Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 27 - Happiness

You find your bike stashed in one of the bushes where you left it outside. The sound of the door shutting is closely followed by it opening again, and you place your foot on the pedal just as you see Marlon emerge from the building.

"Hey! Y/n! Where're you going?" he shouts - he must have followed you outside; the taste of alcohol is still burning in your mouth, and you hope he didn't see you drink anything when he chased after you.

"Home." You mumble, but he steps in front of the bike.

"Why? You're going to get it trouble whether you go home now or whether you stay a couple of hours longer." He shrugs. "Why leave now?"

"Because maybe I want to." You say bluntly, pressing your foot down on the pedal but Marlon grabs your handlebars.

"Look." He pauses, looking like he was trying to find the right words. "I think I know what this is about."

"Go on then." You prompt, but Marlon stumbles over his words and you grow impatient.

"I think...I think maybe you have a...thing for Ari, and..."

"Excuse me?!" You exclaim. Had you really been that obvious?! "I do not have a thing for Ari. Anyway he was looking pretty cosy with Bodhi back then. And do I look like I care?!" You exclaim, quite exuberantly, probably due to the alcohol making it's way through your system.

"That's the point, Y/n. If you want to be with Ari, then Bodhi will be available." Marlon says in a low voice. You wonder if Marlon has learnt anything over the past year - what was he doing trying to break up something that wasn't even a thing just so he could win back Bodhi.

"Mars. Do you realise how bad that sounds!? You want Bodhi to be unhappy so she needs a man's shoulder to cry on? Is that it?" You ask incredulously, stepping off the bike.

"No!" He replies defensively. "It's not, really. With me, Bodhi always seemed...happy. And I know I can make her happy again." He hesitated. "And she made me happy too."

"I know she did. But you can't dictate her happiness. She might be just as happy with Ari." You say quietly.

"But will you?" He asks. "If Bodhi and Ari are together? Will you be happy?"

You pause before replying - you can't lie, the thought of Bodhi and Ari together has been something that has haunted your mind for a while now."Even if I liked Ari, which I don't, he wouldn't be happy with me. I'm not even allowed to surf at the moment."

"What?" Marlon exclaimed. "Why!?"

"Manu kicked me off the team. Well, suspended me." you reply.

"Because of what happened at the 360?"

"Yep. So no, Marlon. Even if Ari for some reason got with me, I would not be happy." You only just realise tears have sprung into your eyes but you blink to stop them falling. "And if I wasn't happy then Ari wouldn't be happy...and then I'd just blame myself."

The music from the party is still blaring out, a glaring reminder of the fun everyone is probably having without you.

"Y/n, I promise I get it. After the...accident, I blamed myself for months. And I did some horrible things because of it. I was so scared that you would all blame me too. And then I blamed myself because I felt sorry for myself." He said incredulously. "I felt sorry for myself when I should have been there for my best friend."

He sighed. You've never seen him this vulnerable before. You can't see his face too well in the dark, but he keeps turning away like he's embarrassed, like he shouldn't be talking about this stuff. But he should.

"Y/n. All I'm saying is I was so scared that Ari and everyone would blame me that I wasn't there. I basically lost a friend for a year because I was being an idiot. Don't lose Ari like I did."

You don't know what else to say, but you nod, and Marlon seems satisfied that his message has got across. And you're grateful it did.

_________________

Morning came, and with it brought the final day of Subtropix. You couldn't help feeling incredibly relieved as you got dressed and headed down to the beach with Marlon.

The night before, you'd both sneaked in at about one in the morning, but thankfully your mum didn't even notice.

As you reach the beach, the first heat - Bodhi's heat - is about to get underway. You and Marlon stay at the top of the dunes where you can see the area the competition takes place with a great view. 

"Let's go Bodhi!" Marlon shouts as you watch her dash through the shallows at the start of the comp. 

Halfway through the heat, you and Marlon watch in disbelief as Bodhi is basically destroyed by her competitors. She looks slow and lethargic, barely catching a wave and unable to string her turns together. At the end of the heat, you hear the confirmation from the commentators: 'And the voters have spoken - Bodhi Mercer is out of the competition.'

"What the hell was that?" Marlon says to no one in particular as the competitors paddle in to shore. 

"She must have just had a bad day." you say, but you aren't even completely sure. It seems like there's more to it. 

Suddenly, you hear the officials calling for the next competitors - the men's heat, which includes Ari. You jump up from your spot on the sand, muttering a quick excuse to Marlon as you head down the steps to the main beach, ignoring the fact that you're not wearing a lanyard like the others to say that you're allowed to be down there. You want to talk to Ari before his heat - clear the air hopefully.

You take a quick walk around, but Ari is nowhere in sight, not even in the marshalling area where he's supposed to go before the heat. You're about to head back to Marlon when you feel a hand grab your wrist roughly. You quickly spin around to see Summer. 

"Y/n. I need your help. We can't find Ari anywhere."