Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 56 - Thank You

It's nearly 2 AM when you finally get home, and thankfully, the door is still open but your mum appears to have gone to bed. Marlon is sitting on the stairs, his arms resting on his knees anxiously - he must have gotten in before you and opened the door. He looks slightly dishevelled, and you wonder what went on at the party after you left - was there even more alcohol involved?

"Has mum gone to bed?" you ask, slightly wary of making any noise.

"Yeah. She saw me come in and said she would deal with things tomorrow. She thinks you've been upstairs all night." he says.

"Thank you," you nod. "For not telling her."

"Well, I thought I owed you. Griff was being pretty brutal earlier." he admits, taking a deep breath as he ignores your eye contact.

"How could you guys do that to Bodhi?" you say, still speaking softly in fear of waking your mum. "How could you be on a team like that?"

"Hang on, before Stairway you were thinking of joining too." he replies, in a slightly accusatory tone.

"I wasn't," you say quickly. "I was just thinking of leaving Shorehaven."

"And are you still thinking about it?"

You think for a second: do you want to leave the team? No, surely not. But does anyone want you on the team at the moment? Also, probably not. "No," you say, if just to put Marlon's mind at ease.

He nods, but doesn't say anything, rubbing his hands together nonchalantly in his lap.

"Are you okay?" you ask, watching him shift awkwardly, avoiding your gaze.

"Yeah," he says breathlessly. "I just...wanted to apologise."

"For what?" you reply.

He scoffs. "C'mon. You know what."

"If you mean not talking to me for days then yeah, I know what but I don't-"

"No, not for that," he starts, then corrects himself. "I mean, yes, for that, but also for...y'know, Stairway. For taking you out there."

"Mars, it was my choice. You didn't make me." you say, and it's the truth. You never once felt pressured by Marlon to make the jump, and when he was about to jump in after Summer he even told you not to go.

"Yeah, but I should've known better," he said angrily, but it seemed more like he was mad at himself - he felt guilty. "You know whose idea it was to surf Stairways last year?! Mine! I convinced Ari, and he didn't even want to go. Then he jumped and I didn't. I was a coward."

"You weren't a coward, Marlon. You didn't know what was going to happen."

"No. But I did know this time. I learnt nothing this year, and I took you with me!" You don't know what to say - you're just staring at him like you've never seen him before, like he's a stranger in your house.

"Well, we may not get on often," you start. "But I thought things were going the right way before Stairway."

"Yeah, I suppose so," he says. "Maybe we could go back to how we were. Try, at least."

"Yeah. I'd like that." you reply, both still whispering in the quiet of the house.

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At breakfast the next morning, you wonder if your mum had a chance to speak to Marlon yet, to punish him for sneaking out. You're suddenly incredibly thankful for the lack of punishment you've received after Stairway; your mum hasn't mentioned the grounding (thank god), and you're definitely not going to bring it up in fear of reminding your mum that you actually should probably be locked in your room right now.

Marlon pours himself a glass of orange juice and a bowl of cereal, and takes a seat at the kitchen Island just as your mum walks in. They don't say anything to each other at first, and you assume they've resolved things. But what takes you by surprise is when she asks 'does he need anything from the shops for the comp on Thursday'.

"So, you're going to Jarrah Island?" you mutter to Marlon, taking a seat next to him with a piece of toast on your plate.

"Yeah," he responds. "She was pretty mad this morning, but I reminded her I need to get my state rankings up. And the other Anchor Coves want me to be there."

Wow, you think. Your mum is really committed to Marlon being on the state team.

"Mum, can I go with Ari to Jarrah Island on Thursday?" you ask quickly. She looks thoughtful for a second, contemplating.

"Me and your brother will be leaving at 7 if you want to go with us," she says. "I wasn't aware you wanted to go to the competition."

"Yeah, well I know I can't surf, I... I just thought I'd go to support the others. But um...Ari asked me along if that's okay."

"I thought Mrs Gibson said Ari wasn't surfing any more comps this season?"

"Yeah, um, she said he could do this last one." Marlon pipes up, and you're thankful for the help.

"Yeah, but she can't take him, so we were going to get the bus there. Then the ferry. Then another bus." you say, realising how this plan is not sounding exactly convincing when you say it out loud. But you can't risk sneaking out again. Especially when as soon as you arrive at the competition your mum would undoubtedly spot you.

But to your surprise, she nods curtly. "As long as Mrs Gibson says it's okay, you can go."

"Really?" you say sceptically; this seems to be a little too relaxed for your mum.

"Yes, but you could just ask Ari if he wants a lift with us instead?" she offers, and you're put on the spot again looking for another excuse.

"Err, thanks but I don't think-" you start, but stop abruptly - what actually could the excuse be now? Why would we turn down a free lift?

"Actually, mum, I said to Griff and Ahmed we could give them a lift; I thought it would be cool with you." Marlon says. Thank you, you think, making a mental note to thank your brother later if this actually works.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry Y/n. Do you still want to get the bus with Ari?" your mum asks.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about us. We'll be fine." you say, perhaps a little too excitedly.