Oh my gosh you guys, I didn't realize it until now, but I have over one HUNDRED reviews! That is so awesome. Thank you all for enjoying my story so much.
Chapter Twelve
The first day of school donned bright and clear, just like every other day in Playa Linda. Marie hummed happily as she ran a brush through her hair and secured it in a messy bun, leaving a few tendrils down to frame her face. She craftily applied make-up to cover the scars and bruises that were slowly beginning to disappear.
Her stepfather hadn't hit her in nearly a week, something that made Marie both happy and fearful. Would his next attack be more fearsome and cruel than ever since he now stored up his anger? She was not looking forward to finding out.
The silver lining in her life though, was school. Eight hours away from her stepfather and the hell she lived in, nine or ten if she joined a team or an extracurricular activity. Her stepfather had learned that he could not keep her from school, not if he didn't want the high school to send a social worker or guidance counselor to the house. He didn't permit her to join any clubs or anything that would keep her busy after school, but Marie had become an expert at forging her mother's signatures on any thing that required a parental consent form.
A smile lit her face as she studied her image in the mirror. She wanted to look good today. Many of her classmates would be seeing her for the first time since summer vacation, and Marie wanted to make a good impression. Not to mention that Bradin would be there. With a happy sigh, Marie grabbed her khaki messenger's bag and headed down the stairs.
Students milled about the front of the school. None of them eager to go inside and officially end their glorious summers. Bradin stood among them, the wind blowing his hair about, and his eyes scanning the crowd for Marie. People passed him by, some of them, the guys he had met at surf team try-outs, shouting greetings to him.
He brushed the hair from his eyes and saw Marie coming towards him, a bright smile on her face. With the sun on her face, her eyes sparkling, and wisps of hair flying free from the bun that had once held them, she had never looked more beautiful to Bradin.
His mind instantly returned to that afternoon only four days ago when they had come so close to going all the way. Sometimes, when he was alone, Bradin imagined what would have happened had they not stopped themselves. He could still feel her bare skin beneath his fingertips and hear her quick gasps as his kisses rained over her body. Since that day he had never wanted to sleep with Marie more, but he knew that he couldn't ever cross that line with her. Not until she was free of her stepfather's abuse. And even then he was uncertain of if she would let him push their relationship that far.
"You look awful serious." Marie teased when she stopped in front of him. She reached up and kissed him lightly. "What are you thinking 'bout?"
"Nothing." he shook his head and wrapped an arm around her slim waist before pulling her in for a more passionate kiss. Marie pulled away first, her cheeks turning a fiery red.
"So," she said, taking Bradin's hand in hers and leading him up the stairs and into the school, "do we have any classes together?" They pulled out their schedules and compared.
"Homeroom, calculus, free period, lunch, and chemistry." Bradin stated, smiling down at her. "We better be careful or we're going to get sick of each other." he teased.
"No chance of that happening." Marie shook her head, "I could never get tired of seeing you." Bradin grinned at her words. He, too, could never get tired of seeing her face, or hearing her laugh, or watching her graceful movements. His heart thudded inside his chest as he thought back to what Jay had said that night that Marie had eaten dinner with the family. You're in love mate. Bradin knew now, that those words were true. He loved Marie more than he had ever loved anybody, aside from his own family. He lived to see her, to touch her, to kiss her. Constantly he thought of her, counting down the minutes until he saw her next.
"What?" Marie asked self-consciously. Bradin realized that he was staring at her.
"Nothing," he replied, "I was just thinking."
"Well I hope you didn't hurt yourself." Marie teased, poking him playfully. Bradin caught her hand in his and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
The waves rocked beneath him as Bradin sat on his surfboard. The first day of school had let out half an hour ago, and now he was at surf practice. He'd tried out for the team a few weeks before school had started up, not really thinking he'd make it. He would be lying if he'd said it was a total shock that he had. Jay had, after all, given him the best teacher around, Erica. She'd given him all he needed to know about being a surfer, letting him make his own mistakes then telling him how to correct them. No one could deny that Bradin had a natural talent on a surfboard, Erica had just given him the tools to perfect himself.
Back on the beach, Marie sat on a blanket, her school books spread out around her and her head bent over a notebook in which she was feverishly writing. Bradin thought it a crime that some of the teachers had passed out homework on the first day, but Marie seemed to enjoy doing the work that they had been assigned. She glanced up at him and smiled, waving. He waved back, a smile split across his own face. She looked so beautiful, sitting there with the soft sea breeze tossing her hair about her face. Every once in awhile, she would run a hand through her hair, trying to make it stay in place, but the wind continued to catch it, and her movements would be repeated once more.
Bradin felt his board rock beneath him and glanced over his shoulder. A good sized wave was coming in. He leaned down over his board, paddling his arms in the water to gain momentum before standing up and riding the wave. He twisted his body, changing the direction of his board so that he weaved in and out of the wave. He waited for the moment, waited until the time was just right to pull off a trick. There it was. He crouched low and turned his board in a perfect 180. Marie's cheer crossed the water to his ears and he smiled.
"Good job Westerly." Coach Andrews said as Bradin walked up onto the sand, his board beneath his arm. "You keep this up and you just might come off the alternate list." Coach clapped a hand on Bradin's shoulder before walking away to watch his next surfer. The young man grinned.
"Bradin, you were awesome!" Marie squealed as she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. The water that stubbornly clung on to his wet suit soaked through Marie's pale yellow sweater, making the thin fabric semi-transparent. If it weren't for the white tank top she wore beneath the sweater, Bradin was certain he would have been able to see straight through her shirt. Something that he wouldn't mind at all seeing.
"Thanks." He replied, ducking his head down to kiss her.
"Yo Westerly," Chad, one of his teammates, called, "come on, we're up."
"Be right there." Bradin called back. He turned back towards Marie and kissed her one more time. "I'll be back in a minute." He said before rushing back out into the water.
"So you and Marie are gettin' pretty close." Chad smirked as Bradin joined him out in the water.
"Yeah, I guess." Bradin replied nonchalantly. There was no way he was going to divulge all the details of his and Marie's relationship to a guy he had only known a few days.
"I don't think Marie's ever dated anybody." Luke, another team member, and one that Bradin was finding himself becoming good friends with, said as he joined the other two teens.
"Naw, she hasn't." Chad agreed with a nod of his head. He reached over and punched Bradin in the arm. "She givin' it up?" He asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"No," Bradin replied, somewhat disappointedly, "we haven't gone that far yet." It wasn't like Bradin didn't want to do it, hell, he thought about it all the time, but he knew that Marie wasn't ready, and he wasn't about to push her just so that he could have some pleasure.
"Too bad man," Chad shook his head. Bradin could feel disgust filling him as he looked at the other surfer. He didn't want anybody thinking of Marie that way, at least not anybody but him. He glanced over at Luke, who was giving him an odd look. Bradin raised his eyebrows in question, but Luke simply shook his head and started paddling forward to catch the wave that was coming their way.
"You were really great today." Marie said as she and Bradin walked down the beach. Her messenger's bag, weighted down with textbooks and school supplies, bumped against her hip with each step.
"Thanks," Bradin said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against him. He kissed her temple softly and Marie let her head rest on his shoulder. They continued on in silence, the only sounds of their shoes on the sidewalk.
Marie glanced up at Bradin, her eyes meeting the stubborn jut of his chin and his fair skin. She though it funny that, with as much surfing as he did, he didn't have the deep tan that most people in Playa Linda had.
Her house loomed large ahead of them, beautiful and innocent looking, but hiding a horrid evil. A shiver ran down Marie's spine and she shook involuntarily. Bradin's arm tightened around her waist as they came to a stop two houses away. He looked down at her and she met his gaze and drew in a deep breath.
"I'll see ya tomorrow." she said, reassuring him, and herself, that she would be alright. She reached up and kissed his lips gently before pulling away and walking towards her house.
He watched her walk away, not wanting to see her disappear into the house that caused her so much pain. Bradin had to brace his feet on the pavement to keep from running after her, to keep from catching her in his arms and never letting go. Marie turned and waved to him, a small smile playing on her lips.
It amazed Bradin how much she had changed since he had first met her. She was no longer the frightened and skittish girl that he had first laid eyes on, but now she was smiling and happy, unafraid of the world and ready to embrace life's adventures. She truly was beautiful, Bradin had always known that. And, he knew that he was lucky to have her in his life.
Yet another chapter finished. I hope you all enjoyed this one and will review. This story is slowly beginning to wind down, and soon there will be more action as Marie slowly begins to escape her stepfather's hold. Be ready for surprises and twists to come in later chapters.
Oh, and just out of curiousty, would y'all mind telling me if you are male or female and what your age is when you read this? I'd like to know what my target audience is and all that. Heck, I'll start us off. I am female (obviously) and I am 16.
Beauey: Actually, right now I am workign on an original story that I am hoping to have published one day.
Haylie: You are very close to what is going to happen in later chapters, but you're just going to have to keep reading to see just how right you are.
darkdestiney2000: I am surprised as well that Marie allowed Bradin to go as far as he did. You know how it gets when you're writing and the characters start writing the story instead of you, and that's what happened.
Kitty-Kat4life: I live somewhere near Raliegh, North Carolina (I'm not going to tell you where exactly but I will say that the county I live in starts with a W and ends with ilson) so haunt me all you want. :)
sweater monkey: You're right, Jay doesn't like to say mate, but I have noticed that he does tend to say it a lot in the show.
Ally B, flamesflyer, Summerland Chick, Mel, grullo-cowgirl, Triple Agent, and Dramagrl: Thank you all so much for reviewing this story. Your interest is what keeps me writing.
