Chapter 5
Surf's Up
It happened so fast. One moment Corey was on top of Asher and the next they were both being dragged apart by some big, beefy guys. As a few of his friends started ushering him away, among the drunken slurs, Avery could only make out one single word: tease.
The blood rushed to her face, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. So she was the one in the wrong now for telling him to stop? That was so ridiculous!
Trying to ignore the dozens of eyes locked on her, she moved through the crowd and found Asher again, being looked at by his sister and a giggly Tori.
"Are you okay?" Avery asked when she reached the little group. She frowned when she saw Asher's eye, which looked red and a little swollen. He also had a split lip, but the worst injury of all seemed to be his bruised ego.
"I should've gotten a punch in," he grumbled. "Ouch! Damn it, Jo I'll be fine!" he added, shrugging Jo's hand away.
"What even happened?" Jo asked, turning to Avery. "Was it about Sienna again?" she added, glancing at her brother curiously. He was glaring at the overturned drink table.
"No, the asshole was–" Asher began.
"It's fine; Corey didn't know how to keep his hands to himself," Avery interrupted, not quite sure who Sienna was but figuring it didn't really matter at this point. "Anyway, it's almost eleven... I'm gonna just go wait for your mom out front," she added and, before either Asher or Jo could say anything else, she slipped back into the crowd.
"I'm gonna go–" Asher began, but Jo held him back when he tried to stand up.
"Let her go," she said. "She'll be fine."
Marissa wasn't asleep yet when she heard noise coming from her sister's bedroom. She sat up in bed and glanced at her bedroom door, then at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was a quarter after eleven. She hesitated for a moment before tip-toeing over.
"I'm sorry for getting you in trouble this afternoon," she said shyly, standing in the door frame with her fingers laced together in front of her.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault," Avery replied softly, turning her back to Marissa while she changed out of her swimsuit and into a comfortable t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. "I was just in a bad mood, that's all," she added.
"I told Lydia you were on your period," Marissa sniggered.
"You're so lame," Avery laughed.
"Am not, I'm cooler than you," Marissa pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Glad that everything with her sister was okay again, she made her way to the bed and fell on top of it, snuggling up into Avery's pillows.
"Whatever you say," Avery shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "You wanna sleep here tonight?" she added, climbing into bed next to Marissa and poking her playfully in the side.
"Yeah," Marissa grinned. "It can be like back in our other home," she added.
After getting up to shut the lights, Avery climbed back into bed, staring up at the ceiling. The sound of Marissa's breathing next to her was so familiar and so soothing.
"How was your party?" Marissa asked into the gloom, the only light source now coming from the street light outside and the light coming from Charlie and Lydia's room.
"Fine," Avery said, which was partly true, despite how she was feeling now. Up until the last half hour or so, she was actually really enjoying herself.
"Lydia and me left you and Charlie some cookies for tomorrow," Marissa added a few moments later, turning onto her side in the fetal position, her brown eyes fixed on Avery's silhouette.
"Lydia and I," Avery corrected.
"Whatever," Marissa muttered. "They're peanut butter chocolate chip... Lydia's mom used to make them all the time when Lydia was little, and now Lydia showed me how to do them. It's really easy."
Avery nodded, but in the darkness she doubted Marissa could see. She sighed and shifted slightly in bed so that she was on her side, her hazel eyes meeting her sister's.
"Do you like it here?" she asked.
"It's the best foster home we've ever had!" Marissa gushed silently. "Do you like it here?" she added, looking at her sister expectantly.
"Yeah," Avery smiled.
She did like it here... a lot... and it terrified her, knowing that the powers that be could just take them away whenever they felt like it, or that Charlie and Lydia could decide they didn't want them around anymore. "Alright, go to sleep," she added, patting Marissa's shoulder.
Avery turned onto her other side, adjusting her pillow. She watched shadows dancing on her wall due to the street light outside her window, yawning. In the darkness, Marissa spoke up again, her voice soft.
"I love you Avery," she whispered.
"I love you too, Mar," Avery replied.
Charlie was welcomed by a silent house at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning. It wasn't even seven yet, so he was especially quiet as he made his way upstairs so as to not wake Lydia and the girls. He wasn't sure how many hours he'd have to sleep, but he was planning to take full advantage of the time he did have before the world decided to start up again.
Hesitating in front of Avery's room, he peaked through the semi-open door and grinned when he saw both girls with their arms around each other.
He went to the bathroom first before making a straight line to his and Lydia's bedroom, stifling a yawn. His mouth stretched into a smile at the sight: Lydia was in one of his t-shirts and nothing else, spread out so that she was taking up the entirety of the bed, all of the sheets having tumbled down onto the hardwood floor throughout the night.
Resisting the urge to lean down and kiss her awake, he started stripping off his uniform. He was taking off his pants when he heard Lydia sigh and shift around in their bed.
"Did you just get in?" she mumbled groggily, halfway between sleep and consciousness.
"Mhm," Charlie murmured back, slipping into bed next to her and sighing into her hair, his arms snaking around her waist.
Charlie was pretty sure Lydia asked him another question after that, but what it was or if he even answered her at all, he'd never know. He was out like a light within minutes and slept like a rock for the better part of the morning, waking up hours later to an empty bed and the sun's rays baking his bare back through the open window, white curtains swaying a little to a light summer breeze.
Groaning, he lifted his head off the pillow and made a grab for the alarm clock, twisting it so that his blue eyes caught the neon green numbers. 11:47am.
He dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a dark gray t-shirt, pulling on a red Falcons cap, twisting it so that the bill and the logo were in the back.
"Pssst, Charlie!"
He was making his way downstairs when he heard her voice, although just barely. Smirking, he made his way to Marissa's room and, when she motioned frantically for him to close the door, he did as she said.
"What's up?" he asked with a low chuckle.
"Look what I'm making for Avery's birthday," she told him excitedly.
Charlie moved over to Marissa's desk and looked down at what she was working on. She had ribbons, beads, pendants, chains and string spread out all over. The bracelet she showed Charlie was a woven bracelet with thick brown string as well as cream, white and light blue beads.
"That's beautiful hon, good job," Charlie grinned, taking the piece of jewelry between his fingers, which were way too big to be able to do anything as delicate as that.
"Careful, it's not done, the beads can still fall out," Marissa warned.
"I'll just leave it to the pro then," Charlie chuckled, carefully giving Marissa her bracelet back. He looked at a few other things she'd made over the last few days: a necklace, another bracelet... Hell, she even turned one of Lydia's old purses into a work of art with beads and glitter and the whole nine yards. "You haven't been messin' around," he chuckled and Marissa beamed at him.
"I can make you something too; I can make you a bracelet... something for guys to wear obviously... or I can make you a wallet if you'd like," she smiled proudly. "See, that's Lydia's purse... and the necklace and bracelet are for when I go back to school in the fall... I found a video on YouTube and I want to make a belt next... so Lydia said she can take me to the store sometime this week and get the things I need. I can get things to make you a wallet too!"
"That's really cool," Charlie grinned, genuinely impressed. "We've got our very own little fashion designer up in here," he chuckled, patting the top of her head affectionately. "I'll place an order on a wallet, if you wouldn't mind, Miss Johnson," he added, feigning a really bad posh British accent.
"Coming right up, Mr. Tanner," Marissa giggled. "But now you have to leave, you can't see what I make you, or else it'll ruin the surprise," she added, her tone very as-a-matter-of-fact.
"Will do," Charlie grinned.
He left the room, looking back over his shoulder to find Marissa hard at work again, her lips pursed in concentration.
God, it was real damn hard not to fall completely and utterly in love with these girls.
Still grinning like an idiot, Charlie whistled his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, kissed his wife good morning and peered into pantry for some corn flakes.
"What are you two up to?" he asked, gazing at Lydia and Avery over the cereal box. He moved to the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk and then popped open one of the kitchen cabinets to grab a bowl. "We're gonna need some more milk," he added, mouth full.
"Charming," Lydia shook her head. "We were just talking," she added with a shrug, gesturing to Avery. "...about what Avery would like to do for her birthday."
"Yeah that's right," Charlie said, pretending he'd only just remembered. "That's on Thursday isn't it?" he asked, as if he didn't know already. Truth be told, he had a present ready and waiting for her upstairs in the office.
Avery stared at them, unsure what to say. They were the first pair of foster parents ever to actually acknowledge her birthday, let alone make plans to celebrate it.
"I'm not really up for anything special," she shrugged.
"Oh come on, you only turn fifteen once," Charlie smirked.
"No, really, you guys don't need to make a big fuss," Avery said, although her resolve was slowly wavering. She wanted to be selfish for once in her life and let these people do something for her... she wanted to feel special, like she was actually wanted.
"Alright, but you're still getting a cake," Lydia said stubbornly. "Oh, and what's your favorite meal?" she added, fishing through the miscellaneous drawer for a notepad and a pen. There was determination in her eyes when she looked up at Avery again, ready to scribble away.
"Uh oh, she's in one of her moods," Charlie smirked, nudging Avery's shoulder with his big arm. "Better do as she says, kiddo," he added, plopping another mouthful of cereal in his mouth and chewing.
"Fine, you guys are unbelievable," Avery grumbled, but the grin on her face was unmistakable. Charlie wasn't used to seeing her smile, so it was a refreshing sight to behold. "My favorite meal... um..." She had to stop and think for a while, only to realize that the best meals she'd ever had were right here under the Tanner roof. "Those grilled chicken breasts you made the second night we were here... that sauce was freaking amazing."
"Alright, you've got it," Lydia laughed. She had no idea Avery liked her cooking that much, since the girl wasn't the chattiest person in the world; to be honest, she was definitely pleased with herself.
Avery went upstairs after talking to Lydia and Charlie, trying not to get her hopes up too high. The fact that they knew her birthday at all was surprising enough.
She got dressed into last night's denim shorts, picking a tank top at random from her dresser. She tied her hair up into a tight ponytail as it was going to be another one of those sweltering days.
"Hey, I'm going out for a walk, alright?" she asked Charlie and Lydia when she came back downstairs fifteen minutes later, her phone, wallet and a water bottle she got from the refrigerator safely in her brown purse.
"Alright, have fun," Lydia replied.
Avery didn't have a set destination in mind when she started walking. She took the same path she'd taken to the Dairy Queen almost a week earlier and then veered left towards the beach, where she figured she could find a nice bench. She had a book in her purse that she really wanted to continue reading.
When she walked down the stone steps towards the sandy beach, she immediately caught sight of two silhouettes out in the ocean: two guys on surfboards paddling away from the shore. Three other guys were on the beach yelling out bouts of encouragements as well as derogatory insults alike.
The guys stopped paddling and for what felt like minutes; they just stayed there motionless on their boards... waiting...waiting... Then it happened: the wave they were waiting for. Both guys stood up slowly.
They rode the wave and Avery's attention caught on one silhouette in particular as he surfed with his back to the wave, completing a few tricky maneuvers Avery couldn't even begin to name. Finally, the boys dove into the water.
"Holy crap," Avery breathed. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until it all came out in one big rush of air.
She made her way over to the three guys that were standing on the beach; they all seemed to be roughly her age, although one of the guys did look a little older.
The moment she was close enough to really make out their features, she recognized Asher's buddy, the obnoxious corvette guy with the dark brown hair.
"That was pretty cool," she called out.
"Hey, you're the girl that kicked our asses yesterday!" the corvette guy, Elijah O'Neil, smirked. "Don't think you're gonna show us up here, this is our turf," he added playfully.
"Yeah, no worries there," Avery laughed, glancing back out at the sea and watching the two surfers paddle back towards the shore.
"Nice one!" the older guy called out. He was tall and lanky, with the same abs as pretty much every guy standing here on the beach. He had light brown hair styled in epic dreads that ended in the middle of his back.
Avery could recognize the two surfers now. One of them was a short guy with sandy blond hair and honey-colored eyes. The other, the one she was gaping at, happened to be Asher Daley, sporting a puffy, purple bruise over his eye and cheek.
Oh my God, why did she have to bump into him everywhere?
"Nice shiner," Avery commented with a smirk, causing a few guys that knew the story behind it to laugh.
Now that a solid eighteen hours had passed since last night's incident with Corey, she was beginning to relax a little about the whole thing. What he did wasn't right, but it wasn't the end of the world either.
He got what he deserved when Asher shoved him into the drinks table, drenching him in various kinds of alcohol.
"Nice legs," Asher commented back, shaking water out of his wet hair. The words he said, and the way he said them, caused Avery to blush furiously. She ducked her head slightly in embarrassment and raised her right hand over her eyes, as if shielding them from the midday sun.
"Oh, so you're the girl," Asher's sandy-haired surfing buddy smirked. He held out his hand, the one that wasn't holding onto a surfboard. What exactly did he mean by 'the girl'? "I'm Stefan Gates," he added.
"Jamie Walsh," the guy with the dreads continued.
"Brandon Flynn," added another guy, one she vaguely remembered seeing at the party last night. He had dark hair styled into a short faux-hawk and eyes so blue some parts seemed almost white.
"I figured you'd show up one of these days," Asher grinned, leaning a little on his board. "You wanna try?" he added.
"...surfing?" Avery asked, taken aback.
"No, ballroom dancing," Asher deadpanned. "Come on, it'll be fun!"
"Yeah, fun for you guys," Avery muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and surveying the five men, all over 6'0" except for Stefan, who was just a little taller than Avery at about 5'8". "Fine, whatever... I'll need a board," she added with a shrug, taking off her shirt and shimmying out of her shorts.
She was going to make such a fool of herself, she knew that the moment Stefan handed her his surfboard.
Still she walked until the salty water reached her ankles, glancing back over her shoulder at the grinning group of guys.
Here goes nothing, she thought and started paddling out.
This would be the part of the story where the main protagonist climbs onto the surfboard and absolutely kills it, going on to show the whole world her natural talent and making those boys over there on the beach eat their words.
But then, in some other stories, the main protagonist climbs onto the surfboard at the sight of a small wave, figuring it can't be that hard... and then loses her balance completely, falling unattractively into the water, arms flailing.
She resurfaced with a gasp, brushing wet hair out of her face. She could hear the boys roaring with laughter on the shore.
Nice Avery, just nice.