Can't Buy Me Love - 2 - by Maro Z

Thank you all for commenting, this is a little different from my other stories, but different is good?? :)

Lots of comments, and lots of readers!!! Thank you all so much!

Annie That's exactly what I was hoping for, don't think Marina is going to be an instantly likable character....but that's half the story!

Emma What a great description...hope it's gorgeous too:)

Loveinair Perfectly perfect? I LOVE that!! :)

Honey Thanks, I love to hear people like the start of the story...most important part really isn't it?

JBieber Lover Yep, Marina is going to get a lot worse before she gets better! But there's a lot left to happen yet:)

Surabhi As I'm getting into the story I'm getting more confident, and the great responses help too! find the first few chapters really difficult to write!

Nessa there are a lot of options in this story, and she's going to be bad before she's good again!

Diya Thanks! Love new commenters! Glad you're liking! :)

Brit Hi Britney, Buzzle likes to limit chapter size on here, so it takes a few chapters to get into things, hope you manage to follow, and all your questions get answered! If not ask away!!

Jess I've had a lot of teen requests, but I'm a bit old to remember how it is!! ha ha! Sorry if I don't do it justice!

Trilla It'll take a few chapters to hit off I'm sure, and yep Yay for Noah!! :)

Alison Welcome back! Glad you loved the ending to When Love Breaks Down. This IS going to be different for me, and the whole point is that Marina isn't a really likable character....yet! But hopefully that won't put you off??

Mal K It's definitely different though I'm getting more confident as the story moves on!

Justine.A I'm not a Paul McCartney fan, but can't love the Beatles? Such an iconic band, but anyway. Yep I'm hoping the plot remains clouded for a lot longer, you know by now that I like to surprise you all with a few curveballs! :)

Lee Lee Great! So glad you took time to comment! Love new readers!! :)

Sami I'd love to publish work at sometime, but I'm growing with each story and learning loads from all the responses, so you never know maybe one day! And thank you for the compliments, but a writer is only as awesome as her readers!

Janena Yep this story has a lot to live up to!! Hope it does! Thanks for commenting! I'm truly grateful!

Klara Noel I definitely am :)

Wellwisher I know I wanted her to really be at a low ebb here, but all is never as it seems hey? I hate drink drivers, but she had to do something serious and this seemed the most believable 'felony'! And as I've been saying Marina is not meant to be a nice character, she has too much going on to be a typical heroine.....

Lovelypalacios I know, money doesn't buy you happiness does it? Her life isn't great, but has she got the power to change it?

Zee I've always got a load of love in store...you know me!! :)

Bethany Fellows I did intend to have Jack's new girlfriend in the last story, but it just didn't happen. Sorry! Thanks for reading though, and hope you had a nice holiday!! :)

So here we go again - chapter two, chance to find out more about Marina!
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Two hours later she'd faced Judge Cooper in a courtroom, he'd agreed to the rehabilitation, and her father was driving her home in silence. Her new court appointed 'buddy' was due to arrive at her home any time in the next hour. She couldn't wait. As Marco drove them along the luxurious roads of Beverly Hills, Marina wondered who did a job like that; buddying up with teens who'd had DUI's. She envisaged a middle aged hippy woman, who saw the good in everyone....smiling to herself she knew that she could be the most charming person in the World when she wanted to, this would be a doddle!

Back home Marina slunk into the lounge and headed for the TV when her father's voice cut through the silence.

"You may be eighteen, but you are both grounded and removed of privileges. That's in addition to the court stipulations of no alcohol and no driving!"

"For God's sake Dad, I made one mistake..."

He held up a hand, "No young lady, I know that this isn't the first time you've done this; it proves that despite all your education you cannot be trusted!"

"I am not a child father; you cannot lock me up and punish me like this!"

His eyes turned cold, and suddenly Marina saw the scary side of her father that she rarely saw, "you will listen, I am not having you going the same route as your mother, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Marina withdrew physically, both the comment and the nature of it scared her, they never discussed her mother, ever. This was bad. Her father's face was red, his features angled into an evil glower, cutting her losses, she headed upstairs to her room.

Lying on the bed she tried to make sense of all that had happened the last twenty four hours. Her last real thought was lying at the beach club having a few cokes from the hot waiter Andrew. She really concentrated and searched her brain for anything else. She remembered being at a beach party, people swimming, a fire on the sand. Why couldn't she remember anything else? She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, she was still wearing the bikini, and the same vest and shorts. It was all grubby, and there was what looked like a cigarette burn on her vest. But why couldn't she remember anything?

Sighing she headed into her ensuite bathroom, stripped out of the clothing and immediately binned them, then let a hot shower invigorate her. Clean and much fresher she found some pajamas to wear then settled onto her inviting duvet to rest. The sense of fear and panic was reducing now, but she still felt sick.

As she closed her eyes it was her mother who permeated her thoughts. She'd been six when her mother died in a car accident, she'd been on her way to meet her lover to disappear off into the distance leaving her and thirteen year old Alex behind. Her father had been devastated at the double catastrophe, losing Maggie to both death and another man, but Marina had never forgiven him for sending Alex away. He had a different father, and even though Paul Beaufort had brought him up for eight years, he'd sent him away as he was a reminder of his wife's infidelity. It all meant that Marina had been even lonelier losing her mother, brother, and any humor from her father in one fail swoop. Their London house was empty without her brother who'd gone to live with her mother's parent's in New York, and she rarely saw him. Her father had been unable to cope with her either, so she'd been at boarding schools ever since.

Rolling onto her stomach she reached in the drawer of her bedside chest and pulled out her diary. Slotted in the back page under the cover was a photo, her mother with her and Alex. It was such a happy photo, and she still found it hard to believe that her mother was abandoning them when she crashed her car. She wished she was still here, she really did, but would it be worse to have been abandoned by her than to lose her like that?

She was half asleep, so exhausted that she didn't notice the increase in noise from downstairs. It was Marco that came and disturbed her, a knock at the door finally waking her.

"Your father has asked me to come and get you; he wants to see you in his office."

Groaning she climbed out of bed, the full length mirror on the back of her bedroom door showed that she looked better for sleep. She had a little more color, but her hair had been wet when she'd fallen asleep and now stuck up in ridiculous spikes in random directions. She was uncaring though; this was a mess she had to face up to both him and everything else.

As she burst into the study all petulant and prepared for a fight she froze. Her father was behind his desk stooped over some sort of documentation. He was what her only friend Sara described as swarthy. Short, stocky and very dark. The man stood next to him was the opposite. Late twenties would be her guess, and he was tall more than six foot and slim. His collar length dark hair was scruffily cut like the surfers that her friend Sara hung out with on Bondi Beach where she was spending her gap year. Suddenly she regretted the rather childish and skimpy pajamas, shortie shorts and a tight strappy top with Miss Piggy and Kermit emblazoned on the front. Both pairs of eyes flicked up as they noticed her, her father's small black ones, and a strange chocolate brown pair, she stepped back a little, intimidated.

"This is her, Marina." Her father announced in such a painfully derogatory way that she visibly recoiled. "Marina this man will be your chaperone, counselor and probation officer for at the very least the next six months, Nathan Hughes." He turned to the younger man and grimaced, "I don't envy you your job!"

Marina was struggling to keep her tears in check, here was her father humiliating her even, slating her, making things as difficult as possible. She started to step backwards, and at the door, she glared at the older man.

"I'll be in the lounge IF you want to speak to me like a human being." She glanced at the man he'd called Nathan and added, "My father is the only man in the world who NEVER makes mistakes, never does anything wrong! I pity you for getting stuck in the middle of this family!"

Nathan smiled to himself, the girl had balls, he liked that. She looked all of twelve in her kids pajamas, but her body betrayed that initial assessment. He knew Paul Beaufort was no man to mess with. He'd come here expecting to meet some stroppy spoiled teenager, instead he was stunned at the way Paul had talked down to her, belittled her so badly, but her response, that tempestuous streak, that sting in the tail. This assignment looked like being fun, he knew it would help push him back up the ladder, catapult him back to where he wanted to be, and it seemed he was going to enjoy this too.

Marina was sat in the lounge in front of the TV some emo-shit music blasting out when Nathan finally located her. She had her feet up on a coffee table and her nose lifted in an arrogant gesture.

He sat across the room from her, reaching for the remote control and turning the blaring music down.

"Can we talk?" he asked. When she didn't answer he continued, "we have got to spend a lot of time together over the next few months, so I strongly suggest that we start to get along or this could be a really tough time."

He had dark brown eyes that watched her intently, his smooth accented voice grated on her nerves, snapping she turned to glare at him.

"I'll do what I have to, but don't pretend that you're my friend. You are anything but! Tell me what I have to do and I'll do it, I'm as keen to be free of this as I'm sure you are."

He laughed, "this is my job, and anyway it's meant to be a punishment for you, after all you broke the law!"

Scoffing she stood up and stared at him, "and I'm sure NO ONE will let me forget! Can I just say Mr Hughes that by being in cahoots with my father you have indicated me and you will never be on friendly terms."

He watched as she started to leave the room then smiled to himself, he loved a challenge. As she reached the door he called out, "there's a special anti-DUI school that starts tomorrow. I have to take you, so you can either get on with it or mope like a child. As your father is returning to his business trip tonight, I have also agreed to be the chaperone he can't be. After all the terms of your parole are that you won't drink, drive, or take drugs..."

"I've never taken drugs!" she announced vehemently. "And I am not a child who needs babysitting."

He laughed out loud irritating her immensely, "In the eyes of the law that is EXACTLY what you are! SO you'd better get used to me, or prepare for jail!"

Marina threw herself down on to her bed, and fought the tears that welled there. How did it all go so wrong again? She knew she didn't help situations, but she was so used to fighting everyone that she didn't even realize how bad she was on some occasions. Now she had her father's scorn....again, and this bloody idiot hounding her too. She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep; no actually she wanted to go back to the Alps, back to Alex and his family...her family. That was where she was last happy.

Pulling out her laptop she searched online for her best friend Sara, they'd been in boarding school together, and whilst their lives took them to different continents, they still confided in each other. She checked her watch ten in the evening meant mid afternoon in Sydney. She'd be at work. She had a gap year job at a cafe on Bondi beach....something Marina would have loved, but her father appeared to have 'plans' for her which didn't include her having any fun, he'd point blank refused to let her go out there too. Marina logged onto Sara's facebook page and left a message, "Bad times friend! Call me when you can, Mxx"

The next morning she woke and came downstairs. Thomas now had a sly look on his face as he watched her approach, "Mr Hughes is waiting for you in the lounge."

She nodded, "I'll have toast Thomas, three slices." Then raising her nose she sauntered past him and on to confront her nemesis.

Nathan was sat with his right foot resting on his left knee, arms stretched along the back of the sofa watching something on TV, Marina paused to take a deep breath, how she loathed this man, then she stormed into the room.

"Living here now are you? Make yourself at home and all that!"

He chuckled and it infuriated her, "Good morning to you too Marina!" his voice was smooth, his accent subtle.

She shrugged off his comment and grabbed the remote control flicking from the local news to MTV, she hated Justin Timberlake, but at that moment SexyBack was both a great interlude and lyrically perfect. Sitting opposite him she started to sing loudly, "Baby I'm your slave, I'll let you whip me if I misbehave"

Nathan shook his head and laughed, "is that an offer?"

Marina scowled, her face distorting to show her disdain, then she flicked to another music channel and absorbed her mind into a Foo Fighters classic.

Thomas scuttled in a few minutes later with a large plate of toast and a coffee for Nathan. As she took the plate she continued to scowl at the two men.

Nathan laughed again, "I'd be angry if it wasn't so funny!"

"What?"

He sipped the hot drink then placed it on a side table, "well every time I come into this room the TV has on International news, I'm thinking you're desperate to hear the latest on the trouble in the Middle East, that train crash in Germany, or even the Royal Family in England but instead you're forcing yourself to do what you think I expect you to do and watch shit music videos. The irony being you hate it as much as me!"

"What have you got a degree in Psychology? Or did you meet Freud once upon a time?"

His laugh was a real belly laugh and she had to force herself not to laugh too, "Marina, you are one funny girl. Pity you don't put that quick wit and intelligence into something more constructive than drink driving!"

"Piss off!" was her retort, but she knew she'd lost that battle.

The DUI school was horrendous. Nathan had dropped her at the door, deposited a large coffee in her hand then headed to his office. He was collecting her after the four hour session. Today's topic was the danger of alcohol to the body. She watched an uncharismatic middle aged man show graphic slides of rotten livers, people with jaundice, those homeless through drink, then came the car crashes. She groaned this made her want to drink more, not less.

The other people on the course were of a similar age to her, but all were faceless, characterless idiots who agreed whole heartedly with everything that they were told. She hated them as much as she hated the class.

As she finally emerged, she felt her sense of release fade as she spotted Nathan ankles crossed reclining against a wall opposite.

"How did it go?" he asked jumping to his feet with a smile.

Shrugging an answer she set off down the corridor at a fast pace, Nathan was ambling along behind her, but her upper hand only lasted until she had to wait at the car for him to drive her home.

"So are we going to spend every moment in silence?"

Marina took a deep breath, fighting back her anger and the tears that always followed it, finally she managed to spit out, "we're never going to be friends Nathan, so why waste time messing around?"

He raised an eyebrow then returned his eyes to the road. Part of this deal was a nightly curfew, she had to be home by nine pm, but as soon as Nathan had left she tried to persuade Marco to drive her to the beach club. When he refused she called a cab, there'd come a time when her father would freeze her money, but that hadn't happened yet.

It was another beautiful day, the private beach was busy, a gang of guys were playing a loud and competitive game of volleyball, so she headed to the furthest side away from them for some peace and quiet. She'd just had a book arrive that she'd waited for from an internet agent, so with her iPod on she settled down to read about a family embroiled in the conflicts in the Chechen Republic.

It was a good book, and she was soon a thousand miles away absorbed in the story. She didn't notice Andrew her waiter friend approach.

"Hey! What happened to you the other night? One minute you were the life and soul, then you'd disappeared!"

She grimaced for a second before lifting her sunglasses to look at him, "I just needed to get home...."

He nodded, "you were wasted! You got home ok though? I realized after you left that I didn't have your number."

"I'll write it on the napkin that comes with my coke!" she announced almost dismissing him, and he laughed, scurrying off to fulfill her order.
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