Elemental

by Debbie Kump

  “Not this time.”

  “So what’d you do?”

  “Beat him on a test,” I grumbled.

  “That’s not too hard to do,” Sully laughed. His smile grew so wide, I couldn’t help but chuckle, too. Perhaps I had blown this whole thing out of proportion.

  Sully and I talked about anything and everything that he’d beaten Micah on over the years. Video games, card games, sporting events, spelling tests…the list went on and on. Listening to his stories erased my worries with doses of laughter.

  The sun sunk lower in the sky when Sully placed a gentle hand upon my shoulder. “Hey. Tell you what. Tomorrow after school, why don’t we plan on—?”

  I raised my index finger in front of his face as my ears perked up. “Hold that thought,” I told him, whipping my head around, certain I heard another car pulling into the driveway. Who’d be coming this late?

  When the car door angrily slammed shut, I knew my answer—an uninvited guest.

  “Oh, God. It’s Celia,” I gasped. So exhausted from my job of crowd control, I never noticed how late it’d gotten.

  “Already?” Sully said with a trace of disappointment in his tone.

  I turned to him, my voice desperate. “What time is it?”

  “I dunno.” He pulled out his phone to check but I pushed it away.

  “Oh, never mind. Just help me find Micah.”

  While Sully headed off in one direction through the crowd, I darted in the other, hoping to catch Micah before Celia did. Not that it really mattered. We both should expect some serious trouble.

  Furious, Celia marched up the driveway. In thirty seconds flat, she’d shut off the music and ordered everyone home, including Sully. He caught my eye, almost as if he feared I’d be grounded, too.

  “I can’t believe you!” Celia roared after the last car turned out the driveway. “How dare you have a party when I’m gone!”

  “But I asked if I could have a few friends over,” Micah argued.

  “A few! This is way more than a few. You abused your privileges, young man, and you know it. Perhaps I’ve been too lenient.” She aimed an accusing finger at Micah’s face. “Maybe this time I should ground you until your graduat—”

  “It’s not his fault,” I shouted, stepping between Micah and Celia.

  They both paused, looking surprised I’d come to Micah’s aid.

  “Micah was just trying to make me feel better,” I blurted before I lost my nerve. “I’d been so depressed these last few days because I felt like I didn’t have any friends at school. He thought if he invited some over, it’d help me out.” Celia’s irate face made my voice trail off. I envisioned myself grounded for the next two weeks as the Elementals’ super storm closed in to surround the Bay Area. Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Micah’s jaw drop for a second. But he corrected it before Celia noticed.

  “Make me feel better, you know,” I added, softer this time.

  For a long moment, Celia stared blankly at me. Finally, she blinked, my words sinking in. She opened her mouth and closed it again without uttering a sound. Then she turned to Micah, “You were?”

  Micah nodded slowly.

  Celia pressed her fingers to her temples to fight off a migraine while she debated between punishing him and thanking him.

  Eventually, she heaved a deep sigh. “I just wish you would’ve told me first.”

  “He did ask if it was okay to have a couple of friends over,” I reminded her in a congenial tone.

  She sighed again. “Well, thanks to Jordan, it seems you’re off the hook. This time.” She stepped in the garage to grab a huge garbage bag. “But you still have to clean up.”

  Cam tugged on my shirt, eager to show off the prizes he won at the birthday party. “You should’ve been there!” he beamed and described the piñata, games, soda, cake, and pizza. Then he ran off into the house to add the toys to his collection. I had a feeling with that much excitement and sugar, he’d crash early tonight.

  Me on the other hand…

  I looked around the trashed yard. Without a doubt, Micah needed some help.

  So I walked into the garage and grabbed another garbage bag. Bending down to place one plastic cup after another in the bag, I sensed Micah’s eyes upon me. I hesitated to meet his gaze and have him mad at me for being right.

  Only once we finished cleaning up the driveway and the yard did I finally look him in the face. He continued to stare at me in a funny way.

  “What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes defensively.

  “You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Micah’s tone remained cool, but at least it lacked hostility now.

  “Do what?” I asked, feigning innocence.

  “You know. Cover for me. You didn’t have to.”

  With a small shrug, I said, “Consider us even.”

  A faint smile flickered across his lips. A step in the right direction. I returned his smile.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The next afternoon, Cameron and I passed the soccer ball back and forth in the front yard when Sully pulled up. An unexpected flutter filled my heart. He stepped from the car with a quick wave, making me freeze in my tracks, my face fixed in a quirky smile. Cam’s ball rolled past my feet. Blushing, I chased it down, and then kicked it back to Cam.

  “Busy today?” Sully asked, intercepting my pass. He trapped the ball with the inside of his foot, before tapping it to Cam.

  “Not too much,” I said, avoiding Sully’s face. “We’re almost done. Right, Cam?”

  Cam’s lip turned up into a cute little smirk that he must’ve learned from Micah. “Next goal wins,” he giggled, then dribbled the ball, trying to scoot past Sully.

  Sully maneuvered his body to block Cam, faking left then right, but letting Cam past at the very last second.

  “Yay!” Cam exclaimed. He raised his arms in the air when the ball rolled between the pair of old tennis shoes that marked the goal.

  “Nice one, bud,” Sully grinned, rustling Cam’s curly hair. Then suddenly, Sully blinked, as if noticing me for the first time. “Hey…your arm!”

  I glanced down at my forearm, wrapped neatly with an Ace bandage. “Yeah. I got my cast off this morning. The doctor said I need to keep it in this for another week.” Which explained why I didn’t leave town a few hours ago, or so I told myself.

  Sully made a poor attempt at hiding the disappointment written upon his face.

  “What’s up?” I asked him.

  “Oh,” he sighed in a very un-Sully-like way. “I just stopped by to see if you were up for some skim-boarding. But I guess it can wait until your arm’s all better.”

  I almost agreed with him when I remembered his wounded face at the party after he saw Karli joined to Justin’s hip. Plus the timer in my head counted down the days until my full recovery…and my necessary departure. No more excuses, I reminded myself.

  True, he graciously offered me a way out with no reservations. And deep down, I knew I should accept since my arm still needed time to heal and the doctor told me to take it easy.

  But I couldn’t stop my pulse from quickening when Sully’s pale blue eyes held mine, waiting for my response. My heart leapt unexpectedly, realizing he came over today just to see me. So it didn’t come as a complete surprise when I found myself replying, “As long as I don’t fall on it, I should be okay. I’ll go grab a towel.”

  “Sweet.” Sully’s smile broadened, brightening his entire face. “I can hang out here with Cam. See if he can beat me this time.”

  Cam’s face wrinkled with determination as he dribbled the ball forward, trying to get past Sully again.

  Walking through the house, I kicked myself for allowing my emotions to wield such control over my mind that my personal feelings prevailed over things like logic and reason. Why should I risk my safety just to spend a little more time with him? Or with anyone for that matter?

  Then again, maybe the Elementals hadn’t even
arrived in this time. Maybe they really had no idea I was here at all. Throughout the morning, the sun had broken through the clouds at intermittent intervals, leading me to conclude nature truly accounted for the origins of this storm. I began to think I had overreacted to the whole mess when I should’ve listened to Micah and Sully instead.

  Deliberating over my mixed feelings, I opened the hall closet to grab a beach towel. But when I turned to shut the door, I found Micah standing on the other side.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, though it sounded more like an accusation than a question to satiate his interest.

  All the joy from Sully’s unexpected visit vanished in an instant. Why did he care? It wasn’t like I needed to ask his permission or anything.

  “Sully’s taking me skim-boarding,” I replied coolly and tucked the towel under my arm.

  Micah’s face clouded. “Sully’s here?” he asked, sounding hurt that his best friend would choose me over him. Not like Micah didn’t do the same to Sully on a regular basis, letting Tessa take precedence over everything in his life.

  “Wanna come?” I felt suddenly obliged to ask. Not that it really mattered. Of course, Micah would say no. Surely, he already had weekend plans.

  Micah grabbed his phone from his back pocket to check the time.

  Wait for it, I told myself. I folded my arms over my chest, expecting him to refuse so I could leave.

  Instead, Micah slipped his phone into his pocket and grinned. “Sure. I’ll be right there.”

  As Micah raced to his room, I blinked with surprise that he voluntarily chose to take time out of his day to spend with us. You’re overanalyzing it, my conscience reproached me. He just wants to hang out with Sully.

  Yeah. That made sense. But a small part of me still felt wary. As if he decided to tag along to keep me in check so I didn’t steal his best friend without his consent.

  Whatever, Micah. I shouldn’t be a worry to him for much longer.

  I walked back outside and announced to Sully, “Micah said he’s coming, too.”

  “Oh. Okay,” Sully agreed.

  I dwelled on every word they said the whole way to the beach. Dwelled so much, in fact, that I didn’t speak to either the entire ride.

  When we reached the parking lot, I climbed out the back, wondering why exactly I had agreed to come. The sun had disappeared behind a new set of gray clouds that hung low across the sky and fused with the sea. A penetrating chill rode on the back of the strong breeze. Though Sully and Micah didn’t seem to care, I couldn’t help but think the weather had again taken a turn for the worse.

  When I drove past this beach the first day of school, the sea appeared placid with gentle waves rolling into shore and brushing foam against the sand. But today the sea looked angry, swirling in a stormy broth from the surge preceding the storm.

  Sully seemed to notice my skepticism. Giving me a reassuring nudge, he grinned. “It’s perfect.” Then he pulled the skim-boards—thin boards shaped like a small surfboard but completely flat on both sides—from the trunk and passed one to Micah. With a wink, Sully raced down the beach, tucking his board under his right arm.

  Sully neared the water’s edge, holding his board in front of him with both hands. His feet left soggy impressions in the sand with each step. Then he tossed the board across the shallow water and leapt onto it to skim across the thin layer of water on the top of the sand. But he didn’t stop there…instead he headed straight toward the sea. The tip of his board caught an incoming wave and he rode up its face. At the top, he flew through the air for a moment, and then dropped with a splash into the crashing surf.

  “Show off,” Micah muttered under his breath. He and I walked down the sand to join Sully.

  After fishing the board from the surf, Sully jogged back up the beach, his face happily lit from the thrill of the ride. “Your turn,” he said. He flashed me a wide grin and handed me his board.

  Normally, a smile like that would’ve stopped my heart altogether. But I reflected on the insanity of his actions long enough to keep myself in check.

  “You’re outta your mind,” I said, shaking my head and pushed the board back toward him. “There’s no way I can do that.”

  “Okay, then. What about over here?” He walked into a few inches of water and pointed out a path that paralleled the beach. “Just go along the shallow water. You can try cutting into the waves later if you’d like.” He handed me the board again.

  I doubted that. Reluctantly, I reached for his board. I took a few hesitant steps closer to the sea, where the next wave broke, washing up the sand and enveloping my legs up to my shins. Suddenly, I discovered a new meaning of pain as the icy water wrapped around my ankles and instantly shocked my skin into a feisty shade of red.

  “Ohmigod!” I shrieked, dashing up the beach away from the water with Sully’s skim-board tucked under my good arm.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “How can you stand it?” I stared at him, befuddled at how he voluntarily dunked his entire body in water that felt only a few degrees above freezing. “Don’t you wear suits like those big wave surfers or something?”

  Sully shrugged. “Nah. It’s not so bad once your body turns numb.”

  My jaw hit the ground. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” he replied, nonchalant.

  Okay, then. I headed back for a second try so I didn’t look like a complete wimp. I braced myself when another wave raced up the beach and encircled my legs once more. Within seconds, thousands of needles pierced my skin, jabbing me incessantly. Long after the water receded, my skin still prickled in pain.

  Frowning, I looked back at Sully and mouthed, No way.

  Dripping wet, Sully smiled back and gave me a thumbs-up.

  I rolled my eyes. Okay, here goes. Think warm thoughts, think warm thoughts. I closed my eyes, willing my body to project out whatever heat I could muster in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain. Steeling my nerve, I tossed the board in front of me and splashed through the water. Then with a deep breath, I leapt onto the board and extended my arms for balance, standing up like the big wave surfers, only on a flat section of beach without any waves.

  I kept my balance for a few feet before I leapt off its side. I glanced at Sully and Micah for approval.

  “Not bad,” Micah admitted.

  Surprisingly, I found myself smiling. The warmth of a blush rose in my cheeks. Since when did Micah offer me a compliment?

  I handed Sully back his board but he refused to accept it. “Give it another try,” he suggested with a clap on my back.

  With an exaggerated sigh, I waited for the next wave to rush in, then took a few running steps and tossed the board across the top of the water, jumping on its surface and riding further than the last time.

  “Sure you’re not ready to try the bigger stuff?” Sully called.

  “Are you nuts?” I yelled back. What did he think? I hadn’t even perfected riding the board here on the flat ground.

  Micah jabbed Sully in the ribs. “Don’t push her. She’s probably scared.”

  My jaw dropped as his previous compliment vaporized from my recent memory. Why had I bothered to invite him along? I so did not need this. “Am not.” I glared at Micah, dangling my bandaged arm in the air. “Remember?”

  “Whatever,” Micah said as he grabbed his board and walked toward the sea. “If you need me, I’ll be over here,” he called to Sully over his shoulder.

  I bit my lip, so easily infuriated with him. All this time I wondered what Micah saw in Tessa. Now I couldn’t fathom what Tessa saw in him.

  “Forget him,” Sully said encouragingly. “Go on. Take a couple more rides.”

  So I did. But between waves, I glanced over at Sully’s pathetic attempt to stop shivering in the blustery breeze. Returning his board, I suggested he join Micah in the larger surf. This time, Sully didn’t object.

  Meanwhile, I plopped down on the sand and watched Micah and Sully take turns popping their boards up o
ver the waves. Sully’s laughter carried over the surf. After a huge wave pummeled him into the sand, he stood slowly on wobbly legs to scrape his body off the beach. I looked at him and shook my head. That boy sure had a warped sense of humor.

  Micah poised, ready to hit the next wave as it broke. He rocketed up its side then zipped over the top and landed in the breaking water with a huge splash. When he surfaced, he shook the water from his ears. Despite the pervading chill in the ocean, he wore a huge smile upon his face.

  Suddenly, I felt excluded and very alone. A small part of me actually wanted to try and to prove Micah wrong. And another part of me wanted to impress Sully, though I knew that shouldn’t really matter. I couldn’t afford to have him like me back.

  Still, why not? It looked fun and I’d love to show up Micah. How dare he think of me as scared and wimpy?

  I got off my butt and walked toward the boys. Sully readied for another dash into the sea when I blurted, “Can I try?” before I lost my nerve.

  Sully paused mid-stride to hand me his board but Micah beat him to it. Thrusting his board in front of my face, Micah said, “Go on. It’s all yours.”

  I blinked. Why did he have to act so confusing? One minute he detested me, and the next he seemed generous and helpful. Did he simply enjoy egging me on?

  “Thanks,” I said flatly. Though the waves looked much larger here than they had from my spot twenty feet away, I definitely couldn’t chicken out now.

  I watched the next wave build. The midnight blue ripple grew in size until it swelled, threatening to break on top of me. Swallowing hard, I raced to the sea and released the board in front of me like I practiced, and planted my feet upon its smooth surface. With my arms extended and my knees bent, I hit the wave and immediately jetted up the sheer face of liquid power. At the top, the crest curled over, white and frothy as it spilled toward the earth. For a moment, I hung motionless. The earth seemed to stop spinning beneath me, frozen in time.

  I dunked beneath the surface. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as the icy water quickly engulfed me. It still hurt this time but didn’t feel nearly so cold. Using my good arm to pull myself up to the surface, my mouth turned into a huge grin. I grabbed a quick breath before declaring, “That’s awesome!” Then the wave dumped me on the shore. I staggered out of the surf, searching for Micah’s board. Spotting its colorful form floating up the beach, I quickly snatched it before the current dragged it back to sea.