Work Text:
Sunday, August 18th, 2013 - 10.5 weeks along
“Are we there yet?” a blind-folded Mack asked as Brady guided her down the beach.
“Almost,” he replied, laughing lightly and tightening his grip on her hips from behind.
“Wait, we’re not doing that blindfolded surfing thing again, are we?” Mack asked. “Cause that didn’t exactly end up being one of your better ideas.”
Brady chuckled low in her ear. “First of all, that buoy had no business being there. And you were really distracting with how you kept brushing up against me. Second of all, no, we’re not going surfing. At least not yet.”
Mack shook her head. “That wasn’t my fault, I kept bumping into you because I couldn’t see anything!”
“Mm-hmm, I think some of it might’ve been on purpose and you won’t admit it,” Brady said when they came to a stop. “Okay, do you know where we are?’
Mack cocked her head to the side, taking a wild guess. “No… unless it’s the clearing in Dolphin’s Cove, right by the lifeguard tower, which happens to be the exact spot we met 3 months ago to this day.”
“To the minute, actually,” Brady said into her ear before pressing a kiss to it and taking off her blindfold. “At the beginning of what’s turned out to be the most bodacious summer of my life.”
Mack turned to face him, smiling. “I don’t know if ‘bodacious’ is the right word to describe what’s happened to us these past three months.”
Brady thought a moment. “Life-changing? Momentous, maybe?”
“I would say finding out we’re going to be teen parents is pretty momentous,” Mack said, letting Brady lead her over to the chairs he’d set up.
“Can’t forget getting trapped in a 1960s beach movie,” Brady added as they both sat down. “Which is the entire reason you changed your mind about the baby.”
Mack smiled, reaching down to touch her barely-there bump. Though she could barely see any change, she could hardly get any of her jeans buttoned. “I couldn’t be more thankful for that stupid movie.”
“Can’t forget that we literally met while I was watching it on my tablet, right there,” Brady said, pointing off to their right. “It was like, a sign.”
Mack chuckled. “I saw you and thought ‘Who is the surfer dude with the shiny hair’?” She reached up to push his hair back. “And you asked me if I wanted to watch the ‘awesomest’ movie ever made with you, and I said that I didn’t think ‘awesomest’ was a real word. And even if it was, that movie was definitely not it.”
Brady grinned. “Then I said, ‘check it out with me, and if you don’t have a good time I’ll buy you a mango smoothie. Either way, you win.’”
“And I do love mangoes,” Mack said, letting Brady pull her into a kiss. “You really did all this for me?” she asked when they parted.
Brady smiled sheepishly. “I’d swim to China for you. Or Hawaii.” He turned towards the ocean, confused. “Whatever’s that way. I have no idea what’s that way.”
Mack grinned, reaching over to turn his face back towards her to kiss him again.
“I love you, Mack,” Brady said, resting his forehead on hers.
“I love you, too, Brady,” she replied, running her hand down his arm to take his hand.
“You ready?” Brady asked, pointing towards the projector screen he’d set up.
She nodded. “Always.”
They watched in silence for a while, enjoying Wet Side Story and the feeling of their interlocked hands. Mack couldn’t help the warmth that spread through her every time Brady moved his thumb back and forth across her knuckles.
Halfway through the movie, Brady turned to look at her. “How do you think tomorrow’s gonna go?”
Mack shrugged, trying to ignore the icy feeling in her gut at the thought. “Busy, probably. Since I have a meeting with the principal and the counselor about how graduating early works… and possibly telling Alyssa that I’m pregnant, which is terrifying.”
Brady squeezed her hand. “I’ve gotta figure out when I’m telling Devon, too… I feel like there’s no right way or time to do it, I just have to pick a random time and just… say it.”
“I think I’m gonna have Alyssa come to my house to study after school and then tell her. I thought about doing it before school, but I think we need to have time to, y’know… talk about it,” Mack said, worrying at her bottom lip.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to ask about graduating early, too?” Brady asked, taking her hand in both of his. “I know it’s double the work, but I can do it.”
Mack shook her head. “No, we talked about it, it’s okay. I don’t want the entire school knowing about it and if you were to do that, too… people would talk. Plus, I was already in advanced classes, so this is no big deal for me. I technically won’t be doing double the work. I’m just… falling back a little.”
Brady’s face twisted with sympathy. “I hate that you have to do that. Fall back, I mean.”
“It’s my choice,” Mack said, smiling sadly. “The right one. It’s worth it.”
“Well, you know I’m dropping out in a heartbeat if you need me at home when the baby comes,” Brady said.
Mack rolled her eyes fondly. “The baby needs you to graduate high school so you can go to college to secure our future.”
“You’re right, but still,” Brady chuckled. Mack swore she’d felt him tense up momentarily, but he masked it quickly.
“Do you think things are gonna be different for us at school?” Brady asked her, eyes on their hands.
“How do you mean?” Mack asked, turning completely sideways in her chair with her knees up. “We were in school together all last year.”
Brady looked up at her. “Exactly, and we never even crossed paths.”
“Brady, it’s us. And we’re having a baby together, what’re you worried about?”
“Just… worried our school lives don’t mesh and I won’t get to see you enough,” Brady said shyly. “That’s dumb, I guess, but I’ve gotten to used to being with you all day every day.”
Mack smiled. “Aww, Brady. We’ll be okay. In case you’ve forgotten we kind of have a special circumstance. If anything, you can come sleep over some nights. Especially in the next few weeks since my Grandpa is out of town.”
When the movie finished, they went for a quick night swim. Mack didn’t care that she was out too late, this was her last summer ever as a carefree kid. Next summer, she would have a three month old baby and real life would have really set in.
Brady swam over to her, touching her collarbone. “What happened to your necklace?”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she grabbed at her neck. It was gone! Brady dove for it, but to no avail. It must’ve floated away.
Mack felt upset, but honestly, her mind was so full of things to be stressed about that she just let it go.
Brady walked with her back home, stopping her by the door to kiss her. “Want me to stay the night?”
Mack grinned, pulling him back down into a deep kiss. “Mmm… as much as I’d love that, I need to go to sleep.”
“We can go right to sleep after, I swear,” Brady said, gripping her hips and pulling her closer.
Mack let him kiss her again, getting lost in it for a moment before pushing him away gently. “Okay, Brady, I’m serious, I need to go in and get to bed as quick as possible. Maybe you can stay over this weekend?”
Brady nodded, smiling. “Okay, I can’t wait.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mack said.
“You wanna walk together?” Brady asked. “I’ll come to you.”
Mack shook her head. “I have to get there at least an hour before the first bell, I have to get all the stuff ready for the Oceanography Club meeting. We have to start planning the Save the Beach dance and lay out our schedule for the semester. And plan an election for the next club president since I’m-”
“Hey, breathe,” Brady said, touching her face. “You can worry about all that tomorrow. Go in and get some rest.”
“You’re right,” Mack breathed out. “Goodnight, Brady.”
“Goodnight, Mack,” he smiled, kissing her quickly before walking back down the steps.
Grandpa called her as she was walking to her room. “Hey, sweetheart. You’re not going to sleep yet, are you?”
“No, not yet,” Mack said as she shut her bedroom door. “How’s Miami?”
“Hot and wet,” Grandpa said with a chuckle. “I’m already missing the dry heat of Santa Monica and I’ve only been here a day.”
“I bet.”
“How’re you feeling about school tomorrow?”
Mack shrugged, putting her phone on speaker and setting it on her dresser. “Okay, I guess. Stressed. Lots to do and think about.”
“I know, honey,” he said. “Are you sure you’ll be alright? I can wriggle my way out of this contract and come home if you need me. I’ll find a different way to make extra money.”
“No, definitely don’t do that,” Mack said, working her hair tie out of her hair. “I’m okay, I promise. When are you coming back again?”
“Should still be September 14th. I’ll let you know if anything changes,” he said.
“Ah okay…. well, I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“Anytime, I’m here.”
“Goodnight, Grandpa,” Mack said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Kenzie,” he replied. “Sleep well.”