A/N: Here's the next chapter. Who knows…maybe I will put the third chapter up later tonight as well. Who knows…

What's the Word? Rebound
Sunset
Chapter Two

Walking into her class, Mac wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks. She couldn't believe two things; Max cheated on her and Dick caught the aftermath. She could just imagine what he was going to say to her the next time they saw each other. That is if Mac ever left her dorm room again. She was horrified and embarrassed. She didn't know what to do next. Did she just get over Max? She had been with him longer than Bronson and so it might take longer to get over him.

Her mind was over flowing with thoughts that she didn't pay any attention to the professor's lecture on the final which was bad since finals were the next week she was basically screwed. Oh well, a better excuse to not leave her room during the weekend.

Finally class was over, early, and she decided that she wasn't ready for Parker or her room so she opted to go to the beach. She didn't know why she wanted to go there but she did.

She parked her car and walked out only with her keys, leaving her phone in the cup holder, she just wanted to be alone with no distractions at all.

She was sitting on the beach, digging her toes and feet further into the sand with each passing thought about Max and Wendy rolling around in his bed naked and grunting and sweating. Gross indeed but she couldn't stop it from entering her mind. It hurt almost as much as when Cassidy said "Good luck getting laid" after she had tried to talk things out with him at lunch time senior year.

Mac really wished she could just forget all about senior year, all of it. She kept praying for science to invent some machine that would help her out with that.

Something about the beach was comforting her. Maybe because it was so big and endless that you could look out at it and see that everything was somehow going to be okay. That just because this huge wave was knarely and wicked didn't mean that afterwards it would be beautiful and worth it.

She knew what she needed to do, move on, but she didn't see herself doing that anytime soon.

"Mac?"

Mac looked up, squinting slightly at the late afternoon sun. "Dick?" She was almost sure it was him but with the bright sun she wasn't positive.

"Yeah it's me." He chuckled and plopped down beside her.

Mac was going to say something like 'Move away' but decided that was a bit too harsh, Dick wasn't Max, or Bronson, or Cassidy so he didn't deserve her harshness. She just continued to stare out into the ocean and listening to the waves crash. She silently thanked Dick for doing the same.

They just sat there silent until the sun started to set and Dick jumped up to his feet.

Mac looked up at him, trying to hide the fear that he was leaving her too.

"Come on, this is the best part of the sunset." Dick leant her his hand and she took hesitantly.

They walked hand in hand to the water where Dick released his hand from hers and stared out into the ocean.

Mac smiled, Dick was right, the sunset was much better from where they were standing. Out there it felt like they were in the ocean, a part of it, and looking out into it.

"So uh, are we just going to ignore the fact you were broken up in the stairwell earlier?" Dick bit his lip and looked down at Mac who had lowered her head and was biting her bottom lip as well.

"I was hoping we could." Mac looked up at him and smiled softly, a stare of insecurity with it.

Dick smiled and nodded. "As you wish." He went back to gazing out at the ocean.

Mac did too but her mind continued on the ramblings of Max. She couldn't remember what she had ever saw in him, remembering how Bronson looked and acted and just felt under her fingers. He was hot, hotter than Max. Stupid, stupid Mac. "Max broke up with me because he couldn't live with himself after cheating on me multiple times for a month with his ex, that's what is wrong. But I rather not talk about it with you." Mac looked back at the sunset that was barely visible now.

Dick nodded and felt a little hurt but understood why she didn't really want to talk about it so he dropped it and continued to look out into the ocean.

"So um I know you don't want to talk but you should know you can talk to me whenever or whatever…" Dick said after a while.

Mac looked over at him curiously. "What do you mean 'whatever'?"

"You know I could be your rebound." Dick shrugged.

Mac laughed out loud and then saw Dick's hurt face. "I am sorry, but it is kind of comical."

"I think it's comical that you said comical." Dick laughed.

Mac nodded and continued to laugh with him. When they both stopped laughing Mac stared into his eyes deeply and could sense that he really wanted to be her rebound for reasons she rather not ask.

Mac cleared her throat but kept looking at Dick and didn't even flinch when he walked towards her. She didn't flinch when he brought his hand to her cheek either. She did back away when he moved in on her lips. She backed up further when he tried it again. "I can't…no this is…no I am sorry." Mac walked away, trying to not cry for some reason; once she made it halfway to her car she started crying.

Once Mac got to her car she decided that she still didn't want to go to her dorm and opted for her house instead, where there would be no Parker.

She took one last look at the ocean and Dick who must have felt her looking at him and turned around and smiled softly and waved his hand at her. Mac didn't know what she felt towards him at the moment, all she knew was she was confused as hell about it.

Looking at her dashboard clock she had about an hour before Parker would be back in the dorm from her evening class so she headed over there to grab her books and some clothes for the weekend if she decided to stay at her house to study.

Dick just continued to stand in the same spot, looking out into the ocean and the beautiful sunset, wishing she could help Mac somehow.