Returning home, Aria went straight to her room and sat on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. Feeling her chest constrict, she fought to get her breathing under control and allowed the fear to take over.

Tears rolled down her face as panic set in and she closed her eyes, feeling her entire body tremble. Hearing the front door, Aria opened her mouth to reply as Brax called her name and closed it again when she realized that she couldn't muster the energy to reply.

"Ari, I need you to help out at the restaurant tonight," Brax said, pausing in the doorway as he saw the state she was in and approaching the bed, "What's wrong?"

"I..." Aria mumbled, her voice broken and vulnerable.

"Hey," Brax stated, gently taking her hand and placing it on his chest over his heart, "Slow, deep breaths... I'm right here."

Closing her eyes again, Aria focused on Brax's heartbeat under her palm and slowly managed to gain control of her breathing. Feeling Brax shift positions to sit beside her, she automatically curled into his side and relaxed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"What happened?" Brax asked, resting his chin on her head and waiting silently for her to answer.

"Pirovic was outside the school and he..." Aria mumbled, feeling Brax tense and falling silent.

"What did he do?"

"I tried to ignore him, but he grabbed me by the arm and slammed me against the wall," Aria told him, "He said that if dad doesn't fix things and give him back his money, then he'll have to up his efforts to get it... starting with me."

"Did he hurt you?" Brax added, keeping his voice calm and soft.

"My back hurts a little, but that's it."

Nodding, Brax tightened his hold around Aria's shoulders and kissed her head. Watching as Brax left the room once Aria had calmed right down, she got changed out of her uniform and made her way into the kitchen.

"Are you okay to help out at Angelo's tonight?" Brax inquired.

"Yeah," Aria replied, "Do I have time to go for a surf first?"

"That's fine," Brax agreed reluctantly, "Be careful."

Nodding, she grabbed her board and made her way down to the beach. Scanning the water, Aria headed straight out and sat on her board. Closing her eyes, she focused on the rise and fall of the water, allowing herself to relax.

Being out on the water gave Aria a strange sense of safety, a control that she didn't have on land and it was somewhere that she wholeheartedly felt she belonged. Opening her eyes a while later, she waited for the perfect set of waves to form and started paddling back towards shore.

"Looking good out there," a familiar voice commented as she dried herself off slightly, causing her to look up and smile as Andy approached her.

"Thanks."

"How're you doing?" Andy asked.

"I'm good," she lied, not wanting him to worry, "You?"

"Yeah, can't complain..." Andy added, "Listen, do you have time to talk?"

"Of course, what's up?"

"Nothing, we just haven't spoken since we kissed... I started to think that you were avoiding me."

"No," Aria replied instantly, "Of course not, I was just trying to sort my head out and figure out what I was feeling."

"Any luck?"

"Deep down I already knew how I felt, but it scared me..." Aria answered, finally ready to be honest with Andy and herself, "My feelings for you have always been more than just friendship, but everything is new and I'm not sure how to deal with it."

"It's up to you, but just know that those feelings are mutual..."

"Can we just take things slow?" Aria inquired, earning a nod from Andy and smiling as he pulled her into a hug, "I need to head home and get ready to help out at Angelo's."

Arranging to meet Andy for lunch the next day, Aria kissed his cheek and walked home with a smile on her face. Taking a shower, she got ready for her shift and arrived at Angelo's early. Remembering that it was singles night, Aria grabbed a tray of food and started circulating. Sitting at the bar on break an hour later, she scanned the crowd of people and sighed when she spotted her dad walk in with Cheryl.

"Want to do a song?" Kyle asked, motioning to his guitar and the small stage that had been set up.

"Sure," Aria said, following Kyle and taking a deep breath as she stepped up onto the stage with her brother.

"What song do you want to do?"

"A thousand years?" Aria suggested, earning a nod from Kyle and noticing that everyone was now watching them expectantly.

Looking over at Kyle as he tuned his guitar, she shifted her gaze to the bar and locked eyes with Brax who gave her an encouraging nod. Swallowing nervously, she nodded at Kyle to show that she was ready and listened as he started playing.

The room slowly fell silent as she started singing, losing herself in the song and the knowledge that Kyle was at her side. Smiling over at him as he joined in on the chorus, she watched him as he played effortlessly and made a decision. She was going to enter the Summer Bay Talent Festival, she was going to take a leap of faith and try something that sent fear through her... she needed to face it.

Authors Notes: I really struggled with this chapter... I wanted to show Brax' brotherly instinct and not have him fly of the handle (That will happen though) in front of an already vulnerable Aria (I hope that came across). They say that you should do one thing each day that scares you... well, Aria just did two! Thanks to everyone that is still invested in this story :)