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Chapter 5: The Beach Always Makes it Better
Later on that night Bradin, Johnny, and Jay had retired to the spot by the house that they had come to know as their own. For a while they had just hung out, in the water, he and Jay suffered a little, then Aunt Ava, Susannah, Nikki, Derrick, Erika, and Cameron had joined them, bringing dinner. They sat around joking when two more people joined them.
"Well hey girls," Johnny smiled as Larissa skipped up to them, Ellie followed cautiously behind. "Hey," they replied. "Well hey girls, we were just going to go back to the house and hang out there, want to come," Ava asked, she was always being nice and sometimes, like right now, it was driving Bradin crazy. They looked at each other for a second and Larissa answered for the both of them, "Sure!" "Alright, lets go," Ava smiled and everyone got up and gathered their things. When everyone was up Ava asked, "Ready?" "Actually," Ellie piped up, eyes on the ground, "would it be okay if I borrowed Bradin for a minute?" She looked first at Ava, then at Bradin uneasily. "Um…," Ava wasn't sure what to do. "Its okay Aunt Ava, we'll just take the long way back," Bradin reassured her, looking her in the eyes to tell her it was okay. "Well, alright then, see you in a bit," she said and the rest of them were on their way. Ellie told Larissa to go with them and hang out for a bit and Larissa was more than happy to leave them alone to talk about things so she agreed happily.
They turned to go to the pathway that they were supposed to take to get back to the house and for a minute were quiet, then Ellie as usual, spoke. "I'm sorry," she said flat out. Bradin looked confused, he was sure that she had wanted to get him alone so she could guilt him in to saying that HE was sorry. "Why on earth would you be sorry," he asked? "Because, I-I," she stuttered, "I put you in a bad situation trying to make you hurry and decide, I shouldn't have, that was wrong of me." "Ellie, you did NOTHING wrong at all, you were just being honest, like you always are, I'm the one that should be saying I'm sorry, I'm so stupid." "Down you dare down yourself Bradin, everyone has faults, at least you can admit yours, I mean what you said yesterday, it was so right, I am scared, so scared, everything you said was right!" "And you were right too, I shouldn't hide behind anything, I should be myself, I've always been able to be myself around you El, why should one little kiss change that?" They were quiet for a few seconds, letting everything they had just said sink in, then. "You're right, it shouldn't change anything, first and foremost we are best friends, we always need to be best friends, someday we might be something else, but if I lost our friendship, I don't know what I would do." Bradin nodded and smiled a little, "So, why don't we just put all of this behind us, what do you say, you up for being my best friend again?" Ellie smiled and they locked eyes, "Bradin, I never stopped." They stopped and smiled at each other and Bradin took her in his arm and hugged her, wrapping his arms around her waist and she grabbed his shoulders and buried her head in his shoulder. He smiled and looked down at her as she removed her head from the crook of his shoulder and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Why the sad tears," he asked? "They're not sad tears, they're happy tears," she smiled up at him. Bradin lifted his hand to her face and wiped the few stray tears that had ran down her cheeks. As he did this, she lent into his hand, it had been so long since anyone had done that to her, beside Tanner she hadn't even been touched by a guy except for Bradin the entire summer and before that. She was surprised at how much she missed it, being touched, being held, it was making her head spin. Bradin had forgot why he was attracted to Ellie in the first place, but now he knew why, she was so perfect, just totally perfect, everything about her was beautiful, she was beautiful on the inside and out.
"Remember the first day we met," he asked her, still holding her. She smiled more instantly, "Of course, I was sitting on the beach with Larissa, we had just come back from surfing and we were sunning out getting dry, and I was already cranky because there were no good waves that day," she started. "And then me being the complete idiot I was, came out from the water and I saw Erika so I was going to go up to her but I didn't notice you, and I got you totally drenched," he laughed. "And then I totally bitched you out, god you looked like you were going to wet your pants," she laughed too. "Hey in my defense, you can be freaking terrifying when you want to be," he joked. She giggled, "Yah, then you said you were really sorry and like, came on to me, being all smooth and asking me if you could make it up to me by taking me out some time!" He just ducked his head and shook it in embarrassment, "I was so stupid!" "Hey, I went didn't I," she said? "Only because Larissa told you too!" "But I did go, and we had so much fun, and if it wasn't for Larissa I wouldn't have seen how totally awesome you are, and I wouldn't have made my best friend." They looked at each other silently again, then in little more than a whisper Bradin said, "Yah, remind me to thank her later." She smiled and continued to look at her. They had by now almost made it to the house but they had stopped to talk a little distance from it. Bradin didn't know what came over him, but as they stood there like that, and he held her tightly, he did the thing that had been spinning in his mind for a long time. He bent down and captured her lips in his, forcefully and passionately, not like their kiss yesterday, this one was perfect, just like her. As Bradin kissed her Ellie's head was spinning, and she kissed him back, because it felt right, and for once she wasn't thinking about what was right or wrong, or what was responsible or not responsible. She was thinking about the spinning and how it never happened like that before. Then they broke apart and Ellie smiled and blushed, looking down embarrassed. Bradin let go of her and smiled too and they continued on their way.
When they got to the house they discovered the adults were in the Jacuzzi talking about who knows what, they smiled to them and said that they were going to go inside with the kids. As they entered the house, Bradin opened the sliding glass door for her and she smiled and thanked him before going in, he smiled and walked in after her, as he closed it he winked at the surprised adults, who breathed in sighs of relief. Then the two found Derrick, Nikki, and Cameron playing a game of Monopoly at the table, Larissa smiling and watching them, laughing along with them as they talked. When she saw them she smiled. "Hey you too, I'm glad you came back fast, I just got a call from my mom, I got to head home," she said. "Oh, well come on then we'll go," Ellie said. "Oh no, you stay here, she's coming to pick me up actually, she should be here anytime." At that second there was a knock on the door. "And that would be her, well I'm out El, call me tomorrow, Bradin, I'll see you at school on Monday, and tell your Aunt I said thanks for letting me come over, Nikki, Cameron, Derrick," she tickled the little boy, "it was cool hanging with you guys, kick their butts Derrick." And with that she was out the door. "Alright then," Bradin looked down at Ellie who was on his side, "Did I tell you I finally got Switchfoot?" "Really." "Yah, wanna have a listen?" "Sure." "Alright, Nikki if the adults ask where we are, we're in my room," he called as he and Ellie ran up the stairs.
He shut the door after them so the whole house wouldn't hear the loud rock music. "Alright," he grabbed the disc and popped it in the stereo. Immediately Ellie smiled as she heard the beat of the music, and she plopped down on Bradin's bed, head on his pillow stomach up. She closed her eyes and listened to the words, lips moving along with them, but after a few seconds she felt more weight on the bed. That would have been fine because she knew it was just Bradin sitting down on it too, but then she felt hot breath on her face and she fluttered her eyes open to see that he had maneuvered his way so that he was cradling her, his arms were on either side of her shoulders, his eyes on her own, and she just looked at him, not sure of what to do. Then he leaned down and planted his lips on hers, and she took them eagerly, almost hungrily. He lowered himself for better support soon things were getting hot, and they were actually making out. Ellie was going crazy, if you had told her about a month or two ago that she would be making out with her best friend in his room listening to their favorite band she would have laughed in your face and called you a weirdo, but now, she didn't know what to do. She and Bradin weren't even 'together' and that made it all the more crazy, but all she knew was that she absolutely loved it. Suddenly the door burst open and Derrick walked in with the Monopoly board and straight to his toys.
"God Derrick, don't you knock," Bradin jumped off of Ellie and practically screamed at his brother. Derrick rummaged through his toys, acting like it didn't even faze him. "This is my room too," he rolled his eyes and found the Scrabble box, and started for the door, but before he left he looked strangely at Ellie and asked, "Doesn't it feel weird to have Bradin pulling on your tongue like that?" Ellie turned the deepest shade of crimson she had ever turned before. "Get out," Bradin yelled at his brother who shrugged and shut the door.
Ellie sat up on the side of the bed her face in her hands. Bradin came and sat down next to her. "So…," he tried. She looked him in the eyes and started cracking up. She leaned back to lay on his bed, her head resting on her wall. Bradin laughed too and leaned back the same way she had. They laughed as they looked at each other, and went back to simply listening to music. After a while Ellie had to go home, and Bradin walked her half the way there. As they neared the halfway mark they stopped. "Alright so I'll call you tomorrow and we'll go surfing or something for the day then we'll do homework later on," Ellie asked? "Sounds good to me," Bradin reassured her, then started to lean down to kiss her good night, but he was stopped by a finger to his lips. He came back up and looked at Ellie who was looking at him, a warm smile on his face. He questioned her with his eyes and she gave him a look. "Good night Bradin," she said warmly, and instead kissed him on the cheek. As she turned to leave he sighed, "Good night El." He walked home happy that they had mended their relationship and he was glad that they were okay. Little did he know what the next week would bring.
That's the end of that chapter. Tell me what you think? And whats going to happen the next week at school? I'll give you a hint, it has to do with the other two girls interfering with Bradin's mind