Slowly Sinking -A Bondi Rescue Fanfiction-

broken

(I just wanted to put a warning at the top of the chapter as this one will deal with darker themes as hinted that Rosalie is struggling with, as I want to get them presented and dealt with sooner rather than later. If you are affected by mental illness, please never struggle in silence, speak out, someone is there for you. As a fighter of depression and bipolar myself, I can relate to struggles you may be going through, so my messages are always open if you don't feel confident enough to seek professional help. Stay strong, you beautiful people.)

Rosalie had sat in the tower for the rest of the morning in complete silence. It hadn't gone unnoticed by the lifeguards who had come into contact with her. Reidy had been moved to a station at North Bondi, and Chappo had been joined in the tower by Jesse. The tightness in her chest that had appeared when she had cried to her father earlier had yet to subside, and her pounding chest and shaking hands were an indicator to her that it would not leave her anytime soon. She doubted it ever would, if she was being honest. 

Her knees were tucked firmly into her chest. She had received offers from everyone on the beach to join them and get some sun, but she had refused each suggestion as it had come in. Everyone had become aware that something was bothering the young girl. On the outside, she looked like a girl with a lot on her mind, she looked down, she looked upset about something. On the inside, she  felt that her mind was at breaking point. She felt guilty that things were beginning to go right for her yet she still felt hopeless. Her fear that her step-father may never be caught was overwhelming. Everytime she heard a door slam shut or one of the men in her life raised their voice around her, even slightly and even when it was never directed at her, her entire body shook. She lived her life in constant fear and anxiety and sadness, and she didn't know how much more she could take. 

Time was going slowly. Her mind was in overdrive and her thoughts ran a mile a minute through her head. With each minute, her chest grew tighter than she had ever deemed possible. Her hands trembled more with each move they made. Finally growing tired of her current state, she exhaled deeply and rose to her feet. Instantaneously, Chappo and Jesse glanced over to her, Jesse's eyes darting back to the water quickly, but Chappo's lingered longer than Rosalie had wanted.
"Are you okay?" He asked gently, a frown of concern on his face as her took in her flushed expression and her shaking hands. Rosalie nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady if she spoke. "Where are you going?" He added, concern growing for her as he watched tears begin to build, but quickly be blinked back dismissively. Rosalie shrugged.
"Just clearing my head." She mumbled quietly, making her way to the exit. Chappo rose to his feet as she attempted to leave.
"Do you want me to come with you? Jesse can manage in here for a while alone and the lads are all due some food soon so we could get them something to-"
"No," Rosalie cut him off sharply, surprising herself as much as him, "No, thank you. I mean- I just- thanks, but no, I need to be alone for a while." She looked anywhere but his eyes and left before he had a chance to argue. 

Chappo had replayed their exchange several times in the following minutes. Something was off, he could feel it. A tugging feeling pulled at his gut, and in answer to it he reached for his phone that was in front of him and immediately dialled a familiar number. His fears only grew when the teenager's phone who he was desperately trying to reach rung loudly. She had left it in the tower. He hung up and shared a look with Jesse. Teenagers rarely left their phones far from their hand, and when he looked at where it had been abandoned, he saw she had also left her sunglasses and her small bag that held her wallet and some pain medication that she was still supposed to be taking.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Jesse..." Chappo trailed off, his eyes not leaving the girls things. Jesse sighed deeply and nodded. 
"I know what you mean. Something isn't right." He mumbled, concern being deeply rooted for the young girl who he had grown to care so much about, but also trying to remain focused on the water. 
"I'm going to ask Matt and Whip to have a quick look around for her whilst they're not working," Chappo stated, calling Matt quickly. Jesse nodded before declaring he was going to call Koby too. Koby hadn't had much interaction with the young girl other than the time he had picked her up with Jesse and had surfed that day, but Jesse had expressed how fond of her he was and Koby had said on more than one occasion that if she needed anything, he was there to help her. The three men had agreed instantly, all of them agreeing that given her state when she left and the fact that she had no way of contacting anyone or using public transport to get anywhere, there was something not right with the situation. They had also decided that it was best to alert Reidy of the situation, who had, upon hearing, almost stormed away from his post on the beach and started to search for her, but had been convinced otherwise by Hoppo who firmly stated that three people were searching for her and she probably just needed to clear her head after what had been said to her by the woman in the tower earlier. Reidy had reluctantly backed down and stayed, even though there was a nagging feeling at the pit his stomach that told him this wasn't going to end well.