I'm SOOOOOO sorry it took me so long to upate! I had a huge case of writers block and practically NO time to write! But, here it is! The second chapter!
Enjoy!
"That's it Bradin! I don't want to hear another word about this subject come out of your mouth! You are going to be tutored whether you like it or not!" Ava yelled in frustration at her ever persistent nephew.
"But Aunt Ava, this is so un--"
"Un-what? Unfair? It may seem so to you, but do you really want to know what's unfair about this Bradin?" Ava turned around to face him, taking her attention away from the stove where she was making pancakes. It was now Sunday morning and the whole family was sitting at the table, ready to have breakfast. Bradin and Ava had been having this argument off and on since the moment he got home from school on Friday.
"What's unfair, Bradin, is that once again you have put me in the position of punishing you, and every time I come out looking like the bad guy to you! I'm sick and tired of being put in this position just because you're too lazy to put some effort into your school work! That Bradin, is what you call unfair." Ava finished, glaring at Bradin with such intensity that you would think he would just back down. But no, not Bradin. He just glared right back at his aunt, anger seeming to pulse out of him.
"Um, Aunt Ava……" Derik said warily. Bradin and Ava immediately turned to look at the youngest Westerly.
"Yes Derik?" Ava asked, her voice returning to her normal, sweet tone. In response, Derik simply pointed to the stove. At this, Ava sniffed the air and realized that while she was busy arguing with Bradin, she had forgotten all about the pancakes that were on the stove.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed, quickly swiveling back to the stove, where she swiftly took the now blackened pancakes off and put them onto a plate. Ava then walked to the table, set the plate of burned pancakes down, and said half humorously, half seriously, "Breakfast is served."
Nikki stared at the 'breakfast' for a moment before she said, "Um, I think I'll just have some cereal." and got up and walked to the cupboard.
"I second that. Could you grab the Fruit Loops while you're up, Nik?" Johnny said.
"Oh, and the Cocoa Puffs?" Jay added.
"And don't forget the Corn Pops!" Derik chimed in, getting up to grab some bowls and the milk. Nikki grabbed all the cereal requests, along with her own, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and sat back down at the table.
"Aren't you going to have anything Bradin?" She asked. Bradin, who had resumed his glaring contest with Ava, simply replied,
"No thanks. I'm not really hungry." And then he walked off, back to his room, where he slammed his door shut. Ava sighed as she sat down at the table next to Johnny.
"He'll come to terms with it. Just give him time." Johnny reassured, rubbing Ava's shoulder.
"Yeah. You know Bradin. He's stubborn, but at the end of the day, he knows that you only want what's best for him." Jay said in between bites of his Cocoa Puffs.
"I know you guys are right, but it's still hard to be the bad guy all the time." Ava said, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Bradin reappeared outside his bedroom, dressed and ready to go out.
"Where are you going?" Ava asked.
"Out." Was his simple reply and then he was gone.
"Ugh!" Ava sighed, leaning back in her chair, rubbing her temples in an obvious attempt at relieving some of the stress that had welled up inside of her.
"He'll come around." Johnny said. Ava just sighed again and got up from the table, leaving the rest of the family in silence.
--
Bradin sat on the beach watching the waves slide gently ashore and then retreat, leaving behind bits of seaweed and debris. It was a warm day with a slight breeze, and not a cloud was to be seen up in the clear blue sky. Bradin leaned back on his elbows and closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of the sun to work it's magic at relieving the anger he felt within him. He sighed.
I know they just want what's best for me….. But still, why do they have to treat me like I'm some hard-core rebel without a cause? I mean, it's not like I went out and did a bunch of drugs and got drunk until I couldn't form any sentences! All I did was let my grades drop a little! …… But, maybe having a tutor won't be quite so bad. I mean, she is kind of cute.
Bradin opened his eyes and examined the beach. People running about, volleyball players and hot girls tanning on the sand, surfers and swimmers in the water. All of this was nothing new to Bradin. And though he loved the beach, he was getting kind of bored with it at the moment. He stood up and shook the sand loose from his shorts and walked up to the food stands. He ordered a hot dog and decided to talk a walk along the boardwalk. After walking for about 5 minutes, he spotted someone who looked familiar. It was that girl who was assigned to be his tutor.
She was on her cell phone, looking down at the sand not watching where she was going, walking at a quick pace, up from the beach and towards the boardwalk. He started walking again and then looked back at her. She was now off her cell phone but on the ground. Some jogger had rudely bumped into her and just kept on going, as if he didn't realize he just knocked somebody to the ground. Bradin swiveled around and walked up to her.
"Hey, Michaela?" Bradin said, offering her his hand, which she gratefully took.
"Thanks." She said and quickly turned around and tried to walk away, but not before Bradin caught a glimpse of her face. Her eyes looked red and puffy, as if she had been crying. He lightly grabbed her elbow before she could walk away. She flinched away from his touch real fast. And as she turned around, trying not to let him see her face, he saw what she didn't want him to see. She was looking down at her arm where Bradin had tried to grab her, with a slight look of physical pain upon her face.
"Are you ok?" He asked. But that's when he noticed something peculiar about the way she was dressed. It was probably close to 90 degrees and she was wearing jeans and a hoodie.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Michaela said, wiping her face with arm of her sleeve and then crossing her arms. She was avoiding his gaze, telling him that she wasn't fine. But he let it go, seeing as how he didn't know her well enough to ask her to explain what made her so upset.
They stood there for a moment before Michaela said, "See you tomorrow after school?"
Bradin just looked at her for a minute before letting a small smile appear on his face. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."
And then she walked off, leaving standing alone once again.