Broken Heart (slow update)

Beaches and balls

  The sound of feet hitting the path is rhythmic. One could almost hear music in it. Sang could see the sun starting to come out at the horizon. She has been running for almost an hour now. She could also hear Nathan behind her. She snuck out of the house to go running, Nathan followed her immediately after and kept a steady pace with her. She picked up running as a stress reliever, thinking time, exercise after Danny started to take her out running when she had trouble sleeping and kept having nightmares. She kept it up.
It's been three weeks since her little melt down. The guys had been a constant presence in her life since then. Most of them were at her house if they had nothing to do. One of them were always staying for the night besides North and Luke. One of them were always with her if she went somewhere. It felt almost like Charleston....almost. She did see the difference. They were not as bossy as before, it was hard on them but they were trying to accept the new her. Like right now. She had been going for her runs really early, enjoying the quietness of the world. The boys didn't stop her but there was always someone with her. Keeping a quiet distance.
Sang stopped at the side of the road, taking a drink from her bottle she held it out to Nathan.
"You do this every day" asked Nathan after returning her bottle.
"Hmm. This is my thinking time. Or be alone time." Sang answered. "Danny got me started after he found out I wasn't sleeping because of nightmares. By the time I'm back at the house I'm too tired to think about anything."
"Do you mind that I followed you?" Nathan asked jogging back towards the house.
"No. I liked the company."
Nathan took a long look at her. "You have changed a lot....you are different than when we met. More sure of yourself."
Sang didn't answer him. She worked hard to make herself what she is today. She knew the boys noticed it too. Except for North and Luke she didn't know what everyone else thought tough and the hardest to read has been Nathan and Kota. There was a invisible wall between her them. She thought about that. Is there anything else she could do?

Sang walked into a now familiar scene in her house. North in the kitchen making breakfast with someone helping him. Today it was Victor. Luke and Gabriel lounging on the couch.
"Good morning trouble" Gabriel called out. "Had a good run?"
"Yeah. A long one."
"She gave a run for my money" Nathan told them flopping down on the recliner.
Sang went into the kitchen and gave North a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning North. Let me go clean up then I'll give you a hand."
"Go take a shower. Everything is done". Victor said coming over to her side and giving her a peck.
"I'm getting spoiled again" sang thought to herself.

By the time everyone finished breakfast the rest arrived too. They were sitting around doing their own things. Victor and Owen was on their iPad. Gabriel on the phone. Luke, Silas and North talking quietly in the corner. She couldn't see Kota or Nathan anywhere. She walked out to the front and started playing with Winnie. She had been ignoring him and he let her know it. Sang was still thinking about the boys and their presence in her life now when Kota and Nathan walked in. They looked tense.
"Is something wrong?" Sang asked.
"No. It's something to do with the work that Luke was doing here" Nathan answered after a while.
She let them walk into the house. After all it had to do with the academy and she wanted nothing to do with it. She remembered a conversation she had with Danny and Dad. They both told her that Luke's involvement in the case was leaked to the party involved by someone and that's why he was shot. They also told her that they didn't trust the Reyes team with a penny. Sang wondered if she should tell her guys all of this. Then again she didn't want to get involved in this whole mess.
Walking into the house she remembered that spring break would start in a few days. Spring break always brought in extra work at the E.R. Everything from drunks, to fights including drunks to couple handcuffed to each other while drunk. Since she wasn't working at the moment she wanted to enjoy the beach before the spring breakers took over.
"I want to go to the beach and spend the day there. Anyone want to go with me" she asked the guys.
"Fuck yeah" Gabriel jumped up. "I'm going crazy looking at this work stuff"
"Why not" added Victor.
"They have chocolate ice cream at the beach" Luke said. The rest of them started their silent communications.
"Well....I'm going to get my stuff and meet you outside in half hour."
When Sang came outside with her tote wearing a dress over her bikini she found all of them waiting outside.
"We decided to take a break." Owen explained.
"Speak for yourself. I just wanted to see Pookie in a bikini" Sean answered him.
All of them piled up in different cars. Sang ended up with North Luke and Gabriel.
Parking their cars they walked on to the beach. And settled themselves in a good spot. The beach was fairly empty considering it was a weekday.
Sang looked up to see North sitting on the beach looking at the ocean. Following his gaze she found Silas in the water. Her giant always feels more comfortable at sea. Looking around she found the others. They all looked relaxed, even the ever proper Owen. She smiled to herself thinking how Owen looked like his twenty five years now rather than the much older persona he puts on.
"I have to do this more"she thought to herself.
"But they won't be here forever Sang" reminded her inner voice.
Owen looked over at Sang. "This is the girl I want to spend my life with" he thought to himself "if she'll give us a chance. He thought again of what North and Luke said. About leaving the team. He Knew Silas would go with them, but can he make the same decision? The academy has been his life since he was ten years old. It took the place of his family. Kota had Erica and Jessica. Sean had his parents. Victor has always had the choice of getting out of his parents hold once he reaches eighteen. Nathan's father was out of the question and Kota was his default family. It was him that needed the academy and the family he created. Can he make the decision to walk out. A spray of sand hit him on the legs. Looking up he saw his angel looking down at him.
"C'mon Owen let's hit the water". Sang dragged Owen into the water. She loved swimming. The feeling of freedom it gave her was irreplaceable. Looking over at the sand she saw North looking at her. A soft smile gracing his lips. She remembered the last time she was at the beach with him. The night they stayed in the hotel. It was memory she would treasure always. She felt a hand on her ankle and got dragged under the water. She saw Luke's face a few inches away from her under water. Coming out of the water she gasped for air. All the others looking at her worriedly. She glared at Luke,"I'll get you."
The day passed by quickly. By four in the afternoon they were tired and used the public stalls to change out of their wet clothes and get sand out of their bodies. Sang had another place she wanted to go. She hasn't been there in a while and she missed it.
"Did you have fun today pookie?" Sean draped a hand over Sang's shoulder. They were walking over to Sang's destination.
"Yes" Sang smiled at him. "I wanted a day off like this for a long time".
"What did you do on your days off Sang?" Nathan asked.
" I very rarely had time off." Sang replied. "My school time was packed with either classes or homework. After I started at the hospital it was long hours and tiring work. I just wanted sleep on my off days".
"I remember those days" Sean said."don't want them back for any reason".
They were almost to the park where Sang wanted to go. Suddenly someone grabbed Sang at the waist and picked her up. All of the guys turned around at Sang's shriek.
"What the fu*k"!
"Baby"!
"Put her down" yelled Nathan.
Sang was laughing. "Put me down you brat"! She yelled at the offender.
"I knew you couldn't stay away for long" said the tall blond.
"You scared me"! Sang shoved him.
"Aww! C'mon you are going to hurt the guy that gives you the best balls!"
"Fucking shit! What the hell is he talking about" screamed Gabriel.
"What the hell! Baby!" That was North.
"What!" Came from Nathan.
Silas was muttering in Greek and Owen, Sean and Victor just looked stunned.
"Stop making trouble" Sang laughed at the guy. "Guys, this is Trent. He has a food truck at the university park. Every student is addicted to his food."
"Yeah. And whatever else he is selling." Muttered Nathan. If looks could kill Trent would be dead nine times over now.
"Best! You know I have the best love balls! You can't resist them!"
"I think we get the point" said Owen crisply.
Sang couldn't stop herself anymore. She started laughing. She was sitting on the ground, holding her stomach.
"What the fuck is so funny!" Yelled Gabriel. "This guy is giving you....and bragging about it!"
"Maybe you should go with a little more discreet men" Sean remarked.
"Stop" Sang said taking a deep breath. "Trent has a food truck. He sells love balls!"
"Oh! Now the fucker is selling them" North boomed.
"This is all your fault you know" Sang glared at Trent, who was grinning.
She threw her hands up and grabbed the nearest guy, who happened to be Silas, and dragged him with her. Turning the corner she noticed Trent's cart and walked over.
"Sang"! Yelled a happy voice.
"Hi Sam. How are you"
" I'm good. I see you brought friends" replied the girl.
"They are here from Charleston. Never had your special. So serve them up."
A few minutes later they were served what looked like meatballs in sauce in takeout containers.
"What's this" North looked skeptical.
"The best thing that you can find. Taste them" Sang told them.
They were surprisingly good for something they didn't know the name of.
"This is the famous love balls" Sang declared.
All the guys looked at her with expressions of "huh"!
"It's true. This is octopus fried in batter and covered in sauce. It's called Love Balls."

"Really" Luke took another bite. "I could like this."
"Of course"! Grumbled North. "You decide to like something other than sugar and it's something called love balls."
Sang laughed at his expression. "What about you Silas"?
"It's good. We have something like this at home." He took another bite.
"Me too. I had them in Japan" Sean said between bites.
"This is what keeps most student going. Food trucks are godsend for us." Sang was licking her fingers.

It was dark when they got back to Sang's house. Sang was curled up next to Victor in the backseat. She remembered all the times she was the exact same way in Charleston. Victor was running his fingers through Sang's hair thinking the same thing. He gave her a kiss on the head. Looking up he saw Kota looking at him in the rearview mirror. Victor looked at his childhood friend, his brother and nodded slightly. Expressing all he could in that little nod.

Pulling up at Sang's house they saw two other car parked on the driveway. The lights inside Sang's house was on. The boys looked at each other and walked over to the house. Before they could get to the door it opened to reveal a older version of Danny. Next to him was another man with similar face.
"Daddy" Sang's voice rang out in the dark. She walked over to the men. "Michael! What's wrong"
"Come inside baby girl" chided Anthony, "we will talk inside".
Sang's heart was beating loud. The last time she felt this way was when Anthony was hurt. "Daddy what's wrong? Tell me!" She turned to him.
"There was a inciden. Daniel was shot." Sang felt the ground moving away from under her. If Owen wasn't holding onto her she would've collapsed. "He is okay. He had a vest on" Michael rushed to explain.
"The shooting is connected to the case your friend Luke turned over to him." Came Anthony's voice. "He was also warned to tell the doc to keep her friends away. We are assuming it's you."