Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 32 - Breathe

After finishing the rash vests, and sorting out the boards to gain some more points with Manu, you head home to grab your swimsuit and a towel. Marlon is in the hall as you walk in, sat on the stairs on his phone, scrolling absently.

"I've been waiting for you." he says monotonously, barely looking up from the screen.

"That sounded incredibly creepy." you reply, placing your things in a tote bag and throwing it over your shoulder.

"Manu texted, saying you were coming with us. Why?" 

"I don't know, he just invited me. It's only training, right?" you say cautiously, but Marlon is quick to reply.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess." he says absently, shoving his phone in his back pocket.

The pool's only a ten minute walk away, but Marlon insists he takes a 'short cut' to check the surf, but the route is actually ten minutes out of your way. When you arrive, Ari is already sat on the edge of the pool, his legs dangling aimlessly over the edge, as Manu tensely checks his watch, obviously trying to make some sort of a point when he sees you and your brother approaching. 

"What time do you call this?" the coach exclaims, raising an eyebrow.

"Chill. We're here, aren't we?" your brother replies, and you roll your eyes at his bluntness. 

"Have a better attitude, Marlon. And be here promptly, next time." Manu sighed. "Go get changed."

You and Marlon head inside and you go into a changing room. 

"Did Ari invite you?" Marlon calls from the changing room beside yours.

"What?" you yell back over the wall separating you both.

"Did he ask you to come?"

"No, it was Manu." you reply. Why does he care so much? You wonder.

"And would you have come if Ari wasn't here?" he asks, and you're about to reply when you realise he may have a point. Would you have come? 

"Listen, if you wanna date Ari, I don't care." Marlon continues without waiting for your answer. "But I don't want to spend every minute of every day with you just because you want to hang out with Ari too."

"Rude. Besides, this is like the first time I've seen you all day." you say incredulously. 

"Yeah, but...I just had something I wanted to talk to Manu about." he says quietly.

"What, without me being there?" you ask with a laugh, assuming this is some sort of joke, but Marlon doesn't reply. "Mars, what do you want to talk to him about?" you ask, your smile vanishing.

"Nothing. It's none of your business. Besides, let's just see how today goes. Maybe I won't have to talk to him."

"Marlon, this is so weird. Just tell me what you want to talk about." you say more forcefully. 

"Leave it Y/n. I mean it." he says with a sense of finality.

You hear his door swing open and footsteps on tile as he makes his way out to the pool. You follow him almost immediately, not wanting to get another telling off from Manu about being late.

"Alright guys. Sit on the edge of the pool, and I want you to do what I say, okay?" Manu says, and you somehow find yourself wedged in between Marlon and Ari. It's slightly awkward, to say the least. "Breathe all the way in for four seconds. Then hold for four, and breathe out for four."

You do as he says, and it's actually quite relaxing. You didn't realise how stressed you were, with surfing and Ari and all the other drama going on in your life. But you can feel Marlon growing increasingly unsettled and restless beside you. "Actually Manu, I thought we were gonna work on ariels at some point?" he says after only a few rounds of breathing.