3.

Avery didn't need to ask who he meant. He only referred to one person as a son of a bitch, and that was his stepfather. She tightened her hold on him and stroked his back. "Are...what do you..." She couldn't seem to complete a thought.

"I left this morning. For the senior bullshit stuff. I didn't really wanna go but kinda got pushed into it..." He buried his face against her neck, making Avery shiver at the warm puff of his breath across her skin. "And when I got home..."

He couldn't seem to go on. Avery was picturing the worst in her mind. She'd seen enough slasher movies to get a decently gory mental image.

"She was just layin' there. On the couch. Wouldn't move, wouldn't wake up." He finally said it all in a rush. Avery blinked at that.

"I thought...uh..." She cleared her throat. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Mark shook his head against her shoulder. "The ambulance came. He just stood there watchin' with a beer in his hand and smug look on his face. They said maybe heart attack or stroke." He sat up, pulling back far enough to look into Avery's eyes. "But I don't believe it. Mom wasn't sick. He did something to her..." He trailed off again. "He's threatened to do it a million times. And I wasn't there to stop it."

Avery could only look at him. It was a big leap from threat to action. And then she considered the times she'd seen faded bruises on Mark's jaw, his shoulder, his cheek. "You have to tell some..."

He didn't let her finish before he was shaking his head. "The medics didn't wanna hear it. The sheriff didn't believe me either. Just looked at me and then shared a beer with that piece of shit. I had to get out." He said the last part helplessly.

Avery stroked his cheek with one hand, trying to comfort him as best she could. How the hell did you comfort a person who had just lost their mother? As crazy as her mother drove her, Avery could not imagine not having her around.

Mark let his forehead rest against hers and just sat there, not speaking. Maybe talked out for the moment. "I can't go back there." He finally broke the silence, although his voice was so low Avery almost didn't hear him.

"But...where will you go?"

"Away." He took another of those deep breaths. "That was the plan. Away." He abruptly pulled away from her, unsnapped his seat belt, and climbed out of the car before Avery could say a word.

She sat stunned for a moment at his departure, then sighed and slid out the open driver side door. Mark was gone. For a big guy, he could most eerily fast sometimes. And it hit her, that he'd been overcome by emotion and hadn't wanted to breakdown in front of her. Avery didn't know why. Whatever he said would be kept between them. She looked around, taking in the quiet night around her. There were four picnic tables spread around the clearing in the neatly mowed grass. No one had made use of the beach yet; she could see in the moonlight the rake-marks over the white sand, minus footprints. There were a couple of late night birds calling to each other, and plenty of tree frogs and crickets singing, but that was it. Avery did a slow turn and sighed again before heading to the water. She pulled her sandals off and smiled sadly when her toes sank into the still sun-warmed sand. The water was a smooth, calm mirror, reflecting the night stars. It really was beautiful out there. She waded into the water until it covered her feet. It felt warm as well. She remembered reading something about that, how water felt colder in the daytime and warmer at night, but the ins and outs were lost on her at the moment. Bigger things were on her mind.

Could Mark's stepdad have really killed his mom? Avery didn't know. She didn't know the man personally, had only heard second and sometimes third hand things about him from her mother, or Mark, or a few people around town. He had a temper. He was a drinker. Apparently he was abusive. And Mark had apparently tried to protect his mother. She had often wondered why, if he hated his stepdad so much, he had stuck around. It wasn't unheard of for people to drop out of school and disappear. But now she knew. Her heart ached for him. And to top it off...on his birthday, of all days.

"Sorry." His voice was a low mutter behind her. Avery jumped a little and turned, fighting back tears that she'd worked herself into. He had followed her lead, and had taken off his boots. He was at the water's edge, not wanting to venture in and risk getting his jeans wet. His control had slipped but he seemed to have it together for the moment. "For taking off. For dumping this on you. I didn't know who else to call."

"I'm glad you did. But I don't know how I can help." Avery said sadly. "And you don't have to apologize. I get it."

"Do you believe me?" He asked, completely seriously. Avery studied him solemnly.

"Yes." She had no reason not to. If Mark believed it, and it seemed that he did, then Avery believed it.

Her answered seemed to relieve him. "I don't know what to do."

"Wanna swim?" Avery nodded at the water. That seemed to confuse him. She almost smiled. "You brought us out here. You don't want to go home." She shrugged. "Of course if I had known I would have brought my suit but..."

"You're tryin' to distract me."

"For a minute." Avery did smile that time. She watched as Mark debated, then he tugged his dark t-shirt over his head. She averted her eyes when he started working on his belt and jeans. And couldn't help but peek. He was wearing boxers. She felt mildly relieved. And maybe a little disappointed.

He stepped toward her. The water was knee deep. Avery was holding her dress up so it wouldn't get wet. "What about you?"

"What about me? I told you, no suit."

He nodded. "Me either." Mark pointed out.

Avery sighed and felt those butterflies again. She was trying not to stare too hard at him. He was such a big guy, slim and toned and muscular. She knew she was just reacting to the influx of teenage hormones but it was a dizzying feeling. "Fine. But don't look. I don't have anything on..." She gestured to her chest. Mark nodded and turned his back, wading out into deeper water.

Avery eyed him to make sure he wasn't peeking, then carefully lifted her sundress over her head. She had to go back toward the beach to toss it onto the sand. She kept one arm resolutely across her chest, embarrassed but oddly excited too. The panties stayed on. At least she was wearing those. Mark's back was still to her. She finally waded deeper and quickly ducked under, swimming out a bit until she was sure when she stood up all of her private parts would be covered.

She came up for air and saw that he was now staring right at her as she flicked wet hair back out of her eyes. She had come up closer to him than she'd thought. But she was covered by water. And it hit her. Here she was, practically skinny dipping with one of the most popular guys in school. The principal's daughter. Ms. Goody Two-shoes herself. It felt like some kind of cosmic joke.

"This is weird." She said it out loud. And he actually smiled at that, although it wasn't his usual teeth-baring grin.

"Weird but nice." He said softly. "Thanks for coming out with me. I didn't want to be by myself."

Avery nodded and watched him as he swam toward the center of the pond. Once there he rolled onto his back and studied the night sky. She pushed off the bottom and follow his lead, loving the silky feel of the water against her bare skin. When she neared him, she let her legs drop so her toes were touching the sandy bottom. "I'm really sorry about everything. Your mom and your birthday and...I wish I had known. I would have gotten you something."

Mark smiled up at the sky but it was full of sadness. "Yeah, well." He stopped there. But he finally looked at her and stood up. His shoulders were above the waterline and Avery could see the bruises that still marred his skin. She frowned and reached out, letting her fingers gently touch the most recent looking one.

He was studying her with an intensity in his eyes she had never seen before. Avery became very aware of herself. And the fact that she was wearing next to nothing while almost floating in water less than three inches from a mostly naked guy. She swallowed audibly. But she didn't back away or drop her hand. He said nothing, still just looked at her. And she realized that maybe he was wondering what a mousy little thing like her was thinking, touching him. Stripping in front of him. She'd lost herself in his grief for a moment, but now her usual self-doubt was coming back to remind her of her place.

Avery pulled her hand back. "Sorry..." She pushed away from him and swam toward the shoreline. After a minute she heard him splash from behind her. She ignored it and finally got to where she could wade, then walk. Almost running, keeping her arms crossed, Avery stooped and grabbed her dress from the sand. She yanked it over her head, cursing mentally as the cotton clung to her wet skin. She probably looked like a drowned rat on top of everything else.

"Avery..." Mark said he name but she ignored him and snatched her sandals up before heading for the car. "Avery wait..."

She did finally. Once she was standing at the driver's side door. She turned to look at him, watching as he strode toward her still in nothing but his wet boxers. It didn't seem to bother him. Then again he had the body to pull it off. Mark got closer and grabbed her arms, then pulled her toward him. She dropped her shoes. And then his mouth was covering hers, rendering thought impossible.