Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been trying to get over a serious case of writer's block, not to mention my computer was totally going berserk. Anyway, y'all asked for more Bradin/Marie action, so here ya go.
Chapter Six
It was barely five, but Marie's stepfather was already on his way to the bar to get drunk with his friends. Marie sat by her window, watching him walk away from the house, his steps slightly unsteady, as if he had gotten a head start on the drinking. Steeling herself for what she was about to do, Marie turned away from the window and headed towards her closet. It would not do to go out in the shorts and T-shirt that she was already wearing. Though her bruises were beginning to fade, she could not risk somebody seeing them.
She pulled out a pair of faded jeans and a light pink long sleeved shirt. Sitting down at her vanity she craftily applied make-up to hide the fading hickey and the light bruise on her cheek. She let her hair swing across her shoulders, hoping that it would help to hide what the make-up could not entirely cover. She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and headed down the stairs after checking one more time to see if her stepfather was out of sight.
Downstairs in the beach house was eerily quiet. The sun shone in through the windows and glass doors, casting bright cheery light throughout the room. Fear thumped inside Marie's chest, just as steady and real as her heartbeat.
"You can't chicken out now Marie," She said to the empty living room, "You're going to do this." Afraid that she would back out if she took anymore time, Marie sprinted to the door and flew outside.
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Having gotten off work early, Bradin rode his skateboard through the crowded streets of Playa Linda. He wasn't going anywhere specific, just wherever his board took him. Turning his board sharply to avoid a group of kids, Bradin spotted her.
Marie walked down the street; her arms wrapped around her protectively, her hair swirling around her face in the wind. She skirted around a group of guys, watching them carefully out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, Bradin steered his skateboard towards her.
"Marie!" he called, hurrying to catch up with her. She looked over her shoulder and her steps became quicker. He hurried after her, wondering why she sped up.
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The lewd stares and glances shook Marie down to her core. She watched them, making sure none of them advanced. They didn't. Breathing a sigh of relief she continued down the street. She heard somebody calling her name and, instinctively, her steps quickened. Her stepfather had seen her. It was the only answer. Who else would be calling her name? She glanced over her shoulder. Someone was coming towards her, but the sun was right in her eyes and she couldn't make out who it was. She moved faster. It would be suicide to stop now. There was a sharp turn not five feet in front of her, glancing back over her shoulder quickly she turned the corner and stood tight against the wall. Heart beating roughly inside her throat, Marie waited. Somebody came to a stop beside her. She looked over at who it was and a sigh of relief escaped her when she saw who it was. Bradin.
He looked around, but since Marie stood in the shadows, he couldn't see her.
"Marie?" he called. She could see the defeated slump of his shoulders as he stepped back on his skateboard and pushed forward. Something inside her wouldn't let him leave. She had to talk to him. She had to feel the security she felt whenever she was around him. She stepped out of the shadows.
"Bradin!" she called after him. He stopped abruptly and turned around. A smile lit his face. Marie couldn't help but smile back. A piece of hair fell across his forehead and he brushed it away with a finger before skating back towards her.
"Why did you run when I called you?" he asked when he reached her.
"Oh…I um…I thought you were someone else." She stuttered shaking her head. She could sense Bradin was about to say something. "What are you doing here?" she asked, effectively cutting him off.
"I just got off work." He replied. He looked at Marie closely, too closely. She felt a shiver run down her spine and mentally shook off the fear that clouded her mind. Today she would get a hold on her fear and live life like a normal teenager, if only for an afternoon.
"Where do you work?" she asked quickly, sensing that he was about to ask her something.
"At a surf shop about two blocks away." He said inclining his head in the direction Marie had come from.
"Cool." She replied, a tight smile coming slowly across her face. It was harder than she thought to have a normal, everyday conversation. They stood in an uncomfortable silence. Marie shifted from one foot to the other, her gaze darting from Bradin to the crowded streets around them.
"I…I should go." she said, no longer able to take the silence.
"Oh." Bradin looked disappointed. "Um…okay."
"So I'll see ya around?" She asked.
"Yeah, see ya." he said. Marie turned on her heel and quickly walked away. Her heart was pounding in her chest. For her first venture into normal it hadn't gone too bad. Or so she thought.
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Slouching down into the couch, Bradin wished it would swallow him. He had screwed up with Marie, he didn't know how, he just knew he had. She was like a scared kitten around him, skittish and ready to flee at a moment's notice. Why? What was she so afraid of?
"Damn it." he cried, throwing a pillow across the room. It flew the kitchen counter, knocking over an empty glass that fell and shattered, and landed on the floor.
Anger surged through him. Anger at himself, anger at Marie, anger at the world in general. He needed to do something, something that got him out of the house and allowed him to expel some of his anger. Jumping off the couch he went upstairs and changed into his swimsuit and pulled his wet suit on over it. Surfing would help, he just knew it.
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Stupid idiot. Stupid, stupid idiot. Marie continually berated herself as she paced the floor of her bedroom. Why had she fled? Was it that hard to spend time among people? She slumped onto her bed and hugged Mr. Bear, her teddy bear, tightly to her chest.
The sun was beginning to set outside of her window, casting a pale pink and orange glow over the water of the Pacific Ocean. It looked so peaceful out there. Sighing heavily, Marie couldn't help but long to step into the waves that crashed upon the shore. What would it be like if she let one carry her off into the ocean? Perhaps then she would finally be free of her stepfather's power. A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away with a trembling hand.
You're such a chicken, she yelled at herself, what happened to "I won't let him run my life anymore, even if it kills me" ? Are you really that afraid of him? He's only human, same as you, he can't hurt you anymore than he already is. You owe this to yourself.
"I can't do it." she said to the empty room, "I can't take the chance."
What would your father say if he heard you talking like this? The voice in her head asked, He would want you to stand up to that bastard, he'd want you to fight for yourself Marie.
Tears were falling freely down her face now as she continued to rock back and forth on her bed. And she knew what she had to do.
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It was too dark for Bradin to surf, but still he stayed out on the beach, watching the waves come in and out over the rocks where he sat. The wind wiped across his face, sending chills down his spine.
The pounding of the waves had helped to ease the tension in him, but he still felt anger surging through him. Why hadn't he taken a chance, shown his feelings, asked her out? Why did he always chicken out at the last minute? He clenched his jaw, deep in thought.
"Is this seat taken?" Bradin looked up and was startled to find Marie standing over him.
"No." he said, hurriedly scooting over so that there was room on the rock for her. She sat down, bringing her knees up to her chin and staring out at the ocean. They sat like that for awhile, neither one talking, both just looking, listening to the sound of the ocean and the seagulls.
"I'm sorry I left so suddenly this afternoon." her voice cut through the silence like a knife.
"It's okay." he replied, chancing a look over at her. Marie sat there, still staring at the setting sun. The wind whipped her hair about her face, making it hard for Bradin to see her expression.
"No," she shook her head, "I always seem to be running from you and I'm sorry about that." she looked over at him and he was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes. "There's just some things that you don't know about me." she turned away from him again, "Things that I've never told anyone about."
This was it, she was finally going to open up to him. Bradin watched her expectantly, waiting for her to go on. But she didn't. He saw her close her eyes. The wind died down slightly and he watched as a tear slipped down her pale cheek. Tentatively he reached out and brushed it away with his thumb. She stiffened at his touch and inhaled sharply. He was too far in now, he couldn't stop his body from following through on what it wanted to do, even if he had wanted to stop it he wouldn't have been able to. It was like he was autopilot, he could see everything happening but was powerless to stop it.
He inched closer to Marie, his thumb sliding down her jaw line, feeling the soft, cool skin. His finger hooked under her chin and turned her face to him. There was fear in her wide eyes, but he could tell that she wasn't in control of her own body either as she moved closer to him as well. He could see her swallow, hear her sharp intake of breath as his lips gently grazed hers. Then he was lost.
His lips met hers full on and it was pure heaven. The kiss was slow and sweet, gentle and caring. There was something beneath the physical pleasure, some kind of healing going on. Bradin couldn't explain it. It just felt…right. He moved his mouth over hers, tasting the vanilla lip gloss on her lips. His hands moved as if they had minds of their own. They gently slid up Marie's arms and shoulders to gently caress her face. Her own hands toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, tickling his skin.
The need for air finally overwhelmed them both and they pulled apart reluctantly. They sat there, fighting for air, staring at each other.
Had he ruined everything by moving too quickly? He didn't have long to wait for the answer to that question because Marie suddenly caught his mouth with her own.
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I think I'm gonna leave you all hanging there. I hope this chapter was long enough for ya. I don't know when I'll update this story next because I don't think I'm entirely over my writer's block. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought.
whoopiepiez: You don't have to worry about everything turning out all happy-go-lucky in the end, trust me. I already have the ending all planned out and let's just say that, well it's not pretty.
gpotter and grullo-cowgirl: Thank you both for the amazing compliments.
Alexis, Hebrew-Freak, dolphinchick2568, 10st drEams, someone, theresa, ashelyhampton2004, melodie568, Taryn, Ms. Vaughn, and darkdestiney2000: Thank you all so much for reviewing and waiting so patiently for me to get over my writer's block. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will review.
