The Beach House

[Red Ranger 1]

Loved the girly chat between April and Ruby, especially their comments on Xavier and the minor league slash...Paul really is in a mess.Looking forward to more!

[HighwayUnicorn]

Ruby was right in her opinion there ... Gina was wrong to say that.

A brilliant chapter and I am looking forward to more.

Carina xxx

[Perry]

THIRTY-THREE

IRENE & BELLE'S STORY

"Would you cut it out?" Irene awoke on the lounge feeling irritable, the sounds of banging pots and pans had awoken her and she wasn't happy. She looked into the kitchen to see the young brunette woman ignore her and continued to search the cupboards. "Oi! April! Are you death?" Irene gasped as the woman turned around and she discovered that it was in fact. Belle Taylor and not April.

"Where are the coffee cups? I was going to make you a coffee?" Belle was going about the kitchen nonchalantly. She opened a cupboard she had not checked yet and found where the coffee cups had moved to. "It's strange, I've been gone so long and everything has moved around."

"What's strange is that you've been dead so long and now you're standing in the kitchen and making me coffee." Irene confessed.

Belle giggled. "Well someone has to look after you." Belle poured the boiling water into the mug. "I mean look at the state the house been left in... So neat and tidy. How can you live like this Irene?"

"They look after me."

Belle poured the milk into the mug and handed the cup to Irene. "Oh I can see that Irene, that's why you've been crying all morning, not getting off the lounge. You need to stop worrying about these kids Irene and start worrying about yourself."

"What are you doing here Belle?"

"I'm trying to save you Irene."

"From what?" Irene looked at her former foster daughter with concern.

"I think we both know the answer to that Irene."

"I think the only thing I have to worry about is who's been poisoning my coffee with mercury."

Belle cackled again. She took the coffee cup off Irene and placed it onto the bench. She took Irene's hand and Irene was quite shocked that she could actually feel Belle's sweaty palm. Belle lead the woman back to the lounge. "Relax Irene."

Irene laid herself back down on the lounge. Belle wrapped a blanket around her. "I'm worried about you."

A loud knock could be heard and Irene sat herself up. "I better get the door."

"Irene! No!" Belle snapped. "Take it easy."

"I'm fine love." Irene looked over at the door which was still being knocked on.

"Irene, you are not fine." Belle grabbed Irene and forced her back down. She got into the woman's face. "You need to WAKE UP!"

Irene jumped up in fright , still on the lounge, she realized that she just had a dream. She stood up to have a look just in case Belle was still around, Irene slightly grateful she wasn't. She heard the knock again and walked over to answer the door. She looked at the man who was at the door, at first unable to recognize him but then she could see who it was. "Barry?"

Paul's father looked at Irene looking concerned. "What's going on Irene?"

[lozlovesh&a]

Oh a little twist... I'm concerened about Irene. please continue.

[Red Ranger 1]

Liked the reference to Irene drinking mercury, that was my first thought when she started seeing dead people again.Intrigued to see what Barry's going to do.

[Perry]

THIRTY-FOUR

"BRETT SMITH! You swing off that gutter one more time if the roof doesn't collapse on your head these text books will."

Gina Palmer walked past the year 9 boys and walked into the school building. She carried the textbooks into the closed sraffroom. She looked away as soon as she noticed Liam and Bianca were using the room as a hideout to make out. She coughed to make her presence known. Liam and Bianca seperated but could still hear the older woman scoff.

"What if one of the students walked in?"

"Into the teachers private staffroom?" Liam questioned.

Bianca hit him softly. "Sorry Gina, it won't happen again."

"No it won't." Gina slammed one of the textbooks onto the photocopier machine and pushed some buttons and the copier started printing out the pages.

"How are you going Gina?" Bianca asked a slight level of concern in her voice.

"I'm going just fine!" Gina almost snapped. The copier began to squeak and shake, the paper tearing as it was being slowly spat out. "For crying out loud. Why hasn't this been fixed yet?"

"The one in the library is better, prints faster as well." Liam suggested maybe just to get the woman out of the room.

"Thankyou Liam." She glared at the two lovebirds as she left the room making her way to the library. Liam and Bianca wasted no time in getting back into what they were doing before they were interrupted. Bianca smiled as she began caressing Liam's leg, getting higher and closer to his.

"This is a little too hot for school." Liam separated himself from his hot girlfriend. "I've got Year ten choruses to mark."

"Sounds like fun."

Liam giggled. He grabbed a pile of music sheets. "And this is a pile of songs that Stacey wants me to go through to decide which one is good enough to be my new single. Uh none Stacey they are all ****house."

Bianca giggled. "Well then don't get them confused with your Year ten's songs."

"As if." Liam laughed. He grabbed one of the songs from the homework pile. "Listen to this; Baby, baby please go away, you're driving me crazy why can't you stay?" Liam laughed. "The boy can't make up his mind."

"Well what fifteen year old can?" Bianca grabbed another one and read it out loud. "I wait for you to ring me, my phone on vibrate it gives me a tickle. I don't ever answer, phone sex is better when I don't have to hear you. Gross."

Liam began to laugh. "That one is actually quite good. Disturbing but good."

Bianca turned her nose up. "It doesn't even rhyme."

"this one does..." Liam began laughing as he read it. "One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, rock, rock, five oclock, six o'clock, seven o'clock, **** block." Liam shook his head. "Do I give him a zero for plagiarism or a zero for crap writing?"

"You have to give him something he thought up a song with the word **** in it."

A couple of music pages were thrown down on the desk in front of Liam who looked up to see Gina stand above him.

"This was left in the library." Gina glared at him before leaving.

Liam skimmed through the song. "See this is more like it Stacey." He placed PAUL'S homework onto the wrong pile. "Now where were we?" He looked at Bianca and smiled. "Smooch break?"

* * *

Irene walked into the Surf Club to find Paul and some of the River Boys play fighting around the pool table. Paul and Heath were using their cue's as swords and the other River Boys were cheering them on.

"Oi! Cut it out you two!" John Palmer warned the boys. He spotted Irene and smiled.

Irene walked over to him and greeted him with a nod.

"You sure you don't mind me flogging these off to you? Maybe they will sell in the diner, got no idea what Alf was thinking when he thought he could sell t-shirts and scarfs in a surf club, swimwear maybe."

Irene giggled. "I thought it was your idea."

"It was." John looked at Heath and Paul. "Knock it off or get out!" He looked back at Irene. "That boy of yours is trouble with a capital gaol sentence."

"You could be right John, he has court tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Irene, I didn't..."

"It's ok."

"Well he's not making it better for himself hanging out with this lot."

"I know."

"Not that I could talk with all the trouble Trey got into. Get this I get a call from the counselor at the juvie where he's at, he's due to be realeased in a few weeks and the only thing stopping him from being transferred to the main gaol is whether or not he can stay with us. Gina hit the roof when I told her."

"I take it it's a no."

"I would like to say no for Xavier and Gina's sakes but..."

Paul and Heath made more noise. Irene looked over at her son. "You just have to look after them."

John smiled. "Something like that." He then pointed out the box to Irene. "I'd give you a hand to carry the box to the car but if I give myself another heart attack... well if that doesn't kill me, Gina will."

"No worries." She looked over at Paul. "Paul, can you give me a hand darl?"

Heath playfully pushed Paul. "Come on darl, give her a hand."

"Get lost." Paul pushed him back.

April walked into the Surf Club. Paul looked at her and she saw him looking but looked away. She walked over to Irene.

"Leah told me you'll be here." She smiled politely at John. "I can't get a hold of Bianca and there's a strange man asleep on the lounge."

"Yeah that's Paul's dad, he's jet lagged from the flight. Oh love, I haven't told him that his dad's here yet, not sure how he's going to take it."

"Well he won't hear it from me, I'm not talking to him, Irene."

"Oh love..."

"He turned Dexter into Rudolph." April complained.

John tried hard not to laugh.

"Love..."

"Yeah I know, he's going through stuff right now but Irene, I am too, only I'm not giving anybody a broken nose."

Xavier and Casey walked in, Casey rolling his eyes about Heath spending time with Paul again.

"What do you care..?" Xavier picked up on his friend's tension. "Theyre both freaks, it's like he was meant to be his brother instead of you."

"You don't get it, my whole life I just wanted to surf with them or hang out... Just be one of them but I was always just 'little Brax' to them. Now he's adopted some random kid made them one of them, if they only knew..."

"Only knew what?" Xavier hoped Casey would finish his sentence.

"Doesn't matter... Let's just go." Casey began heading back out the door but Xavier stopped him.

"Wait, April's here."

"Dude, you are like a stalker."

"What's the go with you and that chick anyway?" Heath playfully pushed Paul.

"Dude she's sort of like a sister." Paul hoped to satisfy his mates curiosity.

"Sort of like? So she isn't like? Ever like slip a digit in under the dinner table?". M

"Dude, that's gross."

Heath laughed. "Fag!"

"Xavier, please just give me some space for now." April pleaded with her ex.

"Hey mate, why don't you give Irene a hand to carry this box and you can talk to April another time." John suggested.

"Please April, I just want to sort this out with you, just two minutes?"

April reluctantly nodded And they headed to the door.

"I'll give you hand if you like." Casey suggested and grabbed the box without waiting for a response.

As they walked past the pool table Xavier grabbed April by the arm, April pushed his hand away but Paul saw this and grabbed him by his collar, pulling his face into him.

"I told you to keep her hand off her or you would lose it." Paul reminded the boy in a threatening tone.

"Yeah? Try it?"

Irene, John, Casey and Heath surrounded the three of them.

"Let go of him Paul." Irene told her son.

"Dude don't hit him you got court tomorrow." Everyone looked at Heath, surprised by his words. "Let me hit him?"

"Just calm it down boys." John tried his best to cool the situation down.

Paul glared at Xavier. "You have problems."

"Look who's talking."

"You look like you're about to kiss him." Heath joked, his attempt to calm it down.

"Yeah he'll like that!" Casey said almost without a thought.

Paul let go of Xavier and punched Casey. Heath quickly grabbed Paul and pulled him away with force.

"You can hit the Coot but not my brother dude."

"Paul!"

"You alright Case?" Heath helped his brother off the ground.

Casey wiped some blood away from his nose with his hand. "Like you care!" Casey ran out of the Surf Club, Xavier looked at April and then followed after him.

"You okay Junior?" Heath turned to look at Paul. "Junior?"

Everyone was worried about Casey they didn't see Paul who was dancing uncontrollably on the floor.

"Paul?" Irene rushed over to him.

"He's having a ceizure."

"How hard did you hit him?" April asked Heath.

"I didn't hit him. Is he okay? Can somebody call an ambulance?"

Irene was already on her mobile.

"Can everybody back off please?" John tried to get the crowd away.

"Come on buddy get up." Heath looked down at his mate with concern.

[lozlovesh&a]

Good chapter... I hope Paul is okay.

[Red Ranger 1]

Woah!Pretty involved chapter, hard to keep track of everything that happened.Torn between thinking Paul might end up an international songwriter or might end up failing his homework.Trey coming back?That could be interesting.Shame Xavier and April didn't get to have their chat...then again, maybe it isn't.Liked Casey calling him a stalker.Liked Heath and Xavier worrying about Casey.Worried about Paul having a seizure.Looking forward to more!

[HighwayUnicorn]

Another good chapter ... wondering if Paul will be okay though ...

I look forward to more.

Carina xxx

[Miranda]

I'm enjoying this story, well done Perry.