Bradin and Audri returned to the house at a quarter till eleven. Audri was still slightly shaken from her breakdown at Spanish Cove, but felt a lot better getting all of her past frustration out of her. Feeling tired, she slumped down on the couch and pulled the blanket she had used the night before over her lap. Bradin let a smile play at his lips as he saw her gently run her hand over her stomach and sigh.
"You want something to drink?" he asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Sure, thank you."
He grabbed two glasses down from the cabinet, then browsed through the refrigerator trying to find a beverage. He saw a big plastic pitcher on the top shelf and knew without a doubt that Aunt Ava had made tea; he felt a sting of recognition when he realized that the pitcher had been his mother's.
Bradin's voice was almost in a choke as he said, "Is tea all right?"
"That's fine," she answered, noting a hint of sadness in his voice. She thought better of asking him about his past just yet, the time wasn't right.
He handed her the glass and sat down beside her, keeping enough distance between them to maintain being comfortable. Audri took a sip of her tea, letting the sweetness of it linger longingly in her mouth before swallowing it.
Bradin was just about to say something when Nikki came running full speed through the living room and into the kitchen.
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized quickly.
"Nikki!"
Bradin and Audri watched in disbelief as Nikki looked frantically through drawer after drawer trying to find something.
"There they are!" she said excitedly, pulling out a box of poptarts. She opened it, and ripped open a new pack, stuffing the first one into her mouth. She ate it abnormally fast, then decided she didn't want the other one. Desperate, she looked to Bradin and Audri and held it up, not able to talk through chewing the contents in her mouth. They both shook their heads and Nikki whined. Quickly, she swallowed the bits of food and formed another idea of who to give it to.
"Jay!" she screamed.
Within moments, Jay ran inside looking fearful.
"Nikki, are you all right?"
"Here," she ran up to him and shoved the poptart into his hands, "Happy Birthday!"
And with that, she went running out the door, almost running into Derrick in the process.
"Nikki, watch out!" he called after her.
Jay stared at the poptart, shrugged and took a bite.
Audri turned to Bradin, "What the heck was that all about?"
"My sister, Nikki. Cameron must have called her."
"Cameron?"
"Yeah," Derrick said, "her new boyfriend." Then he started to sing, "Nikki and Cameron, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," he leaned in close to Bradin. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Bradin in the baby carriage."
Bradin slapped Derrick in the arm, and pretended like he was getting up. Thinking better than to test him further, Derrick ran upstairs and into his room, laughing the whole way up.
Audri was giggling herself as Bradin was staring at Jay, who was laughing too.
"Ha, ha." Bradin said sarcastically.
"I'm gonna get ready and take him to the shop with me okay?"
"Thank you. Where's Aunt Ava?"
"Her and Susannah are up stairs working. They already have their things packed for L.A. tomorrow."
Audri spoke up. "Their going to L.A.?"
"Oh, yeah tomorrow," Jay replied. "They'll be gone for about two days, but Johnny boy and I will stay here."
She nodded, "Okay, I didn't mean to butt in, I just didn't know."
"That's all right. You must be Johnny's niece, Audri."
"That I am."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Jay, I live in the beach house outside. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Wow," now addressing Bradin, "Where did your aunt find all of these well-mannered people? It's amazing."
"Its my pleasure," Jay said, then glanced at his watch, "Oh, I'd better get to work. Derrick! Let's go, D."
Derrick bounded down the stairs, and exited with Jay.
"Well, I'll tell you this much, I'm definitely envious of you."
"You don't have to be anymore, they're your family now too."
Bradin took a swig of his tea, and for the first time, Audri noticed a small bruise on the corner of his mouth. Her stomach turned over in knots as the memories of her own abuse came flooding back. It baffled her as to why she hadn't noticed it before now.
"Are you okay?" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, um, I just…um…" she was at a loss for words. She pointed to the corner of her own mouth, and he comprehended what she was trying to say.
"Oh," he gently touched the still tender skin on his mouth, then flinched as a throb of pain shot across his jaw. "Don't worry, it was a souvenir from Founder's Day."
"Founder's Day?" she whispered, clearly confused.
"Yeah, it's almost like the Fourth of July. They set off fireworks at the beach and everything." He paused. "It's what I got for trying to help someone. Long story."
Now it was her turn to be the fall back person. "I have time. I'm not going anywhere."
He turned back to her and smiled, knowing that she really wanted to understand the situation of his life here. That's when he began to tell her his story, from losing his parents in Kansas to moving in with his aunt and her three housemates in Playa Linda.
She was right, telling someone about your frustrations and dreams really did feel better and comforting. Telling someone you know you can trust made the feeling even greater.