sky and they gasped in unison, "Did you see that?" Mark asked.
"Yeah." Susan whispered back, her eyes now closed.
"Did you wish?" Mark wondered.
"Yeah." Susan nodded, "Did you?"
"I did." Mark smiled, "What'd you wish for?"
"I can't tell you, Silly, then it won't come true." Susan smiled.
"Well, I'll tell you mine. Cause it already came true." Mark smiled, "My dad told me today, we're staying here till I graduate."
--
Mark walked Susan back to her house around one o'clock in the morning, they stood on the sidewalk staring at each other.
"I should get inside." Susan whispered.
"Yeah." Mark nodded.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Susan asked for reassurement.
"I'll be here." Mark promised.
"Okay. Night Mark the white guy from Hawaii." Susan chuckled softly.
"Good Night Susan with the pretty curls."
A/N: Okay, so there you have it. I'm from Indiana, but I've never been to the Dunes, so if I described them wrong, I'm sorry. I'm also in dire need of a beta. Please review (constructive criticism welcome, being a jerk, not so much). I know this was kind of focused on Marsan, I'll try to include more Rossaway next time.