The Ties That Bind

[mizziette]

ELEVEN

The cops came knocking asking about Mac’s and Cheryl’s assault. They questioned the boys and everyone else they could think of but came back with nothing. Brody’s dad had decided to skip town after he recovered from his injuries and Brody went to go live with his Gran. Brax however, was increasingly worried about his mum. She was going back to drinking and it just kept getting worse. Cheryl felt more lonely than ever but it seemed nothing her sons did made up for her suffering.

Brax looked at her bundled up on the couch and put a sandwich next to her. A knock at the door sent him to the front door and found his girlfriend Fitzy standing angrily at the door. She saw the scrapes on Brax’ knuckles and couldn’t believe he could be so stupid. ‘The guy ended up in hospital, for god’s sake. How could you be so stupid?’ With that, she left and Brax knew he wouldn’t be seeing her again.

Brax checked the mail and found final notices on some of the bills. The money it had taken for the hospital bill and the amount they had lost while Cheryl was recovering had taken a toll. If they couldn’t pay up by the end of the month, they were set to lose all kinds of insurance, not to mention household utilities. They needed money and they needed it fast.

The gardening rounds were not nearly paying enough. Working only weekends wouldn’t suffice anymore. It looked like Brax needed to drop out of school and start working full time. With both his and Cheryl’s income combined, they might be able to scrape together enough.

Heath saw the concern on his brother’s face and frowned. He wished he could help but didn’t know how. He was too young to work but he wished he could; it would be better than school. He thought Brax was lucky being able to drop out but when he asked if he could do it too, he had gone off the handle.

Heath, Pee Wee and Teagan had fast become good friends over the last few months and spent their recesses together. One cloudy August afternoon, they went to the beach afterschool to hang out. ‘You want some?’ A boy walked up to them and sat down. He took a little plastic zip bag out of his schoolbag and showed the three youngsters.

‘Whoa, where’d you get that?’ Heath looked at the rolled up joints and couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘You want it or not?’ He handed him the bag just as a man walked past them, interrupting and sending them silent. Heath was hesitant to take it but Pee Wee paid the kid, curious to know what it would be like. The young Braxton was amazed how much such a small amount of weed had cost and wheels began spinning in his head. Pee Wee leant to grab a joint but Heath slapped his hand away. ‘No, we’re not doing it. I have a better idea.’

Brax put Casey down to sleep and kissed him on the forehead. ‘Nigh-nigh’ Casey waved and yawned.

‘Night-night Case.’ He turned on the lamp light for the boy because he was scared of the dark and left the door half way open. After Brax had changed and brushed for bed, he heard a knock at his bedroom door and Heath entered. The kid was growing taller by the second, his muscles were becoming more defined and his voice was getting deeper. ‘Hey, what’s up?’ Heath handed him a wad of cash in an envelope.

Brax counted the money in shock; there was at least two hundred there. He wondered how his little brother got that kind of money. Before he could ask where Heath had gotten it, the boy pulled out a small zip bag from his pocket, revealing its contents. ‘You sold that?’ Brax put his hand on his head and winced.

‘I wanted to help.’ Brax looked at his little brother threateningly. ‘Don’t look at me like that. It’s good money. More than you could make mowing lawns. You can thank me later.’ He went back to his own room.

All night, Brax thought about the money in his drawer. It was a lot of money. He debated in his mind the pros and cons for hours and hours. They needed the cash or they’d be homeless. In that particular moment, dirty money was better than no money at all.

Brax took the weed out after his mum took Heath to school and planted it in a small pot. He swore he would only sell the stuff for a little while, until they had the money sorted out.¬¬ He watered it and hid it in his wardrobe.

Every day for the next few days, he watered it and watched it grow. When his mum went to work, the plant went on his bed, where the sun hit the leaves and nourished them. Brax had learnt plenty about gardening while working for his neighbours the last few months and knew exactly how to nurture nature.

He still ran his gardening business, but the dealing paid better and he kept up with both. Before long, Brody and some of the other River boys got involved and Yabee Creek high became their dealing ground. Brax would grow it in his room and Brody would sell it. The young boys split their earnings and before long, they were in big demand.

[mizziette]

Thanks for the comments.

TWELVE

Brax told himself he would stop once the bills were payed but it never happened. The bills kept coming in the mail; there was never any peace when it came to the expenses. In a way, dealing was easier than hard labour and the pay was better too. He knew he was playing a dangerous game but every time he looked at Heath and Casey, he wanted a better life for them than the one he had. He didn’t want them to worry about money and bills at such a young age. It was wrong, dangerous and Brax wasn’t proud of it but at the time, it seemed like the easy way out of a big mess; he thought he was in control.

Two months after Casey’s second birthday, he sat on his bed with the boy. Little Casey felt so grown up as he ‘read’ where the wild things are to Brax. ‘Brac, look. A monster.’ He pointed and patted the picture book, making a scrunched up face. ‘Monster say roar’

‘ROAR!’ Brax playfully pounced on the little boy and tickled him. He carried Casey to his room and tucked the kid in and kissed his forehead. ‘Night-night Case.’

Teagan and her friends sat on the beach happy that it was the summer holidays. In the fall, they’d be heading to high school and she was glad to finally be rid of primary school for ever. The girls saw their target; a buff river boy asleep on the beach.

Thirty minutes later, Teagan Callaghan was running as fast as she could. Realising she was in the Braxton’s neighbourhood, she ran towards their house. Looking back, the river boy was chasing her and he was gaining momentum fast. Rushing through the front lawn, she banged on the screen door as loudly as she could.

‘Teagan?’ Brax answered as looked shocked as the young girl ran past and hid behind him. The river boy reached the house and tried to get to her but Brax body blocked the doorway and grasped the door tightly. ‘What’s going on, mate?’

‘Brax.’ The boy seemed to halt a little seeing his friend. ‘Let me in. That little snotty brat needs to be taught a lesson. You wouldn’t believe what-‘

Brax interrupted him calmly and firmly, much to the protest of the unwelcome guest. ‘What, you chasing girls around the streets now, Gordo? Not very nice now, is it?’

Gordo tried to backtrack and explain but the River boy leader wouldn’t have it. ‘I think you should leave. I’ll deal with you later.’ Brax cocked his head towards the street and watched as he ran off. Shutting the front door closed, he turned around and was startled to find Teagan jump hug him tightly.

After some coaxing, she finally let go. ‘Thanks. I really thought I was in for it then.’ Teagan looked up at the boy who had just helped her and pictured him as her dark knight. She swore Brax was getting hotter by the minute. He was the ideal rebellious hero and the young girl’s eyes glimmered in awe.

‘What’s going on?’ Heath came out of his room to find out what was going on. ‘Hey, Teags.’

‘Oh hey, the idiot girls pranked Gordo while he was sleeping and put food on top of him for the seagulls to eat. He didn’t think it was very funny when he woke up surrounded by birds.’ Teagan shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. ‘Guy can’t take a joke and chased me here. It’s not like I did it. My friends did.’ She clapped her hand on Brax’ chest. ‘Thankfully though, your brother was here to save the day, weren’t you, Brax?’

Heath rolled his eyes and Teagan sauntered off to the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch as naturally as she would in her own home, flicking through a surf magazine. ‘So, you know where you’re going, Heath?’

‘Yabee Creek. Same as Brax did.’ Heath frowned, hating the thought of high school even more than primary school.

Teagan put her tanned legs up on the coffee table and fanned herself with the magazine. ‘Mum’s making me go to Summer Bay high. Hardly anyone from the river goes there but she insisted.’ She frowned. ‘My cousin Tug used to go there so mum wants me to go too. It sucks, I won’t know anyone there.’

The next day, Brax went for a surf at Wilson’s and met his newest girlfriend there. With his toned body and million dollar smile, he had no trouble getting girls. Kissing the petite curly brunette, they both ran into the water to meet the boys. When they finally got out, everyone went quiet as Gordo walked up to them, a little nervously. ‘Nice of you to show up.’ Brax put his board down in the sand.

He walked up to Gordo and faced him head on. ‘You know mate, I could’ve sworn I saw someone who looked exactly like you chasing my brother’s mate around like an idiot. But you’re not an idiot, are you Gordo?’ He leant in closer, trying to intimidate him.

‘Uh, no?’ Gordo wanted to step away from Brax but knew he couldn’t; it would be a sign of weakness.

‘Nah, you just look like one, right?’ The other boys laughed at this. Brax put his arm around Gordo and guided him away from the beach. ‘Come on, we’ll see how smart you really are. Remind you to be a little more cordial to the ladies, eh?’

[mizziette]

THIRTEEN

Heath walked in on Brax put his hands on his hips and stared at the two plants on his bedroom floor. They were growing pretty steadily and it was getting too hard to keep them inside. Turning his room into a greenhouse wasn’t an option and the boys needed another hiding place for their business venture.

Teagan walked through the streets of Mangrove River after a gruelling first week of high school at Summer Bay. The classes were bigger, the teachers more serious looking and the boys cuter. Although she still had her eyes on Brax, she considered exploring other options since her ideal River boy was oblivious to her wasted efforts at flirting.

Walking past Gordo, she smiled hello. Teagan saw that the bruise on his eye had started to disappear and couldn’t believe that Brax had done that for her. The day after she had shown up on his doorstep, Gordo had apologized sincerely and even offered to teach her how to surf. They were meeting on the weekend at the beach and she couldn’t wait to start surfing; then her and Brax would have one more thing in common.

She met Heath and Pee Wee on the side of the main highway and the three of them started walking with their bikes down the road slowly. Teagan enjoyed hanging out with the boys; they had less baggage and drama. With her girlfriends, there was always some kind of competition and being with the boys made for a refreshing change.

The three friends reached the inner dirt trail and put on their helmets before blazing through the national park on their dirt bikes. It was an easy ride and the engines rumbled and roared as they raced each other deeper and deeper into the bush, steering off the track. After a while, they reached a large clearing and decided to take a break.

The clearing was vast and green. As Heath took off his helmet and took a swig out of his water bottle, he looked around his surroundings. It was relatively secluded, had thick bush growing around it and was difficult to spot. It connected to no trails either; no one would find it. Ideas sprang into the young boy’s head; ideas that would benefit the River Boy’s business exponentially.

Within the next two years, the clearing became the growing ground for an increasing marijuana crop. Looking around the area, they found an abandoned house from the early twentieth century which the boys transformed into their base. It took a little dusting and mending but the rusty old shack turned into a workable hang out.

Cheryl didn’t ask where the money came from; she just assumed it was from gardening. Heath started working with his brother part time on both businesses and enjoyed every minute of it.

On Casey’s fourth birthday in October, Teagan invited herself to the Braxton house for the birthday celebration. The Braxton’s had become like a second family to her and Cheryl loved her. She entered through the open back door with the bagged present. Sneaking up to an oblivious Casey, she pounced on him and tickled him playfully. ‘Happy Birthday.’ She kissed him and gave him the present; a great big fire truck.

‘Yay, look what Teagan gave me.’ The birthday boy was very pleased with his new toy; he was going through a fireman phase. ‘Thanks Teags.’ Teagan saw that Vanessa Unley, her four year old Sherry and a couple of other kids of Cheryl’s friends were there too but she couldn’t see Brax. Just as she headed towards his room, Cheryl found and hugged her in greeting.

After making reasonable conversation with her, Teagan moved to her destination and opened Brax’ bedroom door to find him on his bed with his arms around a blonde girl. She hated it when she saw her crush with other girls and hated that he didn’t know she barely existed. To him, she was just Heath’s friend, nothing more. Teagan closed the door quickly before they noticed and before she started crying.

Heath saw the hurt look on Teagan’s face and knew she had just seen Brax and his newest girlfriend. ‘Hey Teags, you want to go into my room and hang out? It’s pretty boring out there with all those kids.’ He spoke as casually as possible and guided her into his room to try and get her mind off Brax.

They played around with the CD’s for a while. ‘You ever kissed a girl, Heath?’ Teagan asked curiously.

Heath was fazed by this question. ‘Yeah.’ He scoffed and hoped she didn’t catch his little white lie. Brax had had many girlfriends the last couple of years but he himself hadn’t had the best luck in that department and he was embarrassed to admit it.

‘You sure?’ Teagan poked him teasingly and smiled for a second before dropping it. ‘I’ve never been kissed.’ She nervously admitted. ‘My friends always talk about how great it is and I just smile and nod like I know what they’re talking about.’

‘Yeah, me too.’ He said without thinking and immediately tried to take it back but Teagan caught on quickly.

‘You too?’ She teased playfully. ‘I thought you said you’ve been kissed before?’

‘I have. I mean- never mind.’ Heath babbled and eventually gave up. He had no experience with girls and it wasn’t like Teagan would ruin his bad boy reputation. She was his friend. Before he could say anymore however, his friend leaned in and planted an innocent kiss on his lips, leaving him dumbfounded.

‘Now, you’ve kissed a girl.’ Teagan moved back away from him and sat down again, like nothing had happened. ‘And not just any girl either.’ She grinned cheekily.

[mizziette]

FOURTEEN

Ever since that kiss, Heath and Teagan hung out more often than usual. The blooming girl wasn’t just his best friend any more. Now, every time they saw each other there was this unacknowledged tension. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Before, she’d just been any other girl but it was like she had changed. Heath noticed things that he hadn’t noticed before; the smell of her hair, her slowly developing chest and her flirtatious personality now spoke volumes.

Teagan didn’t know why she’d kissed Heath. She had felt lonely and rejected by Brax, plus she was sick of going unnoticed all the time. Maybe it was time to explore her options. Brax couldn’t possibly be the only great guy in Mangrove River. If he didn’t want her, then she’d just have to pretend she didn’t care until she didn’t.

That first initial kiss at Casey’s birthday party had triggered something. Neither knew what it was but after months of denying it, surprised by how comfortable it felt. It just felt really natural. Teagan’s feelings for Brax were always looming in the background however, and they both knew it.

Heath and Teagan lay on the beach three months into their relationship side by side. It had been an exceptionally hot summer and they were dreading having to go back to school to do year nine but mostly because they weren’t going to the same school. ‘You know, Summer Bay’s not as bad as I thought it’d be.’ Teagan chewed her gum. ‘Some of the bay girls are not that bad.’

Heath didn’t believe this for a second. ‘I’ll believe it when I see it. You better not be going all soft. Once a river girl, always a river girl.’ To him, Mangrove River was everything, the River boys were family and he wouldn’t have it any other way. And he would hate it if anyone else thought differently. He leaned over to kiss Teagan but she pulled away.

Teagan sat in the diner fiddling with the sugar packets, a week later with Gypsy Nash. She had just moved to Summer Bay and it was great to hang out with likeminded people. ‘So tell me about this Heath guy.’ Gypsy sipped her shake.

‘He’s cute. Tall, dark, handsome, funny, what else is there?’ Teagan spoke nonchalantly.

‘Then why don’t you sound too excited about it?’ Gypsy urged. ‘Oh, I know, maybe because his brother’s taller, darker and more handsome? That’s it, isn’t it, you’re still hung up on Brax.’

‘No. I like Heath. He’s great.’ She rambled and tried to convince herself. ‘I like Heath.’

‘But you love his older brother.’ Teagan shook her head, giving up as her friend spoke the truthful words. Looking over at the counter, she saw Fisher buying his lunch and decided it was time to head out of there before they got caught skipping school by the principal.

Walking through the open door of the Braxton house later that night, Teagan realised that Gypsy had been right, she was only settling and even at the tender age of fifteen, Teagan Callaghan knew she didn’t want to settle. She had watched her mum do it with men over and over again only to end up heart broken, and she didn’t want that for herself. ‘Hello, anyone home?’

Brax walked out of his room shirtless, making Teagan’s heart palpate. Gathering her senses, she realised he was waiting for her to speak. ‘Hey Brax, is Heath here?’

Brax shook his head. ‘You just missed him. He’s sleeping at a mate’s tonight. Mum’s at the bar, so it’s just me and Case tonight.’

‘Oh.’ Teagan was a little uncomfortable. She didn’t know where to look. She couldn’t look at him because she didn’t want him to think she was staring and she knew she would stare if she looked at that muscular body. Caving in, she glanced at Brax and was surprised by what she saw. ‘You got a tattoo?’ The large scripture on his upper chest read ‘Blood and Sand’, it was very fitting. ‘Aren’t you too young?’

Brax gestured to his new tattoo. ‘Brody’s cousin’s a tattoo artist, he did it for me. Mum hates it. You like it?’ Teagan nodded her head and couldn’t help but admire him which confused Brax. ‘Did you want something else?’

Teagan woke up from her spell. ‘Huh?’ she said. ‘Yeah, no, just looking for Heath. I guess I should go then.’ She turned around to leave. Reaching the door, she halted and changed her mind. ‘Actually, there is something.’

Brax turned around to find her facing her and Teagan decided to put herself out there. She had wanted to wait to tell Heath first but she worried that if she didn’t do it now, then she might never do it. ‘I like you.’ She spat out.

‘Well, I like you too, Teagan.’ Brax raised his eyebrows, not sure where this was going.

‘No, you don’t get it. I like you. As in I really like you.’ Teagan walked up to Brax and pleaded with her eyes for him to understand but he was still as clueless as always. She sighed.

‘What are you getting at?’ Brax and Teagan were now within a metre of each other.

‘You know how I always get you water when you work, and chat with you all the time?’ Brax nodded, still confused. ‘And how I come over all the time? Play nice with your mates, play with Casey?’ Brax nodded again.

‘They’re your mates too.’

Teagan rolled her eyes. ‘That is so not the point. The point is-‘ She looked up at Brax pleadingly. ‘The point is- you are so blind. You are so blind that you can’t even see what’s right in front of you. Three years and you pick up on nothing. Nothing.’ Brax still looked perplexed and Teagan lost her patience. ‘Oh for god’s sake, come here.’ She grabbed his face in her hands and planted a rough kiss on his lips. ‘Do you understand, now?’

Stepping back, Teagan was embarrassed. She hadn’t intended on being so brash and now she was scared to see his reaction. ‘Sorry.’ She whispered nervously as Brax touched his lips dumbfounded.

Regaining his focus, Brax glanced at the nervous girl in front of him, shocked. He hadn’t realised she felt that way. And for so many years? Thinking through recent events, he looked at Teagan. She had changed since the first time he saw her. Back then she had been a young girl and now she was a teenager, flourishing past puberty. It was a dramatic change to see her like this. For the first time, Brax noticed that her face was strong and defined as was the rest of her body.

In the spur of the moment, Brax reached down and held Teagan’s face, pulling her into a deep kiss.

[mizziette]

FIFTEEN

Casey woke up from a bad dream. He hated going to sleep because the bad dreams always came and the monsters came with it. He heard a loud groaning sound coming from outside his room and pulled his blanket up over his nose in fear. He knew Brax had checked under the bed and in the closet for monsters before he went to bed, but he was awake now and more scared than ever.

Looking at his bedside table, the four year old saw his favourite Buzz Light-year action figure and his courage increased. Buzz was a hero and he wasn’t scared of anything. If Buzz could do it, so could Casey Braxton. Getting Buzz from the table, he slowly crept out of bed, watching around him as cautiously as he could and ventured out of his room into the hallway.

The sound came from the living room and Casey crept fearfully and determinedly towards the direction wielding Buzz in his right hand, ready to attack if necessary. Creeping up, he saw movement from behind the couch and inhaled deeply.

Teagan and Brax were oblivious to the scared little boy in the house; they were too consumed in each other. The kissing had deepened and it was the most intense feeling Teagan had ever experienced. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Brax broke their kiss as they lay naked on the couch. Teagan had never done this before and he wanted to make certain that she was sure.

‘Yes. I’m so sure.’ Teagan stared up at Brax and couldn’t believe her first time was going to be with him. She knew it wasn’t his first time too but that didn’t bother her; after years of dreaming about the idea of him, Darryl Braxton actually wanted her back.

The act itself was mind blowing. Neither of them had ever experienced a connection like that before. It was surreal on so many levels. They held each other under the blanket on the couch lovingly.

‘Brax, how come you’re not wearing clothes?’ Brax flew off Teagan at the sound of the little voice and grabbed a magazine from the coffee table on his way down to the floor to cover himself. ‘Did you lose them?’ Casey felt more secure now that it was his brother and not a monster in the living room. He hugged his Buzz Light-year toy tightly.

‘What, no, no, I didn’t lose them. I was just-’ Brax couldn’t believe this was happening and Teagan pulled up the blanket over her higher, still in shock. ‘Any way, shouldn’t you be in bed?’ He tried to take the attention off his compromising position.

‘I heard noises.’ Casey whispered innocently.

Brax sighed. ‘Alright, you go back to bed. I’ll come tuck you in in a bit.’ He waved the four year old off to his room.

Ten minutes later, walking into Casey’s room, he found the little boy with the blanket up to his neck, eyes wide in fear. As soon as Brax entered, the iron grip on the blanket loosened and he looked more comfortable. ‘You found your clothes.’ Casey seemed happy at this revelation.

‘Yeah mate. I found my clothes.’ Brax sat on the bed next to him and stroked the boy’s hair. ‘Couldn’t sleep, eh?’

‘What were you and Teagan doing?’ Casey looked up at his brother whose eyes widened. It was the first time he had asked an uncomfortable question.

Brax was a little uncomfortable. ‘Um, well buddy. I guess you could say we were wrestling. Yeah, that’s it.’ The words came out slowly and nervously.

‘You were wrestling?’ Brax nodded and kissed Casey goodnight before heading towards the door. Casey’s little voice halted him again and he turned around. ‘I don’t think you should wrestle with Teagan.’

‘You don’t?’ Brax walked back over to the little boy.

‘No.’ Casey was a little more active now. ‘Teagan’s so much smaller than you and you’re so big. You could hurt her if you wrestled with her and then her mummy would be sad.’

Brax grinned. ‘We can’t have that, can we? You know what, you’re right. I won’t do it again. I promise.’ It amazed the older boy how mature he was getting. Just as he was about to get up to leave again, Brax saw Casey’s face falter as he tried unsuccessfully to be brave at the thought of being all alone in his room.

‘Hey Case, can I ask you for a big favour?’ Casey nodded. ‘Do you think it would be alright if I slept here with you tonight? Is that okay?’ Casey nodded again and looked a little more comfortable and a little less scared. Brax knew that Casey wanted to be a big boy and was too proud to admit he was scared so he took it upon himself to make him feel secure. ‘You want me to check the closet for monsters?’

Casey shook his head and nestled into his older brother, feeling safe in his arms. That night as Brax held the little boy in his arms, Casey slept without his nightlight for the first time in ages and didn’t have any nightmares.

[mizziette]

SIXTEEN

Heath was making his breakfast the next morning when Brax and Casey joined him. Sitting eagerly at the round table, Casey clapped his feet together annoyingly and waited for his breakfast. ‘Morning, Heath.’ He grinned cheekily.

‘Good morning, mate. How was your night?’ Heath replied, putting two pieces of bread in the toaster.

‘Okay. Brax lost his clothes last night.’ The little boy innocently looked at his oldest brother who looked a little thrown back. ‘But he found them again.’

‘Yeah’ Heath was amused. ‘How’d he manage to do that?’

‘He was wrestling with Teagan. I’m hungry. Is my food ready yet?’ Casey pouted and swung his legs up and down impatiently.

Brax watched Heath as their little brother said those innocent words, his face slowly turning into a frown as realisation hit. ‘Yeah, hang on a sec, buddy.’ Brax said distractedly as Heath turned to glare at him.

His voice was low and menacing, and his face showed the deepest anger. ‘You lost your clothes wrestling with Teagan?’

Brax put the plate down in front of Casey who started devouring his food, and didn’t once break eye contact with Heath. ‘Look mate’ He tried to explain but was cut off as his brother took matters into his own hands.

Heath pounced on Brax and the two boys fell onto the kitchen floor, as Casey watched on surprised. ‘Uh oh, MUM! Brax and Heath are fighting!’ The little boy gasped at his older brothers.

As they brawled, Cheryl woke up to the unpleasant sound of fighting and walked grumpily into the living area. She hated being woken up before the alarm. ‘Oi, what’s going on here?’ Her voice went unheard by her sons which frustrated the woman. She pounded her fist on the kitchen table as loudly as she could, making poor Casey jump in fear and Heath and Brax looked up at the angry eyes of their mum. ‘You two want to act like animals, you don’t do it in my house, you hear me?’

The boys got up from the floor and shook it off grumpily. ‘Clean up this mess and for god’s sake, do it quietly.’ Cheryl stormed back to her room to get ready for work, gesturing at the upturned kitchen.

Heath walked off too, out the door, without saying a word. ‘Guess it’s just you and me, kid.’ Brax shrugged his shoulders at Casey before reaching down to pick up an overturned chair.

Heath walked up to the front door and rapped on it as loudly as he could. He was still a little riled up from his confrontation with Brax. The door opened and Teagan stood shocked in the doorway in her silk pyjamas. ‘Heath?’ She rubbed her eyes. It was still early.

‘You have fun last night?’ Heath pushed past the girl and stormed into the house and started pacing. ‘Did you?’ He stood up close to Teagan, almost breathing on her face.

‘Heath, keep it down.’ Teagan had seen Heath get this mad at the boys but this was the first time his aggression had been directed at her and it scared her. She knew exactly what he was capable of. ‘Please, I was going to tell you.’

‘After you slept with my brother, right? My brother.’ He flayed his hands angrily around and Teagan winced backwards. ‘Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.’ Heath saw the look on her face and sighed defeated.

‘It’s not like its brand new information.’ Teagan wrapped her silk robe around her more tightly. ‘You knew how I felt about Brax.’

‘Yeah, I thought at least you’d have the courtesy to tell me first.’ Heath sat on the couch and scratched his head. ‘At least have the decency.’

Teagan joined him on the couch. ‘That’s what I went over to do last night but Brax said you were at a mate’s.’ She took his hand in hers. ‘I’m sorry, okay. I never meant to hurt you. You’re my best friend.’

Heath got up and sighed. ‘I should go.’

[mizziette]

SEVENTEEN

The next few weeks were draining in the Braxton household. Heath moped around grumpily and Brax felt like he had to tiptoe around his little brother all the time. Cheryl and Casey also saw the tension but while the mum thought it best to let the boys sort it out for themselves, Casey watched his older brothers as intently as he watched his favourite cartoons. To the little boy, it was like he was in a real life drama.

Teagan walked in through the door one morning while Cheryl was making instant pasta for dinner and the boys were watching an action flick on TV. Seeing their guest, Heath excused himself from dinner and walked straight out the door that Teagan had entered. Even though he had come to terms with the situation, it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. It was still fresh wounds.

When Heath had left, Teagan sat next to Brax on the couch and curled into him, giving him a kiss. The last couple of months had been great; it was everything she had dreamed about since the first time she’d met him when she was twelve. Except for one thing; she had Heath, the best friend she had had and that put a big damper on her elation. ‘How was it?’ she asked quietly, making sure Cheryl didn’t hear.

‘It went better than I’d thought.’ Brax put his arms around her and whispered in her ear. ‘Got double what we usually do.’ They were talking about a deal that the boys had done with one of their first adult clients. Before, they had only sold their stuff to fellow high schoolers but adults had much more money to dish out and it had been worth the risk; there revenue had nearly doubled.

Cheryl was going through a dry spell; she had gone easy on the booze for a while, so Brax and Heath had to be extra alert while sneaking out that night. Although they were still on rocky terms, the boys couldn’t let down their mates. Having just got his licence, Brax quietly took his mum’s car keys and the two brothers headed to Stewart’s point.

Two weeks ago, one of the boys had been propositioned by another local gang to supply them with what only the River Boys could offer and although it was risky, they were willing to go for it. Johnny Cooper and his mates were notorious in the area to be ruthless and the boys were determined to stand their ground, for the sake of their growing reputation.

The Braxton brothers met Brody and Rick on top of the cliff where the former held the packages of weed in an inconspicuous backpack. They greeted each other just as a black truck came barrelling down the windy road and parked carelessly on the open area. It was time.

The guy who got out of the car was only a year or so older than Brax and sported a filthy frown. All four car doors opened and closed, revealing Johnny and his most threatening mates. Brody glanced nervously at Brax who seemed unfazed. ‘Johnny Cooper.’ The leader held out his hand.

‘Darryl Braxton.’ Brax shook it firmly, not letting any emotion show on his face. He needed to remain completely neutral and in control or this would never work. ‘You got the cash?’

Johnny smiled. ‘A man who gets straight down to business. I like it. Only if you have what we want.’ Brax gestured to Brody who opened the backpack halfway revealing the plastic bags.

The boys made the exchange, a bag full of pot for a bag full of cash. And it was a lot of cash, and split multiple ways, it would out food in all the river boys’ mouths for at least the next couple days.

When the black truck had left again, every one let out a sigh and Brody took the gun out of his jeans and put it back in his car. Noticing the look on Brax’ face, he shrugged. ‘Just in case. You never know.’ Brax nodded. He didn’t like the idea of them having to carry guns around but it was necessary for protection.

The next morning, the news blared as the Braxton family ate breakfast. The headlines told of a young woman who had overdosed on drugs the night before after a fight with her boyfriend. They showed her picture, smiling and bubbly from before her drug addict days. Brax gulped as he recognised her and turned away guiltily. He had only seen her the day before. He tried to get the image of her face out of his head as best as he could; it would be easier not to think about it. The woman he had sold to just the day before, the woman he had spoken to Teagan about last night, the woman with two kids, and a sister was dead and Brax tried to block out as much of the news commentary as he could.

[mizziette]

EIGHTEEN

Brax walked into the diner with his hands wrapped around Teagan, who was in her Summer Bay uniform. Teagan loved it when Brax picked her up from school; driving home with a cute business man beat riding the bus home plus any excuse to show off her hot older man to her school friends was good enough for her. They sat at a window table and gazed out at the beach as Colleen walked up to take their order.

‘You know, young lady, it would do you some good to cover those legs of yours.’ She scolded Teagan after taking their order. ‘Showing off your undergarments to all that’s watching may be quite the fashion for some of you young ones but it won’t do in a respectable establishment as this.’ As Colleen strutted off to the kitchen smugly with her nose in the air, both Teagan and Brax looked down at the short school uniform and burst into laughter.

‘I can’t say I agree with her. I kind of like those legs.’ Brax grinned cheekily and poked her playfully.

‘I’ll be right back. Little girl’s room.’ Teagan got up and kissed her boyfriend. ‘Don’t miss me too much.’

‘I’ll try.’ Brax watched her walk away admiringly. There was no denying it; Teagan Callaghan was every guy’s dream. Just not Brax’. He liked her but there always felt like something was missing. He looked around and saw various women of all ages and knew the last thing he wanted was to be tied down.

Ten minutes later, Teagan walked out of the bathroom and scoffed as she watched the waitress flirtingly placed the food in front of Brax and giggled. Her boyfriend didn’t seem to mind the attention as he watched the pretty girl walk back into the kitchen, barely noticing his girlfriend sitting back down.

‘You get her number?’ Teagan’s sarcasm prompted Brax back to their table.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Little miss thing over there kissing up to you.’ She pointed towards the kitchen, insecure and angry at Brax for flirting with another girl. ‘Personally, though, I didn’t think easy was your type. But whatever floats your boat, I guess.’

‘Why are you being so stuck-up? She was just being friendly.’

‘Yeah, any friendlier and Mrs Smart’s respectable establishment might as well be a house of ill repute.’

Brax frowned and couldn’t believe Teagan could be so spiteful. ‘Just eat your burger so we can get out of here.’

Teagan was in a bad mood the entire ride home and was still upset. She had spent so many years pining for Brax and now that she had him she was afraid he might ditch her if something better came along. She took off her seatbelt as the white pickup truck pulled up in front of her house and looked at the driver’s seat. ‘I’m sorry I was being so jealous before.’

Teagan slid closer to Brax and wrapped her arms around her annoyed boyfriend. ‘You know it’s only because I love you, right?’ She whispered seductively. ‘Right babe?’

As usual, Brax didn’t repeat the romantic phrase back to her. She kissed him and at first Brax tried to ignore it but let’s face it; he was a seventeen year old boy. He had to admit, even though the blonde’s possessiveness was annoying, she sure knew how to kiss and he eased into the kiss as it deepened. The lights on the Callaghan’s front porch began to blink on and off.

‘That’s my mum telling me to get inside.’ Teagan slid out of the seat and walked onto the sidewalk. ‘I’ll see you later?’

The following morning, Teagan woke up to a racket. Loud voices echoed through the house. She looked at the clock; seven o’clock. Walking into the hallway, still half asleep, she stumbled over a suitcase. ‘Mum, what’s going on?’

‘Hey sis.’ A tall curly haired guy grinned cockily. Teagan immediately out her guard up as she recognised her estranged half-brother. ‘Guess who?’

The whole world stopped and she felt numb from the shock and fear. Standing face to face with her evil excuse of a brother, she managed to remain outwardly calm, although she couldn’t understand how. The nightmare was beginning again as Teagan Callaghan remembered all the unthinkable things she had witnessed in that beach house in the city.

[mizziette]

Hey, sorry this is so short. I'm glad you're enjoying reading this, your comments are very appreciated. A little warning, there is strong reference to Charlie's rape ahead.

Flashback…

Nine year old Teagan bent down near the basement window to try and sneak back into her house through the basement. Her mum and their dad had gone away for the weekend and her brother Grant had kicked her out of the house, choosing instead to raid the adult’s booze cupboard with his mates. She heard noises coming from inside and stopped, not wanting to be heard.

‘Stop, please.’ The voice from inside sobbed and pleaded to stop whatever was happening in the basement and curious, Teagan carefully and silently opened the window and snuck in. Quietly as she could she pinpointed the sobbing to come from around the corner of their multi roomed basement and cautiously peered through it.

She found herself making eye contact with the pleading desperate eyes of Grant’s girlfriend as Teagan’s brother forced himself on her, unwilling and clearly traumatised by the horrific act. ‘Stop.’ She stepped out from the shadows much to the sobbing girl’s relief.

Grant Bledcoe angrily took a lamp from the table and flung it straight at Teagan, who failed to duck in time. As she lay bleeding on the floor, she watched as the cruel older boy spoke unnaturally sweetly to the traumatised girl, dressing her and guiding her to the door with his arms around her to walk her home against her will. ‘Don’t tell.’ He whispered to both young girls. It was clearly a threat, one Teagan wasn’t going to take any chances on.

------------------------------

Teagan sat on Brax’ couch and sobbed as she told him about her ordeal. ‘It wasn't the first time he hit me. Mum and Grant’s dad, Michael didn’t believe me and thought I was just trying to get attention. They didn’t doubt their golden boy for a second; he could never go wrong in their eyes.’

‘What about the girl? What happened to her?’ Brax found himself sympathising with his girlfriend and felt strongly protective of her.

‘Michael, my stepdad, called me a liar. Even when the girl’s dad came storming to our house and accusing him three months later, he didn’t believe me. Apparently she got pregnant and was really traumatised but he just said she was trying to trap Grant because she was stupid enough to get pregnant at thirteen. It wasn’t her fault.’

Teagan paused for a moment to regain her composure and continued. ‘The threats from Grant got worse so I ran away and caught the bus to my Gran’s house in Mangrove River. Mum followed me and when I refused to go back, she rented a place near Gran. Her and Michael divorced over the long distance thing.’

Long after Teagan had left that night, Brax couldn’t help thinking about that poor girl in the basement who had been abused and gotten pregnant so young. He hoped she had someone in her life to comfort her and look after her and her baby, who Brax guessed would be the same age as Casey. She hadn’t deserved to have her innocence and childhood ripped away from her like that; no one did. Although he had never met this girl, he wished he could erase all her heartbreak and make her whole again.

[mizziette]

NINETEEN

Brax looked at his Nokia classic phone, and frowned when he saw there were no calls from Teagan. He hadn’t heard from her in days and he was getting worried. It wasn’t like her not to call back, especially after the ten calls he had left for her. Even Heath had put aside his stubborn ignorance of anything Brax and Teagan and tried unsuccessfully to contact her. The phone beeped a new text message and Brax picked up his keys and left the house when he saw the message from the boys who had been planting the crops. He had business to attend to.

Heath walked up to the Callaghan house and found Grant sitting on the porch. The smug looking twenty one year old sat sipping a beer and didn’t seem too pleased with the thuggish teen marching up through his mum’s driveway. ‘Who’re you?’

‘Could ask you the same thing. Haven’t seen you before.’ Heath called back, not knowing that Teagan had a half-brother.

‘Grant. I’m visiting my mum for a few weeks before doing my post grad.’

‘Is Teagan in?’ He was starting to get worried about her as well and just wanted to know she was okay. She was his best mate above all else and he couldn’t ignore her even if he was still a little mad about what went down with Brax.

‘Nah. She ran away, little devil. Probably with some bloke if I know her.’ Grant grinned and slugged down some more of his beer. Heath thought this weird; this guy clearly didn’t know Teagan as well as he thought he did.

‘She ran away? Why aren’t you and her mum looking for her then?’

‘Why would we? She’ll come back once she realises she can’t make it on her own. Teagan’s always been a suck up, always getting others to look after her.’ Grant got up and walked to the door. ‘Now, I need to be somewhere, so unless there’s anything else?’

Heath scoffed and left. Who did this guy think he was, acting all cocky and high and mighty? Teagan was the most independent girl he knew and suck up would be the last word anyone who really knew her would use to describe her. Heath wondered why she would run away. He had thought she was happy here; she finally had the guy of her dreams and was fitting in well to the surfing lifestyle of Mangrove River.

Heath went straight to their thriving dope farm. They had only planted the seeds a few weeks ago so there wasn’t much to sell but it was well kept and the boys knew they’d be bringing in the big bucks with the next harvest. Spotting Brax, he went up to him and told him about Teagan.

‘You talked to Grant?’ Brax scratched his head stressfully.

‘Yeah, that’s what I said. Where’s your head at today?’ Heath pointed to his temple, in imitation and mock to Brax’ body language. ‘What’s the deal with this Grant guy anyway? City slicker in Mangrove River just looks wrong, if you ask me.’

‘Teagan moved here from the city and got on all right.’ Brax was still uneasy about Grant and it showed on his face.

‘You know something about the city freak, don’t you?’ He picked up on the body language immediately. Sometimes, it frustrated Heath that people always thought he was an idiot. ‘Go on, out with it.’

Brax sighed. ‘All you need to know is he’s not a very nice guy. I can understand why she’d run from him.’

‘What, he hurt her?’ Fury boiled up inside the middle brother.

‘Just let it go.’ As Heath walked off though, he knew he wouldn’t let it go.

Brax thought about Teagan and how scared she had been of her brother. It would have been a horrible life, growing up with such a sadistic guy. Secretly he was glad she was gone, and hoped she would be far away from Grant, somewhere where she didn’t have to look over her shoulder every five seconds. Inadvertently, he realised that the girl had popped back into his mind. Every time he heard the name Grant, he always associated it with the poor abused girl in that basement all those years ago. It amazed him how a stranger could evoke such strong protectiveness and sympathy from him.

No doubt, the next morning, Grant woke up on the side of the road, after having been unceremoniously beaten to a pulp the night before by a hooded stranger. Justice had been served but the lesson unfortunately, hadn't been learnt. Grant Bledcoe was beyond redemption.