Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 43 - The Plan

Over the next few days, the swell at Stairway starts to pick up, and by the end of the week the conditions are perfect. You and Marlon return home after one of your expeditions to check the conditions at Stairway which you've been doing everyday this week, and you walk home in silence, both of you knowing that today's the day.

When you get home, your mum is in the kitchen with boxes of food waiting on the counter. At first, you're a little confused as you watch her pack six boxes of fizzy drinks into a cool box, but then you remember: the fundraiser.

"Um, I think I'm just going to go upstairs and...get a head start on my homework." you say loudly, hoping your mum doesn't get any ideas about bringing you with her to the fundraiser.

"Yeah, maybe I'll go help her." Marlon says, which was just stupid. You don't think he's ever offered to help you with your homework in all the time you've been at school.

"What homework? It's Summer." your mum says, quick to catch on.

"Special...summer homework." Marlon replies, but there's no way she's falling for that one.

"Nice try, you two. Now help me get all this stuff in the car." she says, and you know better than to try any other excuses, so you guess you're going to the Shorehaven Boardriders fundraiser.

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As you step out of the car, your mum immediately places a heavy crate of barbecue necessities into your arms and orders you to take them across the yard to where the barbecue is taking place.

There's a whole array of stalls in the fundraiser: a raffle, an ice bath challenge, a snail race (led by Honey, of course). You keep your head down as you wander through the stalls, Marlon close behind you.

Eventually, you get to the barbecue area, dump the food down and turn to your mum. "Do we have to stay all day?"

"Yes. I agreed to this weeks ago. If either of you want any more rides to any competitions in the future, you'll stay. Now go inside and get some cutlery and plates, please Y/n," she says coldly. "And Marlon, you can put this stuff in the fridge." she motions to a stack of cupcakes and sodas which Marlon begrudgingly picks up.

You both do as you're told, walking past Manu doing the ice bath challenge, which is slightly awkward as you make eye contact for a second, but you continue inside to the kitchen without a word.

As you're getting cutlery out one of the draws, you hear quiet footsteps behind you, and turn to see Ari. There's silence for a second, before Ari speaks up.

"Look, I know that today's the day, and I know I can't stop you too crazy idiots from surfing later, but please. You can't be serious! Have you seen Stairway? Do you not remember what happened last year?!"

"Of course we remember. That's why we're doing this," your brother replies. "Best time for the jump is 3pm. We're going to meet with Griff and the others just before then."

"Y'know, Griff doesn't decide who gets in the club. You've got nothing to prove."

"Easy for you to say," he turns to Ari, making eye contact for the first time, "You're the guy who jumped."

"Look, Mars, there's still a spot for you in Shorehaven. And you, Y/n, although I'm not really sure whether you've actually left or not..."

You shrug.

"It's too late now anyway." Marlon responds, taking plates from the cupboard.

"No! No it's not." Ari persists, following Marlon outside as he helps you with the plates. On the decking outside, Marlon suddenly stops, his eyes going glassy with thought.

"You know you caught a wave that day, right?" he says, avoiding Ari's gaze.

"Wait, what?" Ari replies incredulously, and he's not the only one who's surprised - you've rarely heard Marlon talk about any of this stuff before.

"You paddled past the reef, and you got this monster, massive wave. And you almost made it." he says, his voice catching on the last word.

"What does is matter, I barely remember anything." Ari replies, but the fact is still clearly weighing on Marlon's mind.

"I think about it all the time. And it's like, if I can just beat it, y'know? Face the beast? I can move on."

"And this is why you're doing it too?" Ari turns to you.

"Something like that." you say - you have your own reasons, and they're mostly the same as your brothers. One of the reasons is Marlon himself - you know someone needs to do this with him, you've seen how torn up he's been about the accident all year and you know he feels like he needs to move on - you just wish the way to move on wasn't so dangerous.

"Maybe I should come with you." Ari says quickly.

Your head darts up to him. That is not what you expected him to say.

"No," Marlon says immediately. "You know you can't."

"No, just to make sure you guys are safe." he says, but you don't get to hear your brother's answer, as you're interrupted by a familiar loud American accent behind you.

"Yo, Ari. C'mon, Manu says you're next in the ice bath." Summer says, to which Ari rolls his eyes.

"Could you please give us a second?" he replies, his tone slightly irritated.

"What is going on?" Summer asks, "You Gibsons have been acting super strange today."

"We're talking about surfing Stairway." Marlon just comes out and says it. "The conditions might not be right for another year, so."

"Okay, so the dumbest idea on the planet." She raises her eyebrows at Ari, knowing that maybe Marlon would be stupid enough to do it, but she'd have thought Ari knew better.

"No, no, no, we're not actually surfing Stairway." Ari quickly counters.

"Yeah, right. Exactly how many panic attacks do you want to have, Ari?" Summer asks, knowing this will get him angry, but hopefully make him realise what he's doing is stupid.

You watch Ari's face contort into a mixture of betrayal and indignance, glaring at Summer while his mind thinks of excuses to tell Marlon.

Your brother turns to Ari in surprise. "Panic attacks?"

"Nothing, a stupid joke." he lies through his teeth.

Summer scoffs. "I'm sure your parents will find it hilarious."

"Summer, stop."

"No, I'm saving you from your own stupidity." she calls back, already less than 100 feet from the edge of the fundraiser.

"No wonder your mum doesn't want you back." Ari yells.

You share a confused look with Marlon; this whole conversation has really gone off the rails now.

Summer turns back to face Ari, her eyes darting all over his face, trying to work out what he's saying.

"She still hasn't called you, has she?" Ari asks, and Summer's look of confusion just solidifies the fact that she, as well as you and Marlon, have no idea what's going on here.

"What are you talking about?" she asks quietly.

"She's staying in the Middle East," Ari explains. "And you are staying here, which is so, so great for all of us." he mocks.

Summer says nothing, a mix of surprise and hurt spreading across all the features of her face until she turns around and walks away from Ari in the direction of the beach. You follow her.

"Nice one, Ari."

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A/N: So, as I was re-watching this episode back, when Marlon comes straight out and tells Summer he and Ari are planning on surfing Stairway, Ari gives him a look as if to say 'what the hell are you doing?' and I've been wondering: was that Marlon's plan all along? To tell Summer so that she would potentially tell Ari's parents and stop him going? Or was he just being stupid and didn't realise Summer would try and tell the Gibsons, after all, Marlon didn't know about Ari's anxiety. I don't know, I was just wondering why Marlon would come out and say that so casually. Let me know what you guys think.