Brady x OC

Chapter 1

"Best. Day. Ever!" Brady throws his hands in the air, "Yeah, pretty awesome huh?" I grinned and leant on his arm, we spent the entire day surfing and we were heading back to Grandpa's board shack, "Awesome? Surfing all day, us being together, awesome wishes it was this awesome." He clasps out hands together, "Yeah it was pretty perfect," I swing our hands back and forth, "Yeah it was," He adjusts his board under his arm, "Um, listen Brady." I try to say, "Ooh, did you hear about tomorrow?" He interrupts, "Yeah! I mean can you believe they're talking about 40-foot waves, which I mean is like 12 metres which sounds so much tinier than 40 feet," I laughed, "I swear, you and your Australian metric system," He kisses my head, "There's a huge storm coming up from the north." He look at the water, "I mean surf like that only happens here once every 1000 years." I exaggerate, "Yeah, can you imagine dropping in on a barrel that... that huge? Summer's not ever yet! Whoo!" He shouts, "Come on, I'm starving," I pull him after me, "Race you to the house!" He lets go of my hand and starts running up the beach, I sigh and think, how will I tell to him? "I clearly won," He balances his board up against the wall, "Yeah, yeah." I put my board up next to his, "First thing tomorrow, we hit the beach and that awesome surf,"He opens the door, "Brady, about tomorrow..." I try to start again, "Wait. You hear that? No way!" He walks off, I bite my lip, "Hey!" Brady walks in on Grandad sanding a board, "Hey. What's up bro?" Grandad doesn't look up, "I can't believe you're watching this without me." Brady walks over to him, "Well, now that you're here. I'm not." He quicks a glance to Brady, "Please tell me this isn't," I lean on the workshop door, "Wet Side Story!" They both say in unison not taking their eyes off the screen and fist bump, "Yeah that," I giggled and shook my head, "Oh, 1962. Surfers, Bikers. Best movie ever made." Brady shakes his head, "How can you two like this silliness? Especially you Gramps?" I walk into the workshop, "Silliness? Nat, my dear, this movie defined an entire culture." Gramps points at the screen, "Exactly! A Surfer guy and a Biker girl share a secret love while trying to unite their rivalling gangs as an evil real estate mogul tries to turn their hangout into a resort by building a weather machine which blows up, creating a massive storm! Silliness? Really?" Brady look at me, "First of all, take a breath when you talk. Second of all, can we watch it later? Because I really need to talk to you," I grab his arm, "Just watch my favourite part. When the two leads' eyes meet, and they're pulled apart by their rivalling gangs." Brady strokes my hands, "And this, this is my favourite part right here." Gramps points at the TV, "Come on. They sing for no reason. They come out of the water and their hair is totally dry. The girls never surf as well as the boys and they sing for no reason. I mention that one again cause even the second time. I don't get why." I say, "But it's always Summer, and everyone just sings and surfs, besides I don't think you surf any worse than guys," He kisses my head, we heard a knock at the door, "But really... the surfing looks fake. THey'd drown on a real wave, seriously, they sing in the ocean and never spit out water." I stifled a laugh and went to open the door, but someone already opened it, the two boys still in the workshop, "Surprise." Aunt Antoinette walked in, "Well, aren't you going to give your Aunt Antoinette a hug?" She asks, I gave a small involuntary smile and hugged her, "Wow, you are so... grown-up. You look absolutely unacceptable," She says to me, I flinched and Brady's eyes widen, "What?" He says, "Not you dear," She shakes her hand at me, "Tell him the offer is unacceptable. It's good to see you Natalie." She walks off, "What are you doing here? I thought you were coming tomorrow," I look at her, "Well, you thought wrong. We are leaving tomorrow, I hope you've packed." She says, Brady's eyebrows furrow, "Nat, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow?'," Brady asks, "Uh, this is Brady." I give a nervous smile, Aunt Antoinette turns around, "Brady, I'm Natalie's aunt. I'm sure she's told you all about me." She shakes his hand, "Nat, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow?'," Brady asks again, "Antoinette, welcome home," Grandpa walks out, "Oh hello Father," She goes up and kisses his cheeks but doesn't, "You know, it's always good to have you back here." He looks down when she starts walking off, "Oh, I see you're still making surfboards. Oh, don't tell me. You still have that." She looks up, "Still have it? I mean we all grew up with the legends of this board. It's part of the family." I chuckle and look at her, "Me, your grandfather and his father, we each found our destiny on it." Gramps nods, "There is only one way to 'find' your destiny Natalie, and that is to?" She draws it out for me to finish, I was lost, "Work hard for it." She touches my chin, I give a blank nod, "Okay, alright. Nat, what does she mean by 'leaving tomorrow'?" Brady asks for a third time, "Brady, as of tomorrow, my niece will be attending the exclusive, overpriced, and uh, did I mention exclusive, Dunwich Preparatory Academy back home in Australia." Aunt Antoinette says proudly, "What?" Brady says quietly, "Home? Australia?" She says, "Ah, Antoinette, we should talk about this, please." Gramps points her to the workshop, "There is nothing to talk about. This has always been the deal. Isn't that right Natalie?" She turns back around at me, I take a breath in, "Sure." I give a sad smile, "It's just, um, that tomorrow there are these extreme conditions I've been waiting for my entire life to surf-" Aunt Antoinette interrupts me, "Surf? Oh sweetheart. Your new life begins tomorrow. Your endless Summer has, come to an end." She gives a sweet smile, I look up at her and slowly nod, I saw Brady look at me, "I gotta- just," I ran up stairs.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me." Brady walks over to me, I was sitting on the balcony, "You don't understand how hard I tried. I just... I didn't know how." I ball up my fists, "You're leaving? Just like that? Why are they making you do this?" He holds my hands, "They're not making me, it's my choice." I look at him, "So change your mind!" He says, "There's not enough time. My flight leaves at noon tomorrow," I sigh, "How can you leave? This is your home. It's here your grandfather is, it's where you surf, it's where I am!" He rubs my knuckles, "I was really lucky to get into this school Brady. And my aunt says it'll pave my way to my future. I know you're upset, and I should've told you. I just, I didn't know how!" I hopped off the railing and walked off, "Nat! Bunny, hey! Stop. What was this deal your aunt was talking about?" He grabs my waist and turns me around, "After we lost my mum, the deal I made with my aunt was that I could stay here with my grandpa for the first part of high school, and then when it was time to get serious, I would leave with my aunt and go to this school like she did." I thump the book in my hand, "So she just shows up to take you away? Aren't you happy here?" He asks, I show him the red book in my hands, "This is my mum's journal. 'Most of all, I dream that my daughter because a great success. That she isn't pulled through life but marches through it, triumphantly.'," I read a part of her journal, "She sounds amazing," He nods, "Yeah, my mum wanted to go to uni and make something of herself but she had this shithead time passed... and she never got to live out that dream." I walked to him, "That's not your fault." He hugs me, "No I know it's not but I also know that I can do what she never had a chance to," I whisper and fiddle with the yellow fabric, "You don't have to be what your aunt is. Bunny, you can be anything you want." He strokes my back, "Brady. I have to do this," I push him away and walk back inside the house, "What about us?" He grabs my arm, "How can there be an us after today?" I say sadly, "I'll wait for you." He says, "I know what it feels like to miss someone Brady. I love you too much to ever put you through that." I look down, "So you're saying you love me enough to break up with me?" He says, "I don't want to Brady but what choice do I have?" I rub my nose, he takes a step back and walks to the edge of the veranda, "Thanks for the most awesome Summer of my life. I wish it wasn't over." I rest my chin on his shoulder and pepper it in kisses before walking back inside. 

I was in my room, packing my stuff in a box, I put mum's journal in a slip and a picture of me and Brady by the beach, him giving me a piggyback, I put it on top of all my stuff and I closed the lid. I went back out and I saw the family board propped up against the wall right in front of my door, I smirked and walked over to the dinner table.

Back in time for the flight.
- N

I grinned and took the board outside, I already saw so many surfers by the beach, eager to get one of the huge waves. "S'up?" Brady put his arm around my waist, "How'd you know I was gonna be here?" I took the hair tie out of my mouth and tightened my high ponytail, "I knew you couldn't stay away from surf like this." He strokes my ponytail, "Brady, I'm glad you came but I told you..." He interrupts me, "I just came to watch you surf, not to propose." He grins, "Man, and I thought it was finally time," I snapped the air, he chuckles, "Hey be grateful, I already got you a promise ring. Get out there," He kisses the ring on my hand he gave me a few weeks ago and smacks my board, I grinned and ran out into the water. I paddled out and ducked under waves, I saw surfers everywhere get dunked around me, I saw an incoming wave and I started kicking, I caught it back, I paddled back out for another one, I saw people get pummelled by the next wave, I didn't realise the sky turning black and the lifeguards telling everyone to come in, I saw the next wave and ducked under it, I saw a monster wave, "Babe, come on, don't do it!" I turned around and I saw Brady on the ski, "No I have to!" I shout back, "Don't do it!" He shouts, "Nat!" I turned around and was paddling out to catch the wave, I caught it but I got pummelled and was thrown off the board, there wasn't a leash with the board so it flew in front of me, Brady jumped in from the ski, that was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.