Footsteps in the sand * Bondi Rescue*

Chapter 14:

Hey guys! I am back, sorry for the wait but I spend most of last week with y grandmother in the hospital and this weekend I injured my knee in a field hockey match so I spent most of monday at the emergency room for myself... But now I have a week of from my classes and as I have to rest my knee, have all the time to write! Thank you for the reads, votes and comments!

When Margo woke up the next morning she was in her bed, Toby nowhere in sight. She had no recollections of getting in to bed or even changing out of her clothes but she guessed she must have been woken up by Will, or he had carried her to her bed, something he did often when they were younger. She stretched and got up, getting ready for the day before walking downstairs hearing someone walk around in the kitchen humming softly to the song playing on the radio. She smiled when she saw Will dressed in a pair of board shorts and white t-shirt moving around the kitchen like he never left. Toby was sat in a corner wagging his tail and looking at Will with a very intense look. "Good morning." Margo greeted as she walked further into the kitchen sitting down at the breakfast bar "Morning, I made breakfast. Pancakes like the ones mom used to make." Will answered smiling softly at her trying to get her reaction knowing she was still sensitive about the subject of her parents. "ooh nice, I haven't had those in ages."she said smiling and kicking her legs back and forward. Will smiled at her happiness, truly happy she had found some close friends and maybe some more in a certain person. He had seen how Margo and Harrison acted and knew that they felt something for each other, even if they didn't know it yet.

The two siblings held a comfortable conversation while they ate, discussing everything they hadn't been able to talk about the day before. Especially the more personal conversation such as how she was doing really, how her anxiety was doing and how she was recovering form her concussion. Margo reassured him, rolling her eyes several times, that she was fine and that he didn't have to worry about her. After breakfast and cleaning the kitchen Will went to have a shower while Margo checked her social media accounts, updating her followers about the amazing birthday she had had and sharing a few pictures. She also answered a few emails about some companies who possibly wanted to collaborate with her in a near future. She had decided to forget about her exams and studying for today and maybe a few more days, wanting to just cherish the small amount of time she had with her brother. Even tough he was being stationed in Germany she didn't know how long to would be before she saw him again or if he would be transferred and stationed somewhere else again. When Will was ready they decided to take Toby out on a walk and maybe go for some lunch later on. Margo also wanted to show Will Bondi and the tower with the lifeguards, one of her favorite places in Bondi. Jesse had left for work early that morning but only had half a day so he promised to join them once he was done and then maybe they could go surfing. Margo was desperate to try out her new board and Will was desperate to get back in the water, although bit wary about his sister surfing. He still didn't like she went back even after all these years had passed and they were in safe waters. Margo knew he was just being an overprotective older brother but it annoyed her sometimes.

Margo laughed as she tried to stop Toby from running away. Will was doubled over laughing and not being of any help. Toby had seen a cat and in his haste of trying to catch it had fallen over his own front feet, still a lanky clumsy pup. The expression on his face as he fell was priceless and had both siblings in fits of laughter. They managed to collect themselves and continue walking towards Campbell parade, they were looking for a place to have some lunch and then they wanted to walk down to Bondi beach and visit the lifeguards in the tower. Jesse had sent them a message asking if they wanted to meet him at Maroubra beach later so they could surf so they were on a bit of a tight schedule. They soon found a nice cafe that allowed dogs and sat down in the sun, Toby laying at Margo's feet panting and looking around excitedly. The waitress soon came to take their orders and brought a bowl of water for Toby, they talked while they waited and Margo took some pictures of the cafe and the food when it arrived. She had chosen a nice salad, trying to watch what she was eating and not really hungry, while Will had gone for a burger and chips. They ate in a comfortable silence and enjoyed the sunlight before walking along the promenade until they reached the lifeguard tower. It was quite calm on the beach as it was getting colder and kids were in school. Margo knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to open, soon the door swung open and she was greeted with the bright smile of Harries "Hey Margo, everything okay?" He asked a slightly worried tone in his voice "Yeah, yeah I am fine, I was showing my brother some of my favorite places and wanted to show him the tower so yeah." Margo answered looking at her feet, hoping they weren't to busy "Oh yes of course, Jesse said something about that. Is that Toby I see? Come in, come in." Margo and Will smiled as they walked in, Toby running in front of Margo hearing Jesse call for him. Will stopped to stare around the tower taking everything in and smiling slightly as he saw how happy his little sister looked. All the lifeguards that were present in the tower were crowded around Margo, talking to her and petting Toby Margo was smiling and laughing at something Maxi was doing. It was at this moment that Will realized how much these lifeguards actually meant to her, it made him feel better and less guilty about having to leave her.

They stayed in the tower until Jesse was done working and then all drove back to the house so they could get changed and go surfing at Maroubra. Koby said he might come down and join them and Jesse said that there would be many Bra boys on the beach as it was a lovely day and the swell was great. Margo was a little nervous not wanting to embarrass herself but also worried what her brother would think about the bra boys. She didn't know if he knew about the gang or anything but if he did he didn't show it. Soon they were on the beach and Koby had in fact come done to meet them bringing along his surfboard and running into the surf straight after introducing himself to Will, who seemed pretty happy to be back on the beach said nothing about the bra boys and all their tattoos. Margo assumed he knew about the gang, as they were pretty notorious but also very kind. Will had always been the kind of person to judge someone by their actions not what other people said about them. Margo smiled at Will as they jogged towards the beach ready to hit the waves just like old time. Margo surfed for about an hour or so before her leg started to hurt a little and she decided to stop for the day. She had brought her biology notes with her so studied while her brother and Jesse continued surfing and laughing having a great time. Koby soon joined her on the beach, apparently not up to surfing for a long time. "Hey Mar, how are you? Liking your new board?" He asked looking down at her drying of his hair. "hey Koby, yeah good, I love it, it's great and so beautiful. You did a good job." She answered smiling up at him. Jesse had told her that Koby had designed and made the board, with the exception of a few stickers and things Harrison and Jesse had decided on. "How did you know...?" He asked "Jesse" she explained smiling cheekily "of course he did. Well I am glad you like the board, it means a lot." They continued talking until eventually he had to go home to look after Makua, and Margo continued studying. After another hour or so and Margo having given up on biology and moved on to English, Jesse and Will finally emerged from the surf, dripping wet and laughing. "Wow that was amazing, I haven't surfed in so long and Maroubra is a great place to surf. I get why you only surf here Jesse." Will said as they met up with Margo who smiled at her brothers happiness. "I'm glad you enjoyed it Will, can we go home soon though? I'm quite tired and want to get up early tomorrow to study." Margo said smiling at them while she gathered her stuff. "Yeah of course, let's get some food and go home." Will said not leaving any room for discussion as he guided Margo to the car, after ten minutes of arguing they had decide on getting Chinese, as it would be easiest and on the way home. After dinner Margo quickly went to bed while the two boys stayed in the garden enjoying each others company and a few to many beers. Margo laughed to herself knowing they would both have a bit of a hangover tomorrow, giving her some well deserved peace and quiet while she studied.

.........

Margo soon fell into a rhythm of studying, she would get up in the morning and either go to the gym or study straight away. If she didn't go to the gym in the morning she would go in the afternoon. Twice a day she would wan with Toby down to the beach, either Bondi or Maroubra depending on the weather and how long she wanted to walk for She also spent most of her free time with Will until he had to leave again, only 2 weeks after her birthday, she was sad when he left but knew he would be much safer in Germany then he was in Afghanistan or Japan but she still worried about him. Jai hadn't been in contact for a few days but Margo figured he was just to busy having fun to worry about his little sister or older brother. Even though the three siblings were close, Will and Margo had always been the closest being much more alike while Jai was the rebel in the family. Margo loved him but sometimes he got in way over his head and had a tendency to ignore his family, before eventually coming back ashamed and apologetic.

Apart from studying she also scheduled some new youtube videos and made a video about her tips for studying and one about her doubts in applying to university and deciding what career path to choose. These last two videos had become quite popular and the university she was applying for even requested if they could put the last one on their site to help other people out, to which Margo obviously agreed. Apart form that she was planning a video with headspace to talk about suicide prevention and another video with the wavily council lifeguards about surf safety. All in all she was kept quite busy and before she knew it her exams were only a week away. At that point the only one who could keep her calm was Toby who, despite Jesse's arguments, slept on the food of her bed every night licking her awake whenever she had a nightmare or just snuggling with her whenever she wanted to. Sometimes she wondered if Jesse and her brother didn't get her a service dog but whenever she asked they always denied it. The night before her exams, Margo stopped studying earlier and took an extra long walk with Toby, stopping at one of her favourite cafes to get an ice-cream and some water for Toby. Back home she had a nice, relaxing bath and read her book before getting an early night, having to be at the university at 9 am the next morning.

Hope you enjoyed and please vote and leave a comment!