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“Stacie you’re supposed to use your crutches,” Nick yelled at her from the kitchen.

“I don’t need them, it’s not like I’m hurting myself anymore.” She limped into the kitchen.

“But you need to heal or it will take longer.”

“Getting a glass of water isn’t going to kill me.”

“We need to change your bandages.” Nick put the chicken he was making into the oven, reached for the glass Stacie was trying to get and handed it to her.

“Already? This is the worse part of this.” She pushed her glass onto the water dispenser on the fridge.

“Let’s go,” Nick grabbed a plastic bag off the counter and helped Stacie walk back to the living room. She sat down and Nick helped her bring her legs up onto the couch. She winced in pain a little as he set them down carefully. “Sorry.”

“So, want to go surfing tomorrow morning?”

“No you nut, it’s been a day and besides the salt water is going hurt like a bitch when you get in. Now sit still so I can take this gauze off.”

“You are no fun Nick. So, you guys leave soon,” she took in a sharp breath as Nick undid the ravel of gauze on her knee.

“You’re swollen, you need to stay off for the rest of the day, for this week that matter. You’re the sports trainer, you know better.”

“Nick let’s go do something tonight.”

“Like what?” he took the bandages off her foot and ankle. “Ready to go soak?” Nick asked.

“Yeah and I don’t know something. I need to get out.”

“It’s going to be a long week with you,” Nick joked and picked her up. He brought her into the bathroom and set her on the sink. He started the water and poured some Epson salt into the warm bath.

“Hey!”

“Okay girly time to get in,” Nick picked her up and brought her over to the tub. He set her on the ledge and kissed the top of her head.

“This sucks,” she whined looking into the tub.

“Only twenty minutes. I’m going to go finish dinner then I’ll come help you get dressed.” Nick smiled and walked out of the bathroom. Stacie sighed and took her clothes off before slipping into the water. The salty water stung as she her body emerged under water. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out closing her eyes. Eventually the bath soothed her and she was able to relax. Before she knew it Nick was knocking on the door.

“Five more minutes,” she told him.

“Well, dinner is ready,” he called from outside the door.

“Okay, getting out,” she pulled the plug from the drain and pulled herself up. She took the towel off the sink counter in front of her and wrapped it around her body.

“Can I come in?” Nick asked.

“Yeah,” she adjusted the clip holding her hair up. Nick walked in and wrapped his arms around her body.

“How you doing?”

“Okay,” she smiled. “Hey Nick, I haven’t heard anything about my car?”

“It’s taken care of,” he grinned.

“What do you mean? They never called me.”

“I gave them my number before we left that one day and I took care of the damage and all that. It will be done in a week which is good cause you don’t need to be driving.”

“You didn’t have to,” she turned and faced him.

“I wanted to.”

~*~*~*~
A week has passed since the jelly-fish incident, Stacie is still living with Nick because she no longer feels safe in her own home. It was dawn and Stacie on top of her surf board on the beach, watching the sun come up. The last couple of months had been unreal and she honestly didn't know what she would do without Nick.

She watched as the waves crashed up onto the beach and although she wanted to surf, she couldn't bring herself to go out into the water. Instead, she stood with her board, placed it against some rocks and began to run. At first it started as a slow paced jog, her mind flashed back to the night she told Nick about her taking her life and her feet picked up the pace. Her mind began flooding with the letters she had been sent, her smashed windshield, and Stacie as now in a full sprint down the beach.

She had managed to make a small loop to head back in the direction towards Nick's house but was still sprinting. Breathing hard she began thinking of how weak she had been showing herself around Nick. of how she would often collapse and he was always there to catch her or pick her up. When did she become so dependent on him, that wasn't her. For the past year, although her best friend Peyton had been there, she never needed to depend on someone to pick her up from her falls. She never shed a tear.

Reaching her board, Stacie fell to her knees into the cool sand, her lungs burning. She must've ran three miles under twenty minutes. Breathing hard, she picked up the board and made her way back to the house. When she reached the patio, she saw Nick sitting under the umbrella in a chair, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning," he said brightly. Without meeting his eyes, she mumbled, "Morning" and set her board next to Nick's against the house.

"Did you have a good ride?"

"Didn't go in. I'm going to shower," she said still avoiding Nick's eyes and went into the house. Nick stood up to follow and as he walked inside Stacie turned around.

"Ten minutes, give me ten minutes by myself." She told said. Nick saw something flicker in her eyes as she said those words to him. It wasn't anger, it wasn't hurt but it wasn't Stacie. Wondering what could've been wrong, Nick nodded his head and decided to to go online and check his mail.

Up stairs, Stacie turned on the shower and the radio Nick had in his bathroom. She tuned it to the alturnative radio station and one of her old favorite songs had just came through the speakers. The bathroom was now filling with steam from the shower and she slipped off her board shorts, and took off her swim suit.

She turned up the volume and got into the shower. Singing with the radio, she allowed hot water enclose her body.

"She calls me from the cold
Just when I was low, feeling short of stable
And all that she intends
And all she keeps inside, isn't on the label
She says she's ashamed
And she can take me for a while
And can I be a friend, we'll forget the past
But maybe I'm not able
And I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterfliess, reality escapes her
She says that love is for fools that fall behind
And I'm somewhere in between
I never really know
A killer from a savior
'Til I break at the bend
We're here and now, but will we ever be again
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
It's too far away for me to hold
It's too far away....
Guess I'll let it go."


Nick had heard her turn on the radio and he sat at the top of the stairs, listening to her sing. Of course her voice sounded amazing and in the shower, it carried her voice throughout the house. He knew the song but until he heard it now, it was just another song on the radio. While she sang, he heard a sadness in her voice. As the song ended another unfamiliar one came on and she walked up to the bathroom door. He was debating on whether or not he should go in to check her.

Nick remembered the tone of her voice when she asked Nick for ten minutes and turned around to go back down stairs. Just as he reached the first step, he heard a sob come out of her throat and could hear her start to cry. A loud thud came and without thinking he went into the bathroom.

"Anastasia are you okay?" he asked and walked up to the shower. It was a wide open walk in shower and she was in the corner, hugging her knees up to her chest. When she didn't answer, Nick stepped into the shower.
"Baby did you fall?" he knelt down, and lifted her chin up with her his hand. She shook her head no, tears streaming down her face.

Nick reached up, turned the shower off and took the towel that was hanging on the bar. He wrapped the towel around her and picked her up in his arms. He brought her into his room and laid her on his bed.

"Stace talk to me, you're scaring me."

"This isn't right, I'm sorry Nick."

"What isn't right?" Nick's eyes were full of concern and she couldn't look into them. Sitting up, she began to put on a pair of shorts that laid on the floor and slipped on a tee shirt that was with it.

"Nick you're more than amazing to me, and I love you, I really do."

"I don't understand Stacie."

"I-I can't do this. This isn't me, it's not fair to you." She continued to move around the room packing a bag she had brought.

"What's not you? Did something happen on the beach?"

"I didn't want to surf."

"Okay, so?"

"So, we can't bet together any more."

"What?! We can't be together because you didn't want to surf this morning."

"Yes. No. Nick, just trust me, okay?"

"I am not going to let you just walk away. This is coming out of no where."

"This has been coming since I met you. It's only fair to you." She put the bag over her shoulder and stopped to look at Nick. She took in a sharp breath and looked into his hurt and confused eyes. "I'm sorry." She reached her hand up and touched his cheek. She kissed his other cheek and turned away briskly.

"If you need some space, I can give you that but don't break up with me for no reason at all." Nick chased after her.

"Nick it's for the best."

"Anastasia-"

"Good-bye Nick." She said and walked out the door.