Copyright © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Cover design © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney Press, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011-5690.
ISBN 978-1-4231-8740-0
For more Disney Press fun, visit www.disneybooks.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
An Interview with Ross Lynch & Maia Mitchell
An Excerpt from the Teen Beach Movie Script!
Photos from the Film
The sun shone brightly on a California beach on a perfect surfing day. The conditions were just right for catching waves. A group of surfers was carving up breakers on their boards. Brady, a blond surfer, was right in the middle of the action. His girlfriend McKenzie—Mack to her friends—came up behind him. Brady smiled at her as they both expertly rode a wave in.
Mack broke away from Brady and cut sharply down the face of the wave. She crouched down and grabbed the edge of the board with her hand as the wave folded over her. Inside the wave, she felt the thrill of taking command of her board. As she shot out of the water barrel, she sped past Brady. Mack loved surfing—and teasing her boyfriend. She glanced over her shoulder at him and waved. He took the challenge and followed her lead.
After a few hours of surfing, a stunning sunset spread out across the sky. Brady and Mack walked along the water’s edge together carrying their surfboards.
Brady looked over at Mack and grinned. “Best day ever!” he exclaimed.
“It was pretty awesome, huh?” Mack replied.
“Awesome?” he replied. “Surfing all day? Us being together? Awesome wishes it was this awesome!” He stopped and looked into Mack’s eyes. “This has been the perfect summer.”
Mack looked around, taking in the beautiful beach sunset. “It has been perfect,” she said. Then she looked down. The tide was going out, and her feet were slowly sinking into the wet sand. “It’s just, the thing is, Brady…” She stopped herself. She had something to tell him, but she couldn’t get the words out. When she glanced back at Brady, he was looking at the horizon.
“Hey, check it out!” he shouted.
Following his gaze, Mack spotted the huge wave traveling toward the shore. “Those swells must be breaking at, what, forty feet?” she asked, squinting.
“I read there’s a gnarly storm coming in from up north,” Brady replied, keeping his eyes on the ocean. “Same time as the trade winds are hitting.”
“Surf like this happens once every ten years!” Mack exclaimed. “Imagine dropping into a barrel that intense!”
Brady flashed her a smile. “Luckily, we’ve still got a whole week left of vacation to enjoy it.”
Mack took a deep breath. What she had wanted to tell him would ruin this sunset—and this moment. And the promise of a great surfing day tomorrow made the night even sweeter. She decided to change the subject. “Come on. I’m starving,” she said.
Together, they took off for the beach surf shop up ahead. The shop belonged to Mack’s grandfather and was where he crafted custom-built surfboards.
“First thing tomorrow, we hit the beach and that awesome surf,” Brady said. “Imagine what you’ll do on waves that heavy—carving, kick flips, laybacks!”
“Brady, about tomorrow…” Mack began as she walked into the surf shop.
“No way!” Brady cried, pushing past her. On the television was an old 1960s surf movie. The surfer on screen was doing amazing trick handstands on his surfboard!
“I can’t believe you’re watching this without me!” Brady complained to Mack’s grandfather.
“Now that you’re here, I’m not,” the older man replied. He winked at his granddaughter.
Mack watched as a girl came out of the water with her hair still perfectly coiffed—and completely dry. Rolling her eyes, Mack sighed. Even the water was fake in these old beach movies! “Please tell me it isn’t…”
“Wet Side Story!” Brady and Mack’s grandfather answered in unison.
“Nineteen sixty-two. Surfers. Bikers. Best movie ever made,” Brady declared. His eyes were glued to the screen.
“How can you two like that silliness?” she asked, looking from Brady to her grandfather. “Especially you, Grandpa.” Mack gave him a stern look.
“Silliness?” her grandfather asked. He shook his head. “Mack, my dear, this movie defined an entire culture.”
“Exactly,” Brady jumped in. “A surfer guy and a biker girl share a secret love while trying to unite their rival gangs, as an evil real estate mogul tries to turn their hangout into a resort by building a weather machine that blows up, creating a massive storm.” He raised his eyebrows high. “Silliness? Really?”
“The boy makes a good point,” Mack’s grandfather said.
“Fine, but can you watch it later? I really need to talk to you…” Mack said, pulling on Brady’s elbow.
Brady’s eyes were still fixed on the television. On screen, a group of surfers ran into Big Momma’s Bungalow. It was a beach hangout decorated with surfboards and shells. There were surfers sitting on one side of the restaurant and bikers on the other side.
“Just check out my favorite part,” Brady urged. “When the two leads—Lela’s and Tanner’s—eyes meet, they’re pulled apart by their two conflicting rival gangs.” Brady pointed to the TV. “Look!”
Mack watched Lela, a biker chick, and Tanner, a surfer, sing a song about falling in love. Lela was singing on stage until she teetered too close to the edge and fell! She tumbled right into Tanner’s arms.
“Hey, get your soggy-surfer mitts off my baby sister!” one of the biker dudes shouted toward the group of surfers.
As the surfers and bikers circled each other, Lela and Tanner locked eyes. Mack crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes again.
“I love this part,” Mack’s grandfather confessed.
“It’s classic,” Brady agreed.
“Come on,” Mack said, exasperated. “They sing for no reason! When they come out of the water, their hair is totally dry! The girls never surf as well as the boys. And they sing for no reason. I mention that again because even the second time, I don’t get why.”
Brady glanced over at Mack. “But it is always summer, and everybody just dances and surfs.”
Mack shrugged. “Well, sure, the surfing part sounds fun…”
Just then, there was a knock at the front door. When Mack went to see who was there, her grandfather had a worried look on his face. He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.
“But, come on. They sing in the ocean and never spit out water!” Mack called over her shoulder. She opened the door and then froze. Standing in the doorway was Mack’s Aunt Antoinette, a businesswoman who definitely didn’t look like she fit into the laid-back surfing scene.
“How about giving your Aunt Antoinette a hug?” she asked, smiling. Mack grinned and threw her arms around her aunt.
“You’re so grown up,” Antoinette cooed. She stood back and looked at her niece in her bikini. “You look absolutely…unacceptable.”
“Excuse me?” Mack said, offended.
“Not you, dear!” Antoinette said quickly. She po
inted to her earpiece and continued on with her business call. “Tell him the offer is unacceptable.” She clicked the phone off and turned to Mack. “It’s good to see you!” she sang sweetly.
“What are you doing here?” Mack asked. “I thought you were coming tomorrow.”
Antoinette shook her head. “Then you thought wrong. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
Brady walked toward the door. “Mack, what does she mean by leaving tomorrow?”
“Brady, I’m McKenzie’s aunt,” Antoinette said, extending her hand. “I’m sure she’s told you all about me.”
Brady turned to Mack. “What does she mean by leaving tomorrow?” he repeated.
“Welcome home, Antoinette,” Mack’s grandfather said, walking toward her.
“Hello, Father,” Antoinette replied.
“Glad to have you home,” he said kindly.
Antoinette looked past her father into the shop. “Doesn’t look like much has changed around here. I see you’re still making surfboards.”
“The best surfboards on the beach!” Mack boasted.
“You know, I could get you a great price on this place,” Antoinette said, gesturing to the prime beach location. “Of course, we’d have to tear it down first.” She scanned the old shop, and her eyes settled on a vintage surfboard hanging over the entryway. “Don’t tell me you still have that?”
“Still have it?” Mack asked incredulously. She looked up lovingly at the old surfboard with the carved rose emblem. “We all grew up on the mythical legends of this board. This board is part of the family.”
“Me, your grandfather, his father, we each found our destiny on it,” Mack’s grandfather reminded Antoinette.
“There’s only one way to find your destiny in this world,” Antoinette snorted. “And that’s to work for it.”
Brady jumped in. “Okay, not meaning to sound redundant, but—what does she mean by leaving tomorrow?”
Antoinette leaned in closer to Brady. Her face was beaming with pride. “Brady, starting tomorrow, my niece will be attending the prestigious, overpriced Dunwich Prep School back east.” She pointed at Mack. “Anyone who’s anyone in the corporate world went there.”
Brady’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“Antoinette, we should talk about this,” Mack’s grandfather said quietly.
“This was always the deal,” she snapped. She looked at her niece. “Isn’t that right McKenzie?”
Mack felt trapped. She couldn’t breathe. “Sure,” she said. “It’s just…tomorrow there are these extreme conditions I’ve been waiting my entire life to surf—”
Cutting her off, Antoinette put her arm around her. “Surf? Sweetheart, your new life begins as of our morning flight. That’s what’s important, not some surf.”
Mack couldn’t even respond. She ducked out of her aunt’s embrace and ran up to her room.
A few moments later, Brady appeared at her bedroom door. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” he said quietly.
“You don’t know how hard I tried,” Mack said, looking down at her feet. “I just didn’t know how.”
Brady sat down on Mack’s bed. “So, you’re leaving for a private school? Just like that? Why are they making you do this?”
Mack shook her head. “They’re not making me. It’s my choice.”
“So, change your mind!” Brady exclaimed. “I do it all the time. No, I don’t. Yes, I do. See?”
“It’s too late,” Mack confessed. “My flight is at noon tomorrow.”
“How can you leave?” Brady pressed her. “This is your home. It’s where your grandfather is, where you surf, where I am!”
Mack took a deep breath. “I was really lucky to get into this school. My aunt says it will pave the way for my future.
“I know you’re upset,” she continued. “I should have told you.”
“And what is this ‘deal’ your aunt was talking about?” he asked.
“After we lost my mom, the deal was I would stay here with my grandfather through the first part of high school,” she explained. “Then, when it was time to get more serious, I’d go to this school, like my aunt did.”
The explanation didn’t make Brady feel any better. “So she just shows up to take you away?” he asked. “Aren’t you happy here?”
Getting up, Mack crossed the room and lifted the lid of an old trunk. Inside was her memory box. She gently opened the box and took out a worn, tattered book, wrapped in fabric. She held it carefully. “This was my mom’s journal,” she explained.
Brady went over to her. “What does it say?” he asked.
Opening to a marked page, Mack read from the journal entry. “‘Most of all, I dream my daughter becomes a great success. That she isn’t just pulled through life, but marches through it triumphantly.’”
“She sounds like she was amazing,” Brady said.
Mack closed the book. “My mom wanted to go to college and make something of herself, but then she had me, and time passed, and then…” Mack looked out the window as she collected her thoughts. “She never got to live out that dream.”
“But that’s not your fault,” Brady told her.
“I know it’s not, but I also know that I can do what she never got a chance to,” she said softly.
Brady reached for Mack. “That doesn’t mean you have to be what your aunt is. You can be anything you want!”
Mack looked down at the journal in her hands. “This is what I have to do,” she said. “It’s what she wanted. Please try to understand.”
“And what about us?” Brady asked.
Mack paused. “How can there be an ‘us’ after today?” she said in a low voice.
“I’ll wait for you,” he said.
Mack found the strength to look up. “Brady, I know what it feels like to miss someone. I care about you too much to ever put you through that.”
“So you’re saying you care about me enough to break up with me?” he asked. He stood up and backed away.
“I don’t want to, but what choice do I have?” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for the most awesome summer of my life. I wish it wasn’t over. I wish we weren’t over.”
Brady walked sadly out of the room. As Mack watched him go, she noticed a photo of herself and Brady taken earlier in the summer. She picked up the photograph and slid it into her suitcase. She closed her eyes and sighed. Leaving was going to be much harder than she had thought.
As the sun rose the next morning, Mack sat on her bed staring at her suitcases. She wasn’t ready to say good-bye.
Outside her door, her grandfather leaned the surfboard with the rose emblem against the wall. When he walked away, the rose in the center started to glow mysteriously.
As soon as she opened her door, Mack saw the surfboard and smiled. She quickly scribbled a note to her grandfather. Mack knew that he would understand her need for a last-minute surf run. She couldn’t leave without one more ride.
The conditions were perfect for a great morning surf. Mack checked out the waves and couldn’t wait to get in the water. As she squinted in the sunlight, she spotted Brady walking toward her.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away from surf like this,” he said.
“I’m glad you came, but…” Mack said, her voice trailing off. She shifted her feet. “I told you, we aren’t—”
Brady grinned at her. “It’s okay,” he told her. “I’m just here to watch you surf, not to propose.”
Lifting up her board, Mack ran to the shore. “Then check out what I’m about to do!” She paddled out beyond the reef and waited patiently for a wave to come rolling in. It was aggressive surf, but Mack held her stance and rode the wave in. The waves kept coming, and Mack was ready every time. She expertly ripped across each wave.
Mack’s grandfather walked out of his surf shop and stood on the cool sand. He searched the beach for Mack and saw her riding the waves with a few other surfers.
He couldn’t help but notice the dark clouds on the horizon.
“You’ve got to see this,” Brady called to Mack’s grandfather. “She’s ripping it!”
“I don’t like the look of that sky, Brady,” her grandfather said worriedly.
“You’re right,” Brady replied. “It looks bad. They’d better get out of there.”
At that moment, the lifeguard stood up and blew his whistle. He raised a red flag and signaled that everyone had to get out of the water. All the surfers headed back in—except Mack.
Brady shielded his eyes and pointed to Mack. “What is she doing?”
“She’s not paddling in,” her grandfather said, concerned.
A huge wave was building and heading right for Mack!
But Mack knew exactly what she was doing. She was waiting for the ride of her life! The huge wave continued to gain strength and power. It was unlike anything Mack had ever seen. A perfect barrel was cresting at an amazing height, calling any surfer who had the guts to attempt the ride. Mack was ready.
When Brady realized what Mack was doing, he sprang into action. He ran to a Jet Ski lying on the sand, grabbed a lifejacket, and rode out toward Mack. “Don’t do it, Mack!” he cried as he reached her.
“I have to!” she called back. She turned to face the growing wave. This was her moment, and she was totally focused.
A hush fell across the beach. All eyes were on Mack.
“Insane!” a surfer on the beach shouted. “She’s going to try to carve that monster!”
Mack paddled straight into the rising wave. She was more determined than ever. At the right moment, she stood up and positioned her feet in a surfing stance. She was high on the wave, but then she suddenly dropped down the vertical wall of water in a free fall. Somehow, she regained control in a spectacular move, but Brady knew more was coming. He gunned his Jet Ski.
Everyone on the beach was cheering. Mack’s skills were impressive, and the whole crowd was watching in awe—except for her grandfather and Brady.
As the monster wave crashed over Mack’s head, the force of the water pulled her deep beneath the surface. No matter which direction she turned, she saw only foam and swirling water. There was no way out. With an intense and powerful push, Mack was pulled away from her board.
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