by Nikki Godwin
“When the ambulance came down onto the beach, we knew something bad was going on because they didn’t turn off the lights or the siren. My dad told me to step outside and see what was going on, so I did. I couldn’t see much because a crowd had gathered. But that’s when I heard Theo,” he explains.
Before Reed even goes on, I place myself there – on the beach in Crescent Cove, beyond The Strip, on the white sands, just below Drenaline Surf and Strickland’s Boating. I can see the blood-stained sky, its reflection on the water like stained glass, shifting back and forth with the currents.
“He screamed, ‘You can’t fucking die on me!’ over and over. Then he yelled to ‘fucking breathe’ and I knew something was wrong because Theo never lost his cool,” Reed says, describing the same Theo that I saw tonight. “He never panicked or cursed and screamed like that. The panic set in before I even knew what was happening.”
I can’t imagine Theo not cursing and losing his cool. Every time I’ve seen him, he’s been wild as a Hooligan or too drunk to walk on his own. I wonder if he was as cool and collected as Jace before this red sky day.
“The EMTs kept telling him how he did all he could, but it was too late. They kept asking him to step back, but he wouldn’t. Maybe he literally couldn’t. He just kept screaming, and the screaming turned into crying, and then the EMTs had to physically pry him off of Shark’s body,” Reed says.
It hits me like an anchor slamming into the ocean floor. Shark was the one Theo couldn’t save. Shark’s death is what Theo drinks to forget, and because it was Shark, it eventually all comes back to him. There is no amount of alcohol to wash that away. That’s why he breaks. That’s what makes a Hooligan cry.
“I used to hang out with Topher a lot,” Reed continues. “Vin thought I was a good influence on him. He was basically my best friend at the time. But he was there that day. We watched Shark die together. Nothing was the same after that.”
He recounts every detail – the way Theo cried and screamed, how the entire beach could hear his agony, and how everyone just left him there in the sand, crying and screaming until Jace got there.
“The EMTs called the time of death right there on the beach, covered his body, and just lifted him up like it was no big deal,” Reed says, shaking his head and staring at the floor again. “It was like they didn’t care that it was Shark McAllister. When they covered him up, Topher lost it. He literally fell into me, crying and begging for it not to be real.”
I can’t even envision Topher at fifteen, crying on the beach in Reed’s arms. While part of me wishes I’d known Shark, I’m thankful that I didn’t have to be here to witness the breakdown after his death. I knew it impacted the Hooligans and Vin, but I never guessed Reed would’ve been there.
“What happened next?” I ask, choking back the tears.
“Once Topher stopped crying, he walked down to the edge of the water, picked up Shark’s surfboard, and said he was going to Joe’s house,” Reed says. “Until last summer, he hadn’t said a word to me since that day. The first time he acted normal around me was the night Alston and I took you and Linzi to that beach party.”
I stare at the four white walls around us, fishing throughout my brain for words, but there’s nothing I can even think to say. This is worse than standing awkwardly at a funeral in front of a grieving family.
“It’s funny,” Reed says. “Death can either pull you closer together or push you further apart. It pulled the Hooligans together, but it pushed the rest of us away from them. Miles was always Topher’s real best friend anyway.”
Forcing a fake smile is the best I can do right now. Reed stares at his phone in his hand while I glance around the room, not focusing on any one person or thing. I’m so glad tonight wasn’t a repeat of Shark’s death. I can’t handle losing Topher, but these guys can’t handle losing anyone else. They’ve had enough tragedy.
Soon after, Miles comes from down the hallway. I hear his crutches before I even see that messy head of blonde dreadlocks. Everyone looks toward him when he rounds the corner. He hobbles over toward Jace, Theo, and Kale. Then he motions the rest of us to join them. I don’t even know when Jace and A.J. came back inside.
“He’s okay,” Miles says. “They pumped his lungs because he’d swallowed a lot of water, and they said they’re going to keep him to monitor the situation. They think he’s okay, but they’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Miles tells Emily to take his truck home with her because he’s staying the night here. She takes his truck keys, along with a breakfast order for tomorrow morning. I hope Drenaline Surf gives her a raise because if she ends up marrying him someday, her entire paycheck will go toward groceries. She walks out through the glass door exit just as her employer walks in.
Vin moves toward us like a raging tornado, angry enough to rip apart anything that stands in his path. His eyes are cold and dangerous, just like the icebergs I’ve always seen in them. He darts past us to the first nurse he sees.
“I’m here about Topher Brooks,” he says. “I need to know everything.”
“Um, we can only give that confidential information to next of kin,” she says. She nods toward Miles. “His brother can fill you in, though.”
Vin glances back at us and then back to the nurse. “I am his brother,” he says. “His only brother. That fool over there is his best friend and clearly a liar.”
Miles whips around faster on those crutches than I could have without them. In three giant strides, he pulls himself toward Vin, broken leg and all.
“You want to pull the brother card?” Miles asks. “You may have the same DNA, but I’m more of a brother to him than you’ll ever be. Shark was more of his brother than you are!”
Miles slings a crutch forward, pointing it at Vin as he would his arm, if he didn’t have the crutch attached to it. I almost expect him to hit Vin with it, and I’m impressed when he doesn’t.
“You just shut the hell up right now,” Vin smarts back, pointing at Miles. “You’ve gotten my brother into more trouble than he ever would’ve gotten into if you hadn’t dragged him into all those fights with you.”
Miles throws his head back. “At least I’m there to have his back when he needs someone! You sure as fuck wouldn’t have gone into the water after him tonight, and you better be fucking glad that Kale and Haley did. And Theo – he’s a fucking hero – he saved Topher’s life tonight, which is more than you would’ve done!”
Jace’s hand pulls on Miles’s shoulder, dragging him back from the screaming match in the hospital. The nurses look on in fear, probably unsure if they should even bother calling security. Hell, I wouldn’t call security on Miles Garrett. I’d just get out of the way of his flying crutches.
Jace talks Miles down. He says something about crashing at his and Theo’s place, and that he’ll bring him back first thing in the morning, when Topher can have visitors. I don’t hear Miles’s response because he, Jace, Theo, and Kale disappear down the hallway, separating the Hooligans from us once again.
Even though Miles is out of the room, Vin doesn’t end his rampage there. This time, he turns toward me and my roommates. Alston and A.J. stand a few feet behind Reed and me. I wish A.J. was closer.
“Stay the hell away from my brother,” Vin says, directly to me. He walks a few steps closer. “You’re as bad as Miles, always dragging him into something he has no business being in. I don’t want you calling him, texting him, seeing him in any way, shape, or form, got it?”
The words I want to curse and scream stop halfway up my throat because Reed puts an arm in front of me and pushes me back behind him.
“Stop,” Reed says, calmly. “You’re saying things you’re going to regret.”
“Strick, stay out of this,” Vin snaps.
Reed glimpses over his shoulder at me and motions me back. I take two steps before Alston grabs my arm and pulls me in between A.J. and himself. A.J. steps forward, shielding me but ready to back Reed up if he needs it.
�
��I’m not staying out of this!” Reed shouts. “I’m not playing Mr. Fucking Nice Guy anymore! I’m done. Over. If she hadn’t been there tonight, your brother wouldn’t be in a hospital bed. He’d be floating around in the Pacific Ocean with Shark’s ashes waiting for a recovery team to find his corpse!”
A nurse demands that Reed lower his voice. She says she’s going to call security if this doesn’t stop right now. Reed doesn’t even glance her way. Vin cuts his eyes toward the nurses’ station but doesn’t move.
“Strick, I’ve told you to stay out of this,” Vin repeats. He points at me, through Reed and A.J. “Come near Topher again, and I swear, I’ll get a restraining order.”
Reed dashes forward before I even absorb the words ‘restraining order.’ He slams into Vin, pushing him with all of his strength. Vin stumbles but doesn’t falter.
“She saved your brother’s fucking life!” Reed screams, slamming a fist into Vin’s stomach. “You don’t give a damn about Topher or Drenaline or Shark. You never did! You don’t deserve any of them!”
My flip flops remain glued to the waiting room floor as Reed drives into Vin, cursing and screaming and saying words that I didn’t know were even in Reed’s vocabulary. A nurse screams, and another grabs the phone. A.J. dives forward into the action, taking blows from Reed in the process.
“Let’s go,” Alston says, pulling my arm. “A.J.’s got him.”
I hesitate to leave, hating to leave Topher with a raging Vin. A.J. locks his arms around Reed, shouts for him to shut up, and drags him toward the exit. Alston’s eyes plead with me to hurry, so I turn my back and bolt for the exit.
Chapter Twenty-One
It’s not like I’m counting, but fifty-seven hours is a long time to go without talking to someone after you pulled him out of the ocean and watched him nearly die. Topher’s phone has gone to voicemail since the night of the near-drowning, and according to Miles, Vin won’t let anyone in to see him.
Miles slipped in through the window last night to pay his BFF a secret visit. The mass text update he sent out said that Topher was a little shaken up from the whole thing, but overall, he’s in good spirits. Vin, on the other hand, is still raging. I’ve avoided Drenaline Surf and The Strip. In fact, I’ve spent the better part of fifty-seven hours in my bedroom.
The screen door of the guest house slams, and I wait to see which one of my roommates knocks on my bedroom door. Reed has reverted back to the father figure in the house, which almost humors me after his outburst and security call the other night. A.J. is currently at work, so my best guess is Alston – the other bum of the house.
“Hey,” he says, poking his head in without knocking. “There’s a delivery for you. You want to sign for it?”
Seriously, Alston? Do I look like I want to see anyone? Does shutting yourself away in your bedroom for two days not translate for you?
“Sign for it yourself,” I say. “I don’t want to deal with it.”
He leans against the wall and folds his arms. “Fine. I’ll sign for it, but I’m bringing it in here so you can figure out what to do with it,” he says.
He pushes off the wall and heads back toward the screen door down the hallway. Maybe Liquid Spirit sent something for Topher. That’d give me a reason to have to get in touch with him, even if I had to break in through the window like Miles. But with Vin threatening a restraining order, that’s probably not the best idea. Deputy Pittman already knows I’m tied to A.J. Gonzalez, and after Pittman was suspended those days for A.J.’s unfortunate arrest, I’d rather avoid the police station at all costs.
“Special delivery,” Topher says, leaning into my bedroom.
I nearly face-plant in my rush to get from my bed to the doorway. As much as I just want to stare at him and see him in the flesh, I throw my arms around him and bury my face into his chest. His arms squeeze me in the tightest of hugs. He smells like sunscreen and salt water, even though I’m certain he hasn’t been in the sea since I pulled him from it.
“You have no idea…” I say before my voice cracks.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Topher says, pulling back and forcing me to look at him.
He’s wearing those same stupid blue and yellow board shorts from the night at in Sunrise Valley and a Hurley T-shirt. His hair is messy, and his eyes still dance like the ocean on a good day. I can’t imagine a world without him in it.
“I’m okay,” he says. “Can I come in?”
We walk over to the bed, and I sit on the edge, keeping a few inches of distance between us. Part of me wants to lock him down and keep him safe forever, away from rough waters and hospital rooms. But I know that’s exactly what Vin wants for Topher – a life without surfing – and I can never stand behind that, even with all the risks.
“I wanted to thank you,” Topher says. “I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for you.”
“I’m not the one you should be thanking,” I tell him.
He shakes his head and laughs. “I knew you’d say that. I’ve already gone by Jace’s and Theo’s house. I spent a few hours with Theo this morning. He’s going to be okay too, just so you know.”
I want to ask why he didn’t tell me that it was Shark that Theo couldn’t save. That’s a huge detail to leave out. Sure, knowing someone died because you couldn’t save them is life-shattering, but knowing Shark McAllister died because you couldn’t save him is so much worse. I don’t ask, though. I don’t want to drag any skeletons or ashes onto the shore right now. I feel safer here on dry land.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Topher says. “I went to see Kale too, and he told me how he froze, how he just panicked. I’m lucky you were there. If you hadn’t gotten to me in time, then Theo would’ve had a repeat of Shark. So in a way, you saved me and him both.”
No matter what Topher says, I can’t accept the heroism. I went into the water because I had to. There wasn’t a choice to make. There were no options. Besides, if Kale and I hadn’t gone in, Miles would have – cast and crutches included – and that in itself needed an intervention.
“How are things at home?” I ask, changing the subject.
Topher shakes his head. “Vin’s an ass,” he says. “He had me on lockdown for two days, but this morning, he had a ‘sudden change of heart.’ I’m still confused by it, but he gave me my phone and truck keys, so I didn’t argue. And just so you know, I’m eighteen, and he can’t file a restraining order to keep you away from me.”
I can’t help laughing. He explains how Jace told him about Reed’s outburst and Vin’s threat. Of course, it was all secondhand information from A.J., who told Jace, and if I know A.J., he probably added his own spin to it. I should give him more credit. Lately, things really have been as crazy as A.J.’s typical exaggerations. There’s no need to embellish when the truth is already insane.
“But the good news is that he’s letting me go to this Ocean Blast Energy promo thing next week,” Topher says. “Miles has to go because he’s sponsored, and Vin is flying out to Florida to talk to someone about partnerships. The space will be good for both of us.”
I agree – the Brooks brothers need some separation right now. Vin never mentioned partnerships on the east coast. Maybe Logan has connections out there. For all I know, we may be in the process of opening a third Drenaline Surf store. It’s not like Vin would’ve told me anyway.
“When I get back, hopefully everything can go back to normal,” Topher says. “But really, I don’t know what normal is anymore.”
“Me either,” I say, pushing all of my worries to the back of my mind. “I feel so stupid being here sometimes. I had this plan that I was going to move here, and life would just turn out so much better, but really, it’s as crappy as it was back home, just with better scenery.”
Topher shakes his head. “You didn’t have West Coast Hooligans on the east coast, so California automatically wins, and it’s not for the scenery.”
If he wants to get technical about it, the Hooligans could be some pretty nice sc
enery. Even with the cast, crutches, and dreadlocks, Miles has an aura that can’t be touched, and he’s probably the least attractive of the Hooligans.
“How long will you be gone?” I ask.
“A week exactly. I leave tomorrow,” he says. “But as soon as I get back, I’m going to come tell you about it and we’ll hang out. And we can decide what to do about Liquid Spirit.”
I think we need to gather all of our friends and form a prayer circle on the beach. After all Topher’s been through lately, I don’t feel so great about putting him on a plane – especially when he’s traveling with the already-injured.
“You’re not seriously going to sign with Liquid Spirit, are you?” I can’t hide the shock in my voice. There’s no way Topher would sign with a sponsor that isn’t Drenaline Surf…will he?
He shrugs. “The money is better than anything my brother would ever offer me,” he says. “It’s a sponsorship, just not the sponsorship. I’m going to think on it this week. I’m going to go through the whole ‘what would Shark do?’ thing with Miles. Then I’ll discuss it with you because you’re smarter than Miles and me combined.”
“Shark would’ve already signed you,” I say. “That’s what Shark would’ve done.”
Two hours after Topher leaves, I drag myself out of the house. The sunset bleeds into the ocean like a canvas with dripping paint. There are very few reasons I’d leave the house after all that’s happened, but Colby’s panicked phone call makes the list.
He stands on his back patio throwing that hot pink frisbee for Dexter when I arrive. The yellow lab races through the sand toward the shoreline. Colby looks over at me.
“Is Topher okay?” he asks without so much as a ‘hello.’ “Vin freaked that night and told me to get a rental car to drive back. He was so fucking pissed.”
“Topher’s fine,” I say as Dexter hauls his toy back to us. “He came by the house earlier. Vin finally let him leave. He seemed better than I expected, honestly.”
Colby pets Dexter and drops the hot pink frisbee on the patio, signaling that the game is over. Dexter doesn’t seem to mind. He wags his tail and darts off toward the water, slinging sand along the way.
