The wall was rough as she let her hand slide against it. David and the rest of the guys were leading her down rocky stairs and she couldn't help but smile at the mystery this place held. To have a place on the bluff, right next to the roaring ocean, that was paradise. She could only imagine what the inside looked like.
She hissed as her ankle caught some sort of hole and her whole body lurched forward.
She let out a shriek as she started to tumble forward and shrieked even louder when
David simply let go of her hand. She could feel herself falling and closed her eyes, anticipating the impact her head would have with the rock, but it never came.
She opened her eyes in time to see the dark haired one, Dwayne, catch her swiftly, as if she was a feather. Her eyes widened as they connected with his and her mouth seemed to go slack again. There was something about this Dwayne character that gave her the chills.
The good chills though, but that didn't mean she liked it.
"God, Dwayne, she's only been her for like 2 minutes." Marko joked before letting out a piercing laugh. It only lasted for a few seconds before David silenced him with a glare. The rest walked on, David passing Dwayne and her with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulders. They were so nonchalant. Nothing bothered them and she just couldn't figure out why.
"Thanks..." she whispered, unable to meet the eyes of her dark haired companion. She could feel his muscles move underneath her hands as he gave her a simple nod and started to set her strait. When she finally found her footing, she grabbed on to the wall again. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself and fall again when she had just gotten up. She started to stumble her way down again, blinking to try and make her eyes adjust to the darkness. She stumbled again, but caught herself just in time. With some more help from Dwayne, that is.
His large hand had found its way to her hip as he tried to steady her the best he could without actually grabbing on to her. She turned to him and tried to give him a happy grin, but it came out strained and she doubted he could see it in the dark anyway.
She wanted to do something to make it seem like she wasn't just trembling under his touch. She hated the way all four of the boys made her feel weak and not in control. She hated that feeling, always had.
Control was always something she had to have, just to make herself feel comfortable. It was why she hated her father so much and why she treated her own mother like shit.
Deep down she was scared of not being in control.
The tunnel like passageway finally opened up to something bigger and Bekah couldn't hold in the gasp that pushed its way through her lips. It was a huge cave type dwelling that looked to be almost ancient. Barrels of fire were set about the place and a large bed sat in one of the far corners. Her eyes couldn't help but wonder as she noticed the fountain type structure that had different nick-knacks resting on its surface. There was a small sitting area in the center of the whole place and she squinted for a few seconds before she realized one of them was an old wheelchair. A smile burst over her face as she shook her head. The place just kept getting better and better.
Despite the coldness that seemed to hang in the place though, she felt warm. The whole place had a mysterious vibe to it that beckoned her to explore and find out all its secrets. And she desperately wanted to do just that.
"Spare her the speech." Marko groaned out from over by the bed. Bekah's head snapped towards him and noted the grimace on his features.
"Yeah, man." Paul agreed with a nod of his head. He was sprawled out on one of the couches, his head hanging off the arm rest and his hair swishing against the ground. "I'm even getting tired of that stupid speech."
Bekah raised an eyebrow as she searched for David and finally found him over by the fountain.
"Fine." was his gruff reply. He sounded like he was hurt by his friends' requests.
She turned when she heard something falling and then looked down to realize it had been
Dwayne. There was a huge ledge in front of her she hadn't even noticed and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't already fallen off of it.
Dwayne reached up towards her, his hands outstretched and ready to catch her. She hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him and trying to decide if he was really going to catch her or not. He didn't say anything though. No utters of encouragement or promises that he wouldn't drop her. It gave her the chills suddenly and she visibly shuttered. The step forward she took wasn't exactly what she had planned and she plummeted over the edge a few seconds later.
She cursed out loud at the clumsy affect the boys seemed to have on her and she pondered whether or not she should leave before something else made her look like a fool.
Laughter rang through the cave like place as Bekah finally landed safely in Dwayne's arms. But the only thing Bekah could think about was the fact that Dwayne hadn't dropped her even after she had fallen.
Her head tilted up a bit to look up at him and her eyes locked with his deep brown ones.
His mouth was still set a firm line and she wondered with exasperation if he ever smiled at all.
She doubted it.
He slowly lowered her down until her feet hit the ground with a scuffling sound and she hesitated as her eyes landed on his bare chest under his leather jacket. Toned abs moved with the steady sound of his breathing and a six pack was definitely visible. She longed to reach out and touch it but a shiver ran through her and jarred her back to the present.
Her eyes drifted slowly up to meet his again and she felt an unfamiliar sensation take over. It took her few seconds before she realized she was blushing and immediately she turned away to hide it. The three other boys were staring at the pair of them with interested looks and Bekah moved away from Dwayne to try and ease some of the tension.
"How'd you guys find this place?" she asked ten minutes later as she ran her fingers over the surface of the counter.
"Just sort of found it." Paul said dumbly with a care free expression. He was still in the same position but this time he had a weed dangling from his mouth. Bekah held back the urge to laugh as she moved towards the sitting area.
"So what's the story, Bekah?" David questioned when she had finally taken a seat on one of the couches.
"What do you mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the leader of the little group.
"What brought you to Santa Carla?" David elaborated with a raise of his own eyebrow.
Bekah nodded slowly, her thoughts jumbling together as she remembered everything from the past two years.
She took to telling the lot of them her story, starting when everything had started. She told them about how she had caught her father cheating on her mother. About how she hadn't had the guts to tell her mother about it because she was afraid it would break her. She told them about how much it had changed her. How she had taken to partying and drinking to help her forget.
She told them how her mother had finally found out about the whole thing and how much it had hurt her and broke her in two. She told them about the trial and her mother giving up everything they had just so she could keep her kids and some belongings.
She told them she realized everything could have been worse, but the feeling of her family been torn apart from the inside out had been enough to force her to do things she would have never done before.
The truth was that her father's face haunted her. She had thought so highly of him when she was little. She had practically had him on a pedestal all her life. But when she caught him with that woman in her parents' bedroom, everything changed. She couldn't really recount the feeling of doom that had spread over her or the hurt that had pierced her gut when she realized her family was falling apart.
Soon enough she got to the part about the money and having no other place to live. She gave them the story about their grandfather telling them they could stay with him. And the move they had made.
Finally she ended it when she had met them at the boardwalk.
"That's it." she told them with a nod of her head. She wondered if her eyes had taken to there cold look again.
She remembered a few weeks back when Michael had told her her eyes looked as cold as her heart. She had thanked him for it because to her it was a compliment. It was a comfort to her to know that if someone looked at her they couldn't see what she was feeling inside.
When she was finished, the five of them broke out the booze. They drank for a while, just shooting the shit and joking around. Bekah found they weren't near as mean as they looked. She realized Dwayne was more of the observant type, the one who kept his cool in all situations. He only talked when he had something to say or he was feeling comfortable with the people he was with.
David was the strongest one of the group and the oldest (with Dwayne in close second).
He was smart and always thought things through before he acted. He was nice when he wanted to be, but some of the comments he would make were as harsh as his eyes.
Bekah found herself liking him because of it. It made her feel like she wasn't the only one feeling the cold black hole in her gut.
Paul was more of the middle child. He loved to mess around and joke and he was closer to Marko then anyone. He was a metal head to say the least and he loved smoking pot.
He looked out for Marko like they were blood brothers and David had to look out for both of them to make sure they didn't get in trouble.
Paul hid his feelings really well most of the time. He was always pretending like he was happy and he was always smiling, but it seemed like the rest of the boys could tell what he was really feeling.
Marko was the sweet one. He was the youngest but wasn't by any means naive. He seemed older then his age but still young in a way. He was smart but chose not to show it most of the time. He was like Paul in his fun loving metal head ways. And he too loved to indulge himself in the art of smoking pot. It was almost a ritual for the two of them it seemed.
The whole group was like a small family. They were trusting and got along well except for the occasional banter or small fight. Bekah loved to just sit there and watch all of them mess around and react to each other.
She almost felt privileged to be able to see what they really acted like when they were together and alone.
As she took another sip of her beer, she wished she was apart of the group. She wished she was another piece that fit perfectly in their puzzle. They were like a family she had never had the privilege of being with. It amazed her how well they got on without any adult figures at all.
She was envious.
"David!" a soft voice called. It echoed off the walls of the cave and Bekah noted that both
Paul and Marko had rolled their eyes. She cracked a smile before she let her eyes drift toward the entrance where a short woman and a small boy were making there way down the steep steps. When they finally made it to the ground of the cave, the small boy rushed over to Dwayne where he grabbed onto his long bent leg and hid behind it. Bekah's smiled widened.
"Who's this?" the woman asked as she came closer. Her hair was long, about mid back length and curly. Bekah was jealous of the beautiful hair color she had going for her and her flawless skin. She was tan and Bekah realized she was kind of like a gypsy. Even her clothes were gypsy like.
"This is Bekah." David said, motioning to where Bekah sat between Paul and David. The woman nodded her head at her before sticking out her hand.
"I'm Star." she introduced herself. Her face didn't hold any emotion, not even a smile. But
Bekah took her hand anyway.
She watched as the Star woman settled herself on the arm of David's chair and how
David's arm promptly snuck around her waist. She turned back suddenly when she realized David had caught her staring.
When she looked diagonal from her she realized the little boy was still hiding behind Dwayne's huge leg. He looked small compared to it and Bekah laughed softly before pushing herself to her feet.
She walked to him with slow easy steps so she didn't frighten him. The boy was shy, that was for sure.
She knelt next to Dwayne's bent legs a few seconds later, propping one of her elbows up on his knee.
"Hi." she said softly to the boy. "I'm Bekah." she stuck out her hand slowly, watching as the boy's eyes fell on it. He looked back up at her and she smiled as easily as she could, hoping she didn't frighten him too much.
Her hand was still stuck out and the boy made no move of taking it. Bekah's smile turned into a frown as she looked up at Dwayne. His face was still expressionless as he stared back at her. She saw something flicker in his eyes but it disappeared before she could guess what it was. He looked down then, towards the boy, and his hand shot out to nudge him.
The boy looked up at Dwayne, his eyes wide. Dwayne only gave him a reassuring nod towards Bekah before looking away.
The boy's small hand was cold when it finally met Bekah's and her smile reappeared.
"What's your name?" Bekah questioned, keeping a hold of his hand. The boy mumbled something and Bekah moved closer, turning her head so her ear was closer to his mouth.
"Laddie." she heard him say. She smiled.
"I like your name. It fits you." she told him in a soft voice. She let go of his hand finally and stood up, using Dwayne's knee to do so.
If there was one thing she hadn't lost her love for, it was kids.
"I should really be heading back." she told the group as she turned away from the boy. David nodded slowly before narrowing his eyes at all of them. When his eyes finally landed on Dwayne, they twinkled.
"You can take her back can't you?" David questioned Dwayne with his eye brows raised. Everyone could tell David was just daring Dwayne to tell him no. Everyone also knew there was no way Dwayne would say no. He was too loyal.
He just nodded at David before standing up and prying little Laddie from his leg.
"Nice meeting you Laddie." Bekah called over her shoulder with a smile as she followed Dwayne back over to the entrance. He climbed the steep steps with ease before turning around and offering her a hand. She took it and grabbed on tight before he started to lift her up. She was amazed at how strong he was and how he made her feel just like a feather. Light weight and floating on the wind.
When she was safely at the top she found herself pressed against him again and before she knew what she was doing she blushed and backed away. She stumbled, her feet slipping.
He reached out and snagged her before she could fall off the ledge again and laughter rang out through the cave. When she was safely saved, she turned to glare at the rest of the group. All of their eyes were taunting, including David's.
The only one that didn't look pleased was Star and she was glaring at Bekah with pure hate. It made her shiver.
She turned away then, back to Dwayne. He pulled away from her and started to lead the way out of the cave. When they came to the stairs that lead upwards the wind picked up and whipped at her hair. She tried her best to toss it out of the way but it wasn't doing any good. It made her laugh for some odd reason.
She felt so care free being around the boys. Like everything was lifted off of her shoulders. Like she could be herself and not worry. Her laughter didn't die when Dwayne turned back to look at her but only increased. The look on his face was priceless because there wasn't any look at all.
He was one big mystery. He was just...there. You couldn't tell what he was feeling or what he was thinking. You had to figure it out and that intrigued Bekah.
When they finally got to the top, Dwayne went right over to his bike and straddled it, his strong legs stretching out. Bekah blushed at the thoughts running through her head because the look that he gave her told her he knew almost exactly what she was thinking. She followed him when she came back to her senses and climbed on behind him. Her arms wrapped themselves around his strong middle section and her hands rested on his flat stomach and tight abs. He stiffened when she did it and she wondered if her hands were cold.
The speed startled her as he took off through the woods and back towards the boardwalk. It was late though and she knew no one would be there to pick her up.
She yelled the directions to him over the wind and the sound of his bike before settling in with her head tucked behind his shoulder. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind whipping around her.
She remembered when she was a girl and she had dreamed about a moment like this, Being on the back of a bike with her arms wrapped around a bad ass her family wouldn't approve of. It had always been her little dream. Even when she was little she couldn't keep away from the so called bad boys. It still hadn't changed now that she was older.
She felt Dwayne stiffen under her hands again and it was then she realized she had been absentmindedly drawing circles on his stomach with her nails. She pulled away just a little bit, putting her hands on his leather jacket instead. She wanted nothing more then to pull away completely but she didn't want to chance falling off.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt though. He had stiffened under her touch which meant he probably didn't want it to begin with.
Stupid, she thought to herself as she let her eyes close again. Here she was growing attached to a guy she didn't even know and he was already shoving her away because he didn't want her.
It's genetic, she told herself, referring to her own mother. Her father didn't want either of them, so it was obvious there was something wrong with the women in their family.
They slowed when they finally started to drive up the driveway to Bekah's new home and she let her eyes drift open and her head pop up. They had just started to slow even more when a voice yelled at her.
"Bekah! Where the hell have you been?" Michael moved out of the shadows, his face contorted into an angry expression as he stared at Bekah with flaming eyes.
He didn't even give her a chance to answer before he continued. "Dad called. He wanted to talk to you and when mom told him you weren't there he flipped out. He made her cry, Bekah! Can't you be responsible for one night?"
The lecture was all too familiar but that didn't mean it didn't sting her every time she heard it. Her heart filled with hate for her father as she shoved herself off of Dwayne's bike and stormed passed Michael, purposefully bumping shoulders with him.
Author's Note:
Ya'll have no idea how long this took me! I mean, wow! I've been working on this for WEEKS. I just couldn't ever get it right. But guess what? It's done. I hope you guys like it cause I worked hard. I looked over it like 3 times too so if there are any mistakes, I'm really sorry. :) R&R for me peeps!