Chapter 13

Mid-morning rolled on into a sunny, sultry day, best spent by the sea. Brody and I squandered a couple of serene, untroubled hours on the beach together, remarkably getting along. Though I sometimes came close and was really tempted to, I managed to not kill him, which, in my opinion, was a good start to our temporary alliance. As unbelievable as it was, I might even go as far as to say that we were both enjoying each other's company. I was an intriguing diversion from school to him. Meanwhile, he stopped me from stewing over the morning's unpleasant events by being a source of entertainment.

After a lot of pestering, I surrendered into revealing my life story to the River Boy. Amazingly, I felt as though I could tell him since he was actually a really good listener when he wasn't going out of his way to tease me or make me smile and laugh, which he did on numerous occasions. I told Brody a bit about my background without going into too much detail about how drab and miserable my life used to be back in Melbourne. In return, he told me a little about his. Brody came from Mangrove River, where he was mainly raised by his mother. He didn't know what had happened to his father exactly, but his mum had implied that he'd run out on them. When Brody was just a kid, his mum met someone else called Adrian and had two more sons with the ex-crim. They were both Brody's younger half-brothers, Lee and Dale. Unfortunately, Adrian was a drug dealer who got busted and sent to prison, so ultimately, it had been up to Brody to pick up the pieces and look out for his family, since he was the eldest. Recently, his mum had started seeing another man and was now pregnant with child number four. His life story and family were pretty much as bad and messed up as mine. Which was definitely saying something.

"Ah. So we've both had great, straight-forward, lucky lives then, eh?" I remarked wryly when he'd finished telling me about his background. The two of us were walking side by side down the beach, our feet sinking in the sand.

"Yup. Looks like it." Brody sighed. "What more can you expect from two family's that come from Mangrove River?"

"Good point." I commended.

"So, we've talked about almost everything." Brody said, rubbing his hands together. "But I still have one more question for you."

"Yeah? What's that?" I asked.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

I nearly choked on my tongue. "Wow. Could you be much more forward if you tried?"

"I'm great like that." Brody winked. "So, do you?"

Grinning, I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"Wondering if there's anyone I need to scare off before I make my move on you." Brody said seriously. I stared at him in astonishment, under the impression that he was being totally sincere up until I caught the spark in his teasing eyes. "Easy, Braxton. No need to freak out. I'm just messing with you and making conversation."

"Right." I nodded, shaking off the stunned expression of disbelief on my face. "Not that it's any of your business, but no. I'm not with anyone at the moment."

"At the moment?" Brody repeated with lighted interest. "So there was someone in the city?"

For half a second, I hesitated. For some bizarre reason an image of Flynn flashed into my mind. I relived a distinct memory that I'd thought about often before; it was a moment when my best friend and I had scaled one of the city buildings and somehow successfully snuck into a posh VIP party that was being held on the roof. Flynn and I dabbled in free-running and parkour, so climbing walls and ascending fire stairs was as easy as breathing. The invited-access-only party was full of trays of delicious refreshments unlike anything I'd tasted before (I stuffed my purse full to the brim so that I'd have something to put in the empty fridge at home) and strings of pretty fairy lights and easy-going music. Flynn found a secluded little seating area where comfortable cushions and bean bags had been placed over the soft fur spread on the floor, with candles dotted all around it. It had been decorated like a scene out of a cheesy, expensive, romance film. Flynn and I laid out over the cosy pillows and drank the free champagne they'd been handing out until we were dizzy and stuffed ourselves with the finger food appetisers, watching as the sun sunk over the Melbourne skyline and laughing at our good luck. At the end of the night, Flynn had leaned forwards and he'd kissed me. It was one of the first and last times that had ever happened. Every time I revisited the memory, I could vividly remember the unforgettable touch of his warm, soft lips on mine and the tingling taste of citrus sweet lemon that they'd left lingering behind, imprinted like a tattoo onto my mind and heart. That night, I had gone over it again and again. Two days later, I left for Summer Bay.

"Erm... Alex?" Brody cleared his throat, trying to retrieve my attention.

Shaking my head, I tried brushing it off without any further speculation. "I guess... not really. I've never actually been in a proper relationship with anybody before."

Brody skidded to a stop on the sand and turned to scowl at me. "That's got to be a joke, right?"

"No."

Brody tilted his head to the side and murmured, "What the hell is wrong with city boys? Don't they know a good thing when they see it?" After a brief moment of consideration, he triumphantly clicked his fingers. "Ah. I get it. The problem must be you."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me guess;" Brody said. "You've had tonnes of interested blokes hit on you, but you've turned all of them down straight away, right?"

"No." I sniffed, but then slowly came to the realization that it might be a lie. Okay, true, there hadn't been much opportunity to meet men whilst I was waitressing flat out, but when I really stopped to think about it, I could see that I had actually been asked out on dates a fair few times by several different blokes. I had just made up lame excuses every time anyone had ever asked, because... well, because I didn't really want to go out on a date with any of them.

"See? You're thinking about it!" Brody exclaimed, clearly amused.

"No. I'm just-"

"I bet you're one of those girls who shoots a guy down before you've even given him a chance." He commented, gently pushing me in the shoulder, obviously trying to rile me.

"No, I'm not!" I defended, smiling.

"Oh, yeah? So how come you've not got a boyfriend and you've never really had a serious one?" Brody questioned, his arms crossed. "Because honestly, you can't look and be like you and still be single unless you're unbelievably fussy about your boyfriends."

"Oh, come on, Brody. You're making me sound terrible." I groaned in protest. "It's not like that. I've never had the time of day for relationships. I worked 24/7. Besides, most of them just weren't my type. Don't you think it's better that I'm honest with a guy from the start rather than waste both of our time by stringing him along only to drop him a little further down the line?"

Brody chewed on it for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. I reckon you should give a guy a chance first before you just shrug him off." He said eventually.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?" I challenged, flashing him a cheeky wink before strolling on ahead down the sandy stretch. He followed at my heel like a dog.

"Oh, I see how it is." The River Boy leader grinned, "You're a real comedian, aren't you?"

"I can be." I said with a wicked smile.

"When you're not busy turning down potential male suitors that is." Brody added.

"You know what, Johnston?" I fired back playfully, poking him hard in the chest. "You can't judge, because you don't even know me, alright?"

"Can't you see I'm trying to fix that?" Brody answered, his palms up in surrender.

"Yeah. I can see that." I replied as the two of us smiled at each other. Having noticed how relaxed Brody was, I become conscious of the fact that now was the perfect opportunity to raise a question that had been on my mind ever since I'd heard about it. Clearing my throat, I ventured on as softly as I could. "So... A bit ago I heard about some kind of fight between you and the Chatworth gang. I was told that you'd been arrested or something. I was wondering... is all that true?"

To my surprise, Brody's whole demeanour darkened like an incoming storm. His entire countenance changed, his face becoming hard as stone as his mood quickly shifted from cheerful to bad tempered.

"That's none of your business." He growled sharply, a whole different person to the one I had been laughing with two seconds earlier.

I think I was more surprised at his reaction than hurt by it. I mean, it did kind of sting that I'd told him all about my life and yet he didn't feel he could share his problems with me in return. And having my head bitten off wasn't something I typically enjoyed either, but I wasn't the type to cry about it.

"It was just a question." I replied after the initial shock had passed.

"Yeah, well, I don't want you to get involved, so keep out of it." Brody fired up, before sighing and slipping back into his normal self after realising that he was being just a little too harsh. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. It's just... it's not something I want to talk about."

I shrugged and smiled. "Hey, it's cool. You don't have to explain yourself. I mean, we've all got our secrets, right?"

"Right. Thanks." Brody smiled, his feathers still a bit ruffled. "Do me a favour though? Don't ask again."

"I won't." I said, though I knew I'd be tempted to down the line.

After a while, my smile fell and I lapsed into silence. I'd caught sight of Angelo's in the distance and it had reminded me of the 30+ missed calls on my phone from my brothers and their girlfriends. I dreaded to think what would happen when I had to face them all again.

Brody waved a hand in front of my face and whistled. "Oi, Lexie-kins. You coming back to earth anytime soon?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm not a whole lot of fun to be around at the moment." I bit my lip, my eyes focused completely on my big brother's restaurant. "Everything is just getting to me."

"You know what you need to do?" Brody said. "Forget about it all."

"That easy, huh?" I raised my brows in amusement.

"Yeah. It is." He insisted. "Ever heard of mindfulness?"

"Nope."

"Well it's the only helpful advice I've ever been given by my boofhead counsellor." Brody told me. "It's for people who think and worry too much - get angry and lash out or bottle it up and let their anxiety fester. Which, let's be honest, you do both of."

"No I don't!"

"Yeah you do." Brody chuckled. "So anyway, mindfulness is kind of like 'living-for-the-moment'. Have you ever done anything and got so lost in it that you've just forgotten the rest of the world and focused entirely on whatever it is you're doing?"

"Yeah." I smiled fondly at the memory of that feeling I always got when I was on the waves. That feeling of complete peace that helped me to forget all of life's stresses. "Surfing."

Brody clicked his fingers together and threw me a wink. "There you go. That's what I think you need more of." He looked out over the ocean and smiled. "It's a shame that you've not got your board. We could have gone out now."

"Yeah, I'd have loved to." I said fondly, my whole body yearning to go out for a surf. I pouted. "Guess it'll have to wait though."

"Not necessarily." Brody said, a smile creeping onto his lips. He turned to look at me with his sky blue eyes and they glinted with mischief. "We might not have any surfboards, but we could always settle for second best and go out for a swim. Fancy it?"

"What, now? In my school uniform?" I laughed, raising my eyebrows incredulously and gesturing at my attire. "Are you serious?"

"Haven't you learned by now that I'm always serious?" The river boy's teasing grin widened slightly. His eyes danced with a playful light. "Anyway, if you're that precious about your uniform then you could always take it off."

"Ha! No chance of that happening." I snorted sceptically, thinking it was a joke. Then it dawned on me that Brody was being totally serious, because that's when he chose to strip out of his school shirt and throw it in a crumpled heap on the sand.

I stared dumbly, open-mouthed at his muscular torso, hardened with work and the contours of his defined, bronzed abs, trying my best to drag my gaze away, but finding that it was near enough impossible. Tattoos worked their way over his broad shoulders and down his chest. It took me a second to realise that they resembled a flock of birds taking flight. And, as was required of all members of the River Boys, the famous words 'Blood and Sand' had been printed across his back. I had the sudden, strong urge to run my fingers over them. Brody caught me looking and smirked annoyingly.

"Watch out, Braxton. I think you might be drooling." He teased, as he undid his belt.

"Yeah, right! I wasn't even looking." I spluttered indignantly, pretending to look away as he stepped out of his jeans and stood in front of me, barely a meter away, in just his boxers. He seemed completely confident. Probably because he knew that he had the body of a Greek god. For some reason, that just served to annoy me further. Brody had a way of doing that - irritating the hell out of me for no apparent reason by doing nothing but breathing.

"Whatever you say, Sweetheart." He grinned smugly.

I shook my head in astonishment and scowled. "So, out of interest, do you happen to live in a gym or...?"

Brody laughed. "Actually, I'm not that much of a hard-core gym-goer. I can't stand being cooped up inside. If I'm going to work out it'll be outside in the fresh air; jogging or surfing. I did a bit of kick boxing for a while. That was tough."

"Kick boxing, eh? What for? Just in case you happened to need to smash a few heads in?" I joked, nudging Brody impishly.

"Can't it just be because I wanted to stay in shape? Maybe in case I ever needed to impress a certain surfer girl?" He smirked.

"Or maybe it's because you're a delinquent." I jested.

Brody sighed animatedly and changed the topic. "So, are you coming for a swim then or do I have to carry you out with me?"

"Touch me and I'll make you regret it." I threatened, throwing my hands up in protection and warning.

"I couldn't imagine ever regretting touching you." Brody chuckled, before shrugging and sauntering off towards the sea. "Have it your own way then. When you're ready to have some fun, come find me. My door is always open." He winked. "To you anyway."

I watched as Brody jogged off towards the sea and knew that I couldn't just stand around on the beach looking pathetic. I really did want to go for a swim and could do with letting my hair down for once. Caving in, I sighed heavily and took off my checked school dress. At least I'd put on my matching black underwear that luckily looked a little sexy and not completely old-granny-ish. Dropping my dress on the sand, I ran to catch up with Brody and waded out into the water with him.

"Whoa, get a load of you! You look hot." Brody wolf-whistled as the waves lapped against his solid, toned body.

"I hate you. You know that?" I called back.

Brody shook off the insult. "Ah, you love me really. You're just too scared to admit it to yourself yet."

"Keep telling yourself that, Surfer Boy. But we all know how I really feel about you."

Grinning, Brody ventured nearer to me. The push and pull of the ocean felt like it was dragging and forcing us together, so we were stood pretty close, in just our underwear. One wave crashed against my bare back and nudged me into Brody, whose body I used to steady myself. I blushed when I realised that my hands were on his chest.

"I'm curious. How do you feel about me?" Brody raised his eyebrows. His sparkling blue eyes matched the colour of the sea.

I shrugged a shoulder and pulled a face. "Jury's still out I guess."

He groaned and faced the sky. "Is that right?"

"Yup." I giggled. "So maybe if you keep on my good side then I might end up quite possibly, only very slightly, liking you. Maybe. At a push. Actually, change that to just tolerating you. 'Like' is too generous."

"You tolerate me? Awesome. I feel so very privileged." Brody said sarcastically.

"Well, that's only if you're good and agree to play nice." I reminded him.

Brody winced. "Ah, that's awkward. I don't know if anyone's ever old you, Sweetheart, but I don't exactly do 'good' and playing 'nice' isn't really my thing."

"Can't you try for me?" I grinned. "Change your ways and be a better person?"

"We'll see." Brody smirked, "But anyway, something tells me that you'll have already made up your mind about me after this."

"After what?" I asked, but even before I'd finished getting the words out, Brody had dove forwards and thrown me over his broad, muscular shoulders.

"Oh my god!" I gasped in surprise, half laughing, and half screaming. "Brody, what the hell? Put me down!"

"Put you down? You sure?" Brody said innocently. "Well alright then. Whatever you say, cupcake."

Without any warning at all, he threw me into the ocean and I sank like a stone into the depths, my head going under. Determined to make the most of it, I grabbed Brody's legs and pulled them out from under him, so that he got the same treatment as me and came crashing below the surface, where he snaked his hands around my waist and pulled me into his arms. The both of us swam up for air.

"I'm going to kill you for doing that." I coughed.

"Okay." Brody smiled softly as I pummelled him.

"Okay?" I frowned. "I just gave you a death threat. What do you mean 'okay'?"

Brody shrugged easily. He had this particularly annoying chilled pose going on. "I'd let you do anything to me, Lex. And if my last moments where spent with you then at least I'd die happy."

"You're supper cheesy." I cracked up.

"You're so into it."

Our eyes locked and our intense gazes lingered for a hold of breath. I broke it by clearing my throat and splashing the River boy before falling back into the waves.

"Come on." I urged as I paddled in the water and let the currents carry me. "Let's swim."

"Righto, boss." Brody replied. "Race you to that rocky place over there?"

I laughed. "You're on."

*

I had no idea what length of time had passed by the time Brody and I came back to where our clothes had been thrown and abandoned on the sand, but it must have been pretty long since the sun had moved over so much of the sky. All I knew was that time was passing by in a blur in Brody's company, my phone was probably overloaded with missed calls and messages and I was really, really hungry.

Brody and I ran out from the sea and collapsed on the sand, panting with exhaustion. Brody shook the water from his messy dark hair like a dog might as I wrung it from my long blonde locks. I was going to have seriously crazy beach hair after this, but luckily that was a look I could work with. As we were dripping dry by our clothes, my stomach rumbled like thunder.

"Hungry by any chance?" Brody said with a smirk, prodding me in the belly and evoking a few ticklish giggles. I playfully smacked his hands away. I couldn't stand being tickled. It was my one true weakness.

"I'm a lady, Brody. We don't get hungry." I said, mimicking a forced posh accent.

"The same way you don't go out on dates with guys who are below your standard?" Brody joined in teasingly. "Which is pretty much everyone."

"Get lost." I guffawed, punching him in the arm. I could tell that it had hurt my knuckles more than it had bothered him. In fact, I doubted he'd even felt it. "I'm starved. Aren't you?"

"I could eat a horse. Or three." Brody confessed. "Want to go to Angelo's and grab a pizza? Or maybe the Diner? We could get a couple more milkshakes. Though I'm betting you're sick of the sight of them now."

"You're hilarious." I said flatly, rolling my eyes. "But no. I can't."

"Why not?"

My eyes settled on my phone, which was laid out over my dress. I glared at it in aversion, dreading the moment I had to switch it back on. "I don't want to run the risk of bumping into anyone familiar."

"Ah. Still running away, I see?" Brody winced. "How long do you think that's going to work out for you?"

"As long as I need it to." I said. "I am planning on eventually going back to the real world and dealing with the problem. But just... not right now. I think I should let things settle first. Besides, wasn't it you who advised me to 'live for the moment'?"

"Okay. Guilty is charged." Brody smiled. "I guess we could always go somewhere else. Maybe back to my place for a free feed or -"

As I reached for my phone I heard Brody inhale sharply and looked questioningly over my shoulder at him. I watched as a dark cloud passed over his features and his eyebrows drew together. I followed his eyes to a big white scar that was on my side, by my ribs, and had previously been covered by my bra strap. The one I had completely forgotten about and now realized was in full view. Usually I always remembered to cover it up with a surfing jacket or something, but this time I hadn't.

"What's that?" Brody asked, his face devoid of emotion.

"Oh, it's nothing." I said quickly, scrambling to pick up my school dress and hurriedly slipping it on, even though I was still pretty wet from being in the sea. Anything was better than having Brody look over the scars from my past.

"Alex, what is it?" He pressed. I could sense that he was getting worked up.

"I just told you. It's nothing." I said dismissively.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Brody growled.

I sighed heavily, seeing that he wasn't going to let this one go. "Look, it's just something that happened a long time ago." I explained. "It was because of some stupid disagreement with my used-to-be idiot step-dad. That's all."

"Whoa, hang on a second." Brody fired up. "You're telling me that your step dad did that to you?"

"It's not a big deal. It happened all the time, Brody."

"Is that supposed to make it better?" He asked, outraged. "That's totally messed up. Why the hell would he dare to lay a hand on you in the first place?"

"Don't ask me to try and figure the guy out. He was complete loon. He just used to flip out and lose it. Grab the closest thing to him - chair, ironing board, lamp... and like I said; I was just there, in the way."

"If I ever meet this psycho, I swear I'll kill him." Brody vowed in vengeance. "Why didn't you run away or something?"

"Because most of the time, I purposely made myself cop it." I admitted.

"Why?" The River Boy's frown deepened. "Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Because if I wasn't there for him to take his anger out on, then he turned his attention to Mum. Better me than her any day." I said, to which Brody descended into astonished muteness. He watched me the same way a child might watch a deer in the wild - totally captivated and as silent as the grave.

"You know, when I first met you I knew dead set that you were quite possibly the most staunch chick I'd ever met." He said calmly after a while had passed. "I'm just now realizing how much of an understatement that is. Alex, what you've had to deal with... The way you've just shouldered these things and then shrug them off like their no big deal..." Brody trailed into silence, seemingly having lost the words to finish his sentence.

"Hey, you okay there, Troublemaker?" I asked after he'd blanked out for over a few seconds.

Brody watched me with his gorgeous sapphire eyes. He was biting his lip, obviously trying to decide between saying something or keeping whatever it was that was on his mind to himself. In the end, he clearly opted for the later and shook his head.

"Ignore me. I'm just being a sook." He grunted, getting up from the sand and offering me a hand up. I placed my hand in his and he pulled me to my feet with ease. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Brody grinned as he lead the way off the beach and wound through a car park. "I'm taking you back to my place for food and then I'm showing you Mangrove River."

"Oh." I said, not remembering ever having agreed to this. "Do I get a say in all this?"

"Nah."

"Awesome." I sighed, before frowning. "I don't remember you telling me you had a car. Or that you could drive."

"That's because I didn't tell you." Brody grinned. "My birthday's early on in the year. I turned sixteen ages ago. First thing I did was get my permit. I sweet-talked my newest step-dad into teaching me." He clarified as we walked up to one of the vehicles parked up overlooking the seaside. I stared at the machine in disbelief as Brody climbed onto the back of it and fished the keys out of his jacket pocket.

"Is that a Harley Davidson?!" I exclaimed in total awe, as my eyes raked over the beautiful metal masterpiece, with its glorious leather seats and polished, gleaming jet black paintwork.

Brody leaned forwards on the bike and smiled like a proud father. "She's a beaut, isn't she?"

"You can say that again." I whistled. "How the hell did you-"

"Let's say she was a gift from my last step dad, Adrian." Brody grinned, as he slipped the keys into the ignition and started her up. The bike roared to life like a lioness. "Remember I said he went down for a drug bust? Well, it wasn't his first. Adrien wasn't exactly 'the full quid', if you know what I mean. He left quite a bit of money lying around, which unfortunately for him, he didn't hide well enough and I found it." Brody laughed dryly at the memory. "It's the only time that dog ever came in useful."

"What if he ever gets out of prison?" I questioned. "Won't he be mad that you've blown all of his cash?"

Brody shrugged. "Idiot should have thought of that before he decided to leave my mum with two more kids to feed. Besides, he's not my problem. Adrian was busted for the possession and dealing of class A and B drugs. A large quantity of both too, I might add. Not just that, but he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and assault. He's not coming out of prison any time soon."

"You better hope not." I muttered under my breath as I shook my head at Brody's death wish.

Brody just smirked back. "And anyway, Brenda is totally worth the risk of being beaten to a pulp."

"Brenda?" I repeated, bursting out in giggles. "You named it?"

"Her. Not it." Brody corrected me firmly, scowling like he was a little bit miffed with my amusement.

I wiped away the tears that had collected in the corners of my eyes from laughing so hard and tried to vanquish the sniggers from my voice since I could see that it was making the bad boy cross.

"So am I alright to hop on the back of Brenda?" I asked, forcing myself to be serious.

"Not sure you deserve to now." Brody sniffed, his jaw locked. I could tell that he didn't mean it.

"Come on, don't be like that, you big sook." I smiled.

"Righto. I guess I can forgive you." Brody told me jokingly, before motioning for me to come closer to him. He shrugged off his leather jacket and held it up for me as I slipped into it. He then zipped it up for me. Once that was done, he reached for his helmet and slotted it on over my face, taking care when clipping it under my chin. He grinned as he brushed a few strands of stray blonde hair back from my eyes and slid down the visor. "Sorry if I mess up your hair, Sweetheart."

His taunting voice was muffled by the padding in the helmet and the purr of the bike's engine, but I still made out each word.

"You will be." I said, before swinging my leg over the bike and sitting on the back. Once I was on, Brody took my hands in his and guided them around his rock-hard waist and torso.

"Hold onto me tight." He ordered. "I don't want you falling off."

"Is that for my benefit or for yours?" I mocked.

"Believe it or not, yours. I mean it." Brody retorted seriously. "If anything were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself."

For some reason, that comment stirred up a reaction from me - a warm feeling that spread through my chest like fire. Maybe it was because I hadn't been expecting Brody to answer seriously and had been awaiting a sexual reply. Or maybe it was because of the genuine concern in his cobalt eyes as he'd said it. Either way, I was starting to see a side of the River boy that I actually kind of liked and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You okay to go, Lex?" He called, when we were all ready to set off.

I leaned into Brody and wound my arms even tighter around him, so that there was near to no distance between our bodies. I peered over his shoulder into one of the mirrors, which reflected back a flash of his brilliant white smile and dazzling eyes.

"Whenever you are." I smiled in anticipation, as he kicked off the ground and the bike jerked into action below us. It went from motionless to fast in less than a few seconds as Brody swerved through the parked cars and turned out into the road, headed straight for Mangrove River, where I was about to spend my afternoon with Brody in the wild company of the River Kids. If I was in trouble before, then I don't know what I was in now.

*

Brody stopped off at a shop on the way back to his house and I ran in to buy a dress that I could wear instead of my tacky school uniform that I was itching to get out of. I went for a plain, simple but pretty white one, with cut-outs on the sides and back.

After that, he took me back to his place for a feed. Brody's home was a relatively small, unspectacular little house with a pretty big overgrown garden. The garage outside was open and littered with different parts or different vehicles, like some kind of car grave yard or junkyard. Brody said it was because he made a little bit of extra money on the side by fixing up cars and motorbikes for people, mostly for friends. He was somewhat of a mechanical and engineering genius.

None of Brody's family were at home when I went over. His two younger brothers, Dale, who was six, and Lee, who was eight, were both still at school and his mother, Debbie had probably gone out to pick them up. Brody said that his newest stepdad, Gordo, had business to attend to with some old mates of his, which probably meant some illegal deal was going down, or, the better alternative, they had gone to Wilson's for a surf.

"Where's that?" I asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"A beach not too far from here." Brody explained. "The surf there is insane - waves so big that they could drown you, easy. Your brother, Brax, was the first one to ever surf there. Gordo used to be really close mates with him at the time when they went. He said that all of the other River Boys wanted to back out of it, but Brax was fearless and just swam right out into it in the middle of a storm. That story is what made him a surfing legend in Mangrove River."

"Really? I didn't know that. He never said." I mused aloud, thinking about how cool it would've been to be the first to surf somewhere as dangerous as that.

Because we were both starving hungry, Brody and I attempted to cook food together, and agreed to make a pizza with any toppings we wanted. This meant a lot of grated cheese, tomatoes, onions, pepperoni, chicken, bacon, peppers and basically just about every other thing you could think of to put on a pizza. Whatever we did, it must have been right, because it turned out to be delicious and the both of us ate until we were full.

After food, Brody mysteriously advised me to get ready to go out again, not really telling me where he was planning on taking me.

"To meet some mates and have some fun." He told me elusively when I asked, throwing me a wink. "If you want a shower or want to change into that cute little dress you brought then you can use my room and ensuite. Or, if you'd prefer, you can join me in the shower in the other bathroom."

"I think I'll pass on that." I crinkled my nose.

Brody smirked and gestured to himself. "You're missing out, Braxton."

"What a shame." I laughed, before going to get ready and all dolled up.

*

Brody took me for a walk around Mangrove River and showed the places from his childhood that meant a big deal to him. Everything had a story; a tree that he'd climbed and broken his arm falling off, a treehouse he'd constructed for someone's little sister, a friend's house who'd thrown the best party ever there, a huge metal container box where he'd once hidden hijacked car when pulling a prank on somebody... the list went on and on and each anecdote seemed to get a little more insane than the last.

Just as it was starting to wear on into the arvo and the sun had almost set, Brody pulled me with him to some kind of park, which was basically just an overgrown field with a couple of rundown contraptions such as a skate ramp, a roundabout and a climbing frame. Neglected trailers were dotted around the place too. There were trees around the borders of the park, so it was relatively enclosed and sheltered. As we came to the park, the sound of booming music hit my ears and I could hear a lot of noisy voices chatting, deep in a bubbling conversation. I squinted into the oncoming dusk and noticed that there was a huge crowd of teens gathered around a few spread-out campfires in the park. It took me no time at all to see that it was Brody's River Boys.

Brody Ace Johnston pulled me closer to his side as the two of us ventured nearer to the wild gang.

"Try to stay near me." He recommended. "Make sure you can see me at all times. Don't wander off out of my sight."

"Why?" I asked vigilantly.

"My friends can get a little bit..." Brody tilted is head to the side. "Let's just say that with me, you're safe. Without me? Not so much."

"That's comforting." I commented drily under my breath. Brody just laughed. We were coming up to where the gang were fooling around by a smouldering campfire. They were laughing and joking with each other loudly. Half of them looked like they had already made a head start on the alcohol.

"Oi! Who goes there?" One of the River Boys called rowdily, having noticed our approach. Everyone turned to look at us.

"Only the most handsome pro-surfer in the world." Brody answered cockily, to a series to cheers and welcoming shouts of his name.

"It's Aces!" One of the lads hooted.

I looked at Brody questioningly and whispered under my breath "Aces?"

"My second name substitutes as a nickname around here." He told me. "And I'm moderately amazing at paying cards. Win every time."

I let that information sink in. Playing cards? Did he mean, like, gambling?

"And look who old Brody Boy has brought with him. His gorgeous, feisty lady friend." Another one of the boys commented, looking me up and down and grinning. He was big and muscular, with dark green eyes and relatively short dishevelled brunette hair. He wore tattoos like sleeves up his bare, ripped arms. I had seen him before - he was in my class at school. "Glad you could join us, Braxton. Loved your scene in science today. Caused quite the stir."

"That's what I was going for." I sighed, flashing him a wink. "What's life without a bit of drama, right?"

"Good girl! I'm liking where your head's at." He cheered. "Don't worry about it. Any enemy of the Hodges twins is a friend of mine. Especially if you're a Braxton."

"Thanks." I answered.

"My name's Jackson," The guy said, extending a hand to me. "But everyone here calls me 'El Toro'."

I frowned. "Why do they call you 'El Toro'?"

"Because nobody messed with the bull!" One of the other blokes chipped in, which started off a disorderly, boisterous uproar of laughter.

Jackson's smug, loutish grin widened as he narcissistically patted his lap. "Why don't you come sit over here with me and I'll tell you more about myself?" He offered vainly, his pearly white teeth agleam in the fading daylight. There were wolf whistles and catcalls galore from the rest of the guys gathered around.

I couldn't believe he'd actually just said that. First off, I wasn't that easy and secondly, what could have possibly have given him the impression that I even wanted to know anything else about him? Before I could even muster a reply, Brody was close at my side, his hand placed possessively, but gently on my lower back, holding me nearer him. He seemed to place his solid body between me and his friends. It wasn't a threatening pose, but a protective one that gave out a clear warning to the rest of his buddies. Back off and stay away.

"Alex is here for a good night tonight." He said, his voice crystal clear as he scanned the faces of his friends. "I want you all to make her feel welcome and right at home." His eyes landed on Jackson and remained fixed on him. "But make no mistakes - she's here with me. Anything happens to her, and you'll have me to answer to. Got it, lads?" There was a dull pause in which everyone muffled a sobered reply or nodded. "Good." The same old familiar smirk reappeared on Brody's face, and instantly melted away the tension. "Then let's get this party started, eh boys?"

... And cue more drunken glee.

Brody turned to me with a smile as his friends continued to mess around and guffaw with one another.

"I'm going to go mingle. You coming with me?"

"I think I'll go sit over there." I told him, gesturing to a place by a campfire where a guy was seated that I thought I knew. He was older than me, with sandy-coloured curly hair. I had seen him before. The last time we'd met, Olivia had been the one to introduce us.

"Okay." Brody nodded, having seen who I was motioning to and clearly approved of it. "If you need me, I won't be far, alright? Now remember - have fun."

"I will." I promised. As the River Boy went off to join his crew, I went to join Matt by the fire.

"Hey, it's Matt Page, right?" I grinned, getting his attention as I sat down next to him. "We've met before."

"You're the girl that was at the beach party. The one I gave beer." Matt recalled. "Olivia's friend?"

"That's me." I nodded.

"I've forgotten your name." Matt winced. "Oh wait, don't tell me! Was it... Anna? Annie ...Alice? Alice Braxton?"

"Alex." I corrected, before pretending to be highly insulted. "Matt, I'm offended! How could you possibly forget me?"

"Sorry. It's nothing personal. I've just had a lot going on recently." Matt explained. "Usually I'd never forget the name of such an..." He pretended to struggle for the word. "...irritating chick."

"Oi!" I laughed, punching him in the arm.

Matt pouted jokingly and rubbed the spot where I'd hit him. "Ow. That's mean."

"I don't care how tough of a time you've had. If you're going to start teasing me then prepare to be punched." I threatened, smiling.

"Talk about violent." Matt chuckled. "I can definitely see the Braxton family gene."

"Hey, I'm not that bad once you get to know me." I gestured at Brody, whose eyes kept jumping back over to me every few minutes or so, double-checking I was still alright. "It's just that I've had enough abuse as it is today from that one."

"Yeah, that kind of happens when you hang out with Brods." Matt agreed. "He's a good guy though."

"You reckon?" I scoffed.

"Oh, I know." Matt insisted firmly, suddenly sincere and serious. "He doesn't seem like it when you first meet him, but take it from me; Brody is a really decent bloke. He's just never had a break. I mean, what happened with his dad... then Adrien and the drug bust... and now he's got his younger brothers to look after as well as his mum. On top of all that, he's got to deal with Gaz Hodges and the other Chatworth scumbags."

I winced. "Yeah... not exactly a pleasant, peaceful lot, are they?"

"Are any of us here?" Matt laughed as he meandered over to where all the alcohol was stashed and got himself a beer. "Want a drink?"

I nodded. "Sure, if there's one going."

Matt grimaced. "Oh, but there's no girly, fruity RTD drinks here for you though. We're all out of colourful kiddie alcopops and 'sex-on-the-beach' cocktails with umbrellas in them."

I fixed him with a droll stare that had no humour in it. "Believe it or not, I'm not that kind of girl." I stated, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. "If I'm going to have a drink, it might as well be a proper one."

"Oh yeah?" Matt raised his brows at me. "What kind of thing are you into?"

"Anything really." I shrugged. "Cider is okay sometimes, but nothing can beat a good beer. If I'm totally honest though, I'm more into the stronger stuff. Rum, gin, vodka... Any kind of whiskey is great too; bourbon, scotch... That's only if I'm asking for a rough night and a headache in the morning though."

"You serious?" Matt laughed clearly delighted. "That's crazy. I didn't have you pegged as a hard-core drinker."

"Oh, I'm not." I insisted. "I only drink occasionally. And I don't go too crazy on the stuff."

"We'll see if you're still saying that by the end of the night." Matt grinned, seeming to take it as a personal challenge to get me blitzed before the night was up. When he came back to sit by me, he passed over a bottle of Jack. "C'mon. Let's see if you're all talk. Do a few straight shots with me."

I laughed nervously as he poured the liquor into two small separate glasses. "Matt, I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"What? It's a great idea!" Matt insisted. "What better way is there to kick back and have fun than to crack open a bottle with a brand new drinking buddy? Come on, Alex! I mean, let's be honest, from what I've heard, you've had a pretty crappy, tough couple of weeks, right?"

"Right..." I said slowly, hesitantly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well me too." Matt admitted. "Me and Sasha - my girlfriend - broke up. She had to go away to uni. And you what? I'm tired of moping around and feeling sorry for myself. I want to have some fun. I need it. And by the looks of it, so do you. So here, take this-" Matt pushed the shot into my hand. "-and join me in forgetting about all your worries. What do you say?"

I looked from the shot glass in my hand to Matt's grinning face and back again, before shrugging and throwing caution to the wind.

"I say; the first one to pass out or chuck up is a wuss." I smirked, clinking glasses with him.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Matt whooped, and before I knew it, we were both necking our drinks and dooming ourselves to one crazy night filled with fun, partying and serious trouble...

*

The party got a whole lot crazier after the fifth wave of people came to join us. By this point, all of Mangrove River was basically in one place and I barely recognized anyone there except those who were from my own class, who I'd only met once before. To my great relief, Amy Clayton and her friends, Stella and Jade turned up, so I had more people to talk to, laugh and drink with.

By now, Matt and I had finished the Jack and started on a round of something even stronger. I couldn't even tell what it was - just that it was strong enough to burn away at my taste buds and leave a feeling like fire tingling down my throat and settling in my stomach. Matt and I were both too drunk and jubilant to even care. A sense of euphoria had overcome us in our riotous, unruly condition.

We both lent against some kind of log beside the toasty fire, the burning drink being passed quickly between us. At some point, Brody had wrapped his leather jacket back around my shoulders and the fabric absorbed the heat, keeping me warm despite the fact that all I had on underneath was a dress. Matt's arm was rested around my shoulders. We were laughing hysterically at something that had been said or done, but for the life of me - I couldn't remember what. Just that it must have been seriously funny, since we'd been giggling for over quarter of an hour about it. Amy, Stella and Jade were nearby, finding entertainment in watching Matt Page and I laugh ourselves to death.

After a while of this, Brody strode over followed by an entourage of his mates. I'd noticed through the course of the night that the rest of the lemmings shadowed Brody like sheep, always abiding by in his lead. I guess that's what it meant to be the leader of the River Boys. His eyes settled amusedly on Matt and me, before turning on Amy.

"Are they still laughing about that?" I heard him ask her. He and Amy seemed to have been friends a long, long time. They went way back.

"Yup." She giggled. "God, Brods, you should have brought her with you sooner. Alex is a laugh. Especially once you pump some alcohol into her."

"Talking of which," Brody sighed, kneeling down beside me and attempting to prise the bottle of whatever it was from my already loosened grip. "I think you've had enough of that for one night, Lexiekins."

"Brody!" I protested, trying to snatch it back. He held it out of my reach.

"Oh, c'mon Ace..." Matt whined.

"You too, Page." Brody replied shortly. "I'm cutting you both off before you kill yourselves."

"Go on, Ace, let the girl have some fun." Jackson intervened, clapping his hand onto Brody's shoulder and flashing me a cheeky wink. "After all, you only live once."

"Yeah, well if she keeps drinking like a fish than it's going to be a very short life." Brody laughed. "Tell you what, if you two can beat me at a game of cards, than I guess I'll let you have another drink. How about it?"

Matt groaned loudly. "No fair. You always win at card games."

"Exactly." Brody's eyes twinkled. When he noticed me struggling to get up and came forward to help steady me onto my feet. "You alright there, Lex?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I insisted, looking around. "Just bursting for a pee. Where's the toilet?"

Everyone gathered around laughed, causing me to frown.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"If you're looking for the loo, then look no further." Brody grinned, jamming a thumb in the direction of the trees lining the park and the surrounding bush. "Welcome to our five star dunny."

My tongue felt suddenly as heavy as lead in my mouth.

"Classy." I stated, without a trace of humor.

"You know it." The lead River Boy winked. "Want me to walk you over and stand guard? You know, just in case you get lost, need assistance or happen to trip over a couple of teens hooking up?"

"Ew. No." I answered, pulling a face. "I think I'll be alright on my own."

He laughed and shrugged. "Suit yourself, Sweetheart. Just watch out for the Australian Bush Monster, alright?"

"Really? I didn't know this was where you lived?!" I retorted sarcastically, causing them all to crack up. I smiled and let go of Brody's arm, which I had been holding onto for support and balance. "Don't worry, Surfer boy. I'll be fine. See you in a sec."

After having been to the loo and successfully survived without falling over disgusting couples in sleep bags or being eaten by the legendary bush monster, I made my way back out towards the campfire and found myself stumbling into a very different scene to the one I had left. Earlier, all of my friends had been chilled out, having fun and cracking jokes, but now they were all on their feet, drinks aside, deadly serious. There was a cold, somber atmosphere hanging around, and I realised why when I came to join the crowd and noticed that the River Boys were now stood facing an incoming gang of Chatworth kids, led by non-other than Gaz and Anya Hodges. They had obviously heard about the party and come along to gate-crash and cause a fight. When I came within earshot, I noted that the two gangs were in the middle of a tense exchange of words.

"...any trouble. So why don't you just run along home back to Chatworth." Brody was in the middle of saying. His voice was stone hard. I don't think I'd ever heard him sound so angry and hostile before.

"You'd like that wouldn't you, Ace?" Gaz sneered, taking a step closer to him, so there was barely any distance between them. "For you to call the shots and act the big man, whilst my mates and I run into hiding."

"Well since that's all you're good for..." Jackson, who was at Brody's side, murmured under his breath.

One of the Chatworth kids made a lunge for him, but Gaz held the guy back by putting a hand on his chest. I only realised why when looked into his dark, smoldering eyes and saw that they had settled on me. There was a scary look on his face, which was half in darkness and cast half in the flickering light of the campfire.

"Well, what do you know? Look who's hiding behind Johnston. It's our little friend from Science. The new Bay girl." Gaz purred, sidestepping Brody so that he could venture over to me and run his icy fingers over my cheek and down my neck. I tried to pull away, but he harshly held me to him by clasping the back of my neck and locking his fingers into my hair. He held my head in place, forcing me to look right at him. "I have to say, I didn't know you River Boys were growing so soft that you were starting to recruit the wusses from Summer Bay."

"Don't ever touch her, Hodges!" Brody barked furiously, shoving Gaz away from me before pushing me behind him defensively. "I swear, if you lay a finger on her again, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

"Oh! Talk about possessive. Found yourself a little crush, have you, Ace? Well that's interesting." Gaz was leering as if he'd won the lottery. He looked so predatory that I half expected him to lick his lips like a hungry wolf. "I'll be sure to keep a real close eye on you in the future, angel." He simpered, looking at me.

"Keep your eyes and everything else off her." Brody warned.

"Here we go again!" Gaz growled, his features becoming suddenly angrier, his hands balling into fists. "Always throwing your weight around and telling me what to do, aren't you, Brody? I don't like it. It doesn't settle well with me."

"Like I care." Brody sniffed.

"Oh, you will care." Gaz scoffed, slithering forwards like a snake about to strike. "You'll care when I break your face with my fist."

Brody laughed wickedly, a self-destructive glint in his wild, raging stormy blue eyes. "Just try it, Hodges."

And just like that, it happened. As soon as he came within reach of him, Brody drew back his fist and full-on punched Gaz square in the jaw. The extraordinary blow was so perfectly timed and executed that it sent Gaz tumbling backwards into his mates, who formed a barrier behind him to help him get back up. As soon as the first hit was out of the way, the rest of the fight quickly followed. Widespread pandemonium broke out across the whole party as the two gangs clashed.

In the thick of the fight, adrenaline coursed into my veins, mixing with the alcohol to make me feel like I was capable of just about anything. I was so hyped up, that when Anya came barreling into me, I didn't even hesitate to jump right in with flying fists. We made a few swipes at each other and some blows connected, and others missed. I hit her. She hit me. I received a split lip - I could tell from the way that my lower lip was tingling painfully and I could taste blood in my mouth. In return, I gave her what would turn out in the morning to be a black eye. We went on like this for a while, fighting like a pair of riled cats with their claws out.

"I know how to get to you now." Anya sneered, as we both paused for a short breather and circled each other, assessing the situation and trying to predict what the next move would be.

"Oh, yeah? How's that?" I asked, wiping my lip with the back of my hand.

"I'm going to target your puny little friend. The know it all." Anya jested. "Olivia is her name, right? She's a small whelp of a girl. Reckon it wouldn't take much to knock her down."

Growling, I dashed forwards to attack Anya, but she saw it coming and knocked me aside with ease. The two of us continued to dance around one another, waiting for someone to make another move. It was like playing a really intense game of chess, only with loads more at stake - including the arranged structure of my face.

"And if that doesn't work, there's always your baby cousin. Poor, innocent little Darcy Braxton." Anya's conceited grin extended with evilness. "I think I might pay her a visit between classes from now on. What do you think, Alex? Sound like a good revenge plan to you?"

Anger getting the better of me, I threw myself at Anya with all of my might, a ball of fury opening up in my chest. I would have probably ended up severely hurting her or vice versa if not for the fact that we were interrupted by the flashing of bright neon lights and the wailing of unmistakeable sirens.

"Cops!" Someone cried out fearfully, as the alarms bleared out and illuminations flared and flickered all around us, bathing us in temporary light.

"Run!"

The chaos got worse from there on. In the mad bid for escape, everybody scattered in different directions, and I was swept along by the river of panicking people as if I were caught in a strong current. Head thumping, heart pounding and adrenaline and alcohol hot in my veins, I sprinted away from the mess in the park, able to hear the police shouting and rousing up a commotion behind me as they captured some of the slower runners. Good thing I was athletic.

As I broke out onto the streets of Mangrove River and vanished into the winding alleys, it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea where I even was or where I was going. My feet were just carrying me to an unknown place, at a speed so fast that everything passed by in an intoxicated blur. When I finally slowed down and looked about me, I realised that nothing was familiar and I was totally lost. My chest heaved as I gulped down lungful's of much-needed air.

"Oi! You there! Stay where you are!" A voice to my right called out. When I peered over, I saw that there were two cops making their way towards me down the adjacent alleyway. My break was over. It was time to get the hell out of here.

Back in the city, I had dabbled a bit in parkour and free running, which meant I was relatively fit and pretty good at all things that had anything to do with running, chasing, jumping or climbing. This concept falsely led me to believe I could pull off the same complex tricks I did sober, when I was slizzard and wounded. So, stupidly, I attempted them. And failed miserably.

Choosing a backstreet to my left, I ran over and scaled the huge barbed wire fence that blocked it off. I was doing fine until my dress caught on the wire and I went tumbling down the other side and crushed my hand under me on the hard tarmac floor. The pain was actually unbelievable. Unable to think clearly, and knowing that the police were right behind me, I pushed myself back onto my feet and kept going, limping as fast as I could, even though I was battered and bruised beyond belief. The problem came when I arrived at a massive boarded up wall that there was no way around or under. I'd have to go over. As soon as I tried climbing with my newly damaged hand, I knew I was in trouble. There was no way it could hold the weight and take the stain. I was done for.

I leaned back against the board and drew in a few deep breaths, readying myself for any disciplinary action I was about to receive. A lecture on my behavior and conduct? An arrest? A night in the cell? A fine? Court? A prison sentence? What was it to be? I had no idea. I dreaded finding out. Whatever it was, I could kiss goodbye to staying in Summer Bay for good.

Just then, out of the blue, two figures jumped down next to me, scaring the life out of me. They huddled next to me, one on each side and threw some kind of tarpaulin over our heads as we all crouched down on the floor of the alleyway. The police flashlights started getting closer and soon, the two police officers where right in front of us. I could see their feet from under the cover of the canvas sheeting.

"... forget it, officer Chapman. We've lost her." One of the pigs were in the middle of grumbling. The voice was male and full of authority.

"Too bad. I was sure she ours." The other said, clearly belonging to a woman. "Did you see the way she fell from that fence? No one could have been okay after that."

"Did you catch a look at her face at all?" The male officer asked.

"No."

"It's a shame, but I guess we'll just have to look somewhere else." He sighed. "Come on. We'll go around the back and see if we can find her down Elm Street."

"I'm on it, Sergeant Emerson."

I held my breath until the two of them had left, not daring to move an inch until I was certain they'd gone. After a few moments, the tarpaulin was torn off of us, revealing my saviors. I instantly recognised Brody and Matt and couldn't have been any gladder to see them in my entire life.

"Thank god." I mumbled, burying my head in my hands. "I thought for a minute that I was going to be spending my night in a cell."

"Don't get too excited. You still might have to. We're not in the clear yet." Brody told me, running his fingers over my wrist to see how badly it was hurt, before gently touching my split lip. It stung like hell. I took this opportunity to see how badly he was banged up. I could see bruises and cuts, but other than that, all I could think about was how unbelievably hot Brody looked, even with messy hair, covered in grime and sweat after a serious punch-up.

"There are police everywhere." Matt explained, when I scowled in confusion.

"Which is why we need to get you home. Matt, you go. I'll take care of Alex." Brody ordered, staying with me and clasping my hand affectionately in his.

Matt shook his head resolutely. "No way, man. I'm not leaving her like this until I know she's back home, safe."

"I don't need either of you to look after me - I'm fine." I protested, but neither of the boys seemed to even be paying attention to me anymore. Apparently, I was too drunk and hurt for my opinion to cunt for anything.

"You've got Kyle Braxton's number, right?" Brody asked Matt. "He used to be your boss when you worked in Angelo's?"

"Yeah." Matt answered.

"Give him a call."

"On it." Matt said, digging his phone out of his pocket and dialing the number. He pressed the phone to his ear.

"I swear, if either of you call my brothers, I will drop kick you." I threatened, moving to stop Matt from carrying out his plan. I was intercepted by Brody however, who stopped me with his strong, iron-like arms and deep, sea blue eyes.

"Alex, listen to me," He said softly but sternly, brushing my hair back out of my face and tucking it behind one of my ears. Usually I hated when people did that, but for some reason, I didn't mind when it was him. "You're injured, drunk and in the middle of a police chase. I wanted you to have fun, but all I've managed to do is drag you down with me into my world. Trust me when I say that you're better off at home with your brothers, safe out of harm's way. I'll feel a whole lot better if I know you're there okay? So, please, do this for me? No more running away from your fear of having to go back to the real world and face them."

For a while I didn't respond because I was too busy thinking over Brody's words. In the end, I caved in out of better judgement.

"Okay..." I sighed reluctantly, my wisdom winning out.

"Okay?" Brody said hopefully.

I nodded. "Okay."

Matt continued with his call to my brothers and I could hear him explaining matters to them over the phone. It didn't sound like a particularly happy conversation.

"Good. That's my girl." Brody smirked. My heart skipped a beat - did he really just call me his girl?

As if that wasn't enough, the River Boy then leaned into me and put his lips near my ear. "I hope I'll see you in class, Sweetheart. Just remember there'll always be a free seat next to me if you want it." He whispered, before planting an unexpected kiss on my forehead, and then my cheek and finally my lips. He tasted of refreshing, cool spearmint and smelt to me like an ocean breeze. But the kiss was over too fast, and before I knew it, Brody was pulling away, his eyes twinkling roguishly. "Night, Lexiekins."

I wasn't even sure if it had happened at all or if I'd imagined the whole thing. After all, the world was spinning all around me, the ground beneath my feet about as solid as quicksand.

It felt like there had only been a few seconds between the time that Matt had phoned my brothers to the time it took them to arrive. The Ute, which I could have recognised a mile away even in my drunkard state, rolled to a stop nearby and Brax and Kyle piled out and made a beeline straight for me. They did not look pleased. They looked so angry and worried it made my heart freeze over with anxiety.

"Alex!" Kyle called in relief. The first thing I received from him was a crushing hug that almost broke every single bone in my body.

"Are you okay?" Brax interrogated, following his embrace with a full body inspection. "Are you hurt? What happened to you?" When I didn't answer straight way, he shook his head and waved away the questions. "Actually, forget it. It doesn't matter. We need to get you back home. Get in the car right now."

I wondered how it was going to work with three of us fitting into a two-seater car, but my answer quickly came when Kyle swept me up into his arms and carried me into the car, so I could curl up against him in the passenger seat. He pulled the seat belt over the both of us and fixed it in as Brax climbed into the driver's seat and brought the car to life. It dawned on me as we drove away that I'd not even said goodbye to Brody or Matt or thanked them for what they'd done for me.

"Do you think you're going to throw up?" Kyle asked me, grooming my hair back from my face in a loose ponytail and holding me tightly to him.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm okay. I'm fine. Really. I didn't even drink that mu-"

Brax hit a pothole in the road, and the car jerked slightly. Before I'd even finished the sentence, I'd spewed all over Kyle, who loyally remained right next to me, completely unfazed by it. I rested my thumping head against his chest and groaned. If anything, that just made him hug me even snugger.

I heard Brax, who had been caught by a little of the spray, sigh heavily from the driver's seat and saw the outline of his locked jaw as he drove. I'd just puked all over his pride and joy, The General.

"If you feel bad right now," He said in a hard voice. "Just wait until morning."

"I don't want to even think about it." I mumbled tiredly. I felt Kyle's chest move as he chuckled wryly and stroked back my hair.

"Want me to stay in your room with you tonight and make sure you're okay?" He asked softly.

I nodded. "Please."

His forgiving eyes twinkled as I started to fall asleep against him. When he spoke next, his voice was just a faint, gentle murmur.

"Okay. I will."

----------------------

Hey guys! So, good news - I'm not dead! Woohoo :) So sorry for the exceptionally long wait for this chapter. Got my exams on right now. Grrr. ANYWAY, hope you're still reading and enjoying. More Braxton brother moments and even Jett and Matt moments on the way. Things are starting to hot up with Brody too. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments - your feedback is really helpful. Please continue to read and vote. Thank you :)xx