The Forbidden Fruit Always Tastes Sweeter

035

Danny caught a glimpse of the caption of the headline news on the bottom of the screen of CNN. "Hey, can you turn it up?" He asked the bartender, who just ignored him. Danny climbed up onto the bar, not listening to the wiseass jokes Jimmy was throwing at him about being a bar dancer and turned the volume up.

The anchorwoman shuffled her papers. Her hair was pumped with so many products that it didn't move as she tilted her head to read the teleprompter. "Strong earthquake kills three in western Indonesia early this morning off the coast of Sumatra." The screen flashed to several different sights showing destroyed areas that the Red Cross was trying to reach. Palm trees were down all over. "It also injured at least 25 others and damaged several buildings. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the powerful earthquake registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, striking under the island of Simeulue."

"Hey, get off the fucking bar." The man behind the counter yelled at him, turning the television back down.

Danny glared, but complied and jumped off. He had heard enough. He ran his hand over his face trying not to think the worse. He looked around the bar at the several bands that had gathered for a good time.

He couldn't breathe, trying to get a grip on what was just announced on the news. He swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed passed Brian, nearly knocking his beer over and went outside. He sat on the crate and lit up a cigarette, pulling out his cell phone. He held and pressed down three. Growling when he got a busy signal, he tried again and again hoping that it would ring.

Brian put the beer down in front of Jimmy and went out the side door, following Danny. He looked to his left just in time to see a wooden crate shatter against the brick wall. Everyone knew not to mess with the bodybuilder when he's moody, but Brian had let the door shut behind him so there was no going back anyway.

He watched as Danny leaned against the wall and slowly slid down clutching his phone in one hand and rubbing his eyes and pinching the brim of his nose. "Everything alright, man?"

Danny jumped expecting to be alone. He shook his head and stared blankly across from him. "No, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

Brian scoffed and sat next to him. "Come on, share the misery." Danny looked over and smiled softly.

I looked at the girls packing up what we would need on the boat and smiled, beginning to help them out. Our boards were still safely on the boat, so at least we didn't have to worry about carrying them. Keala, Teasha, and I were the older ones in the group, the rest of the girls were new to the team and were still teenagers or about to hit 20.

We thought this trip would be a fun way to get them involved. That way they could get some good footage. We knew and had learned the hard way to survive in a world that didn't want us. The least we could do was help these girls in their career.

The camera crew was already filming us as we got close to the shore where the two dinghies were waiting for us.

Maya shrieked as she fell down. Keala chuckled, helping her to her feet. "A root snag you, kid?"

I snapped my head to one of the natives we were with, only catching a few select words he said quickly. "Keala." I said warningly. "I don't think it was a root." The younger girls began scream as the earth shook violently beneath us. I grabbed Courtney out of the way just in time before an old palm tree snapped at the trunk and fell over.

"That could have been me." She gasped, looking at the area she was just standing in.

I shook my head disagreeing and wrapped my arm around the 15 year old, pulling her into a hug. "I never would have let it happened."

Tim nodded as he spoke to the man in Indonesian. "Head to the shore." He called out, shutting up the frantic voices. "Hold hands and don't panic. We'll need to find higher ground once we get away from the trees."

I smiled at him grateful that he could command these girls attention. It also helped that they were all crushing on him. I winced as we heard a few more trees fall behind us. I collapsed to my knees finding it very difficult to run on moving ground.

Tim laughed helping me up. "Loon, you're making things difficult."

I grinned sheepishly. "I make it a better adventure." I sighed to myself as I began running again not wanting to think about what the aftershock will be like.

He sighed and looked at his phone, trying again and again getting a busy signal. "Apparently, there was a real bad earthquake in Indonesia this morning. Lucy was supposed to be on that island or on the west cost of Sumatra. Either way she would be in the middle of it. So far three are dead and 25 injured. I can't get a hold of her."

"And, how is this nothing I am supposed to be worried about?" Brian glared, insulted.

"Because you let her go. Her private life is none of your concern now." He said childishly as he tried Tim's number, knowing he was on the trip as well.

"Hello?" A strained and tired voice answered the phone.

Dan stood to his feet. "Fucking finally. Tim, what's going on? I couldn't get a hold of Lucy."

Brain stared at Danny in surprise to hear Tim's name. He would never admit it, but he was jealous and confused to why Lucy would be with him, of all people, in another country when he knew that this trip wouldn't have large waves that would have needed him there.

"That's because a tree took her phone out. She's fine. All the girls and the crew are fine too." He yawned, completely drained from the day's events. "Sorry, I haven't called you. I've been calling and trying to calm down the girls' parents and convince them to let us finish out the last week."

"Thank God," Danny sighed in relief as a huge weight was lifted off of his chest. "So, what happened? I only got a glimpse of the death and injured on CNN."

"It was a bad one." Tim shuddered recalling this morning. "We were almost out of the wooded area onto the beach. A lot of old trees fell down in the process. It's creepy before the aftershock; dead silence."

"I can only imagine." Danny frowned. "How bad was the aftershock?"

"Just as bad. I think someone said it was like a six on the scale. We were in the dinghies at the time. We were trying to see how high the highest grounds were, but none of it was good. It's very hard trying to outrun that."


Danny swallowed and bit the side of his thumb nervously. "How's Tea?"

Tim laughed loudly at the question. "She's fine. I'll tell her that you love her for you."

"It’s not like that." He muttered and began to threaten him, clearly embarrassed.

"Look," He interrupted Danny's threats. "I'll pass a message onto Teasha, but for God's sake you woke me up before I needed to be. Time zones my friend, you need to learn them." Tim yawned, just wanting to go back to bed. "I'll have Lucy and Teasha call you tomorrow."

"Fuck you, man." He glared at the ground in front of him.

"No, I believe Tea's better suited for that." Time grinned, hanging up.

"Bastard." He sighed, flipping his phone shut.

"Well?" Brian asked nervously, hoping everyone was alright. "You have me sitting on pins and needles here."

"Why do you care? You're the one that left her." Danny glared. He ignored the promise to me to just leave it alone and let bygones be bygones. "I don't get it."

Brian looked at his friend shocked. He had expected him to be angry when the relationship had ended, but it's been a while and didn't expect he to react this way. "I didn't think-"

"You know what? That's your problem, Syn. You never think about anyone else other than yourself." He shook his head in disgust and disappointment.

Brian glared, clenching his hands into fists. "The hell I don't think about anyone else. That's what fucking got me in this situation."

"Oh, really?" Danny mused, wondering what his lame reason would be. "How?"

"How fair would it have been to Lucy being on different continents or opposite parts of the country most of the time?" His stare softened, as he looked down at his warn sneakers, thinking about Lucy. "Besides, like that guy Joe said, she needed to concentrate on getting back in the field and didn't need any distractions. I figured since we'd rarely see each other anyway, might as well."

"Joe who?" Danny sighed, having a feeling that he already knew the surname.

"I don't remember, something like Card. I honestly don't remember, Dan." Brian leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, not liking to talk about this sore subject. It hadn’t been that long ago and it was still and open wound for him.

"Carter?" Danny offered and groaned in annoyance when Brian nodded. "You have to be fucking kidding. You listened to that scum? He's been trying to get a piece of ass from Lucy since forever." He laughed bitterly. "And, of all people to listen to. Really? You know that Lucy can do whatever she wants, right? She didn't need to concentrate. She could go out and get a few pics and call it a night for a few months. You're an idiot Haner. You broke her heart for no reason. You, of all people, should know that you don't let anything get in the way of what you want."