by Amber Garza
My expression hardened. “That was an accident. I tripped over a rock or something.”
“Oh, yeah?” His eyebrows lifted. “And what was your excuse the last time?”
My face flamed. Pressing my lips together, I realized there was no way to answer that without embarrassing myself more. What could I say? That the wave hit me because I was too busy staring at him to notice it was coming at me?
A group of teenage girls in bikinis sauntered past. His gaze flickered to them momentarily, and my stomach soured. Not that I cared. I didn’t. But for some reason it irked me. Maybe because I knew I’d never look like them.
“It’s okay to admit you need help,” he said, tearing his eyes from the group of well-endowed girls. “I’m happy to teach you how to bodysurf.”
“Oh, I know how to bodysurf,” I told him.
“You do know you’re not supposed to surf with your face, right?’
“Yes,” I hissed. “I know.”
He chuckled. “All right. Then show me what you got.”
“Oh, I will. And then I’ll beat you in soccer too.”
“One thing at a time, summer girl.” Standing, he offered his hand.
I stared at it a moment before taking it. When his fingers closed around mine, my stomach did a somersault. As he guided me to my feet, I thought back to what Grace had said during our earlier conversation. Was she right? Did I have a crush on him?
SIX
He texted me first thing this morning. At first I assumed it was Grace. I rolled over in bed snatching up the phone expecting some sarcastic Grace-like greeting. To say I was shocked when I realized it was from Austin would be an understatement. He’d asked for my number yesterday afternoon right before we left the beach. He’d even put my name in his contacts as “Summer Girl,” and I found that pretty amusing. Still, I never thought he’d text me right away. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since I’d seen him.
In my experience, it seemed that guys liked to wait before calling or texting a girl. And, by “my experience,” I mean from movies and TV shows I’d watched. Then again, it’s not like Austin and I were dating. We’d struck up a friendship. Nothing more.
Austin was lonely, same as me. We were both summer kids trying to make the best of our summer away from home. Most likely, if we’d met in our hometowns, we wouldn’t have hit it off. From what I’d seen of Austin, I was guessing he was pretty popular where he was from. We probably wouldn’t have run in the same circles. But that was the cool thing about vacation. Anything could happen.
Austin: Good morning, summer girl.
Sitting up in bed, the sheets dropped, pooling around my waist. My lips twitched at the corners as I responded.
Me: Good morning.
Austin: Ready for me to kick your butt at soccer?
Shaking my head, I chuckled.
Me: I’m ready to kick YOUR butt at soccer.
Austin: If you play soccer like you bodysurf, I’m not worried.
I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip, my hand hovering the touch screen of my phone. It’s true that I made a complete fool of myself when I bodysurfed with Austin. I kept missing the waves. Either I jumped in too soon or too late. Pretty sure I inhaled at least a gallon of salt water up my nose and in my mouth. Something about him made me nervous. But I knew that I could beat him at soccer. It was my game. I’d never let anyone rattle me on the soccer field before, and I wasn’t about to start now.
Me: I guess you’ll just have to see for yourself.
After pressing send, I was proud of myself for my answer. Resting my head against my pillow, I awaited a response. When it came, I smiled.
Austin: Looking forward to it. Pick you up in an hour.
Dropping my phone, I slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom across the hall to take a shower. I wore my hair in a high ponytail and didn’t put on any makeup, so it only took me thirty minutes to get ready. Not that it would’ve taken me much longer had I fixed myself up. I never wore much makeup – just some mascara, blush and lip-gloss every once in awhile. And my hair was stick straight, so I either let it hang down my back or I put it into a ponytail or bun, and that never took long.
When I went into the family room, I found Luca sitting on the couch playing a video game. He was so engrossed in it, he didn’t even notice me. Scouring the room, I looked for Dad, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Luca, where’s Dad?”
“In his office,” Luca responded, without taking his attention off the screen. His hands flew over the controller.
Sighing, I headed past the kitchen toward the office. The door was open, so I stepped inside. It was a small room, but large enough for a desk and an office chair. Plus, it had a window that overlooked the side of the house showing a portion of the sandy beach. Dad was hunched over his computer moving his mouse as he edited the graphic on his large computer screen. When he heard me enter, he swung around in his chair. The wheels scraped on the ground with the movement.
His lips curled downward when he took in my gym shorts and soccer t-shirt. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
“Oh, Mina, I’m sorry. I have to work today. Maybe we can hit the park later this evening.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “I actually was going to go play soccer with Austin.”
His eyebrows raised. “Austin, huh?”
“Yeah.” I shifted from one foot to the other, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his gaze.
“Well, he seems like a nice boy,” Dad said. “And I like that you’re playing soccer again.” It was like he was trying to convince himself that this was a good idea.
“I’ll be fine, Dad,” I assured him. “I’ll have my phone on me.”
He hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. “Okay. Be careful. Call if you need me.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s not a serial killer,” I teased.
Bad idea. Dad froze. “Not funny, young lady.”
“Sorry,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“Maybe you should see if your brother wants to go with you,” Dad said as I was leaving the office.
I frowned, not sure why the idea of Luca tagging along bothered me so much. Usually I didn’t mind him hanging around. He went places with Grace and I all the time. “Um…yeah. Okay,” I said, knowing I couldn’t say no. Besides, it would be rude to leave Luca home if Dad’s working all day.
Heading back into the family room, I stood behind the couch while Luca kept playing his game.
“Hey, bud. I’m going to play soccer with Austin today. Do you want to come?”
The game paused on the screen. He whipped around, his hair sticking out all over his head. That’s when I noticed he was still in his PJs. Glancing at the clock, my heart picked up speed. If he came he’d have to get dressed quickly.
“That guy you met yesterday at the beach?”
I nodded.
He smiled and started chanting, “Mina’s got a boyfriend. Mina’s got a boyfriend.”
Reaching forward, I smothered his mouth with my hand. “Stop. I do not.”
Luca laughed.
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend,” I said emphatically. “And he’s going to be here any minute, so if you’re coming you need to get ready.”
“Nah.” Luca waved away my offer. “I want to stay home today.”
Home. It was weird to hear Luca refer to this place as home, and I wondered if I would ever feel like that here. Sometimes I could pretend that this was just a vacation. That Mom was down the hall and later we’d all hit the beach. But then reality would hit. This was Dad’s house, and Mom would never be here.
A knock on the door startled me. “Okay. I’ll see ya later then,” I said to Luca, but I doubted he even heard me. He was already lost in that game again. I’d never been into video games, so I didn’t understand the way he could get sucked into them like that.
My soccer ball was still in the entryway
where Dad had left it after we got home from the beach yesterday. I scooped it up before answering the door.
Austin wore long shorts and a t-shirt with the picture of a basketball on it. The sun was already beating down with warmth, a slight breeze cooling the air.
“So, I’m guessing basketball is your sport?” I asked after stepping outside and closing the door behind me. A boy rode his bike past, his wheels whirring. In the distance, a seagull squawked.
“Yeah, but I pretty much dominate at all of them.” I was grateful for the smirk on his face that told me he was kidding.
Chuckling, I walked forward, Austin by my side. I held the soccer ball firmly under my left arm. His proximity was making me all shaky again, and I was a little afraid I might drop it. I had no desire to give him any more ammunition against me.
“Do you play basketball on your high school team?” I asked, if for no other reason than to avoid an awkward silence.
His cocky grin slipped down a notch. “Um… I used to.”
It was clear there was more to this story, but I let it drop. The finality in his tone didn’t invite further questions. Besides, I knew what it was like to give up on a sport for a reason you didn’t feel like talking about.
“Well, maybe we can play sometime. I mean, once I beat you in soccer, you might need to beat me in basketball in order to mend your shattered ego.”
“I sure hope you have the skills to back up all this smack talk, summer girl.” He grinned, and it caused me to grin too.
My palms moistened, my insides quivering. I had always felt confident when it came to soccer, but playing one-on-one with this guy would be a challenge. Mostly because I seemed to lose my head when he was around. Even now I was struggling to walk in a straight line and keep a grip on the soccer ball at the same time. I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, and I tried to imagine what Grace’s reaction would’ve been if she could’ve seen me at that moment.
Not that she would’ve been much better. Neither of us were smooth around boys. Grace liked to think she was, since she’d had those two boyfriends. But that was in junior high, and since then neither of us had very many opportunities to practice. Seemed like now was my big chance.
I only hoped I didn’t blow it.
“The park is just around this corner,” Austin explained as we followed the bend in the road. A car zipped past, its tires buzzing on the asphalt, and I realized that it was the first car I’d seen since we started walking. Sometimes it felt like time stood still here. Like I’d entered some alternate reality.
“You’ve really come here every summer since you were four?”
He nodded, a sparkle in his eyes.
“And you stay the entire summer?” When he nodded again, I asked, “How is that possible? I mean, don’t your parents have jobs?”
“They’re teachers.” He didn’t sound too happy about that.
Deciding not to pursue that topic, I said, “Do you like coming here?”
He pursed his lips as if thinking. “Yeah. I mean, sometimes I miss home. It’s gotten a little harder on me as I’ve gotten older. Knowing I’m missing out on all the stuff my friends are doing, you know?” He paused, his gaze scanning the area. “But I can’t complain. An entire summer living at the beach isn’t exactly roughing it.”
“True.” The park came into view, and fresh moisture gathered on my palms. I gripped the ball tighter against my side. So tight it caused the elastic on my shorts to cut into my skin. “It’s definitely different from home.”
“Where are you from?”
“Oregon. You?”
“Colorado,” he said, as we came upon a large soccer field. Beyond it was a playground. A few kids were running around it, their parents following at their heels.
I didn’t know much about Colorado. I’d never been there. So I simply nodded.
“Here we are.” He spread his arms out in front of him. “This place will forever go down in history as the place where you lose to me in soccer.”
I chuckled, dropping the ball in the grass by my feet.
“So, how are we gonna play this?” He asked.
Cocking my head to the side, I shoot him an incredulous look. “So Mr. Bigshot over here doesn’t know how to play one-on-one soccer, huh?”
“I know how to play. I just thought you should do the honors since you’re the expert and all.”
Shaking my head, I giggled.
“Are we gonna play or are you gonna stand around laughing?”
To shut him up, I kicked the ball between his legs.
“Whoa. Wait,” he hollered as I wove around him, making a beeline for the ball.
“Are you gonna play or are you gonna stand around yappin’?” Bringing my leg back and then sweeping it forward, the toe of my shoe connected with the ball, sending it flying right into the goal. When it slammed into the net, I pinned him with an I-told-you-so-look. “It appears that someone needs to work on his game.” With a smile, I headed toward the ball.
“That’s not fair. We hadn’t even established the rules.” He threw up his arms in exasperation.
Snatching the ball out of the grass, I painted on my most serious face. “I thought you said you knew how to play.”
“Fine.” Rubbing his palms together, he leaned forward. “Let’s do this.”
Now that I had the upper-hand, my confidence lifted. Dropping the ball to the ground, I kicked it toward him and took off running.
***
“I guess I should start calling you “soccer girl” instead of “summer girl,” huh?” We sat at the kitchen table at my dad’s house sucking down water like we’d spent the day in the desert. Dad was still working in his office, and Luca was finally in his room getting dressed. At least that’s what I assumed he was doing. When we got home he was still on the couch playing video games. The minute he spotted us he got embarrassed about being in his pajamas, so he paused the game and scurried down the hallway.
Reaching for the freezing cold water bottle, I took a sip. Sweat clung to my skin like a wet bathing suit. “No. I think we can stick to summer girl.” Shyly, I glanced at my feet under the table, unable to meet his eye. I kind of liked the nickname he came up with for me.
“You were right.” He paused, taking a gulp of water. “You told me you’d win, and you did.”
I was surprised by his admission. Even after I’d kicked his butt, he’d been talking smack the entire walk back here.
“Of course you did leave out a vital piece of information.” Setting down the water bottle, he leaned back in the chair. “You didn’t mention that you were a cheater.”
“I didn’t cheat,” I insisted, slamming my water down on the table. A little splattered out of the top, landing on my arm. I brushed it off.
“You kicked the ball right between my legs.”
“That’s allowed.”
His eyes widened. “When I wasn’t ready?”
I grinned. “Hey, it’s not my fault if you weren’t prepared.”
Austin leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. His gaze crashed into mine, those crazy blue eyes of his sparkling. Once again I was struck with how surreal this was. A guy this good-looking had never hung out with me before. But the weirdest part was that I felt comfortable around him. Sure, he made my heart beat fast and my hands clam up. And, okay, at first he had turned me into a bit of a klutz. But today I’d held my own. I’d played a mean game of soccer. I’d bantered and teased, held an interesting conversation. Usually cute guys had the magical ability to turn me into a bumbling idiot, and at first Austin had done the same thing.
Then again, maybe my newfound comfortability had to do with the fact that Austin only wanted friendship from me. He may have been slightly flirty, but it was clear that he thought of me as nothing more than a friend. To him I was a summer kid, a person he could kill time with until he got back home. And I was okay with that. I’d been lonely too. It worked out well for both of us.
“Do you cheat li
ke this on your high school soccer team?” he asked.
I giggled. “I don’t cheat at all. Anywhere.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he shook his head. “I don’t buy it.”
Luca shuffled into the room wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a baseball cap on his head.
Austin turned to him with a smile. Uh-oh. I was starting to read Austin pretty well, and that grin could only mean something bad. “Hey, bud?”
“Yeah?” Luca stepped forward, eyes alight. I could tell Luca already liked Austin. And I got it. He was older than Luca, and charming.
“Tell me the truth. Does your sister cheat when she plays soccer on her high school team?”
Luca glanced at me briefly, and my stomach tightened. I knew where this was headed. “Not that I know of. But it doesn’t matter. She’s not playing this year.”
“Is that so?” Austin tossed me a curious expression.
I glared at Luca. He held my gaze for a minute before looking down at the ground. Then he mumbled something unintelligible and hurried from the room. I felt a little bad for scaring him off, but he deserved it. There was no reason for him to air my dirty laundry to Austin.
“Why are you quittin’ soccer, summer girl?”
Instead of answering, I turned the question around on him. “Why don’t you play basketball anymore?”
“I asked you first,” he said. “Besides, for all you know I’m horrible at basketball. But I’ve seen you play soccer. You’re good, and you love it. So spill.”
I sighed, my gaze momentarily flickering towards Dad’s office. “It was something I did with Dad, but now that he’s here and I’m there, it’s just not the same.” It was weird to share this with Austin. We hardly knew each other. But for some reason it felt right to say it, safe even. Maybe because there was no chance of him spreading it around. He didn’t know any of my friends. And I doubted we’d ever connect again after the summer. But I suspected it was more than that. Beneath all the joking and mock arrogance, there was a genuinely nice guy, and I trusted him.
Pity splashed across his face, but it quickly faded as if he knew that was the last thing I wanted from him. “Grades,” he blurted out. “My grades slipped, so I had to quit the team.”