Bondi Rescue

Aggravated Beachgoer

Lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun's glare, Jamie squints out into the water as Jesse paddles out to collect a tired swimmer. Releasing a slow breath, the girl looks for anyone in a similar situation but doesn't see any. Instead, when she turns her head, she sees something else.

Holding back an eye-roll, Jamie pushes away from the buggy and approaches a man only a few meters from her. "Hey, mate," She starts to gain his attention and gestures towards the cigarette butt he'd just thrown into the sand. "You can't litter."

"What?" The man asks with a small scoff.

"You can't just throw your trash onto the ground, especially not the sand. There're many bins to choose from, carry your rubbish up to one of them," She adds while pointing towards the closest ramp and the bin sitting right beside it. It's hard to see from here, she'll admit, but she knows it's there. "And drinking isn't permitted on the beach." Jamie tries not to grimace at the strong smell of alcohol on the man's breath.

Chuckling in a patronizing way, the man shakes his head at her. "And who are you to tell me what to do?"

Clenching her teeth, Jamie's head twitches to the side. "I'm a lifeguard on this beach, it's my job to stop people from trashing it," Despite feeling small beside him, Jamie stands her ground. When the man steps forward, she doesn't step back.

"Lifeguard?" The man scoffs for the umpteenth time. "A joke, more like."

Frustration turning to anger, Jamie breaths deeply in through her nose. "Take your shit and leave," She demands but the man shakes his head.

"Make me," Following his words, the man raises his arm and pushes Jamie back away from him. The girl stumbles a step back at the sudden force, but before she can do anything about the man's actions, Jesse is there.

"Hey!" He shouts as he jumps between the two of them and returns the man's push. "Back off. You need to leave or we'll get the police down here."

"The police?" The man asks in disbelief. "I did nothing wrong."

"You just assaulted a lifeguard," Jesse tells him in a strong voice and with a finger in the man's face. When he steps to the side, so does Jesse, efficiently blocking Jamie from his view. "And you've been drinking in an alcohol-free zone. So do as she said, get your shit and leave."

"What's the problem?" Having seen the commotion from the tower, Deano radioed Harrison who was a little way down the beach. Now, the young man approaches from behind Jamie and joins Jesse's side.

"This bloke here needs to leave. He's drunk and he's just assaulted a lifeguard," Jesse informs his friend and struggles to keep his temper under control. At his words, Harrison glances back at Jamie who stands with her feet firmly placed in the sand.

"Alright, mate, it's time for you to leave," Harrison says and points towards the closest exit out of the beach. "Collect your things and go."

"This is ridiculous," The man scoffs yet again and shakes his head. But up against two lifeguards, the man doesn't fight. Though very unhappily, he scoops up his gear and stomps off the beach.

"You alright?" Jesse asks while Harrison keeps an eye on the man to make sure he doesn't stick around.

"Yeah, yeah," Jamie nods and offers him a smile. "I'm okay, just annoyed."

Releasing a breath, Jesse lifts his hand to ruffle Jamie's hair. "You know he was more than twice your size, right?"

"Were you worried?" Jamie teases and Jesse rolls his eyes. "Aw, I didn't know you cared."

"Going soft on us, Jess?" Harrison asks when he finally joins the two. Jesse waves them off and returns to the rhino without a word. "You alright, J?"

"I'm good, thanks," Lifting her closed fist, Jamie bumps Harrisons before they both return to their posts. "Hey," A moment after joining Jesse in the buggy, she reaches out and nudges his arm to gain his attention. When he looks down at her, he raises his eyebrows in question. "Thanks."

Nodding, Jesse looks back out into the water. "I've got your back." 

___

They're all her big brothers now