by Max Hudson
Chapter Three
“Hi, you’re Flint, right?” I was still smiling to myself, thinking about my potential friendship with Romi, when a smooth, chocolatey-sounding voice broke through my shock barrier. “Romi just told me about you.”
“I… I…” Whoa, I could barely speak. Something about this guy left me a little breathless. He was just so cool.
He had long, blond hair which he had scraped back into a bun, shiny emerald green eyes, and the whitest teeth I’d ever seen. He was wearing shorts, no t-shirt, showing off a body that had clearly been worked hard judging by the six pack, and there was a string of beads hanging around his neck. He had that typical fantasy surfer boy look, with salty wet skin to complete it. For some strange reason that left me speechless.
“Are you new here?” he asked curiously, while extending his hand for me to shake it. I took the opportunity and took his strong grip in mine, instantly noticing a buzzing, electrical sensation tingling all over my body.
I shook my head and fixed my eyes on the ground, my ears buzzing furiously. This was odd, why the hell was I acting so weird? Was I that nerdy that the first cool guy to come into the store had me gibbering like a teenage idiot? I needed to pull myself together if I didn’t want to blow this potential friendship. “Not really,” I finally managed to spit out. “I grew up here, but I moved away a couple of years ago. I only just got back.”
“Yeah, I thought I hadn’t seen you around before.”
He was so close to me now that I could smell him. He had that wonderful aroma of ocean about him, which made my heart beat faster. God, I’d missed the water! Just because I couldn’t go in it anymore didn’t mean I didn’t need to be near it. I wasn’t sure what had ever convinced me that I’d be able to live away from it.
Love had clearly blinded me.
“I moved here last year, and I thought I knew everyone by this point… or pretty much everyone anyway.”
"Yeah, it’s a small place, but a great one. So, what brought you here?” My body inadvertently moved toward his, like there was a magnetic pull between us.
“I lived in the city before, and I hated it.” The image of this man in the city was an odd one. Here he fit right in, but somewhere like New York would restrict him. It didn’t seem possible that he could even fit that incredible chest into a suit. “I love surfing and I always wanted to live by the ocean. An opportunity came up to be a surfing instructor here and I just jumped at it. It was pretty crazy, but I don’t regret my choice. I’d never go back now. I love it here.” His face became animated as he talked passionately, making my stomach squish and swirl around. “You must know that, you came back after all.”
There was a pregnant pause that clung thickly to the air. For a split second, I considered telling him the whole sorry story of my sad, pathetic return. Luckily before I did the most embarrassing thing ever, I caught myself just in time. This was not the time or place to bum someone out. “Yeah, just couldn’t keep away. Love the place.”
“So,” he leaned on the counter and smiled at me. “If you grew up here, you must have spent a lot of time out on the water. You been back on the water since you returned? I haven’t seen you out there and there’s been some pretty sick waves.”
“Oh I don’t know about that.” My body fell back against the wall, terror clamping down on my heart. I didn’t expect to have to deal with this so quickly. “Maybe at some point.”
“Well, let me know if you ever feel like going back out there. I mean, I’m used to surfing myself, and I’ve taught a lot of kids now. But they want me to start teaching adults too. I’d love to know if my techniques are any good. I know you’re probably more experienced than I am, but just a couple of pointers would do.”
There it was, hanging in the air, another offer of friendship. The second I’d had in one day. It was almost as if the friendship gods from above were smiling down on me, desperate for me to be happy. It would have been so easy for me to just say yes, to go along with it, to really restart my life. However, the tight knot in my chest just wouldn’t let me, not like this.
“I, uhm… no, I don’t think so,” my head shook a little too vigorously. “No, I tend to keep away from the water.”
“What?” he laughed, as if he couldn’t quite believe it. “How can you live here and avoid the water? That’s madness.” He furrowed his eyebrows at me. “Something must have happened to you. There’s no way you would just make that decision.”
“Yeah, something did happen to me,” The words fell quietly from my tongue, hoping that it would shut the subject down quickly. “But that was years ago now. I don’t really think about it. I just keep away from the water.”
He regarded me curiously for a few moments. I got the horrible feeling that he was going to ask me more. Luckily, he seemed to sense that it was something I didn’t want to discuss because he moved away and started to closely examine wetsuits instead.
“So, you’ve been back how long?” he asked carelessly, as his fingers lightly brushed the rubbery materials.
“Couple of months.” I shifted from foot to foot, wishing that I could think of some questions myself. I wanted to seem engaged. I wanted to connect with this guy. I needed him to want to hang out with me. “It’s a little strange being back. Everything’s changed.”
“Really? Well I can’t imagine this place ever changing. That’s what I like so much about it.” He shot me a grin, and that weird flappy sensation came back. “And are you planning on staying?”
“Uhm, I don’t know really. I guess I didn’t come here with a solid plan. But, yeah, I think I’m here for good now,” I smiled lazily, trying my best to match his mood. “There’s nowhere quite like it.” As soon as those words left my lips, I realized how much I really meant them. Dorothy was right, there really was no place like home. The white sands, the quaint cobbled streets, the ability to see stars at night…that was what I’d been sorely missing.
“Well,” he started to back away toward the door, without even buying anything, which made me question why he’d come in at all. Did Romi make him come see me? Was this a pity visit? “If you do ever decide to go back out on the water, give me a shout. I’m usually down on the beach.”
What was that look he was giving me? What did it mean? Why did I feel like he was trying to communicate something to me with his eyes? And why didn’t I know what it was!
“Oh, well I don’t even know your name.” My cheeks flamed as humiliation trickled through my body. “So I… I wouldn’t be able to yell to you…”
“I’m Joey, and it’s been great meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Joey… I thought to myself as he finally left. Joey, the surfer boy. There was something about him that made me feel happy. It was as if his warm rays of sunlight were beaming down on me. I really wanted to get back out on the water, even if it was just to hang out with him, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get past what had happened.
Okay, so it was a freak accident, and I had survived it, but still I felt too afraid. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever be able to overcome the worst thing to ever happen to me, however hard I tried. Maybe remembering it in detail, in a way that I hadn’t done since the day I got out of the hospital, would be a good start.
Chapter Four
It all started off as a normal day, certainly not the day that was about to change my life forever, that was for sure. There was no indication that anything was strange, so I carried on as normal. The weather was perfect for the waves, hot and very breezy, and the tide was in optimum position, which had me in a good mood. So, I began in the way that I always wanted to. I didn’t care too much for school, academia didn’t totally appeal to me – which didn’t matter because I seemed to be pretty good at it anyway - my priority was always out on the water, so when the tide was my friend I would wake up early and head out for a surf, before being stuck for many stuffy hours in school.
“I’m off, see you later!” I called out as I sneaked toward th
e door. I was trying to creep out of my parent’s house unseen, but as usual I wasn’t about to get that lucky. This place was just too big! If we lived in a normal sized house, I’d be out before anyone could even realize I was awake!
“Wait!” As Mom yelled, anger laced her tone, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. I could feel the lecture coming on before she even entered the same room as me. “Why are you headed out so early? School doesn’t start for over an hour.” She stood under the door frame by the kitchen, her hands firmly planted on her hips, pursing her lips disapprovingly at me. “And why, might I ask, do you need to take that dreadful thing with you? You don’t need to do your math homework on that now, do you?”
“Will you just leave the kid alone?” Dad’s exasperated voice rang out from behind her. “You already know that he’s going out surfing, so what’s the point in berating him?”
“Because it’s a waste of time. Mr. Timmins told me that he was late for school most days last semester, and we all know it’s because he’s playing around on the water.”
“Well, he wants to be a professional surfer, doesn’t he? And it hasn’t seemed to have affected his grades so far.”
“Do you hear yourself? Why are you putting fancy ideas in his head?”
I sneaked out the door as they continued to argue, knowing that it could go on forever. They always went round and round on the subject of my life, seemingly forgetting that it was me who had to live it.
I understood my mom’s concerns, and I appreciated my dad’s support, but sometimes I wanted to just scream at them both to leave me alone, but I couldn’t. I just wasn’t brave enough to do so. Like I said, I hated disappointing people.
Once I’d clicked the door shut behind me as quietly as I could manage, I headed down to the beach with a spring in my step, excited to tackle the water. My feet hopped off the hot streets, my heart danced as the crystal clear blue water came into view, the breeze swept my hair out of my eyes. Even the loud cawing of the gulls flying above didn’t disturb the warm positivity of the day.
As my toes connected with the soft sands, I was surprised to find myself alone, my friends usually had the same idea as me, but I didn’t let that stop me from getting out there. It was more waves for me as far as I was concerned. I leapt out into the cool ocean, happiness flowing through my veins, feeling much more at home than I ever did anywhere else. I could get through the long days of school if I had this to look forward to.
As I jumped up onto the board, a scream of exhilaration burst through my chest, one that was drowned out by the massive expanse of water, making it just for me. Some feared the ocean, because they didn’t know what was beneath it, but I relished the unknown, I loved the mystery of it. I enjoyed imagining the sea life beneath, the odd flickering of fish that I’d occasionally get a glimpse of, the secrets of the twisting currents, the deep darkness of the very bottom.
Sadly, that love would be what took me down.
My vague research that day hadn’t suggested that there was a whipping, powerful undercurrent racing around, darting dangerously closer to me with every passing second. On top of the water, everything was glowing, but underneath a different story was being written. The precious water that I gave everything to, was coming for me with a vengeance in its heart.
I could never totally recall the moment I tumbled from my board. It was as if my memory couldn’t totally process that data, all I knew for sure was that one moment I was in an upright position, the next I could feel my lungs filling with water. My mouth wouldn’t stop opening, as if it had no care for preserving my life, whereas my legs were frantically kicking out like crazy.
Then a panic like I’d never experienced before kicked in, and everything went wrong from there. My chest got tight, my head went fuzzy, my body went into some weird sort of spasm. I couldn’t stop it from buckling and shaking, however hard I tried. The more I freaked out, the less I seemed able to help myself, which only caused more cold terror within me. It was a vicious cycle that I became increasingly convinced would kill me.
The waves bulldozed over me, uncaring about my inner turmoil, tossing me about like a ragdoll. I wasn’t sure which direction I was headed in, but it didn’t feel right. I was being dragged out, further and further into the abyss of the ocean, and with each passing second, I was losing all control of the situation.
I never, ever thought the person dying from surfing would be me.
I was smarter, better, I knew what I was doing… or so I thought.
Finally, a terrible pain radiated through my brain, turning everything black. I stopped flailing about, which was what I wanted, only because my body fell limp.
I was falling, I was sinking, death was coming for me…
In all honesty, if an elderly couple who knew my mom from the church hadn’t seen the whole thing, if they hadn’t decided on that early morning stroll, if they didn’t immediately call the Beach Patrol, I never would have survived. As I lay in the hospital, after having my lungs drained, that thought hit me hard like a ton of bricks. This wasn’t a game anymore, this was my life, and if I wanted to keep it, then I needed to be much smarter.
And that was the last time I ever set foot in the ocean.
“You’re being ridiculous!”
“It won’t happen again!”
“You know what to avoid now!”
The same arguments were constantly repeated from my friends, but nothing would change my mind. Even as they distanced themselves from me because we didn’t have so much in common, I stuck to my guns.
I was always stubborn, if nothing else!
Maybe what I should have done was take the second chance at life and done something positive with it, but I didn’t. I just didn’t have any kind of fire in my belly anymore, I’d lost my zest for life. I became a shell of my former self.
Well, until Maria came along…
Was that why I’d assumed what we had was love, when it was so clearly a one-way street? Had I allowed myself to be fooled just because I was so scared to let her go? Was I my best self when I was with her?
Nope, I couldn’t think about her right now, not when something good had finally happened to me.
A bolt of bravery burst through my system, and I grabbed my phone from my pocket, dialing the number that Romi had scrawled across my hand. Maybe I didn’t grab onto life then, but that wasn’t going to stop me now. I wouldn’t fall into that trap twice.
“Hello?” Romi’s sweet voice answered, bringing a small smile to my lips. “Who’s this?”
“Oh, it’s Flint, we met earlier…”
“Oh yeah, cool,” she was so casual, so laid back, so unlike the people I’d gotten used to in recent years – in the most refreshing way possible. “Great to hear from you.”
“Yeah, uhm, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out a bit later on. Maybe we could have a couple of beers on the beach, or something?” Did people still do that here? Now that I’d suggested it, I didn’t like to ask.
“Sounds great. What, like after work?”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll be closing up here at six, so maybe sometime after that?”
“Yep! I’ll meet you there.”
I hope Joey’s there!
That thought popped unexpectedly into my brain as I hung up the phone, sending my heart dancing all around my body. I did hope that I got to see him more, he was easily the coolest person that I’d ever met, but I certainly didn’t want to become obsessed with him. I needed to play it cool if I wanted to be accepted by that group of friends!
Chapter Five
Last night was fun! We should hang out again sometime, Romi x
My fingers scrolled through the message, while my brain recalled flashbacks of the previous night. Maybe we'd both gone a little crazy and drunk one too many, but it was totally worth it. We had a bond now, one that was worth any sickly, headachy feeling.
The evening sun was gorgeous, the cool breeze had been a welcome addition to our ‘getting to know one another�
� chat, the sand beneath us felt so much better than a bar stool.
Yeah, it was fun but maybe next time…
Before I could finish typing out my reply, the dinging sound of the door opening caused me to drop my cell phone in a hurry, and as my eyes made their way toward the sound my heart stopped dead in my chest.
Joey…
He was back. I gulped down, trying to remove the large ball of fear that firmly lodged itself in my throat at the mere sight of him. His hair was hanging loose this time, somehow making him look even more awesome. Especially when I considered the way it framed his strong jawline.
“Oh, uhm, hi,” butterflies flapped in my stomach as my whole body boiled over in shock. I shifted from foot to foot, a real intense awareness of myself flooding me. “Good to see you again, Joey.”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you again too, Flint.”
As he said my name and showed me those pearly whites, that insane buzzing feeling built up in my chest again. It was as if my boiling hot blood was tearing through my body at a million miles an hour, gushing through my heart. I walked toward him, barely noticing my feet hit the ground as I moved, it was almost as if I was having a weird, out of body experience.
“Have you been busy today?”
“Uhm… yeah, not bad. There was a guy in this morning who bought a top-of-the-line surf board, so I’m pretty sure that money justifies the store being open all day long.”
He laughed, a musical sound, which I quickly found catching. I wasn’t even thinking about it, what I’d said wasn’t even funny, yet I was chuckling madly just because Joey was too.
I opened my mouth, about to ask him what his surf board was like, just to keep him here talking to me a little while longer, but I snapped it shut quickly before the words could leave my mouth. That was a dangerous topic, one I needed to steer away from really, unless I wanted my history with the water to crop back up again.