It turned out that the competition was pushed a few weeks back; the letter had held a typo. They wouldn't be leaving for another month. During that time, Bradin still spent an hour or two every day practicing surfing, and an hour on schoolwork, but he was pushing by to make at least a little time for Jessica. If nothing else, he walked her to school, saw her at lunch, and talked to her on the phone or instant messaged her. He also was able to fit in two or three dates a week with her, which wasn't bad considering he had previously cut off all contact. Three weeks of this pattern passed by, and miraculously the two managed to stay on good terms with each other for the whole time span.

Bradin was still trying to wheedle Jessica into going with him; he was completely baffled as to why she wouldn't want to go with him. He had asked her regularly, and now he was getting more persistent considering he was leaving in a week.

"You're saying that you're not sure. Does that mean you're not sure if you can come, or if you're not sure you want to?" he finally asked point blank.

"Both." She answered truthfully.

"As if you wouldn't want to go to Florida. Is there something wrong with going with me?" he crossed his arms. "Just tell me. I've got to leave really soon. Just be honest with me, won't you?"

"We'll be in separate rooms, right?" she questioned, finally addressing the problem that was bothering her.

"You're joking, right?" amusement coloured his voice as the light finally lit in his head. "Is that what you've been thinking about?"

"Shut up…" she was obviously embarrassed, her cheeks beet red, she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"You've been with me how long? You really think I'd try anything?" he laughed. "I'll be a perfect gentleman, even if they do make us share a room. You're hilarious, you know that? As if I'd try anything if you weren't ready."

"I had to ask," she half shrugged.

"Is that the only issue?" Bradin asked.

"Well, are you really sure you wouldn't rather have someone else with you? Erika? Your aunt? Your family? Your surfing friends?" Jessica listed.

"I asked you, didn't I?" Bradin looked at her pointedly. "Look, if there's nothing else, we should probably work on getting your parent's permission."

"It's really not going to go over well, Bradin." She sighed.

"Okay. If they say yes, will you come?" Bradin questioned.

"They're not going to say yes." She countered.

"I love the how optimistic you are." He rolled his eyes. "If they say yes, will you want to come?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't want to get my hopes up." She squirmed out of his grasp and stared out at the not-so-distant ocean.

"Get your hopes up, because you're coming." He grinned. "Now that you've finally said yes. Not very enthusiastic, but-"

"I want to spend more time with you, I've just got a tendency to look for the catch, the pessimistic opinion. I'm sorry. I do want to go with you. Cheer you on," she smiled.

"Well stop looking at the doughnut hole," he told her. "We're going to make this happen."

"So, do you always surf in your wet suit, or am I ever going to get an opportunity to see you shirtless?" Jessica playfully asked.

"You could've just asked." Bradin responded flirtously. He laughed, "Nah, the water can be fricken freezing, I don't go in without the full wet suit."

"So you must be completely pale under your t-shirt then." She stated.

"I tan in the nude." Bradin smirked.

"Images…" Jessica stuck out her tongue. Putting on a cheesy Austin Powers accent she added, "Oh, you make me horny baby!"

Bradin laughed and gave her a playful kiss. "So you're totally going to clap for me in Florida?"

"I'll scream and clap and hold out signs." She guffawed.

"In a cheerleading outfit?" he pleaded.

"You wish, you man whore," Jessica snorted.

"Wishing and dreaming," Bradin said wistfully. "Ah, well we'd better talk to your parents soon."

"I'll bring it up tonight, plant the ideas in their heads, then maybe two or so days before we've got to go your aunt can give them a talk about how responsible you are and everything." She said thoughtfully. "So when we do get them to say yes, they don't have time to back out."

"I can talk to them too," he offered.

"I'm not sure that'd be a good idea. It's best if they think we're pretty much just friends, and if they aren't reminded of how good looking you are, and how reckless." She shook her head.

"I'm not reckless," Bradin protested.

"Of course not, sweetie, I just don't want them to think that. Just leave it up to your aunt. I'm not sure a visit from resident heartbreaker Jay would do much to change my parent's mind either, so maybe both of you better just let your aunt put in really good words in for you and hope for the best." Advised the girl.

"Hey, parents love me." Bradin said. "And I'll convince them to let you go, if I have to make them dinner."

"That's sweet." She smiled. "Will your aunt mind doing this for us?"

"Nah, she's got a little time off right now, and she's already agreed to talk it over with your parents." Bradin shook his head.

"That's great." Jessica swallowed. "Please don't be too mad if I can't come."

"Look. You're going to be with me. I've basically ignored you for a month, I've got to make it up to you somehow." Bradin stated.

"Is that what this is about?" she questioned incredulously. "Don't just choose me to go just because you feel guilty, Westerly! This is a huge thing and I want you to go with someone you truly want there."

"You take things so badly." He commented, jokingly nudging her. "That's not what I meant and you know that."

"I won't mind if you decide to take Erika with you, if I can't go." Jessica told him. "If that was something that would stop you from inviting her, it's fine. I wouldn't be mad."

"You're going to be able to come." Bradin flatly answered. "Talk to your parents tonight. I've got to hit the waves right now, but I'll see you at seven, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Jessica nodded. "Have fun."

"See ya, babe." He grinned, kissing her before jogging off.

-

"Hi, may I speak to Bradin please?" a rather distracted voice asked into the phone a few minutes before seven.

"Wow, you're formal! No wonder my aunt loves you so much," Bradin laughed into the phone. "You'd think you'd know my voice by now, Jess."

"Sorry."

The dispirited and altogether unfocused way she sounded prodded Bradin to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I, uh, listen Bradin I'm really sorry but I can't go." Jessica said, her voice sounding muffled.

"Do you mean tonight, or to Florida?" Bradin frowned.

"Both." It came out as a bit of a squeak.

"What do you mean? My aunt hasn't even spoken to your parents yet." Bradin protested.

"I'm sorry." She repeated.

"No, don't be sorry, my aunt can talk to them, it'll be fine-" he said.

"Bradin. They don't want to hear about it. They don't want to listen to your aunt, they don't want to listen to me, it's done. And I think it's best if you don't call me that much anymore, okay?" her voice sounded so small. "I'm sorry I gave you such short notice today. I'll see you at school."

"What's going on?" Bradin asked in confusion.

"Never mind." She breathed. "And, maybe it's best if we just meet at school from now on."

"What happened when you talked to your parents?" he demanded.

"I have to go." Muttered Jessica. "Find someone else to go with you."

"Jess-" Bradin exclaimed in frustration. "It's like you don't even care! You're not even trying to fight this!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry," she half shouted. Her voice sounded like it was clouded by emotion. "I have to go." She whispered.

"Talk to me," Bradin desperately pleaded.

She swallowed. "I'm going to have to let you go."

"But-' but the phone clicked before he could finish. Giving the sleek black phone a rather bewildered look, he called her back.

"I can't talk," she hastily said into the phone before Bradin could even say hello. "Please don't call me again." Click.

The next day, Bradin was waiting for her at her locker. "Mind telling me what the hell happened last night?"

"Bradin." Jessica said his name with equal parts exasperation, sadness, and pleading.

"What." He crossed his arms. "You're going to have to explain why you so abruptly hung up on me. I thought you wanted to go?"

"You want an explanation? I asked. I explained. I persuaded. And my parents now think that we moved way too quickly and we've gotten far too serious for their liking if we both wanted to go away for three weeks together."

"We can work around that." He defiantly lifted his chin up and grasped both her shoulder blades so that she couldn't move.

"Bradin, they're really upset." She said.

"So?" he exclaimed.

"So?" Jessica incredulously repeated.

"What's the issue here, they think we're moving too fast, we show them otherwise." Bradin simply replied.

"It's not that simple." She tried to reason with him.

"Give me one good reason why it's not that simple," he stuck out his jaw.

"You-"

"Seriously, what problem could they possibly have that could stop a full grown teenager from going on a free trip to California with her boyfriend?" Bradin demanded.

"I thought we weren't using labels?" she feebly said.

"Oh please, Jess, do we have to go around in these circles forever? We've gone past all reasonable doubt now, of course you're my girlfriend." He impatiently stated. "…At least that was my impression. I can't believe you're giving up so easily. I'll talk to your parents."

"Bradin, for Christ's sake!" she blew up. "That would go fricken well, do you want to know what they would say? Stay the hell away from my daughter, that's what they'd say. Because they won't believe me when I say we haven't slept together, and they think you turned me into some kind of slut and they said I wasn't allowed to see you anymore."

"They think what?" Bradin took a step back.

"It doesn't look good, wanting to go away to a new state with a guy for three weeks. They never trusted you and their trust in me obviously couldn't have been that strong, either. They want us to break up." She said dully.

"And that's it, isn't it?" Bradin gave her a deeply pissed glare. "That's it. They say break up with me and so we're over?"

"Of course not you moron," Jessica exasperatedly sighed, "Sometimes you really make me want to kick you in the balls, you know that?"

"You just said-" Bradin pointed out.

"I know what I just said. Oh yeah, my parents say break up with the only guy I've ever cared about this much and I just nod and end things with you. I was never planning on agreeing, and when I protested and point blank refused to stop seeing you, they pretty much said that they're revoking my bank account because obviously I'm not mature enough to be an adult and so now all of my three thousand dollars of savings I had going on are gone, but that didn't and doesn't matter because I won't and I can't not be with you. So stop looking at me like that, I wouldn't do that to us." Jessica animatedly ranted. She felt the need to add in a, "…God!"

"Three thousand bucks?" Bradin raised his eyebrows. "I'm worth three Ks to you?"

"You know you're worth way more than that." She shook her head in avid disagreement as she ran her hand distractedly through her hair. "So yeah, basically I can't go. Even on the off chance that I can sneak out to the airport and board a plane without their knowledge or approval, there'd be no chance in hell I'd be able to come back in three weeks and not be completely fried. I really wish I could come with you to support you on this." Her mouth was turned down as she clasped her hands around his hips.

"I'm going to get your parents to pack, smile, and wave as you board the plane with me. I won't give up." Bradin told her, his face set firmly with determination.

"They don't like you much right now, considering they think you de-flowered their little girl." She grinned.

"I'm not boarding that plane without you." He said stubbornly.

"Don't be rash, Bradin." She snorted. "And don't launch into a train of 'if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have won this thing' because that's Erika's area, I've done nothing to help you surf at all and I'm not going to let you throw everything away just because my parents are pricks."

"You've made me a lot more relaxed and happy. That changes my performance on the surfboard, and that's the truth. I don't have to think or worry or brood anymore when I'm up there because you just lift that out. And I don't care if you personally don't surf, it's important to me for you to be there." He confessed. "Please, just let my aunt give it a try."

"I don't want your aunt to come under fire. I have the feeling that if she tries to talk to them, they might insult her, bluntly or not. And I like your aunt, I'd rather not have her hate me." Jessica sheepishly admitted.

"Don't worry about it." He silenced her. "We'll work this out."

"Look, because they want us to break up, it's pretty redundant to tell you that they don't want us to date, as in go out. As in, if you come to my door they will shut the door in your face." She sighed.

"Your parents are really strict." He whistled. "So I guess I'll only get to see you at school."

"You're so cute." She smirked. "I was thinking more along the lines of we'll have to meet at places instead of you picking me up, and I'll have to get home myself or else you'd better drop me off a block or so away from my house."

"You're more devious than I thought." He chuckled.

"Yeah, they're being unreasonable so I'll work around them." She shrugged defiantly.

"I like this side of you." He grinned, giving her an affectionate kiss.

A/N: I'm really sorry it's taking me forever and a half to get these updates uploaded but I've started school again and it's busy and crappy right now but I'll try to get up some sort of regular updates. Psssst: reviews are like fuel, the more I receive the faster I write ;)