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"WHAT ARE YOU WRITING?" Brixton looks over at his mother, from his spot in the recliner chair next to her. He had just woken up from a small nap.

Susannah turns her gaze to look at her son. "Letters to you and your father."

"Mom, you're going to be okay." Brixton sighs, siting up. "You don't have to write us letters."

"I know." Susannah gives him a small smile. She didn't have it in her heart to tell him how she knew her time was coming to an end. "It's just in case."

"Mhm." Brixton hums. He didn't want to even think about the possibility that his mother might lose her battle. The thought scared him. He was scared.

Susannah eyes him, she could see the way his mood dropped. She moves over before patting the space next to her. "Come here."

Brixton didn't have to be told twice. He quickly moved next to her on the bed, laying into her side. He's taking advantage of every moment he gets to be in her arms. To be in her comforting arms.

The teen lays his head on her chest as she goes to speak. "I just want you to be prepared. There's a chance things won't go the way we want it too and—."

"Mom, please..." Brixton leans into her side further, only wanting to shake off the sad feeling.

"I just want you to be ready and strong, okay?" Susannah runs her hands through her boy's hair. "Especially for your father."

"I know." Brixton whispers, fighting back tears.

"I love you, my special boy." Susannah places a soft kiss on his head.

"I love you more, Mom." Brixton clings to her.

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"What you thinking about over there?" Baxter's voice brings Brixton out of his thoughts.

Brixton looks up at Baxter, who sat at the edge of the bed, throwing one of Brixton's shirts on. Brixton eyeing him, he looked so good. "You."

"Am I already taking over your mind?" Baxter grins, moving to sit in front of Brixton.

"Like I would ever really admit to that." Brixton grins back. "Your ego is already big. Can't have it getting any bigger."

"Just the fact that you were thinking about me is enough to satisfy me." Baxter gives a small shrug, his eyes running over Brixton's features.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

Brixton moves his face closer to Baxter's, eyes going from lips to eyes. "Do you think about me? Do I take over your mind?"

Baxter felt like he was in a trance as he stared into Brixton's beautiful ocean eyes. "Ever since I met you."

"I got you to admit it." Brixton smirks, pulling back, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.

Baxter rubs his jaw, a nagging, yet pleasant feeling in his stomach. He's never felt his way before. "You know how to get me to say things."

"My specialty." Brixton runs a hand through his hair as he stands, grabbing Baxter's hand and dragging him off the bed. "You gonna eat something?"

"Are you off—."

"Bax." Brixton cuts him off.

Baxter chuckles as they walk into the kitchen. "Sure, Brix."

"Hi, Brix!" Honey waves at him, with a huge smile on her face, smoothie mustache right above her upper lip. "There's more smoothie for you!"

"You told me there was no more." Brixton and Baxter both tense just a bit at the sound of Wren's voice.

"Well, that's because I don't like you." Honey says simply, taking a sip of her smoothie.

"Honey." Abbie gives her a warning.

Honey rolls her eyes, giving Brixton a side hug before finding a place at the table. Wren turns her attention to the two, Baxter dropping Brixton's hand. Brixton felt his heart drop. He didn't want there to be another repeat of Marlon.

"Bax? What are you doing here?"

"Uh—."

"He was helping me fix my board." Brixton comes to the boys rescue. Ignoring the look Ari was giving him. "Getting it ready for today, you know?"

"Mhm." Wren gives a unsure hum, but nevertheless shrugs it off. Not caring all that much.

"Smoothie?" Brixton asks Baxter, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sure, yeah." Baxter nods.

Brixton takes out two cups before taking the blender, Ari held out for him and pouring it into the two cups. It was just enough for the both of them. Instead of handing Baxter his drink, Brixton simply slides it to him, not looking into his eyes. He was starting to get insecure.

"Brixton, darling." Abbie calls to him, she holds out a white envelope. "There's a letter here for you."

Brixton walks around Baxter, feeling his eyes on him as he did so. He takes the letter from Abbie. He eyes the letter, more importantly the hand writing on it. His world stopped. It was from his mother.

She didn't turn out okay and now there was a letter in his hand. He wondered if his father got his and if he was reading it at this moment. Mark had to be the one to send it to him, she wouldn't have known, her son would be staying with the Gibsons, right?

Brixton never felt so scared to read a letter in his life. He didn't want to go back to the depressing state he was once in months ago. He didn't want to back track because if he did, he'd be letting her down and he already came so far.

Now, what if he didn't read it? She spent every moment in the hospital writing these letters. Her hands never seemed to get tired. She would write and write, not only did it occupy her mind, but it gave her a sense of relief to be able to tell them the things she wouldn't be able to. He already felt guilty and not reading it would only make his feel guiltier.

"Bri, back me up here!" Summer nudges him, not noticing his current state. None of them did, besides Baxter, who couldn't keep his eyes off of the Lennon boy.

"It's from my mom." Brixton whispers, his eyes not leaving the letter.

"What?" Summer turns his gaze to him. All eyes on him now.

"What's from your mother, sweetheart?" Abbie lays a gentle hand on his arm.

"This letter." He says looking up, only to be met with eyes full of pity. He takes a breath before he rushes towards his room.

Everyone watches as Baxter quickly goes to follow, but Honey and Ari stop him. "Don't."

"He prefers to be alone." Ari tells his girlfriends brother. "Leave him."

"No hard feelings." Honey pats Baxter's arm.

"You guys leaving him alone is the problem." Baxter snaps as he walks towards the front door. "He doesn't want to be alone."

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Brixton didn't read the letter. Nor has he said a word to anyone as they stood on the beach, all preparing for their heat. He was fighting to pick who he should listen to, his heart or his mind.

His heart was telling him that he should read it, maybe it would relieve the guiltiness he's been feeling since she died and his mind is telling him not to read because then he'll get more distracted than he already is and mess everything up.

Why did his life have to be so hard?

"Gang." Elo speaks up, eyeing Brixton who seemed to be far away from the real world. "Why do I get the feeling you're all getting distracted?"

Marlon nudges Brixton who snaps his head up as him. Marlon motions towards Elo who continues to speak. "Listen, this is our last chance before Nationals to see some of your interstate rivals in action, yeah?"

"Yeah. Spoiler alert." Baxter pipes in. His eyes as always on Brixton, who was looking at the sand. "They're better than you guys. Well some."

"And not to mention all big sponsors are here watching. So every comp, every heat, is an opportunity. Don't waste it." And on cue, the siren blares, signaling it was time to start. "Alright, let's go, let's do this!"

Everyone cheers and nods as they gather their things, getting ready for their heat. Marlon nudges Brixton softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Brixton says simply,
walking off, board in hand, just wanting to be on his own before the heat started.

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"Hey." Baxter lifts himself onto the wooden stair handle, finding his place next to Brixton, who stared out at the beautiful and peaceful water.

"I came out here to be alone."

"We can be alone together." Baxter says back. "I'm not going to leave you alone. I know that's the last thing you truly want."

Baxter was right. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted someone to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be okay and that they were proud of him. He wanted to feel normal.

"You've known me for barley half the time the others have and you already know me better than them." Brixton turns his gaze to Baxter, who was looking right at him. "How is that possible?"

"I'd say we have a special connection." Baxter smiles gently. "Or maybe I'm just special? That seems to be a common theme also."

Brixton chuckles genuinely for the first time that day. "You think you got a hold on everyone, don't you, pretty boy?"

"Obviously not you." Baxter hops down, going over to grab Brixton's board, looking it over, heart pounding. "You should let me loan you board. To make you feel better."

"I'm fine and I don't take gifts from pink haired guys." Brixton teases, grabbing his board from Baxter.

"Come on. You were doing so well." Baxter groans, moving towards Brixton, the two chest to chest as they stare into each others eyes. "Don't be anti-Baxter."

Brixton raises his hand and places it on the side of Baxter's face, running it over his cheek gently, sending chills down his spine. "You're hilarious."

Brixton moves his hand away, before walking off with his board, tucked under his arm, he could feel Baxter's eyes on him.
"Let's go, pretty boy. We got a heat to do."

Baxter quickly follows, playfully bumping into him, making Brixton laugh. Just in a couple moments, Baxter was able to make him forget about everything. He cleared him mine and made him feel...normal. Just like he wanted.

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Brixton paddles in, his eyes searching for waves. He let the water take over his body and mind, not allowing himself to get distracted. Not even letting Baxter, who was only a few feet away from him in the water, take over his mind.

He was all in. He turns around, paddling forward slowly as a wave makes its way towards them, being the first to take a wave.

'Lennon being the first to take a wave, let's see how he does'

Brixton lifts himself onto his board, letting his feet and legs take over and guide him. His first trick being a open face, allowing him to guide with the wave.

'Big open face. Lennon looking eager to get a score on the board'

Brixton, going for a cutback, making him reduce speed, just a bit as he turns to change directions, taking him back from the wave's shoulder to the steep part.

He could feel his board get shaky as he reaches the wave's top, he shifts his weight on his back foot. Brixton leans his left hand down while digging the left rail into the wave.

He goes to turn his head, allowing his shoulders to twist toward the curl to change direction, but before he could end it, he falls off his board and flips into the water, a certain pink haired boy, looking away at the sight.

Brixton gets out from under the water and turns his board over, looking over it. Trying to see the problem. One of his fins were missing, meaning it fell off.

"Fuck." Brixton curses, ignoring the voice of the commentators as he quickly paddles to the sand, mad that he was wasting minutes. Once out of he water, he rushes towards Poppy, who was ready for him. "Pops. I need my fins, please. This was my moms, I need it to be okay and—."

"I got this. Me and Bodes will fix it." Poppy kisses his cheek softly before running back, going to fix her best friends board.

"Shit, shit, shit." Brixton runs a hand through his hair.

"Hey, it's okay." Summer runs his back. "They're gonna fix it and your mothers board will be alright. You'll be alright."

"I can't let her down, Summer." Brixton paces. "I can't."

"Hey, hey!" Poppy runs back towards him, board in hand. She gives it to him. "You are not letting anyone down, Bri. You are doing amazing. Don't let his inconvenience delay you. You got this, go kick ass."

"Do your thing!" Summer pushes him towards the water. "You got six minutes."

"Thank you, guys." Brixton says before he rushes back into the water. His head once again in the game. Not worrying about anything.

This is for you Mom.

'Only seconds on the clock and Lennon needs to pull something amazing to get an eight or better, if he wants to advance'

Brixton turns and paddles, the wave right behind him, making his stand up on his board. He got this. Brixton hits them with a small cutback, the crowd cheering, his team watching in anticipation.

Getting a fair amount of speed, he starts to aim to the lip at 45 degrees, while rotating his upper body toward the base of the wave.
As he reach the lip of the wave, Brixton starts to transfer his weight to the front feet to free, this releasing the pressure over the fins.

Brixton rotates his body until the tail of the board starts spinning. He could feel the board turning as he bent his front knee as he puts his hand into the water to help accelerate the 360, he was about to do.

'Lennon's trying to do a 360!'

Brixton transfers his weight to his back foot, letting the fins catch back in the water and work as a pivoting axis. He adopts a low stance, let his front foot complete the 180-degree turn.

'He did it! Lennon does the 360! He goes up for a floater... and he sticks the landing! He's did it! That's a 9.5 for, Lennon!"

Brixton laughs as he sits on his board, he waves at the girls before looking back at Baxter, who had just ended also, the male paddling next to him. "You did amazing, Lennon."

"Wish I could've saw you." Brixton says. Together, the two paddle towards the shore. Brixton immediately embraced into hugs by the girls and then the guys as they get out of the water. The hug turning into one big group hug.

"Only one fin? Really?" Wren slaps her brothers arm. "Ari is never going to get his spot at Blu Gravity after this. You ruined it."

"Sod off, Wren." Baxter rolls his eyes. "Brix is phenomenal, after this, I'd say he deserves a spot."

"Ugh!" Wren groans, walking off.

Baxter stares over at Brixton who was looking at him from under Ari's arm. The blonde cheering him on as the others laughed. Baxter winks at him, Brixton doing the same back. The two wanting nothing more than to hug each other.

"You have to teach me that." Ari states. "That was amazing."

"I can't teach you everything, Ari. I thought that stopped when we were kids." Brixton jokes. Ari playfully punches his arm, the two play fighting.

As he stood there, with his friends. His people. Brixton felt good. He pulled through and he had all these people that love him by his side, supporting him. All he needed was Baxter.

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