Brooklyn Noelle Brankovich

Chapter Nine: "When it rains it pours"

"Good morning, Brooklyn," my father's voice resounded.

I blinked my eyes until they opened fully.

First, I looked at my dying phone and saw that it was around nine AM. That's usually late for me, but I suppose they let it slide since we were on vacation.

I climbed down and saw my mother in the bathroom applying her face with the door open.

"Morning," I said to her, my tone neutral.

She just looked me up and down and then walked past me to exit the bathroom so I could use it.

A beach day was exactly what I needed to cool off and escape my parents before anything else happened. Though, the weather was surprisingly low. It was windy and gloomy out, and my head was pounding but I didn't want to miss out on the chance to visit one of Bermuda's beautiful beaches. Plus, it was already day four and other than drink with a stranger and dance on the deck, I'd done nothing notable.

I even left my phone in the room so my parents couldn't call or text me, getting on my nerves.

After trekking through the sand, I came across two assholes. Their names, Noah and Gael.

Noah, unable to see with the hat over his face, lazily tossed a can of beer to Gael but I swooped in and caught it.

Gael made a face at me. "Look at you," he said, kind of sounding impressed.

That's when Noah sat up and looked stunned to see me. "Brooks," he greeted.

"Noah," I replied just as dry.

He wasn't discrete about checking me out, either. I watched those piercing green eyes carefully look over every inch of my body. Even though he mentally undressed me and I should've been offended, as a woman, I wasn't. Actually, I kind of liked the attention that I wasn't used to.

Gosh, he looked so good. Every single feature had to have been crafted by God himself. Noah looked Greek, which instantly meant hot - godly even.

The way he had his dark hair was sexy. I admired his bulging muscles and pulsing veins under his tanned, tattooed skin. His tattoos were minimalistic in design by artistic choice, but I'm sure they meant something. And like a true frat boy - per the vibes he and Gael gives off - he was branded on the back of his left shoulder.

Okay, Brooklyn, I thought in my head. Yes, he's ripped, and he's hot, now stop staring!

Snapping me back to the conversation, Noah sat up fully and told Gael, "She can't have that. Mommy and Daddy-"

I rolled my eyes and stopped him talking before he said something about my overbearing parents. "--Aren't here," I scoffed, popping an eyebrow to test him.

Gael sided with me and shrugged his shoulders. "All yours," he told me, to which I replied with a content smile.

Noah scooted over on his large sports-themed beach towel and said, "Sit down, stay a while."

I wanted to, but an approaching group of three girls also from the cruise, changed my mind. I'm sure they were after Noah and Gael, I don't blame them.

"I'd rather not," I declined the ever so appealing offer.

It's probably for the best, I thought. I don't need to spend too much time with these guys, anyway.

I alluded to the girls who were only yards away and then I started to walk in the opposite direction down the beach. "Enjoy, boys," I said sarcastically.

***

Later in the afternoon, I was lying out on my towel. I was just minding my business; tanning, reading a book, and waiting to go back into the cold water. I wasn't too far from Noah, Gael, and The Three Stooges, I could still see and hear them alright.

All of a sudden, I was pelted with a football.

Shocked, I slowly turned and flicked it back.

While the girls laughed, and Gael tried not to, Noah showed some remorse. Well, as much as his goofy, sarcastic self could. "It was an accident, sorry, Brooks," his voice rasped.

Trying not to get worked up, I did my breathing exercise - the typical slowly count to ten - and shut my eyes under the grey sky.

I let out a frustrated groan and laid back on my towel.

Ah, I relaxed enough to return to my happy place. Finally, some peace and quie-

I heard a, "Heads up!" That's when I angrily removed my dark sunglasses only to see the football coming right back to me. This time, though, it didn't hit me, but landed a centimeter away from my head. If it had hit me, it would've caused a black eye or worse.

I gripped the football and bobbed my neck, waiting for someone to fess up as I stood in their faces. It wasn't Noah that time because he would've joked about it already.

"Oops," Gael's apparent girl with long, black box braids sounded.

"It was an accident," the blonde snickered.

"Yeah," said the ginger, "sorry, Brooks."

"'Accident' my ass, learn how to throw or stick to dickriding," I snarled. I threw the ball at Noah's chest and prepared to go back to my spot.

I heard a couple of "ooh's."

"What did you say," asked the redhead. When she stepped closer, so did her two girl friends.

I looked at them and silently chuckled. Were they trying to intimidate me? It wasn't working, they were just lucky I couldn't afford to get in any public scuffles out of fear for my parent's reputation, damaging my physical appearance, or possibly injuring any limbs.

"I said don't let it happen again," I made clear.

"I like her," the girl beamed. I swear I could see everyone become relieved. She giggled and squeezed one of my shoulders.

"Wanna play two hand touch with us?" her blonde friend asked. They all looked at me and anxiously for my answer. When I said, "sure," they all seemed happy.

Noah grinned all big, showing off his perfect set of teeth, and threw his arm over my shoulder. I tried pulling away to join the redhead, Sarah, who asked me to be with her.

Noah pulled me back towards his body and said, "Oh, you're on my team."

***

The game was goign great, we were actually having lots of fun. It was nice to let loose like that. I hoped people watching were envious of us all, not a single one of us had a care in the world.

"I wish it could always be like this," I stopped to mumble to myself. Life continued to happen around me as I took it all in. I'd equate the feeling to when I finish a show and stand there, center stage, still in my final pose as everyone else breaks character or runs on stage to tell me how perfect I was; and then the curtains close as the crowd whistles and gives a standing ovation.

"Brava, Brooklyn, you're amazing! That was perfect, they loved you! Brava! "

"I GOT IT, I GOT IT," Gael exclaimed, running long to catch Noah's pass during a fun game of catch.

We all watched as the ball hit an innocent beachgoer in the back.

"Yikes," Noah winced beside me and I looked up at him with worry since he threw the ball.

"I don't got it," Gael joked loudly enough for us to hear several feet away, looking down at his empty hands. Noah and I jogged over, while the girls stayed by the cooler they brought, and danced to the music playing from the one of the guy's speaker.

"And he said I can't catch," Noah spat. "pssh."

I smacked my lips at him. At first I wanted to be all "now is not the time" but he made me laugh, too. "You're stupid," I told him playfully as we slowed down and approached Gael.

"Everything okay?" asked Noah who then offered me some Skittles.

"No," I rejected with a curled face. I hesitated to come back and ask him. "Where'd those even come from?"

Noah just shrugged and returned his attention to Gael and... the girl from the ship? I never got her name, all I know is she had a serious attitude problem.

"Oh, I know her, it's all good," Gael told us. Noah nodded, dropping a handful of candy into his mouth.

Only, she looked pissed and said, "You do not know me, and it's not all good, actually! Maybe watch where you throw that thing."

"I think what you meant to say is: he should learn how to catch, right?" Noah annoyed us all with his last remark.

A crack of thunder caught everyone by surprise, enough to make us all scram.

"Ugh, my stuff," I groaned, running to the spot where I rested my things.

"AGHHH!" A shriek pierced my ears. When I gathered my stuff, I ran back to Noah and Gael who were surprisingly chill through the storm.

Meanwhile, Sarah, Vanessa, and Mikayla were nowhere to be found.

"Where'd she go?" Gael barked.

"Who, man?" asked Noah.

"The girl I threw the football at - Cassie. Where is she, she was right here when we left?"

While they discussed that out in the open, I jogged to the entrance where the sand stopped and met the road.

I put my Birks back on my sandy feet and stood under a tree for the meantime.

And after trudging over like fucking GRANDMAS, Noah and Gael found me.

"Brooklyn Middle-name Last-name, I know you did not try to leave us," Noah nagged me, trying to imitate what he thought my father would sound like.

I cut my eyes at him and asked, "Who knows how to get back to the ship?"