A/N: Hey, everyone, I want to apologize for the enormously long wait for this chapter. I haven't felt much like writing again until recently, and then had to figure out a good enough conflict for this chapter. I personally think it's a good one, but I'll let you guys decide. Thanks for reading, lovelies, it means a lot to me :)
Marie's eyes fluttered open gently, consciousness washing over her like the tide. Unfortunately, the events from the day prior crashed into her mind like a wave on the rocks. Ugh, Jacob. Oh, crap, I'm spending time with Lars. Alone! Bolting up, Marie's eyes widened before she closed them, cracking a smile and flopping back onto her bed. A day with Lars. This could be interesting.
As she was thinking about what they would do, the patter of rain on her window snapped her from her day dream. Rain? Huh, that definitely puts a damper on Mad Town, then. She threw her legs over the side of her bed and peeked through the curtain. The rain was coming down steadily, creating a soothing sound. Smiling softly, Marie turned and decided to see if Lars wanted to hang out anyways. After a shower, of course.
Beginning to hum T.N.T. by AC/DC, Marie gathered her new clothes and skipped to the bathroom. Once she had the water on, she began to belt out the actual lyrics. She shifted through songs by her favorite artist as she finished getting ready. Marie put on her AC/DC shirt and a pair of jeans and, after blow drying her hair, she wandered back into her room, throwing on some socks before making her way to the living room.
"Good morning, Violet! Good morning, Merv!" She grinned, grabbing a coffee cup and filling it up. Violet greeted her just as cheerfully while Merv grunted, barely glancing up from his morning newspaper. Marie giggled in response before taking her spot at the kitchen table between the two.
"Any big plans for the day, hun?" Violet asked, taking a sip of her tea. Marie slowly took a drink from her own cup, enjoying the way it warmed her chest and stomach. "I'm not sure. We don't have band practice today, so Lars and I were going to go skating, but I think the rain has ruined that." Her statement must have caught Merv's attention, because he suddenly set his newspaper down and looked at his ward.
"Lars? As in, the oldest Rodriguez boy? That ruffian?"
"Merv, be nice. Marie, that sounds fun! But you're right, I think the rain will ruin that idea… Merv, dearest, is it supposed to keep up like this all day?" Violet asked, putting her hands over her husbands, smiling to counter his scowl. Merv grumbled at his wife before pulling his hand away, flipping the newspaper to the weather section.
"No, it looks like it should clear up in a couple of hours. But you know those weather men, never getting the weather right! If I had a dollar for every time they got the weather wrong, I'd be able to buy up this entire neighborhood!" As Merv continued to rant, the doorbell rang. Violet motioned for Marie to get it as she tried to calm her husband from his rant. Scurrying to the door in a fit of giggles, she swung it open, revealing Reggie.
"Hey! Come on in. Wow, it's really coming down out there," Marie commented, scooting backwards to let Reggie in.
"Yeah, I know, it's crazy! And this isn't even the worst we get. You should see the real rainy season!" Reggie laughed, kicking off her shoes and shrugging off her jacket. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Stimpleton! How are you this morning?"
"Good morning, dear! I'm just fine, but Merv's having a fit over the weather," Violet giggled, appearing in the kitchen doorway. Behind her, Merv cleared this throat and corrected her statement. She rolled her eyes in response and grabbed another cup of coffee for Reggie. She took it gratefully while passing her on the way back to Marie's room.
Reggie sat at the desk while Marie plopped onto her bed. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your lovely face this early?" Reggie smiled at the compliment, taking another drink of coffee.
"I've been texting Twist this morning. Do you know how freaked out Lars is right now because of the rain?" She asked with a smile. Marie's eyes widened and she sat up, shaking her head. "I guess he is, anyways. Twister has the habit of making Lars seem worse than he really is. Sibling rivalry and all of that. He won't tell Twist why he's freaking out, though, outside of the fact that it's raining. Care to fill me in?" Reggie asked the question so nonchalantly, but raised an eyebrow when she noticed Marie turning pink. "You do know something! I told Twist it had to do with you, he never cares about the rain! Come on, spill it," Reggie begged as she clambered onto Marie's bed, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. Marie sighed and told her friend everything- Lars' rude comment, running into Jacob and the plan to go skating today. Reggie nodded along and at the end, she grinned.
"So, a date. You and Lars planned a date," she started giggling, which turned into full blown laughter.
"Reggie, would you quit laughing? Why is it so funny? What, do you think I'm not capable of being loved, either?" Hurt leaked into Marie's voice at the end, worried that, if two people she valued thought that, then everyone would. Reggie quickly stopped laughing and pulled Marie into a hug.
"Sorry, girl, I didn't mean it that way. It's just weird, is all. You've only been here for a few months and you're planning a date with Lars. Well, if you guys are calling it a date. And the thought of Lars being serious about anyone that's not himself…" Reggie giggled again and this time, Marie smiled with her.
Just then, Reggie's phone began buzzing. She opened the text and laughed, quickly typing before giving her attention to Marie again. "Well, now Twister is caught up to speed. No doubt he's already told Otto, so I guess that just leaves telling Sammy. Hey, why are you turning red?"
Marie groaned, raking a hand through her hair. It was still wet at the ends. "Did you have to tell everyone?"
"Well, to be fair, I only confirmed what Twist thought," Reggie smirked, patting her friend on the back. "Ah, don't sweat it. We'll only rag on you for the rest of your life. What are you guys even planning on doing?"
"I'm not sure," Marie mused, chewing on her lip. "We were going to go to Mad Town, but it's raining, so that's out. Well, until it stops raining, anyways, but I'm not sure how long it will be. Merv started ranting before he told me what time."
Reggie nodded her head before standing up, stretching. "I see. Well, you're welcome to come over and hang out until Lars calms down. I bet I could kick your butt on the Play Station a few times." Marie laughed with her and agreed, grabbing her shoes from the bottom of her closest.
Two hours later, Reggie and Otto were in a heated match of some basketball game, Marie wedged between them on the couch, laughing at their trash talk. There was a knock at the door and as Reggie paused the game, Otto tossed his controller down and hopped over the couch, heading towards the door.
Reggie bumped Marie's rib cage with her elbow and grinned as the door unlatched and opened. Otto made a confused noise before the girls heard him say, "Lars? What are you doing here?"
"Marie's over here, right? We're going skating today," the oldest Rodriguez explained, sounding irritated. Reggie shoved Marie up off the couch and into the front hall. "Here she is! You crazy kids have fun, and behave yourselves," Reggie laughed, pushing the two of them out the door and slamming it shut. Marie collided with Lars, who steadied her and sighed as the laughs of the Rockets were heard.
"You alright?" He asked softly before taking his hands off of her arms. She blushed softly and nodded, straightening herself. "So, anyway, I was thinking we could check out the beach and then go to Mad Town. I…" he sighed, pulling off his hat to run a hand through his decently long locks. "I really like how the beach is after a storm. It looks different. It feels different. Cleaner, in a way. There's no people there, so it gets really quiet. It's my favorite place to be when I need to think." His words started to trail off as he adjusted his hat to its correct place and glanced at Marie, who was grinning at him. "What?"
"Nothing, Lars. I just didn't expect you to be so deep or introspective about anything." He huffed and turned, picking up his skate board. "Whatever, Marie. Just go get your board junk so we can get going. I don't want the beach to crowd up because you're busy being sassy." Marie smirked and walked over to her house, taking note of the pink that dusted Lars' cheeks.
The pair walked to the beach in relative silence, though it wasn't uncomfortable. They decided to ditch their gear at the Shore Shack before trekking down to the shore line.
"Wow, it really does seem different. The waves are calm, the sand looks weird and, you're right, it does feel cleaner," Marie murmured, taking in what lay ahead of her. Lars slowly reached over and took her hand in his. Upon realizing what was happening, her face, ears and neck grew warm. Turning her head, ready to ask him what he was doing, she noticed he was staring straight ahead, his blush back on his face. Lars cleared his throat once and mumbled some unidentifiable word, tugging her hand so they could move forward. They returned to their silence and made their way down the beach at a leisurely pace. As much as Marie enjoyed the quiet time, she was getting tired of just walking. Instead, she decided to pull his hand back, forcing him to stop walking.
"What now?" Lars grumbled, his cheeks getting pinker as he looked at her. Feeling the need to neutralize the situation, Marie put on an obviously fake annoyed look on her face and said, "I'm tired of walking, it's so boring." She smiled when Lars smirked. "Want to just sit and watch the ocean for a little bit? It's too pretty to not admire." Before he could answer, Marie plopped down onto the sand, crossing her legs and running her hands through the sand. Sighing dramatically, Lars sat next to her, poking her in the side. "For a quiet girl, you're awfully bossy."
Marie snorted at that. "Quiet? I get that. But bossy? I definitely thought it was sass." Lars laughed at that and took her hand in his. They were quiet for a few moments, just staring out at the waves. Just as Lars opened his mouth to ask the girl a question, a voice shouted at them from several feet away.
"What the hell is this?" Marie turned to her right, her eyes wide with fear before they narrowed in annoyance. Jacob was approaching them quickly, looking pissed.
"Uh, we're sitting here. What does it look like?" Lars replied, rolling his eyes. Jacob scowled harder, stopping only a few feet from them. Marie tightened her grip on Lars, panic rising in her stomach.
"Holding hands? Like this is a date or some shit? Marie, I thought I told you to think about us. What's he got that I don't? Why aren't you even giving me a chance?" His words were venomous. He was trying to provoke Lars into a fight. Marie was already done with the situation. First the rain, now this… What's next, a meteor hitting the beach? She slid her hand out of Lars' and stood, crossing her arms defensively. "Look, it's none of your business what I choose to do. I barely even know you, why are you getting so worked up?"
"You didn't even give me a chance! You never gave me a chance! Not in Berkley and not now. You're such a prude."
"What the hell, Jacob? I never even knew you liked me until yesterday. And we hung out maybe five times when I was in Berkley. How was I supposed to gather that?"
"Wow, not only are you a prude, but you're an idiot, too. I was sending you all kinds of signals since day one!" He was stepping closer to Marie and they were almost toe to toe when she finally stepped back. Oh, god, please don't let him hit me. Lars wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side to keep her safe.
"Alright, man, this is escalating quickly. Why don't you just have a seat, watch the waves and try to—what are you—Marie!" As Lars was talking, Jacob had taken one last step closer before he threw his arm towards Marie, hitting her in her chest. As he pulled back, he tore her bottle necklace away.
Everything moved in slow motion as he launched it into the ocean.
"No. NO. Nonononononono!" She watched it call into the water, the air around her feeling thick, making it hard for her to move or breathe. With a sharp gasp, she sprinted into the water, searching in vain. Static filled her ears, her heart pounded wildly and her eyes stung from the tears she was preparing to let loose. The sound of shouting broke through the static and she turned to see Lars and Jacob engaged in a screaming match.
Slowly, she made her way out of the water, her eyes locked on Jacob. When she was close enough, she used all of her strength to push him. Though he didn't move much, both boys stood perfectly still and looked at her.
"You disgust me. You can't handle a little bit of rejection, so you insult me. Fine. I can handle that." She balled her hands into fists and started stepping closer, Jacob moved backwards and her voice rising with each step. "But taking something off of my person, no matter what it is—and you better believe that necklace was damn precious to me—is absolutely horrifying. If this is how you handle rejection, I hope you spend the rest of your life alone. Now get the fuck out of my town!" She raised one fist, watching fear consume his face. Just one punch and he'll get the damn message. Right in the jaw…
A warm hand wrapped around her wrist, the other one on her shoulder. Looking back, she stared right into Lars' eyes. "Marie, please stop. This isn't you. And this douche certainly isn't worth it. Come on, let's search for your necklace." Glaring up, he growled at Jacob. "And I suggest that you do what she says. I'm not above beating your ass, and clearly she isn't either. Go home. Now." With that, he turned Marie toward the ocean and started walking, telling her they were going to find her necklace, even if they had to search all day.