Chapter Fourteen
Two weeks after Brady's death, Mercedes finally went back to school thanks to Dom's demand. She still hadn't gone to see Erin Matheson or near the ocean. Landon and the guys from his crew constantly called her house and cell phone wanting to talk to her. Mercedes wouldn't take any of their calls. She was withdrawn and depressed.
"Ceds?" Dom called one afternoon as he knocked on her bedroom door as he entered. She was lying on her bed, her history book opened beside her, but Dom could tell her mind was not on her homework.
"Someone's here to see you, Mercedes," he informed his sister. She didn't turn to acknowledge that her brother was even in the room. She just continued to stare out into space.
"Ceds, hun," Dom spoke softly as he approached her and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Erin is downstairs. She really wants to talk to you. She thought you would have come to visit her by now," he informed Mercedes as a comforting hand came to rest on the small of her back.
Shaking her head, Mercedes whispered softly, "I don't want to see her."
Dom lowered his head in pure exhaustion of trying to help his sister. "Well, if you won't go down and see her, then I'm going to send her up. She needs you right now, Mercedes. And you need her too. whether you want to admit it or not." Standing up, he slowly walked out of the room and downstairs.
A few minutes later, Erin Matheson stood in Mercedes' bedroom doorway. Knocking lightly, she cleared her throat, "Mercedes. can I. uh. can I come in please?"
Mercedes eyes filled with tears as she heard Erin's voice. Wiping them away quickly, she shook her head 'yes.' Closing her book and notebook, Mercedes got up off her bed to put them away in her book bag. Erin cautiously entered the room and stood awkwardly in the middle as she watched the girl put away her things.
"I've been waiting for you to visit." Erin started, her voice shaking. "Mercedes, please. look at me," she pleaded.
Mercedes slowly stopped what she was doing and turned to face Erin. Both of their eyes were filled with tears. Mercedes nervously fiddled with her hands as she kept looking away from Erin.
"Losing. my son has been awful," Erin started to cry. "But. to lose you too, Ceds. I just don't know what I would do with myself." Tears ran down her face.
Mercedes fought back her tears and just shook her head 'no.' "I can't Erin. it's too hard." Mercedes stammered.
Throwing her hands up and shrugging her shoulders, she continued as the tears started to fall, "I don't know what to do with myself anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so upset. And. all I want to do is cry when I think about. about. Brady."
"Sweetheart," Erin spoke as she walked towards Mercedes and wrapped her in a warm, comforting embrace. "It's not going to be easy. But we. we need each other right now," she sobbed. "I know how much you loved Brady and how important he was in your life. You are my living connection to my son. When I see you smile, I can see Brady smiling too."
Mercedes began to sob as she buried her head in Erin's shoulder. "I just keep asking God why I didn't die with him. We always did everything together. We were best friends. And. and he went to Landon's house that night without me. He called and asked me to go! I said. no. I should have gone with him. Why didn't I go? Then he wouldn't. he wouldn't of had to die alone," she cried extremely distraught.
Erin tried to keep her composure and strength for Mercedes' sake as she tried to comfort her. "Things happen for a reason and God has a plan for everyone. You can't question what he does, Mercedes. But Brady would not have wanted you to stop living your life just because his ended. He would still want you to surf. go to school. hang out with your new surf crew. You have to keep going. if not for yourself. then for him."
With nothing more to say, Mercedes just shook her head 'yes' and the two continued to cry in each other's arm for a while longer.
Chapter Fifteen
After Erin left some time later, Mercedes stayed in her room and tried to concentrate on her homework. All of Erin's words just keep replaying in her head. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dom calling her for dinner. Reluctantly, she got up and went downstairs to join the team in the kitchen.
As she came down the stairs and rounded the corner into the family room, Mercedes stopped dead in her tracks. Resting against the far wall near the kitchen was three of Brady's surfboards. Dom and Mia walked through the kitchen door into the family room.
"What are they doing here?" Mercedes asked, her voice shaky.
"Erin brought them with her when she came," Mia explained as she gave her sister a comforting look.
"She knew Brady would have wanted you to have them," Dom finished with a genuinely sincere tone.
Mercedes cautiously walked towards the boards. She lightly ran her fingers over the board. Smiling and nodding at the thought that came to her mind, she turned around to face Dom.
"What Brady would have wanted." she repeated emotionless. "Would you have stopped racing if I had died in that accident?" Mercedes asked bluntly, with no expression on her face as she picked up the three boards and headed outside, grabbing her keys and cell on the way out.
Once outside, Mercedes put the surfboards in her jeep and got in. Driving off in the direction of the beach, she picked up her cell and called Landon.
"Hey Mercedes," Landon answered on the second ring, apparent there was a smile on his face on the other end.
"Hey," Mercedes replied tentatively. "Um. I'm sorry I haven't returned any of your calls in the past two weeks. It was just." she started to explain.
"Mercedes, it's ok. Really, no explanation needed. I'm just glad you called me now. I've been worried about ya."
She smiled at the sound of Landon's voice. She started to relax and calm down a bit.
"Well, I was just wondering if you could meet me down at the beach?" Mercedes asked as she looked in her rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Brady's boards.
"Sure, yeah, I'd love to," he responded eagerly. "Right now? Or in 10 minutes or so?"
"Well, I'm about 3 blocks away. Do you want me to just swing by and pick you up? You could give me directions how to get to your house," Mercedes offered hoping she wasn't sounding like a complete dork.
"Nah, it's cool," Landon answered. Mercedes made a disappointed face knowing he couldn't see it. "I live just three houses down from the parking lot. So. I'll just meet ya on the beach in a few. Ok?"
Mercedes' small smile returned, as she was relieved she hadn't totally been shot down. "Ok, see you in a few," she concluded as she hung up her phone and continued to the beach.
Two weeks after Brady's death, Mercedes finally went back to school thanks to Dom's demand. She still hadn't gone to see Erin Matheson or near the ocean. Landon and the guys from his crew constantly called her house and cell phone wanting to talk to her. Mercedes wouldn't take any of their calls. She was withdrawn and depressed.
"Ceds?" Dom called one afternoon as he knocked on her bedroom door as he entered. She was lying on her bed, her history book opened beside her, but Dom could tell her mind was not on her homework.
"Someone's here to see you, Mercedes," he informed his sister. She didn't turn to acknowledge that her brother was even in the room. She just continued to stare out into space.
"Ceds, hun," Dom spoke softly as he approached her and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Erin is downstairs. She really wants to talk to you. She thought you would have come to visit her by now," he informed Mercedes as a comforting hand came to rest on the small of her back.
Shaking her head, Mercedes whispered softly, "I don't want to see her."
Dom lowered his head in pure exhaustion of trying to help his sister. "Well, if you won't go down and see her, then I'm going to send her up. She needs you right now, Mercedes. And you need her too. whether you want to admit it or not." Standing up, he slowly walked out of the room and downstairs.
A few minutes later, Erin Matheson stood in Mercedes' bedroom doorway. Knocking lightly, she cleared her throat, "Mercedes. can I. uh. can I come in please?"
Mercedes eyes filled with tears as she heard Erin's voice. Wiping them away quickly, she shook her head 'yes.' Closing her book and notebook, Mercedes got up off her bed to put them away in her book bag. Erin cautiously entered the room and stood awkwardly in the middle as she watched the girl put away her things.
"I've been waiting for you to visit." Erin started, her voice shaking. "Mercedes, please. look at me," she pleaded.
Mercedes slowly stopped what she was doing and turned to face Erin. Both of their eyes were filled with tears. Mercedes nervously fiddled with her hands as she kept looking away from Erin.
"Losing. my son has been awful," Erin started to cry. "But. to lose you too, Ceds. I just don't know what I would do with myself." Tears ran down her face.
Mercedes fought back her tears and just shook her head 'no.' "I can't Erin. it's too hard." Mercedes stammered.
Throwing her hands up and shrugging her shoulders, she continued as the tears started to fall, "I don't know what to do with myself anymore. It breaks my heart to see you so upset. And. all I want to do is cry when I think about. about. Brady."
"Sweetheart," Erin spoke as she walked towards Mercedes and wrapped her in a warm, comforting embrace. "It's not going to be easy. But we. we need each other right now," she sobbed. "I know how much you loved Brady and how important he was in your life. You are my living connection to my son. When I see you smile, I can see Brady smiling too."
Mercedes began to sob as she buried her head in Erin's shoulder. "I just keep asking God why I didn't die with him. We always did everything together. We were best friends. And. and he went to Landon's house that night without me. He called and asked me to go! I said. no. I should have gone with him. Why didn't I go? Then he wouldn't. he wouldn't of had to die alone," she cried extremely distraught.
Erin tried to keep her composure and strength for Mercedes' sake as she tried to comfort her. "Things happen for a reason and God has a plan for everyone. You can't question what he does, Mercedes. But Brady would not have wanted you to stop living your life just because his ended. He would still want you to surf. go to school. hang out with your new surf crew. You have to keep going. if not for yourself. then for him."
With nothing more to say, Mercedes just shook her head 'yes' and the two continued to cry in each other's arm for a while longer.
Chapter Fifteen
After Erin left some time later, Mercedes stayed in her room and tried to concentrate on her homework. All of Erin's words just keep replaying in her head. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dom calling her for dinner. Reluctantly, she got up and went downstairs to join the team in the kitchen.
As she came down the stairs and rounded the corner into the family room, Mercedes stopped dead in her tracks. Resting against the far wall near the kitchen was three of Brady's surfboards. Dom and Mia walked through the kitchen door into the family room.
"What are they doing here?" Mercedes asked, her voice shaky.
"Erin brought them with her when she came," Mia explained as she gave her sister a comforting look.
"She knew Brady would have wanted you to have them," Dom finished with a genuinely sincere tone.
Mercedes cautiously walked towards the boards. She lightly ran her fingers over the board. Smiling and nodding at the thought that came to her mind, she turned around to face Dom.
"What Brady would have wanted." she repeated emotionless. "Would you have stopped racing if I had died in that accident?" Mercedes asked bluntly, with no expression on her face as she picked up the three boards and headed outside, grabbing her keys and cell on the way out.
Once outside, Mercedes put the surfboards in her jeep and got in. Driving off in the direction of the beach, she picked up her cell and called Landon.
"Hey Mercedes," Landon answered on the second ring, apparent there was a smile on his face on the other end.
"Hey," Mercedes replied tentatively. "Um. I'm sorry I haven't returned any of your calls in the past two weeks. It was just." she started to explain.
"Mercedes, it's ok. Really, no explanation needed. I'm just glad you called me now. I've been worried about ya."
She smiled at the sound of Landon's voice. She started to relax and calm down a bit.
"Well, I was just wondering if you could meet me down at the beach?" Mercedes asked as she looked in her rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Brady's boards.
"Sure, yeah, I'd love to," he responded eagerly. "Right now? Or in 10 minutes or so?"
"Well, I'm about 3 blocks away. Do you want me to just swing by and pick you up? You could give me directions how to get to your house," Mercedes offered hoping she wasn't sounding like a complete dork.
"Nah, it's cool," Landon answered. Mercedes made a disappointed face knowing he couldn't see it. "I live just three houses down from the parking lot. So. I'll just meet ya on the beach in a few. Ok?"
Mercedes' small smile returned, as she was relieved she hadn't totally been shot down. "Ok, see you in a few," she concluded as she hung up her phone and continued to the beach.
