Surf's Up?

The Ugly Truth

Brian's POV

Most of what just happened was a blur. I sat in my Anatomy class, contemplating whether or not I should've left her. I didn't want to. Good lord, I didn't want to. She insisted. Predictable. Flashes of the situation kept running through my head. Lindsay calling her a bitch-tease. I didn't even want to think about the implications of that. I knew of course that it wasn't true of Ellis, that she wasn't a tease, but I didn't want to imagine what she and Hill did or didn't do that he would tell Lindsay about it. I remember seeing Ellis' hands curl into fists. That made me catch my breath. Her face showed no signs of vulnerability, of sadness. She radiated strength. Even after Lindsay hit her in the face, she moved slyly to the side and Lindsay swung, only pushing the air around. She had the restraint to not hit back. She simply stared at Lindsay, with a look that could've been determined as pity. I remembered to breathe, but the air I wanted to breathe in was hers. I wanted to stand close to her and only breathe the air she breathed. I wanted everything that she was. She stood there, a cut above a swelling purple bruise, and I couldn't help but think, God she's beautiful. Her eyes darker and yet brighter than usual. Walking over to her, I had tried not to be too obvious, but I don't think I succeeded. I tried to look at the swelling and had to resist glancing down at her lips. I wanted to tell her that she didn't deserve what happened, that she was perfect. But I couldn't. Not yet. 

I headed over to her house after school was let out. Reese told me that Ellis had left before last period because the cut had begun to swell and hurt. I texted her before I pulled in, just to let her know I was coming over. Her text almost convinced me that she was fine. Almost. I hopped out and tried not to hurry to the front door. She pulled it open before I could even touch the handle, and I drew a sharp breath. The cut really had changed and one third of her face was a mix of colors. The swelling wasn't bad luckily, she still looked like my beautiful Ellis. My shoulders dropped and I stepped inside. 

"I don't even know how to say that I'm sorry." I shook my head. She frowned. 

"Brian this had nothing to do with you. Why are you apologizing?" Her eyes swept across my face, trying to understand. 

"I just hate that it happened. I should've done something." She smiled at me and shook her head. 

"Don't be dumb. If you want to do something, take me to the ocean. It's been a while since I've surfed." She backed up and headed for the stairs. I followed. 

"You actually want to surf... with your face like that? Won't it sting?" I put my foot on the first step and paused. She turned and smiled. "It'll help it heal." I shook my head, amazed, and followed her to her room. She pulled out a swim suit and shirt from her dresser and headed into the bathroom. I sat on the bed and waited. She walked back out and I tried not to stare as she pulled on shorts over her bikini bottoms. 

Driving to the beach was incredible. We rolled the windows down and blasted NeedtoBreathe's album Hard Love. When we got there, we unloaded the boards and headed for the water. It had started to get cooler, but a couple minutes in and our bodies adjusted. The water was too calm. There weren't any good waves, so Ellis headed back to the shore to take off her shirt so we could just swim. I glanced back quickly and watched as she grabbed the hem and pulled it over her head. I could feel myself grow warm so I turned away. It wasn't right. Not time. I was her friend and as much as I wanted to be with her, I knew that it wouldn't be healthy. She was confused, and Hill had just broken her heart. 

She swam back in, and I smiled at her. She went under to get her hair wet and came back up sputtering. I laughed as she wiped the water from her eyes. She pretended to glare at me and pulled her hair to the side. Something caught my attention. I stepped forward and touched her shoulder.