Teens of Summer Bay

[Georgia]

Story title: Teens of Summer Bay

Type of story: Long fiction

Main characters: Aden, Belle, Nicole, Geoff, Ruby, Annie, Xavier and Jai

BTTB rating: T-A

Genre: friendship, romance, drama, teenage problems

Spoilers: None at all

Warnings: A few swear words every now and then, but nothing drastic

Summary: The teens of Summer Bay have had some problems lately, but maybe the new guy in town, Aden Jeffries will help fix everything: broken hearts, broken friendships, broken lives.

.Just a note: In this story, all the teenagers (Belle, Nicole, Annie, Ruby, Aden, Geoff, Jai and Xavier are all 19 years old)

The sun was shining fiercely on Aden Jeffries back as he swung his bag over his shoulder and thanked the bus driver for the smooth drive.

It had been a spur of the moment thing when he had chosen Summer Bay as his new location. He had shut his eyes and pointed at the map, surprised to see it had landed on such a small place.

But maybe, after all the stuff he had been through, small was just what he wanted.

A small blonde girl walked quickly past the bus stop, and Aden’s face lit up. He had never really liked blondes, they had a lot of attitude sometimes, but they were always welcoming and friendly. He walked a bit faster, trying to catch up with the girl. Maybe she could show him around the bay.

“Hey speedy, wait up!” he called, after realising that his bag was slowing him down.

The blonde turned around and raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“What do you want?” she asked, frustration seeping into her voice.

“Just your name, and maybe a tour of the bay”, he called, hoping that she might stop

“The name’s Nicole”, she shot back somewhat flirtatiously, “but that’s all you’re getting. I have a boyfriend”

“A boyfriend? That’s what’s stopping you from showing the new guy to the caravan park”

“If it’s the caravan park you’re after, I can take you there. After all, I kind of live there”

“Interesting. You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who stays in a caravan park”

“Actually, I live in the house that runs the caravan park”, Nicole explained, then suddenly stopped talking; as if she realised that she had said too much.

“Look, let’s just pretend we didn’t meet. For all I know you could be a mass murderer or something”, Nicole said

“For all I know, you could be a mass murderer or something” Aden retorted

“How old are you, 5?” she questioned

“6 actually”, Aden stated, and Nicole suddenly broke into a giggle.

“You’re a funny guy. I like funny guys, so I’ll show you to the caravan park”

“So, Nicole, is this boyfriend of yours going to be some competition for me?” Aden asked

“No competition, he wins hands down. Geoff is amazing” Nicole gushed

“Ouch, that hurt!”

“You’ll get over it. If it’s a girlfriend you’re after, Summer Bay has a wide selection”

“Tell me more”, Aden enquired, suddenly more interested in the conversation

“How old are you?”

“Does that make a difference?”

“Yes, it does. I’m not going to list the thirty five year olds if you’re sixteen”

“I’m nineteen actually”

“Me too”, Nicole said, getting quite excited that she could have a possible new friend.

“So about these girls...” Aden prompted

“Well, there’s Annie, but she’s going out with Jai at the moment, so strictly off limits. Ruby, gorgeous but unavailable, because she and Xavier are practically living together at the moment. Umm... there’s me, but I’m with Geoff. And there’s ...” Nicole trailed off

“And there’s who?” Aden prompted, not missing a thing.

“And there’s Belle”

“Belle”, the name rolled beautifully of Aden’s tongue. “I like that name. How come you stopped when you got to her? Is she stupid or ugly or has a hideous body?”

“Don’t speak about Belle like that. She’s nothing like that. She’s smart, beautiful, an amazing photographer and amazing. Belle’s my best friend.”

“Then why did you stop speaking when you got to her?”

“Because she’s been going through a rough time lately. Ruby, Annie and I have all got boyfriends, and she ends up as the third wheel a lot. If she’s going to be with someone, she needs stability, someone to help her get through all the crap that’s going on in her life”

“And you don’t think I’m stable?”

“I think you might toy with her and then leave, so Belle is off limits to you!”

“Look Nicole, I’m trying to escape some of the **** that’s been happening in my life recently, and Summer Bay is the place I choose to escape too. I’m going to be here for a while. I want to start a new life here, so I’m not going to rush into anything”, Aden said, suddenly serious

Nicole nodded her head understandingly. “Oh, Aden, if you help out around the caravan park, I can talk to Miles and see if you can stay in a caravan for free.”

“Thanks Nicole”

“That’s all right. All of my friends have gone through some tough times, and we are only just managing to come through them. I know what it’s like to be alone, and it sucks, so I’m appointing myself as your guardian angel”

“Thanks again Nicole”

“You won’t be thanking me after you’ve met my dysfunctional group of friends”

And that was the first chapter. Comments would be appreciated

[Georgia]

A huge thank you to Sephy, MizzyBee123, amz89, lino, , jdoddy and Marigoldly, for the lovely reviews. Here is the next chapter

Chapter Two: Meeting the Gang

“Hey Aden, do you mind if we stop off at the surf club first. I was supposed to catch up with my mates, and now seems a good a time as any to introduce you to them.”

“Sure Nicole, no problem. Lead the way”, Aden replied, excited yet nervous about meeting Nicole’s friends. He really needed people to hang out with, but he was starting to get worried that the friends wouldn’t accept him. He had already gathered that they were a close group, and they may not welcome a stranger.

“Don’t worry Aden. We’re always looking for new faces to spend time with, otherwise stuff gets predictable and boring”, Nicole explained, as if reading his mind. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, as Aden took in his surroundings and Nicole wondered if she had made a big mistake by befriending Aden.

“So, this is the surf club”, Nicole unnecessarily added, as they walked in through the doors

“Yeah I gathered that Nicole, and I’m guessing that’s your group of friends over there”, Aden said, pointing to a group with large smiles on their faces, and drinks in their hands. Nicole smiled and led the way.

“Guys, this is Aden, Aden these are the guys”

Everyone smiled and waved hello, even though they had never seen Aden before.

“I met him at the bus stop, and he said he’d be hanging around for a while, so I brought him to meet you guys before I took him to the caravan park. Now, I’ll introduce you properly. Aden this is-“Nicole spoke quickly, trying to finish her speech before an interruption, but wasn’t too lucky.

“Let me guess,” Aden spoke confidently, as if he already knew each of Nicole’s friends personally. “I’m guessing you’re Xavier, you’re Ruby, you’re Geoff, you’re Jai and you’re Annie”, he finished, naming the group all correctly

“How did you know that?” Nicole questioned, concerned that this guy might be a stalker

“Well, I knew he was Jai, because he had an exotic sounding name, and he was the most exotic looking. Annie was obviously the girl holding his hand. Ruby was clearly the other girl, and since she’s sitting on someone, it was a logical guess that he’d be Xavier. Then Geoff was the only one left out. But we’re missing Belle”, Aden stated, as if it was really simple to distinguish one person from another the first time you met them.

Suddenly, another voice joined the group.

“Sorry I’m late,” the voice called, and the group turned around to see the owner of the voice rushing through the surf club doors. “I was taking photographs on the beach, and I lost track of time.”

Aden was speechless. Nicole was right, this girl was beautiful. She was skinny, but not overly so, her hair was a lively brown, but streaked with blonde, from spending so much time in the sun. Her clothes were unique, and hung nicely from her frame. She was wearing small mini shorts, and a strappy singlet, and she was the most beautiful girl Aden had ever seen.

“Aden, wipe the droll of your chin and stop staring at Belle”, Nicole hissed, and watched as Aden blushed red.

“Hey Nic,” Belle said, as she gave her best friend a hug, before waving at the guys sitting down. Somehow, her voice sounded musical, and Aden would have given anything to be talking to Belle one on one.

“Belle, this is Aden, some new guy in town,” Annie jumped into the conversation, obviously eager to talk to Belle, who she seemed to be somewhat in awe of

“I was wondering who he was”, she giggled lightly and extended her hand. “I’m Belle Taylor”

“I know who you are. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met”, Aden whispered flirtatiously

“Does that line ever work?” Belle queried

“Ouch, that must be the sarcastic attitude Nicole was telling me about”

Belle giggled again, and withdrew her hand. “He’s a keeper,” she announced to the whole group, “he’s funny. He’ll be fun to have around, plus, it gives me someone to hang out with when you guys are all on your dates”.

“I could take you out on a date sometime”, Aden told Belle, who just laughed, and ignored the comment, before looking around for a chair. There was only four chairs around the table, Nicole and Geoff occupying one, Annie and Jai another, Ruby and Xavier the third, while Aden was sitting by himself in the last chair.

Belle walked over and perched lightly on the arm of Aden’s chair, before leaning forward and joining into the conversation.

Nicole seemed to have started a conversation about shoes, and the guys had tuned out, clearly not interested. Aden shifted slightly in his seat, sending Belle tumbling into his lap.

“Hey Belle,” he whispered softly, as she struggled unsuccessfully to get up, “it was nice of you to drop by”. Belle’s entire face flushed red, as Aden enveloped his arms around her. “I think it’s safer if you stay in my arms”, he informed her.

Nicole chuckled, while Geoff had a shocked look on his face.

“Belle, do you need some help?” he offered politely. Belle started to nod her head but Aden jumped in.

“Nah, she’s fine Geoff. She’ll live”

Belle glared up at Aden, but as soon as she saw the smile on his face, she couldn’t stop her own smile from spreading.

“See, I told you this guy would be a laugh!” she exclaimed, as Aden chuckled lightly, and leaned forward and sniffed lightly at Belle’s hair.

Nicole was the only one who noticed.

Let me know what you think

[Georgia]

Thank you to Lily-G, amz89, Elainea, rocknroll, ThaGazBoi and lino for the reviews. I hope you like this chapter

Chapter Three: One on One Time

As soon as the group had decided to part, Belle walked back towards the beach. She really wanted to take some more photos and it was a beautiful time to do it. The sun was setting, and the sky was a light pink, with streaks of orange, and it was making the ocean look beautiful.

She sat down in one of the dunes and pulled out her camera, trying to take a shot, but a dark silhouette blocked the lens.

“Hey Belle”, Aden spoke softly, trying not to disturb the silence, “I hope you don’t mind but I thought I would come and join you”

“That’s fine, I’m just taking some pictures. How are you liking Summer Bay so far?”

“I haven’t seen too much of it so far, but the people are nice and friendly.”

“Plus, you’ve met the most beautiful woman ever”, Belle teased

“And that of course,” Aden agreed

“Look Aden, I hope I’m not assuming stuff or anything, but I just wanted to say that I don’t think I can cope with a boyfriend at the moment. Casual stuff is good, like friends with benefits or whatever, but I don’t want the steady stuff”

“Can I ask why?”

“I’ll just say this. The last guy I was with didn’t treat me very well.”

“He abused you?” Aden questioned, reading between the lines

Belle didn't even bother to deny it. “The last time he did it, I ended up in the hospital in a coma. It was really bad Aden, and I don’t know if I can trust people anymore”

Aden leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair out of Belle’s face. “I’m sorry you got hurt Belle. I’ve only just met you, but I know that you didn’t deserve that. And for you, I can do casual,” he ended suggestively

“Oh god,” Belle exclaimed, “I just bared my heart and soul to some guy I’ve only met today. I told him that I wanted friends with benefits. How old am I?” she finished, mortified at her lack of discretion

“Don’t worry Belle. I appreciate you telling me. It’s saved both of us a lot of discomfort because I came down here planning to ask you out. Talk about forward!”

Belle chuckled lightly, and turned back to her camera.

“Thanks for understanding Aden”, she whispered, so quietly Aden could barely hear.

“Everyone has secrets Belle. You should be thankful one of yours is out in the open”

“It isn’t though”

“It isn’t what?”

“My secret isn’t out in the open. I haven’t told anyone but you. None of my friends know. Nicole thinks I was in an accident. I couldn’t face telling them,

especially since they knew my ex-boyfriend, and they are all still friends with him”

“You didn’t tell your friends you were abused because they are still mates with your ex?”

Belle nodded her head timidly.

“Was he there today, at the surf club?” Aden asked, anger unintentionally seeping into his voice

“No”, Belle said shortly, before standing up and packing up her camera. “Thank you for the talk Aden. There’s something about you that makes me tell

the truth, and I suppose that’s a good thing, but no one else can know”

Aden was left sitting by himself in the sand dune, watching as Belle stormed off down the beach, her hair whipping behind her head. Even when she was mad, there was something irresistibly beautiful about Belle Taylor.

[Georgia]

Thanks to rocknroll, amz89 and Elainea for the reviews. This chapter is for you three

Chapter Four: Questioning Nicole

It took Aden a while to find the caravan park. For a small town, it could be mighty confusing. When he reached the house in which the owner lived in, Nicole answered the door.

“Hey Aden, you just can’t stay away from me can you?” she said sarcastically, as she pulled open the door and invited him inside

“I’m a sucker for a pretty blonde”, he replied, which earned him a smile from Nicole and a scowl from Geoff, who was sitting on the couch by himself.

“Actually Nicole, I’m here to rent a caravan,” Aden spoke seriously, suddenly in a business like mood.

“Well, Miles says that you can have a caravan for free, as long as you do your own washing etc.”

“That seems more than generous”

Nicole smiled and dropped the keys in Aden’s outstretched hands, while Geoff stood up and walked towards Aden and Nicole.

“Come on Aden, I think it’s time for you to go”, he said sternly, as if waiting for a disagreement

“Geoff,” Nicole whined, “can’t he stay for a while? It’s been ages since we’ve had a new face in Summer Bay, and I want to get to know him”

Geoff sighed. “Sure thing Nicole”, he told her, before leaning closer to Aden and hissing in his ear, “Nicole is my girlfriend, so keep the flirting to a minimum please”, before walking away and sitting back on the couch

“So Aden,” Nicole announced triumphantly, “do you want a drink?”

“No, I’m good. I actually just have a question to ask you”

“Couldn’t you ask someone else?” Geoff interjected from the couch, but soon shut up when Nicole shot a look at him

“I was talking to Belle on the beach, and she mentioned something about an ex-boyfriend,” Aden began, in what he hoped was a casual voice

Nicole’s expression suddenly turned soft, and her eyes misted over. Geoff’s face settled into a deep frown.

“Belle’s ex-boyfriend was Angelo, one of the local cops. He can arrest me any time he likes” Nicole muttered, almost dreamily

“Nicole, I’m sitting right here”, Geoff reprimanded

Aden let out a chuckle and showed himself out of the house, hearing the start of a squabble behind him.

Belle’s words suddenly made sense. She couldn’t tell her friends because, judging by Nicole’s reaction, the whole town loved the local cop.

Everyone except Belle.

He had put Belle in a coma, and in Aden’s opinion, he needed punishment. It seemed unlikely that he would get it though, seeming as no one knows, and he has the police force on his side.

Aden had only just met Belle, but he couldn’t imagine hurting her. How could her boyfriend have done that, the one person who was supposed to love and care for her?

And why hadn’t her best friend supported her through it all? Why was Aden the first one that knew about the abuse?

What exactly had been happening in Summer Bay?

Let me know what you think I'm really enjoying writing this, and I want to hear what you guys think, whether you love it or hate it.

[Georgia]

Again, thanks to rocknroll, Elainea, amz89 and Tele. Also, I have a recommendation. Go and check out Marigoldy's Prison Break. It's hilarious

Chapter Five: What’s happened here?

Annie walked quietly down the beach, trying to escape from Jai. He was everywhere all the time, and she couldn’t cope with it anymore.

Xavier may have been able to forgive Ruby, and move past it, but Annie couldn’t forgive Jai, at least not right now.

She had grown up thinking that if you truly love someone, you shouldn’t cheat on them, or abandon them, but Jai, the person who was supposed to love her the most, had done just that.

It still made Annie sick to think about her Jai kissing Ruby, about touching Ruby, about sleeping with Ruby.

Jai had told her he didn’t want to sleep with her until she was ready, and she had loved him even more for that.

So what had changed in such a short period of time? Why had he been unable to wait? Why had he deserted her, and been with someone else, and not just anyone else, the girl who was supposed to be her best friend. And how could Ruby have done that to her?

Before long, footsteps had come to join hers. The only bad thing about living in Summer Bay was that it was impossible to get time by yourself.

“Annie, what are you doing here?” Jai asked

“If you honestly want to know, I’m trying to avoid you”

“I thought you had forgiven me Annie”

“Well, I haven’t and I don’t know whether I ever will. You betrayed my trust, and lied to me about it for months. If you had a problem, why didn’t you tell me?

“I don’t have a problem with you Annie”, Jai said tiredly, as if he had had that conversation before

“Then why did you sleep with Ruby?”

“Because I love her!” he exclaimed, and then covered his mouth, shocked at his outburst

Annie’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes filled with tears. Deep down, Annie had known that she would have forgiven Jai eventually, because he was the first guy she had ever loved, but she didn’t know how to deal with this.

“I’ve got to go”, Jai stuttered out, before turning on his heels and running away

Annie nodded and watched him go, before falling to her knees and dissolving into tears, which burned a stream down her cheeks.

She could have dealt with lust, but love? That was a whole different matter. How had this happened?

Before long, the sound of footsteps alerted her to yet another person who would make unwanted company.

“Annie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Belle, nothing at all”

“I know you’re lying. Your sitting on the beach, tears streaming down your cheeks and you’re trying to pretend that you’re fine. I’m not stupid”

“Well that’s news to me”, Annie snapped, not regretting her words until she saw Belle’s face crumble

“You know I didn’t mean it Belle. I’m just upset”

“I know, but it still hurts”

“He slept with her”, Annie whispered, the truth bubbling out of her mouth

“What?”

“Jai. He slept with her”

“Jai slept with who?”

“Ruby”

Silence fell on the pair, as Belle digested the news, but then she was quick to assure the sobbing girl

“I’m sure it was just a mistake Annie. Jai loves you. I’m sure he regrets what happened with Ruby”

“He doesn’t”

“How do you know that?”

“He loves Ruby. He told me so, just before you arrived”

The conversation ended again, and Belle pulled Annie towards her. They made an unlikely pair, the timid Christian girl and the outgoing flirtatious photographer, but in that moment, they both found comfort in the other.

“Belle, why is this happening to me?”

“Annie, everyone has a time in their life when everything suddenly goes wrong. I had that time, and I’m just coming out of it now. You’re time has just started, but I’m confident that you will come through this. You’re strong and independent, and you have your whole life ahead of you. You still have time to find a nice Christian boy and settle down”

“But I don’t want a nice Christian boy, I want Jai”

“Why would you want someone who hurts you, again and again?”

“This is the first time he’s hurt me”, Annie said defiantly

“Again, I’m not stupid. I’ve seen the whole picture Annie. You and Jai aren’t happy. You may try and convince yourself that you are, but it’s a lie. Ruby isn’t the first mistake he’s made. He may say he wants to wait for you, but he’s a teenage boy, and he’s not thinking straight. You deserve better Annie. I wish I had faith like yours, but I don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t change for anyone, so you need to find someone to accept you for you”, Belle whispered, before standing up and brushing the sand off her pants

“I’ll leave you to your thoughts now” Belle said, as she started to walk away

“Belle, wait!” Annie called after her, “you said you were just coming out of the bad time. What happened?”

“That’s a story for another day”, Belle smiled over her shoulder and carried on walking.

Annie didn’t see Belle’s smile fade of her face, and tears well up in her eyes.

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews guys. I have another recommendation: Krystal Clear by tessalove. I've been waiting for it for ages, and when the first chapter came up, it didn't disapoint. Have a read if you have the time

Chapter 6: Confession

The knock on the door startled Ruby from the television. She was sitting watching the local news show, but to be honest, it wasn’t that captivating. Not much ever happened in such a small town.

“Hang on one second”, Ruby called, while muting the television and straightening up the pillows. Before Ruby had even made it to the door, it had swung open, revealing an obviously aggravated Annie.

“Hey Annie, how are you?” Ruby asked, unsure why her old friend was standing on her doorstep

“I’ve been better”, she answered truthfully, pushing herself into the house, in a sudden burst of confidence

“So what can I help you with? I haven’t seen you for ages!”

“That might have something to do with the fact you slept with my boyfriend”

“Are we still on that topic? I thought you had forgiven me. Xavier did”

“Yeah, well, Xavier isn’t me.”

Ruby shut the door behind Annie and led her over to the couch, turning the television completely off.

“Look Annie, I understand you’re upset. If you had slept with Xavier, I would have been devastated, so I’m going to give you a chance to tell me how you feel”

Annie nodded, and collected her thoughts, while Ruby sat there waiting.

“Ok, here’s how I see it Ruby. You were my best friend, and you have the most amazing boyfriend, who loves you more than anyone else. How could you do that to him, to me? Why would you want to do that to me?”

“You have no idea what my life is like anymore Annie. We used to be best friends, and then all we had was the outline of a friendship. Everyone believed we were still really close, but we weren’t. You barely talked to me anymore, and Xavier started spending more and more time with the group, instead of just with me. I was sick of being lonely”

“So you tried to take my life away from me, when everything was finally going right?”

“How dare you sit here and judge me? What makes you better than me?”

“I’m not saying I’m better than you. I’m just trying to understand what made you do what you did”

“I made a mistake alright Annie? Everyone makes mistakes. It was just a mistake”

“Do you love Jai?”

“What?”

“Do you love Jai?”

Silence filled the room, and Annie reeled backwards, the shock hitting her all over again. She had thought that Ruby would have denied it straight away, but here she was, saying nothing.

“You love Jai”, Annie repeated, as if saying it would jolt Ruby into denying the fact, but it didn’t. Instead, her eyes slid to the floor.

“That’s why I came here today, to understand why you did what you did. To understand why Jai told me he loved you.”

Ruby’s head snapped up, and her eyes filled with tears.

“He said that?”

Annie nodded and stood up.

“Thank you Ruby, for telling the truth, but now it’s my turn to tell you the truth. I think you would be stupid to leave Xavier, because he loves you, and I know that, deep down, you love him. Jai may think he loves you and you may think you love him, but I can assure you that it won’t last. The guilt will eat away at you, and you won’t be able to bear it”

“When did you get so wise?” Ruby asked, tears openly running down her face

“I really don’t know, but I wish I wasn’t. I wish everything was normal again”

“I agree with you there”, Ruby whispered, with a small smile appearing on her face. “Are you going to be leaving Jai?”

“Of course, I deserve better than him”

“You do”, Ruby told her

Annie patted Ruby on the shoulder and walked towards the door, pausing before she left.

“For the record, you deserve better than Jai as well”

The door slammed shut after Annie’s last line, leaving Ruby with a lot to think about.

A/N: This is supposed to be a long fiction and I'm really enjoying writing it, but if you guys ever think it's getting too long, let me know

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews guys I hope you enjoy this chapter

Chapter Seven: Leaving Jai

“Jai, I’m leaving you”, Annie whispered to herself over and over again, rehearsing for what was about to happen. Even though she was a 110% sure about her decision, it was still kind of daunting. It had been a long time since she had been without a boyfriend.

Jai walked into the room, his head down and his hands in his pocket, his whole body slumped. He was angry at himself for announcing his true feelings to Annie. He had really messed everything up. He and Ruby had agreed not to say anything until they had thought things over, but he couldn’t abide by that.

“Hey Jai”, Annie called from the couch; “I’ve been waiting for you. We need to talk”

Jai nodded, not even bothering to put on a show. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve now, but he didn’t care. He walked slowly over to the couch and sat on the opposite end from Annie.

“Jai, I’m leaving you”, Annie said confidently, her rehearsals paying off. “Well, seeming as I live here, you’ll be the one leaving me.”

“But I have no place to stay,” he interjected, finally paying attention to the conversation

“And that’s why I was nice enough to allow you to stay in the first place, but now we’ve broken up, I owe you nothing. Your bags are packed and waiting at the bottom of the stairs. You can have ten minutes to collect CDs and DVDs but after that, the lock smith is coming and changing the locks. Also, I expect you might as well leave Summer Bay now, unless you want to live on the streets, because no one will let you stay with them”

“I can stay with Ruby”, he said confidently

“I don’t think so. Xavier hates you, so think again”

“There’s Nicole”

“Geoff loves me, so he won’t let you stay with him and his girlfriend after we’ve broken up”

“What about Belle?”

“Belle knows about your affair, and I think she only tolerated you because of me”

“I can get a caravan. Miles is basically my father, so he’ll give me one free of charge”

“Actually, Miles isn’t the owner of the caravan park anymore. He was going through money troubles a little while ago, and put the business up for sale, on the sly of course. Belle, after just inheriting a small fortune from her grandma, bought it as an investment, but allowed Miles to keep running it. I think we’ve already gone through the argument about Belle, so I believe it’s time for you to go”

“I’ll get my bags and take Ruby and go”, he smirked cheekily, knowing it was a low blow and after seeing the confirmation on Annie’s face, his smirk grew even bigger.

“Everyone warned me about you Jai, Irene in particular. I should have listened to them”, Annie told him, trying to gain back some of the ground she had lost, but failed. Jai’s smirk stayed on his face, and he walked to get his bags.

“Oh, I would say thanks for everything Annie, but you didn’t give me much, so there’s no point really.”

Annie stood and walked out the back door, leaving Jai to show himself out. She had thought she had known him, but she had been really, really wrong.

Unfortunately, Jai didn’t take that as his cue to leave. He followed Annie out the back door and sat down opposite her.

“Look, can I at least have some money, so that I can buy Ruby and I a bus ticket?”

Annie leaned forward as if she wanted to whisper in Jai’s ear. He leaned forwards slightly, and at the last minute, Annie’s hand shot forward and slapped him hard across the cheek.

“Get out of my house. I don’t want to ever see you again. And find your bus money somewhere else”

Jai stood, and glared down at Annie. “Thanks for nothing”, he whispered venomously, before walking out of the house, clearly on his way to see Ruby.

Annie just hoped that Ruby had enough sense to turn him away.

[Georgia]

Thank you guys for the comments, especially Elainea and Amz. God, I love you two

Chapter Eight: Convincing Ruby

“Ruby, it’s me”, Jai called, as he pounded ferociously on the door, almost falling flat on his face when Ruby pulled it open violently.

“What do you want Jai?” she asked tiredly, the rings under her eyes making it clear she was exhausted

“I need to talk to you, about us”, he explained

“There is no us, Jai. I’m with Xavier and you’re with Annie”

“Not any more”, he told her, before pushing his way into the house and sitting at the dining room table. Ruby shut the door with a sigh, and followed suit, sitting next to Jai.

“So, you and Annie aren’t together anymore?” she questioned, unsure about the present circumstances

“No, she kicked me out the house, and basically suggested that I should leave Summer Bay. I want you to come with me”

“Go where with you?” Ruby asked, somewhat densely

“Leave Summer Bay. We can start a new life, without Xavier and Annie looking over our shoulders. We can be happy”

Ruby sat in silence, digesting what Jai had told her

“So what do you say Rubes?”

“I don’t know, Jai. It’s awfully sudden. What if I burn all my bridges, and then things don’t work out between us. I’ll have nothing”

“You have nothing now”, Jai said, somewhat harshly

“That’s not true. I have Xavier, and I have friends here. My sister lives here, and my father is in a home, not too far away”

“You don’t love Xavier, your so called friends will side with Annie over this, your sister can function without you, and you can always come back and visit your father”

“Jai, stop it. Life isn’t that simple. You can’t just come here and tell me what you want. I have to want this too”

“I thought you wanted us to be together, Rubes, that’s what you told me”

“I did”, she sighed, exasperated

“And you don’t anymore?”

“I don’t know what I want.”

Jai sat there glaring at Ruby, who quickly explained.

“I thought I knew what I wanted but then Annie came round and talked to me, and I realise that I still love Xavier.”

“But you love me too, right? And love can get us through everything”

“I don’t know if I love you. I think I just love the idea of you”

Jai sat there silently. It was his turn to digest the news.

“Don’t get me wrong. I had fun with you, but I don’t think a fling is worth losing Xavier and my friends over. I’m going to right the wrongs, and move on”

“So you get to come out of this looking like an angel, and I look like a home wrecker?” Jai asked, his voice suddenly rising

“You can look like whatever you want Jai, it’s up to you, but I want to stay here and fix my life”

“So you won’t come with me?” he asked again, desperately this time

“No and I suggest you leave before Xavier comes home. He doesn’t like you, and if you value having a straight nose, I’d leave before he breaks it for you”

Jai hesitated, and that was when Xavier chose to make his entrance

“I’d listen to Ruby and leave now. Better yet, I’d listen to Annie and leave Summer Bay altogether”

“Xavier!” Ruby cried, “I’m so sorry you had to hear that”

“Don’t apologise Rubes. I’m proud of you. You stood up for yourself, you stood up for us. Don’t ever apologise for that” he comforted the crying girl

Jai stood by, glaring, as Xavier comforted the woman he loved.

“Get your hands off Ruby” he snarled, and Xavier and Ruby both looked at him, disbelievingly.

“You didn’t seriously just say that, did you?” Ruby asked, as Xavier took a few step forwards, so he was standing next to Jai. It looked quite impressive, as Xavier was taller so he had that towering effect going on.

Jai, however, was never one to back down from a fight. While Xavier was positioning himself to look threatening, Jai had socked him in the face, blood immediately spurting from his nose

“Come on Rubes, now you’ve seen who the better man is, we can go”, Jai told her

Ruby, a shocked look on her face, picked up her handbag from a nearby chair, and walked towards Jai.

“No Rubes, don’t go”, Xavier moaned from the floor, “I love you”

Ruby didn’t even throw a glance his way, instead stopping in front of Jai, who now had a giant smile on his face.

Ruby leaned forward, as if to kiss him, and Jai shut his eyes and puckered his lips, waiting for contact. Instead of a kiss, however, Jai felt Ruby’s

handbag swing forwards and smack into his head.

“Don’t you ever hit my boyfriend again”, she whispered threateningly, “I think it’s time for you to leave Summer Bay”

Jai nodded and walked out the door, catching a glimpse of Ruby rushing to Xavier’s side, and smothering kisses all over his face.

[Georgia]

Thank you guys for the reviews. I hope you like this chapter

Chapter Nine: And then there were 7

To be honest, nobody really missed Jai. Annie was slightly sad, because now she was alone, but at least she had friends to get her through the tough time. Ruby was actually happier now that Jai was gone, because she and Xavier were happy again. Xavier was ecstatic, because he hater Jai, Aden didn’t care because he only met Jai once, Nicole didn’t really notice he was gone, because she was caught up in her own life, Geoff was more concerned about the fact that Jai had hurt his sister, and Belle had only talked to Jai because Annie liked him. All in all, Summer Bay was a better place after Jai had gone.

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The seven remaining group members decided to go to the beach that evening, for the annual beach party. Nicole, in particular, was extremely excited, because it meant she got to show case her newest dress, a beach themed maxi dress. Belle, on the other hand, wasn’t too sure if she wanted to go because if she wore a dress, the bruises from Angelo’s last attack would still be visible. In the end, it was Aden who made her make up her mind. He had called Belle’s mobile halfway through her deliberation.

“Hello, this is Belle speaking”, she answered, as the number had appeared as unknown.

“Hello Belle speaking, this is Aden”, he replied, and it immediately sent a smile to her face.

“Hey Aden, I didn’t recognise the number”

“Oh yeah, I bothered Geoff until he handed it over. It didn’t take long, I think he’s afraid of having me near Nicole”, Aden informed her

For some reason, thinking of Nicole and Aden together made Belle feel sick.

“So you and Nicole? What’s going on there?” she asked, trying to play it casual, but Aden detected the tones of some deeper emotion.

“Oh, nothing actually, we are just friends. She loves Geoff and I have my eye set on another girl in Summer Bay”

“That sounds intriguing”, Belle replied, in what she hoped was still casual

“Hmm, not really, she isn’t interested in me. She just wants friends with benefits or something” Aden told her. Belle immediately felt stupid, Aden had seen straight through her “casual” tone.

“But anyway”, Aden continued, “I called to see if you were going to the beach party tonight. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a bikini.”

“No one wears bikini’s to night time beach parties”, Belle laughed

“You could start a trend”

Belle suddenly switched back to serious mode. “Actually, I am going to the party tonight. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go, but then I realised I needed to talk to you, in person. I can’t do it over the phone”

“Now that is really intriguing. I can hardly wait now”

“Well, you better get off the phone then. I have to get ready”

“Typical girl”, Aden quipped, which earned him a giggle

“I’ll see you later than Aden”, Belle told him, and heard the dial tone again. Aden had obviously hung up.

“I think I might possibly like you Aden Jeffries”, she whispered to herself, before putting her cell phone back on the bedside table, and skipping to the wardrobe to find a perfect dress. She wanted to look gorgeous tonight, to impress Aden.

He had said he was interested in her, and there was a small part of her, growing bigger every second, that was interested in him.

Tonight she was going to talk to Aden and sort things out. Life was too short to deny her feelings for an attractive, interesting, nice, caring guy who liked

her.

Choosing the prettiest looking dress she owned, Belle sprinted to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She promptly pulled out all of her beauty products and straightening irons, and jumped into the shower.

It felt cleansing, as if she was washing away all the pain of the past. She seemed destined for a new future, one with friends and a boyfriend.

[Georgia]

A huge thankyou to: lino, Elainea, Taniya, HeavenForbid and Bec I love reading your comments

Chapter Ten: Beach Party

Belle arrived fashionably late to the party, feeling better than she had in a long time. The first people she saw where Ruby and Xavier, who were sitting together on a sand dune, holding hands and gazing at the ocean. They looked really happy.

Ruby was quick to jump up and hug Belle.

“Wow Belle, you look stunning. I wasn’t sure if you were going to be here tonight” Ruby told her, as Xavier wolf whistled.

“Have either of you seen Aden?” Belle asked, getting straight to the point

“Oh, Belle has a crush!” Ruby exclaimed, while Xavier laughed lightly at Ruby’s antics.

“No, mate, we haven’t”, Xavier finally answered, while Belle stood there impatiently, tapping her foot against the soft sand

“Belle, is that you?” Geoff called from behind her and walked up, holding hands with Nicole, who stood slightly behind him

“You look beautiful Belle”, Geoff told her, but Nicole just glared, before walking away from the group

“What’s Nicole’s problem?” Ruby asked, concerned about their friend

“Nicole’s annoyed because we got here too early, and she thinks that everyone looks better than her tonight. Don’t let her ruin your fun”, he told Ruby and Belle, while Xavier listened in silence

“Has anyone seen Aden?” Belle asked again, anxious to speak to him

“Umm yeah, I saw him and Annie about ten minutes ago, on the other side of the bonfire”, Geoff told her

Belle swiftly left the group and started walking to where Aden had last been seen. It took a while to find him, because on the other side of the fire, couples seemed to be everywhere, making out, and it was pretty hard to navigate.

In the end, she saw him sitting next to a girl she immediately recognised as Annie.

“Aden, can I talk to you alone?” she called, rushing up to the pair, but stopped in her tracks.

She hadn’t been able to see it from a distance, but Aden was sitting exceptionally close to Annie, his hand on her shoulder.

Don’t be paranoid Belle, she told herself. He’s interested in you. He’s probably just comforting Annie.

She took a step closer and her illusions vanished. Aden’s arm was on Annie’s shoulder, and they were facing each other. Annie was leaning extremely

far forward, and Aden was tilted towards her, his lips touching hers, in a passionate kiss.

Belle turned and ran away, leaving the pair to be alone. They hadn’t even heard her interruptions.

Belle fell a couple of times, and the bottom of her dress got torn on a rock, as well as cutting her shin.

She staggered to the top of a sand dune and sat down, breathing heavily.

So much for a new future, with an amazing boyfriend by her side. Aden Jeffries wasn’t interested in her; he was just interested in action, with as many girls as possible.

“Hey”, a voice above her shoulder called, and she looked up to see Angelo towering above her. She instinctively flinched away, but he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Relax Belle; I’m here to help you. I saw what happened. You looked like you took a nasty fall. Do you want me to take you back to my place and clean you up?” he asked, concern seeping into his voice.

At that moment, Belle didn’t care anymore. She had made an effort and it had been thrown back in her face.

She let Angelo pull her to her feet.

“But I don’t want any funny business,” she informed her ex, “I just want you to bandage me up and then take me home”

“Sure thing,” Angelo told her, and they set off, walking towards his car. Belle couldn’t see it, but Angelo had an evil look in his eyes, one that obviously meant trouble.

Nicole, sitting by herself further down the beach, watched Belle leave with Angelo, and then watched as Angelo turned around to see if anyone was looking. The look of pure evil in his eyes terrified Nicole, but she was drunk out of her mind and it was soon forgotten.

The only one who could save Belle had already forgotten all about it.

Belle’s maxi dress for anyone interested: http://www.splendicity.com/styleitless/fil...-maxi-dress.jpg