The horseplay was nice for a change, and Becca actually enjoyed it; for once, she wasn't the only one under the age of twenty in a house, and Derrick's laughter lifted her spirits from an otherwise semi-brooding sort of mood.

Since he first spoke, Becca liked Derrick. He was eight, feeling like he was on top of the world, and he didn't judge. That was the main thing about him that she liked: he didn't judge her or feel sorry for her, he just pretended that it didn't matter. I wish other people could think the way he can, she thought, while speaking aloud, "I'm going to go on the veranda, Uncle John, ok?"

"Sure, that's cool, Beck," he said back to her to her left, and she shuffled her feet around on the floor, wading her way through a maze of coffee tables and strewn that she knew in her head weren't there the last time she had been here.

"Are you going to be ok, Becca?" asked her grandfather, worry barely masked in his voice.

"Sure Grampa," she replied, making her way to the stairs and upwards towards her destination, "I'll be fine. I know this house like the back of my hand."

Things were different here, simpler, but at the same time, more complicated.

Finding her way to the door on the second floor, she unlocked it, tried to open it, but found it jammed at the top. Curious, her thin fingered hand grazed the doorframe, and she scowled. Child protection lock. Why it was there, she didn't know; maybe it was to keep Derrick in when he was supposed to be inside, or maybe it was just added protection. She didn't know, but it gave her the chills to unlatch it and think about what exactly had happened since the last time she'd been here.

The young lady opened the door and strolled outside onto the veranda overlooking the driveway and framed in vines, taking her glasses off and enjoying the breeze on her face. Her space, this was her space whenever she came out here, and more often than not she spent the day in the strung up hammock, relaxing the day away with a good book or a pad and a pen...

Surveying the pad with her fingers, she discovered that the hammock wasn't there anymore, and a few chairs were set into its place. Becca frowned, and spoke aloud, "I'm gone for a month and the boys move everything. Typical."

Boys, boys, boys, yeah, that was an issue and a half if she ever heard one...

"What about boys?" asked a voice behind her, soft and melodious.

"Just that every time I come over here, either Jay or Uncle Johnny has moved something, and I've got to map out this entire place over again," Grinning, she turned around while placing her sunglasses back on her face, "Hey Ava."

Ava Gregory smiled back, strolling towards her and hugging her gently, "Hey Becca, how're you holding up, kiddo? I heard you were here: I was in the garage, helping Nikki find a snow globe for one of her art projects." She shook her head, "Why she wanted a snow globe, I have no idea, but whatever gets the kids motivated."

"I'm alright Ava. Just trying to figure out where to go next," replied the teen, "but it's not easy. I'm beginning to wish things never happened." A soft wind picked up a few tresses of her brown hair, her fingers brushing them back behind her ear absently, "I already miss my eyes."

"I bet. It's not easy being blind... or maybe that was being green..."

Her thoughtful sounding statement made Becca laugh, "Thanks, Ava. I needed that."

Brown eyes moistened sympathetically, and she hugged her friend's niece again, "You're welcome. Now, what do we owe to this unexpected visit?"

Becca swallowed, "Um... apparently, my grandparents are getting rid of me."

"Oh really?" Laughter echoed the words, "Now why would they do that?"

"Because apparently, my mother wanted Uncle Johnny to take me if something ever happened to her."

The situation and the words seemed to flood in new emotions and ripping open old wounds in her heart, "Y-Yeah? So what does that mean, that Johnny is your guardian?"

"Ever since my mother died, the lawyers have been talking about finding my father, but at this point, I don't think he's ever coming back... All of my mother's money will be suspended in my name until I reach eighteen, then I can access it, but nothing before that... Listen, Ava, if it's anything to you, I'd really like to stay here. As much as I love Nana and Grampa, I like it here better. Besides, I'm too well known back in MO-town. You don't get into a car accident and have been caught drinking, smoking and whatnot without some sort of a hitch along with it." A moment passed before, "And I hate pity looks. Everyone gives me pity looks."

"Pity looks? How do you know they're giving you pity looks?"

"Ava, I can practically feel their eyes on my back all the time. Oh yeah, I get pity looks. It makes me uncomfortable."

Becca sensed her moving before she did, and the squeak of the old ivy trellis signaled that Ava had leaned against it, "I'm sorry Becca, but things might not work out like the way you want them to. Now with Nikki, Derrick and Bradin in the house, we're packed full... Nikki has the room you always had, and with Jay in the boat house, me and Susannah in the same room, Derrick and Bradin sharing one, plus Johnny with his own? Not to mention Erika..."

The name piqued her interest, "Erika? Erika Spalding? Is she here?"

"Yeah, she and Jay have been off and on for the better part of the summer."

The irony made her grin, "I knew it. Erika loved Jay to pieces; she just wouldn't admit it."

"Can we get back to the point here? What I mean is that we're too full in this house as is."

"I know that, Ava. I mean, sheesh, just set up the hammock, I'll sleep out here..." Becca gestured to the pad, "sleep out here, have my clothes inside, that's fine with me."

"Yeah, well, it's not fine with me," replied Ava, "I mean, there's all kinds of things out here! Bugs, viruses... I mean, you could catch West Nile, and when it does rain, oh boy..."

Patience and keeping a level head was most of the time hard for her, and this time was no exception. Angry, Becca stalked off without another word, leaving Ava in uncomfortable silence. So much for her space.

Later on, Becca found herself walking outside, barefoot, along the beach, hearing the waves breaking along the shore and the shouts of the surfers hooting and hollering for big scores or bad wipeouts. She was still angry, that was for sure; so where we she going to live now? In a cardboard box on the side of the road, or a broken down car on the side of the highway? Her left foot knocked into a shell, most likely with a crab in it, and she kicked it as best she could into the surf. It wasn't like she wanted to be blind, and she wanted her mother dead. It wasn't like she wanted her father to be the lowlife he really was, walking out on them both before she was born. She wasn't asking for much: just for a roof over her head, things to eat, and a place to sleep. Was that too much to ask?

Fuming, she almost didn't hear the voice calling after her, "Hey! HEY!" A hand touched her shoulder, and she immediately shook it off, finding herself talking to the same person who had answered the door at her Uncle John's place, only this time, he was soaking wet in his blue and black wet suit, his blonde hair shaded in a brown tone, "Hey, I've been calling after you for five minutes!"

"My suggestion? Keep calling."

She tried to pass him but he caught the top of her arm, "Look, I don't know what you're problem is--"

"Who said I had a problem?" she retorted, offended.

Bradin shook his head, confused, "Listen! We obviously got off on the wrong foot back at the house, ok? So let's start over, introduce ourselves, all that jazz..."

"Fine. You go first."

"Fine. I'm Bradin. Bradin Westerly."

"Nice Kansas. Do you do that often? You know, introducing yourself to some unsuspecting girl? Because I could have sworn you had that practiced." Why was she trying to start a fight?

He seemed a bit set back at her statement, "Usually when someone introduces themselves, the other person does too."

"I'm charmed, but not stupid. You guys are all alike, you know that? Sex is embedded into your brain, so really, who cares about my name?"

"OK, WHAT are you talking about?" Was it his imagination or was this girl getting weirder by the moment?

Becca stared at him as best she could, managing to position her eyes cock-eyed to where he really was, "Let me put it to you this way, Bradin: I don't like guys. I don't trust them, don't like 'em, and I think they're trouble. You're a guy, so therefore, I don't like, you, don't trust you, and I think you're trouble. Do I need to give you the taped version of my lecture or have you gotten the picture?"

Green eyes narrowed in confusion, "Why?"

"You're a guy. Ergo, the boy rules apply. Now if you'll excuse me, Johnny Tsunami, I have more walking to do." She turned away from him and left, leaving him to stare after her and left to his own thoughts.

She's got problems, he thought to himself, but she seems vaguely familiar to me for some reason... Oh well... Callie should be here any minute. He grinned, thinking of his girlfriend, her long brown hair waving from the ocean's breeze, "Can't wait..."

A/N: Hey everyone, another chapter for the growing plot! As of right now, my computer is literally crap. And as I'm speaking to you, I'm telling my friend Alexis (say hi Alexis when you get the chance) to please make corrections and whatnot to this chapter, because my computer is just overall crap right now. I can't correct or bold anything, I can't really POST it either; at the moment, that's all Alexis. Hopefully I'll get my computer fixed soon though....

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews, and I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did when I wrote it! I promise you, I'll get more into developing the plot and everything, with a few chapters here and there without Becca in them... the question is when. I'll get around to it... Anyway, I'll see you guys later! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!