I looked out my window and saw someone surfing.
It was a girl.
Paddling out into the water, slowly moving over small waves, waiting for a big one. For whatever reason, it caught my attention and kept it.
I watched as she waited for the perfect wave, jumped up on the surfboard and rode it to the shore.
That’s when I realized I knew who that was.
It was Novalee.
I had met her through Kailey a couple times.
She wasn’t a friend or anything.
But I recognized her sun kissed face with her beautiful blonde hair.
She fit the look of a surfer girl.
I had to get out of the house. I had texts from Kailey that I could have answered, but I left them unanswered. She wanted to hang out with Charlotte and Emma. Go get pizza at Zen’s and then find cute guys to flirt with. Which meant Emma would steal all the attention, Charlotte would text Flynn, and I would be stuck in the middle because I wasn’t in the mood to mess with other guys. And Kailey… she was still beating herself up for fooling around with Ryker. Probably because she liked him and didn’t know how to handle that.
Bitches and their emotions…
I laughed to myself as I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and hurried out of the house.
I took a towel with me and dropped it to the sand and put my phone down.
I waited for Novalee to catch another wave.
This time she got up on the wave and then toppled a second later.
She wrestled her surfboard back and walked out of the water.
I waved and she smiled big at me.
“Aira?”
“Novalee,” I said.
“Nova,” she said. “My full name is for my parents to use.”
“Right,” I said. “I don’t have a nickname. It would just be A.”
“Like Ah,” Nova said. “Ah, shit… ah, damn…”
“Ah, fuck,” I said.
Nova laughed. “I like it.”
“I was kind of watching you surf,” I said. “Looks cool.”
“Want to try it?”
“No,” I said. “I have no idea what to do.”
“Neither do I,” she said. “Just wait for a wave and don’t fall. And if you fall, do it again. I don’t know.”
“How did you get into this?” I asked.
“A friend,” she said. She frowned. “I mean… more than a friend. But not a boyfriend.”
“One of those,” I said. “I get it. Let me guess. He goes to Hidden Creek High, has a reputation and a big secret?”
“Close but not quite,” Nova said. “He was a summer boy. That’s all. Doesn’t live here and secrets… well… whatever. He knew how to kiss. Among other things. And he loved to surf. So I tried it out a few times. More or less to give him an excuse to touch me. Boys, right?”
“Sometimes you have to guide them like they’re blind,” I said.
But not Wes. Hell no. Wes knew how to touch… when to touch… where to touch. Oh, the things he could do with his hands. And his mouth. The tip of his tongue drawing shapes just below my belly button. Working his way down to my-
“You know what,” I called out. “Give me that surfboard. I’ll give it a try. Why not, right?”
“There you go,” Nova said.
I watched as she unstrapped a cord looking thing that was hooked to the surfboard.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“So the board doesn’t get away,” Nova said. “Kind of genius.”
“Definitely. How far out do I go?”
“As far as you want,” she said. “Just paddle and see what it feels like. Hey, if you give me a minute I’ll go get my other one.”
“Two boards?” I asked.
“I was supposed to meet someone here.”
“Summer boy?”
“No,” Nova said. “Hell no. Don’t even joke about that.”
“Sorry,” I said. “If it matters at all, I’m not having the greatest time with boys either. And I think that’s what they all really are. Just boys.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard,” Nova said. “Not from Kailey or anything though. They’re good friends to you. Just stuff around the halls. You know this place. Nothing is ever silent.”
“Ever,” I said. “That’s why I like the ocean. The waves drown out the rest of the noise.”
“Peace, baby, peace,” Nova said as she gave a peace sign and laughed.
She ran across the beach and I looked at the light orange surfboard.
I really had no idea what I was doing.
Simple logic told me how to strap the cord to my ankle, which I did. Then I carried the surfboard into the water. The gentle waves hit my ankles and worked their way up my legs. That’s when I thought about what Wes had told about his little brother. That there was an accident in the ocean.
It made me stop and look out to the horizon.
The horizon that seemed endless.
The horizon that touched the sky.
So pretty yet so powerful and yet so dangerous.
Sounds like Wes.
I rolled my eyes and moved deeper into the water.
At waist height I pulled myself onto the surfboard. My belly flat against it, trying to mimic what I had seen Nova do.
I paddled my arms and kicked my legs, working over some of the weaker waves to get deeper into the water. The more distance I put between myself and the shore the better I felt. My heart picked up its pace. My head spun, making me wonder if this was some kind of sign that I shouldn’t have been in Hidden at all.
I turned sideways and saw Nova back at the water. She had a longer surfboard, bright blue, and she waved to me.
I gave a weak wave back.
She put the surfboard down and cupped her hands to her mouth.
As she yelled, I heard pieces of words and that was it.
Nova then grabbed her board and charged into the water like she owned the ocean. She was kind of a bad ass as she plowed through the waves, jumped on her surfboard, and swam her way right to me.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”
“I was telling you to get ready.”
“Yeah. What do I do now?”
“When a wave comes, get on top of it. Then just jump up on the board. Keep your balance. That’s it.”
“Show me,” I said.
Nova looked and waited for a wave worth her time.
“You were at that party when we were out back of Jett’s place,” I said.
“Yeah,” Nova said.
“That was the night Kailey and Ryker…”
“Oh yeah,” Nova said. “I saw the way they were looking at each other and knew something was going to go down.” Nova snorted. “Get it? Go down…”
I laughed. “Did she?”
“I didn’t stand and watch,” Nova said. “What happened to you and Wes? You two were all curled up and all over each other?”
“Oh,” I said. “Well… I don’t know. That probably sounds bad, right? But… just feels like we had secrets between us. And then Noelle…”
“Yeah, she’s a little out there,” Nova said. “Kind of a backstabbing bitch too. She and I were… oh, wait. Watch this one.”
Nova started to paddle as a wave came in.
I got out of the way to watch her.
She swam really fast to keep up with the wave and then out of nowhere she jumped up on the surfboard as the wave started to crest. Nova stayed on top of the wave, riding it all the way toward the shore.
Now it was my turn.
I watched and waited for what I hoped was a good wave. But preferably not one that was going to kill me.
When I saw the water lifting up, ready to throw a wave to the shore, I started to paddle forward. I really had no clue what I was doing. I never rode a skateboard in my life. I never had rollerblades. I knew how to ride a bicycle when I was a little girl. That was it.
The wave lifted up and I kicked my fee
t as hard as I could. Then I scrambled to get to my feet. It was nowhere near as cool looking as Nova. I didn’t just pop up. I sort of looked drunk and slippery.
But I got up on the surfboard.
The wave kept going, like it was meant to do.
I made it about two seconds before I lost my balance and fell back.
I hit the surfboard, then the water.
The wave slammed down onto my body.
I felt the cord tugging at my ankle, proving its effectiveness because I would have totally lost the surfboard completely if I didn’t have it.
When I popped up out of the water, I shook the salty water away.
“You okay?” Nova called out with a big smile.
I took a few deeps breaths. “Let’s do it again!”
* * *
I didn’t get a single wave.
Each time I got up on the surfboard, I managed a few seconds before it took me down. Hitting the water over and over. Some of the waves crashed over me. Some right on top of me. Some of the waves strong enough that they tossed me around under the water like I was a toy. One wave even threw the surfboard right into my right shin, leaving me screaming in pain underwater.
When I finally walked out of the water for good, I was tired, sore, and completely out of breath.
Nova was right behind me.
“You’ll get there, Aira,” she said. “I seriously had no clue what I was doing either.”
“But summer boy taught you?” I asked.
“He taught me a lot.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Sounds hot.”
“Yeah, well, what did Wes teach you?” Nova asked.
I frowned. “More then I probably care to know now.”
“Exactly,” Nova said. “Hey, let’s get out of here. I’m surfed out. I usually just come and do it for a couple minutes. I’m tired now. Want to grab a coffee or something?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “I’m kind of avoiding everyone else at the moment right now.”
Nova started to walk and I followed.
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“Things are crazy, Nova.”
“No shit. That’s what this place is all about. Surprised you came back.”
“Believe it or not, this place is better than where I came from.”
“Wow,” Nova said. “And you’d think a bunch of kids with tons of money would enjoy their lives a little.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s like they all just want to fight each other.”
“Oh, they all do,” Nova said. “Even the girls. Bunch of bitches and dicks.”
I laughed.
“The thing with Wes and Noelle…”
We walked toward the street as I kept looking at Nova, waiting for her to say something.
“She’s had a hard life,” Nova said. “And I don’t know what you know about her.”
“Everything,” I said. “Trust me. I have a million reasons to hate Ryland. And what he did to Noelle is up there.”
“Well, between that and her family, I can’t blame her for how she is.”
“She’s really in love with Wes.”
“Always has been.”
“And Wes…”
Nova smirked. “Sorry, Aira, I don’t have the answers you want.”
“That’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s nobody’s business but mine and Wes’s.”
“Oh, believe me, it’s everyone’s business,” Nova said. “Which, by the way, how long are you planning on staying in Hidden?”
“No idea. My choices really aren’t that exciting.”
“Keep practicing surfing if you want. It’ll help distract you a little.”
“I guess I need to go buy a surfboard then,” I said.
Nova had a big and long red SUV. It looked brand new. She opened the backdoor and climbed up so she could put her surfboard on the roof.
“Need help?” I asked.
“Nope,” she said. “You can just hand your board to me. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Ask away.”
“Your summer boy… was that love?”
“I thought it was,” Nova said. “I mean, we knew what it was. A summer thing.”
“Just one summer?”
Nova shook her head. “No.”
“Oh,” I said. “So it was probably serious.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Do you miss him? Love him? Wish he were here for good?”
Nova looked down at me.
I touched my forehead. “Yeah, too much. Sorry. Wow. I’m a mess right now.”
“Trust me, Aira, we all are.” Nova climbed down and shut the door. “Just do what makes you happy. I know you lived next to Wes when you two were kids. I know he picked on you and drove you crazy. That’s all fun and good. But it’s not that way anymore.”
“I learned that the hard way I guess,” I said. “I need a cigarette. I’m going to head back home. We’ll do coffee some other time. Thanks for the lesson.”
“Anytime,” Nova said.
She walked around the bright red SUV as I worked my way back to the warm sand. I left my towel and phone down at the beach. Which I didn’t really worry about. It was right behind Julia’s house, so it wasn’t like a public beach.
When I saw the spot where my towel and phone was, I saw someone standing next to them. And I suddenly regretted not having my phone in my hand. So I could call someone for help. Not Wes though. As much I would have wanted to call him… no.
The person waiting for me was Wes’s father.
Chapter 6
Aira
West.
There was no way I could avoid him seeing me. There was no way I could avoid getting away without some kind of conversation. I didn’t want to run back to Julia’s house and give away where I lived. Even though West probably already knew. Then again, I had no idea what West knew or didn’t. He was just this… thing. The mood changed around him. Because of him.
He knew I was approaching and he didn’t bother to look at me.
There was a quick one second hope that I could grab my towel and phone and get out of there.
I crouched and pulled my towel toward me. My hand wrapped around my phone, giving me a sense of comfort.
“They’re not talking today,” West said.
I stood up.
West finally turned his head.
It was strange seeing his eyes. They were the exact same eyes as Wes. But yet somehow different. The meaning behind West’s eyes wasn’t good. It was scary and dark and evil. It was like looking at Ryland. Maybe worse. Maybe.
“The waves,” he said. “They’re not talking.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Saw you out there, Aira. You and sweet Novalee.”
I cringed at that.
Sweet?
“You have no clue what you’re doing, huh?” West asked.
“I need to get going,” I said.
“Long walk home,” West said. “What’s that… about two hundred feet?”
He knows where I live.
Not a surprise but it didn’t make me feel good.
I froze in place.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“That’s the question everyone asks me,” West said. “Funny because last time I checked this was my town. My town long before all of yours.”
“You left.”
“I traveled.”
“I know more than you think, West. So whatever you’re actually doing here, just stop."
“Saw a couple pretty girls in the water and stopped to watch,” he said. “Is that so wrong?”
I opened my towel and put it around myself. I felt icky near him. He was gross. And he was doing everything he could to make everyone around him feel nervous.
And it was working.
My mind thought about my car, the fridge, my locker…
No way West would have done that, right?
&nbs
p; “Truthfully, I’m just passing by,” West said. “Remembering better times and planning for even better ones. I just want you to know that I’m going to take care of my son. My family. Not everything you think and hear is true.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
West had his hands in his pockets as he slowly turned to face me. “The thing with surfing, Aira, is you need to trust yourself. Trust your movements. Trust your balance. Anything else enters your mind and you fall.”
“You surf?”
“I used to tear up those waters,” West said. “Loved it. Then life got in the way.”
Azel? Do you avoid the water like Wes does because of that?
West inched toward me.
I inched back.
“Let me just say this too,” he said. “Anyone who fucks with my family… gets in the way of my family… they will pay.”
My heart thudded hard.
“Do you get that?” West asked.
“I didn’t do anything to anyone,” I said.
“I’m making a fucking statement, Aira. You’re not a little girl anymore. You’re all grown up now. It’s a different world out there. Scary. And now you’re single again, huh? Tough trying to love a Jackson man. Well, boy in my son’s case.”
“I really need to go,” I said.
“Just be careful, Aira. It’s dangerous out there when you’re alone.”
My thumb had already unlocked my phone.
I feared asking Wes for help because I didn’t want him to show up and do something stupid to his own father. That alone was sick and sad.
“If you even try to threaten me, I’ll call the police,” I said.
“No need. I’m just watching the waves. Love the ocean. It’s always constant. Never lets you down.”
“You should just leave town. For good. Nobody wants you here, West. Not even your own family.”
“That’s all the more reason to stay. I’m not done here. I’m not leaving until I get what I want. And I always get what I want, Aira.”
West stepped toward me again and I stepped back again.
I lifted my phone. “Don’t fuck with me.”
West laughed. “You know, what you want to do, Aira, is learn how to jump up on the board. You can practice at home. In your bedroom. When you’re alone. You know? Just get on the floor. Face down. On your stomach.” West smirked. I want to throw up. “Pretend you’re paddling. Then put your hands to the floor and jump up. It’s about upper body strength.”
HIDDEN CREEK DARKNESS: a hidden creek high novel Page 5