A/N Bonjour my babies! Enjoy
Working at the marina, once again, has become a natural day-by-day occurence. Except for this morning, though. This time around, as a family we've decided that taking the early hours of Sundays and Mondays off work will be better for all of us.
Every year when hurricane season rolls around, and we have to shut down the business, the habit breaks and it seems natural to sit around all day, but when the storm passes falling back into the process can be a struggle.
Issac leaves tomorrow. We've been having fun and treating him well, but four days is the maximum time as he can swindle from his school and work.
"Birdie!" Papa says, peeking his head into the room.
"Yes?"
"There's a package for you." He replies, creaking the door open and placing two large cardboard boxes on the edge of my bed. "Remember, the faster you get it done, the more time you have to do anything you want this year."
"I don't think I'm going to start doing schoolwork when it's only July, Pa!" I set my sketchbook down, before heading to ripping open the first box and piling the math textbooks and papers onto my comforter.
"Oh, of course, little bird. I was just suggesting..."
"It's okay, Papa, sorry for lashing out at you." I apologize. "I'll get these organized. Thank you." He shuts the door, and I hastily shove the books I've unpacked back into their boxes and put them on a shelf in my closet, the lazy person I am. Afterwards, I flop back onto my bed and resume the drawing that I've been working on. Each attempt looks better than the last, but I'm not even close to achieving the perfect sketch. I crumple up my most recent paper, and throw it into my overflowing wastebasket.
For the tenth time, I start to draft his angular jaw, cheekbones and slightly crooked nose.
"So far, so good..." I mumble, lightly flicking my charcoal to create his irresistable eyelashes, which are upon closer examination, very long.
I'm starting to draw the hair when Ty barges into my room.
"Oh, hello!" I blush, closing my book and sitting up. "What brings you here?" In a fluster, I pick up the clothes that are thrown all over the hardwood floor of my room, and toss them into a collapsable mesh basket.
"I have to do some work. Do you have any power outlets in here? All of the plug-ins that I could find in the other rooms are full." He steps inside, revealing a large laptop bag slung across his shoulder.
"Yes, I'm sure there's one down here. I can get your computer set up on the internet right now, if you'd like that."
"Thanks!" He shoots me a toothy smile, hands me his laptop, and sits down on the right side of my old bed, resulting in a squeaky groan eminating from the box spring. I sit down on the ground beside the bed, and rifle through the bag, trying to find the power cord. Once I've located its pocket, I stick one end in the wall and the other into the back of the computer, flipping the top open and turning it on. When everything is loaded, I make a few clicks and plug in the internet pass-code before sitting up and handing the laptop back to Tyler.
"Wow." He flips to the next page of my sketchbook, his mouth agape.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I set the computer safely on his knees, and snatch Grandpappy's book from his hands, close the cover, and hug it protectively to my chest.
"You drew me perfectly." His expression hasn't changed much at all, even though he's not even holding the sketchbook anymore.
"Sh-shut up! I never said you could look through it!"
"Oh, Birdie- I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd be this mad." Ty frowns, his apology genuine. "Please forgive me, I regret not asking you first. Serious."
"I forgive you." I look up, letting him see the blush cascading across my cheeks. "It's not that good, though-"
"It's amazing! What do you mean?" He pats the bed beside him, and I climb onto the sheets beside him.
"Anyway, what kind of work are you doing?" Tyler has a website open, and is scrolling through pages and pages of what looks like nonsense to me.
"The reason that I came up here in the first place is that I need to find a college or university to apply to before the end of the summer. I'm reaching the deadline for most schools in my area, and I still have no clue what my major will be!" He throws his arms into the air expressively, but his fingers fly back to the pressure pad in a flash.
"I'd love to help." I say, grabbing a corner of the duvet and tugging it over myself.
"Well" He starts, handing me a pad and paper. "I'm going to list the classes I'm considering taking, and you're going to write them down. Is that okay?" I give him a nod of approval.
For an hour or so, we compile a list of courses, the majority being based around sports. I start getting tired, though, and begin to drift into a peaceful nap.
"Hey, Birdie." Ty is shaking me awake, but I refuse to move, until I notice that I've been sleeping on his shoulder for the past hour.
"Oh!" I snap up, and flatten my hair."I'm so sorry, I wasn't helping you-"
"It's fine, Birdie. I fell asleep too. Researching is really tough and boring " Ty laughs. God, is he charming. "Right! Your dad is calling you, I think it's time to go to work."
"Thank you! Um..." I pause, looking at the computer screen. "You can stay in here if you want."
"It's okay, I think I'm going to go the marina too, maybe help you guys out." He shuts his laptop and stores it in its bag. I nod, as a secluded kind of thank-you, and guide Tyler out the door.
"Ooh " Kittie teases, looking Ty up and down. "Hell-o there." She walks up to the tall boy, and lightly touches his arm. Tyler shifts uncomfortably, but doesn't move.
"Um, hi." He murmurs, inching away slightly as she feels his biceps. "I'm Ty."
"Nice to meet you, Ty." She smiles seductively and Tyler glances at me nervously. "My name is Kittie."
"Hey, Ty, why don't you go find Papa and ask him if you can help with anything?" I suggest, prying her fingers from his arm.
"Alright." Ty shrugs, slipping out of her grasp and disappearing around the corner. As soon as he is out of sight, I glare at Kittie and she throws her hands up in the air.
"What?!"
"Honestly, Kittie, could you be any less subtle?" I scold, ignoring her eye roll.
"I don't know what you're talking about." she spits, reaching up to fix her ponytail hanging down her back.
"Really?" I exclaim, leaning over to stare in the face. "Really, you have no idea what I'm talking about?!"
"Please, just leave me alone." she whines, turning and marching away, leaving me fuming.
I snatch the broom and climb aboard the nearest boat, sweeping away the dust and dirt gathered on the deck.
"You okay, Birdie?"
I spin around, Papa standing on the dock, adjusting the brim of his oversized hat.
"Yeah, I'm just a little upset." I murmur, returning to cleaning.
"What happened?" Pa scrambles up the ship and leans against the railing. "What's wrong, little bird?"
"Nothing, really. Kittie was just being creepy and couldn't keep her hands off Ty." I wrinkle my nose, setting the broom against the wall. My father's eyebrows shoot up.
"Why does that make you upset?" Papa asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Is someone a little jealous?"
"No!" I shrug out of his embrace and stare moodily out towards the ocean. "Why would you even say that, Papa?!"
"Relax, I was just teasing." Pa chuckles, wiping the sweat from his moist forehead.
"It wasn't very funny." I grumble, facing away.
Avoiding Papa, I go to check up on my brother, who is mopping up spilled water from the dock. It makes me remember the incident about a month ago, when my slip-up injured our father. Before I think of anything else anxiety and panic-inducing, I hop over to my brother, and straighten the tipped over bucket before it dumps into the ocean.
"Fancy meeting you here!" He grins, wringing out the cloth and throwing it into the dark grey bucket. "Where have you been?"
"I was helping Papa." I answer plainly, setting his cleaning supplies in the small shed.
"Ooh, confessing to him your love for Ty?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, but I, on the other case, am steaming.
"I'm sick of everyone teasing me about my friend! We are not a couple, and we're definitely not in love!" My cheeks puff out like a distressed chipmunk, and I storm away proudly.
On my rampage, I pass by Tyler, once again. He greets me, but I carry on down the marina.
Once back home, and safe in my bedroom, I roll into bed. I don't cry, or throw my pillow out the window, I just ponder.
I think about whether or not Ty actually considers me a friend,
I think about why I continually express my emotions like a ten-year-old,
and I also think about why I have confirmed that I have feelings for my friend. I've never felt about someone in this way, and the sensation in the pit of my stomach is likely to be something other that love.
It all confuses me.
For the next hour, I go the lazy route and stay stuck in bed. There's nothing much to do. Yes, I could draw, but I've already done that today. The only other thing I can think of is to see what's happening on the internet, but sadly a tortoise-speed connection is the only service provided in the small town of Wrenside, and our computer was ruined in the storm anyway.
Nothing else comes to mind, so I slip into the living room and wait for my family to get home. It isn't long before Izzy returns, though. He sits down beside me on the couch, and flips on the television, turning it to his video game.
"Did you have a good time at the marina?" I say, staring at the racing game he's playing.
"Yes. It's sad that I won't be working there for a while, though... I'll really miss you guys, you know that, right?" I'm suddenly swept up in a hug, and I squeeze my brother back, holding his curly brown hair.
"Don't worry, Iz. It won't be that long." In my words, even though they're meant to console him, there's some hint of my own self-reassurance. "We'll call as much as possible. Promise." He nods happily, and turns back to his game, handing me a controller blindly while still concentrating on the screen. I turn it on and quickly join.
No matter how much I try, I'll never be good at car-racing games. Whenever I need to click a certain button, I hit the wrong one and crash. Every single time.
It doesn't take long before I'm pooped. Izzy's still going strong, though, so I head to the kitchen to grab a can of soda and sit down at the table. I'm only taking my first sip when Ty barges in, grabs my arm harshly and pulls me out of the front door.
"What the heck?" I'm stumbling behind him, trying to keep up so as to not be dragged across the muddy ground. Tyler doesn't reply, and instead maneouvers me into the tree house. "Ty, what's going on?"
"Your brother told me that you'd had a conniption fit over at the docks earlier." He drops down into the beanbag chair. "What's wrong, Birdie?" He grabs my hand comfortingly. I glance around nervously, and my eyes stop on his forearm. There's a long, protruding scar across it, and a small sigh escapes my lips when I realize why it's there.
I was the one who caused this.
Absentmindedly, I slide my hand down to rub the end of his scar.
"I'm sorry." I whisper, looking up at Ty. "I'm so mean... taking advantage of your kindness."
"Birdie, that makes no sense whatsoever. And, you're completely evading my question." He pouts sternly. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"I was just upset, okay?" I peer out the window carved in the wooden wall. "It was nothing. Why do you even care?"
"I don't know." Ty replies, staring at me with those bright blue eyes. "I've been a crappy friend and a horrible guest. I'm trying to be a better person, have you got a problem with that?"
He shakes his head. "Why do I keep screwing up? Why can't I just be nice?"
"You're nice." I assure him, reaching towards him to lay a friendly hand on his arm.
Ty looks doubtful. "Birdie, you can't honestly tell me that I haven't been incredibly rude to you and everyone else. Sometimes I just can't help it..."
"I'll help you." I watch his mouth twist into a smile at my words. "I'll help you with your manners, which trust me, have already much improved."
"Really?"
"Absolutely!" I beam, gathering myself to my feet.
Ty looks please with himself.
"Thanks Birdie." The blonde boy climbs out of his seat and stands in front of me. "You really are a great friend."
A great friend. I had a friendless childhood, always longing for a companion. And now I finally have Ty, who has finally agreed on being my friend. Spontaneously, I reach forward and hug him. My head only reaches up to his chest, and both of us are equally surprised, but the warmth against my body is comforting.
Tyler is the first to let go, and he gives me a small pat on the head before speaking. "Thanks, weirdo." He blows a mocking kiss and shimmies out of the tree house, leaving me standing in the wood fort alone.
I chuckle slightly, covering my face with my hands. Although, before I chase after him, my body freezes.
Thoughts flood my mind, irrational things that I know aren't true, but taunt me anyway. It takes me a minute, but I manage to shake them away and climb down the rope ladder.
Tyler isn't the only one that has changed.
A/N Sorry that this chapter is really short! We're planning to merge chapters, though, so I guess there's our excuse. hah.
Actually, another excuse! It's What's birthday tomorrow! Yay!
Love you guys so much /smooches everyone but Aiden
~Fedora & What
