The Forbidden Fruit Always Tastes Sweeter

After the sun set, most of the crowd left Brian's, save a few close friends as well as his band mates. They all occupied a chair of some sort around the fire pit, talking and relaxing. It was a nice, mellow atmosphere surrounding the group.

"So, Luce told me that she made up with Tim." Rick commented, turning to Danny next to him.

"No kidding." He said, shocked.

"Yup," he sipped his beer. "Lucy even apologized to him first."

Danny laughed. "Shit, she must have felt really guilty. Tim should feel honored."

"Tim? That asshole?" Brian grunted, butting in.

"Watch what you say, man." Rick warned ready to defend his friend in his absence. "Lucy probably deserved everything she got."

Brian glared not liking how he was talking about Lucy. "I doubt that."

"Brian; leave it." Danny shook his head subtly before turning back to Rick. "When did you talk to her?"

Brian frowned not liking that Danny was letting him say these things about Lucy.

"Oh right," Rick grinned. "She was here earlier, but was unfortunately murdered. She's probably at the bottom of the bay by now. She really should learn not to mess with the drug lords of LA."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Which one of you came up with that one?"

"I did," he laughed. "But, seriously, I convinced her to leave and go to my place, grab one of my boards to use. She was supposed to call when she got back from the beach, but she hasn't yet."

"You think she actually went through with it?" Danny grinned, hoping that I would gain my confidence back soon.

He shrugged and grabbed his phone, vibrating in one of his cargo pockets. He looked at the ID and frowned, not seeing Lucy's name, but his house number. "Cassie." Danny nodded and joined Jimmy's conversation on last night's events at the bar. Rick flipped his phone open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"You're a loser, did you know that Ricky?" He heard my slurred words through the receiver.

"Lucy?" He chuckled. "What kind of shit are you on?"

"Ricky," I whispered getting upset, sounding ready to cry as I ignored his question. "I don't want to be just another body to him?"

Rick looked through the flames at Brian and smirked seeing him pretending not to listen to his conversation. "You're not, babe. Trust me on that."

"Good," I mumbled and perked up. "Guess why I'm amazing though?"

He chuckled at my complete 180° personality switch and was really beginning to wonder if I had taken anything. "Why, doll?"

"Because I have beer flavored nipples!" I giggled.

"Lucy," he called my name, trying to get my attention. "What did you take?"

"Whatever the doctor gave me." I shrugged.

"Doctor?" He frowned and heard the commotion on the other end. "Lucy?" He excused himself and walked over towards the pool for some more privacy, sitting on the diving board.

"No, it's Cassie." His sister sighed into the phone, sounding tired.

"What happened?" Rick muttered.

"Idiot over here was too good for a five minute warm up." Cassie scowled. "Stubborn bitch would listen to me or Ethan."

Rick laughed. "So, she went surfing?"

"If you can even call it that." Cassie chuckled remembering how I fell over constantly for the first half hour. "It took her a while to find some balance leaning towards one rail than she should, but she managed."

"Then, what's the doctor for?" He chuckled, wishing he had seen me falling in person, probably pissing off some locals.

"She, uh, well?" Cassie paused. "Lucy, kind of sprained her neck. It really sucked, though, she couldn't move and the lifeguard even had to help her. She freaked out. Definitely wasn't happy that she had to have an ambulance ride."

"But, she's okay right?" He sighed, feeling slightly responsible.

"She's fine now. High as a kite, but she's fine." She reassured him.

"She's going to blame me when her head clears up." Rick groaned, rubbing his head.

"Oh, yeah." Cassie laughed agreeing with him. "She was cursing your name and your bright ideas when she got a shot of cortisone in the ass."

"Great, what are you guys doing now?" He stood up, ready to walk back over.

"Lucy's entertaining Ethan and I. She's a riot when she's high. You should hear half the shit that's coming out of her mouth." Cassie laughed. "But, she's going to crash soon, the drugs are really starting to get to her."

"What's she on?"

Cassie grabbed the orange bottle that held the samples inside; the rest would have to be filled tomorrow. "Some version of Codeine, Tylenol3. Other than that she's fine. Lucy will just be a bit stiff and maybe learn to listen every now and again. Don't go blaming yourself, Rick." She told her older brother, knowing how he can be. "It's her own fault for not stretching longer. Lucy knew exactly what she was doing."

"I know." He sighed, listening to his sister's wise words. It always surprised him how mature she was, though he'll always see her at his little sister. "Alright, thanks Cassie. Get some sleep, okay?"

She smiled, loving how he looks after her. "Yeah, love you."

"Love you too." He flipped his phone shut and shook his head.

"Everything okay?"

Rick looked up to see Brian standing over him. "Yeah, Luce went and sprained her neck." He smiled at the automatic concern in his face. "It's a minor injury really. She'll be fine in three days tops."

"What happened?" Brian lit a cigarette, sitting on the diving board next to him.

"She was being stupid." Rick rolled his eyes feeling him tense up. "Don't go getting all defensive for her, Syn, just because you have some puppy love crush on her. Lucy can take care of herself."

Brian glared at him, not liking that he was so easily readable and sighed. "I can't help it. It's like some automatic reflex."

"Tim's not an ass, he's Lucy's ex boyfriend." Rick began to explain, hoping this wouldn't bite him the ass later. "They were together since sixth grade. Even talked about marriage at one point, but Luce was having too much fun to settle down. They faded out since they both wanted different things."

Brian exhaled the smoke from his lungs as this new information sunk in, not sure if he liked the connection between Lucy and Tim. "Why did he have the right to be an asshole then?"

"Because she basically rejected everyone's help and threw it back in our faces when her grandfather died. We tried to save her from going off the deep end, but it just pushed her away. Even Danny couldn't get her to stay." He nodded his head in his direction.

"She must have been really close to him." Brian said softly. He would be upset if he lost one of his grandparents too.

Rick rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, something like that. You'll have to get that story from Lucy herself; it's her mess to tell you."

"Yeah, there are a few things I want to ask her." Brian sighed.

"That's one thing about her, you'll never get all the answers you want at once. Only in increments when she feels that you're ready. And, she's good at distractions." Rick laughed shaking his head at the distant look in his eyes. "Lucy always manages to get everyone hooked."

"She's just genuine." Brian smiled softly as he put out his cigarette.

"Don't be getting so jealous though. Tim's her tow in so get used to having him around." Rick drank his beer.

"Tow in?" Brian looked at him confused hoping it didn't mean some sexual innuendo.

Rick laughed at the priceless look on Brian's face. "Get your head out of the gutter, Syn. Didn't Lucy tell you about her surfing career."

"Apparently she used her distraction skills on me." He sighed, not liking that he was left in the dark.

"Eh, she does it to the best of us." He shrugged, used to Lucy's defense mechanisms by now. "A tow in is the guy on the jet ski who has your life in his hands. Tim's the guy that brings Lucy into the wave."

"I still don't get it." Brian laughed softly.

Rick paused trying to think how to explain it better. "It's not those regular shoulder height waves out there that this technique is used for, these are the 20-foot high waves. It's kind of like wake boarding, but the surfer lets go when they are towed in. Lucy is into the big waves, anything with height really. She's been to Tahiti and even Maverik once. She's always in the pipeline competitions." He sighed shaking his head. "Well was anyway. That's probably why Lucy didn't tell you she was a professional. She's really nervous since she will have to pick up her sponsors again and basically prove herself again. That is if and when she starts thinking straight."

"That's crazy." Brian nodded, baffled. He didn't expect that at all and it only added to the list of questions he had been coming up with.

Rick laughed and stood up. "I'm not here to gush about Lucy. It's not like I have to convince you that she's amazing. I came to hang out, eat, and get drunk."

"I didn't ask you to dish any details. I could have found out on my own." Brian smirked, standing up and following him.

"True, but you wanted me too and you know it." He returned his smirk and sat back in his original seat around the fire pit.

"So, how do you know Lucy?" JB asked Rick eagerly when the two sat down. He was a diehard fan of the surfer. Well, that and looking hot on the cover of some old surfing magazines he had didn't hurt either.

Danny spit out his beer laughing and coughing as he choked on it. "That's my favorite story. Due tell Rick."

He glared, but chuckled because it was an interesting first impression on each party. "She was in Newport, my part of the beach, maybe seven years ago; short little thing. She was so young looking, like a baby, and thought she could surf with the big guys. I may have said some nasty comments when I saw her-"

"May have?" Danny interrupted, finally have been able to compose himself. "That's not the way Lucy told me."

"Alright, I did say some nasty, degrading shit to her. Happy?" He rolled his eyes sarcastically and scratched his neck. "Let's just say she didn't take that well and put me in my place. And, we've had a love-hate relationship ever since."

"You forgot about the bloody nose and black eye she gave you." He smirked, when everyone laughed.

"You got beat up by a girl?" Johnny chuckled.

"She got in a lucky few punches. And, I'll never hit a girl." Rick shrugged. "I'll be the first to admit that I deserved it. But, Lucy being the doll she is, got me ice from the juice stand after."

"Still, you got be up by a girl." He laughed hysterically, rubbing it in. "I've had my fair share of beat downs, but never by a girl."

"That's not true, I've beat you up before." Lacey said innocently, as the alcohol let the words flow out freely. Everyone cracked up making him blush, deflating the ego he had just a moment ago.