In Too Deep

by D C Grant

Chapter Eight

  The wave came from nowhere. It rose up behind him and kept on rising. He couldn’t get out from beneath it. He clung to the rails of his surfboard and closed his eyes. The water crashed on top of him and pushed him under; tumbling him over and over until he didn’t know which way was up or down. His board was ripped from his hands. He was in a hole. He couldn’t get to the top. There was water in his nose and mouth. He was drowning.

  Josh woke with a gasp. It took a few seconds to realise he was in his bed at the bach. He wasn’t in the water. He wasn’t drowning. It was that dream again. The second time in two days. He tried to slow his laboured breathing. He was tangled up in his sheets. He threw them off and sat up. His hands were clammy and shook. The dream had been so real.

  His muscles were tight. Because of Bevan’s interruption, he hadn’t stretched properly the day before and he’d stayed in the water longer than he intended. Now he was as stiff as his surfboard. He got out of bed slowly, testing each cramped muscle and the more he moved, the easier it became. He dressed and left his bedroom in search of breakfast. At least his appetite was back.

  Josh found his mother curled up in an armchair with a magazine and a cup of coffee. “I wondered when you were going to get up,” she said.

  He glanced over at the clock, thinking it was late, but it was only 9.00 a.m. He put milk and cereal into a bowl and sat at the table to eat it.

  “Where’s Dad?” he asked.

  “He’s taken Cyndi to the Gap. It’s low tide about now and he thought it would be a good place to take her for a swim before the sun got too hot.”

  “Why didn’t you go?”

  “I just needed time to myself. You were fast asleep and I just wanted to sit and enjoy the sunshine. It’s been so stressful with packing and Christmas and everything.”

  Josh nodded in agreement. Outside the air was clear and calm and he guessed that there’d be no decent surf that day, not even with the incoming tide. He might as well take it easy and give his muscles time to ease off.

  “I think I’ll catch up with Dad,” he said as he finished his cereal.

  “Good idea. You should meet him coming back. And don’t forget sunscreen,” his mother reminded him as he headed for the door.

  “Sure,” he sighed, pumping sunblock into his palm from the bottle that sat on a shelf by the front door.

  When he reached the road, he looked carefully left and right for any sign of the black convertible, but the road was empty. Bevan hadn’t figured out where he lived and wasn’t waiting to jump him as soon as he appeared.

  South Piha Beach was quiet when he got there. The lifeguards had put up the flags demarcating the swimming area and only a few swimmers had ventured in. There were no surfers in the water; the surf was too small and messy and it was going to be a day for the bathers. He recognised one of the lifeguards standing by the inflatable rescue boat on the beach and walked over to him.

  “Hi, Chris,” he said.

  “Oh, hi, Josh,” Chris said, looking up. “Haven’t seen you around for a while.”

  “I took a job in the city for Christmas, so I couldn’t get down as much.”

  “So what are you up to today?”

  “I’m going over to the Gap. Dad’s taken Cyndi there.”

  “I think I saw them earlier,” Chris said, nodding his head.

  “Have you seen them come back?”

  “No, I don’t think so, but I’ve been busy in the back of the clubhouse, so they could have come through then.”

  “Alright then. I’ll go and have a look to see if they’re still there.”

  “Catch you later,” Chris said and turned to another lifeguard who was standing on the other side of the IRB. “Come on, Brendan, let’s get her out.”

  Josh turned and walked towards the left-hand side of the beach where the headland of Tasman Lookout extended out, hovering over a rocky outcrop known as Pakiti Rock. Even at high tide most of the rock was above the water level, except in extremely high tides and rough seas. Today was calm and, even though the tide was coming in, it was easy to get to the rocky base of the cliff. Josh hopped from rock to rock until he reached the first of two rocky outcrops, over which he had to climb. He made his way over them and stopped for a moment where the rocks formed a flat ledge with rock pools.

  He turned at the sound of an outboard engine and saw Chris and Brendan flying past in the IRB. Chris raised his hand in greeting and Josh waved back, watching them as they sped in the direction of Lion Rock, riding in the trough between the waves. He followed their progress until they rounded Lion Rock and were lost from sight.

  He turned to continue along the ledge towards the sandy beach and from there the Gap, but a voice behind him stopped him.

  “Hey, surfer boy!”

  He glanced over his shoulder. Bevan climbed over the last of the rocky outcrops and came towards him. Gina was behind him, not sure of her footing on the uneven rocks. Bevan didn’t wait for her but walked over to Josh.

  “Out on your own, eh?”

  Josh looked over his shoulder. There was no one in sight. He was alone and vulnerable.

  “Leave me alone.” His voice sounded stronger than he felt.

  “Oooh, I’m scared.”

  “You got me for knocking you over. Now we’re quits.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  Gina had now come to stand just behind Bevan, silent and wary. “Leave him, Bevan,” she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “This prick crashed into me.”

  “He didn’t mean it, Bevan. It was an accident.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Mitch told me.”

  “What does Mitch know?” He turned on her. “Whose side are you on anyway?” It seemed like Bevan was going to hit her and she cowered away from him

  Josh stepped forward and said, “Leave her alone.”

  Bevan rounded on him. “Stay out of this.”

  “Don’t take it out on her.”

  “Then I’ll take it out on you,” Bevan said, and pushed Josh back.

  Josh stumbled on the uneven surface. He tried to maintain his balance, but failed and fell on one knee, the jagged rock edge cutting through his skin. Still unbalanced, Bevan shoved him with his foot so that he fell backwards into a rock pool, the water soaking the seat of his boardies.

  “Weakling,” Bevan said.

  “Stop it, Bevan,” Gina said, pulling at his arm. “Someone will see.”

  “Better look over your shoulder all the time, surfer boy. You’ll never know when I’ll be creeping up on you.”

  Bevan threw his arm around Gina, pulled her around and together they walked off, heading back to the beach. They separated as they reached the rocky outcrop and Gina looked back at Josh who was getting up out of the water. He met her eyes, but couldn’t read them. Was it sympathy or contempt? He couldn’t tell.

  He looked at his knee. It was bleeding and he used some of the water from the rock pool to wash it away. He made his way to the base of the cliff and sat down on a rocky ledge. The sound of an outboard motor carried to him and he glanced up to see the inflatable, with Chris and Brendan in it, returning to the beach. He looked over to the left, towards the Gap and decided he’d forget about going out there. He made his way slowly back over the rocks, wincing at the pain in his knee. Once he reached the sand he limped towards the yellow and red flags and saw Chris sitting on the quad bike, scanning the water ahead of him. He glanced over as Josh approached.

  “You were in one piece last time I saw you,” Chris said.

  “I fell on the rocks.”

  “Really? Looked like you were pushed.”

  Josh frowned. “How …?”

  “I saw you from the IRB, after we’d come back around the Lion. I thought it was you, but I couldn’t see much from that distance. It didn’t look like the guy was shaking your hand. Do you know him?”

  “Sort of,” Josh said.

  “Did you piss
him off or something?”

  “Yeah, something.”

  Chris glanced down at the cut on Josh’s knee. “It looks clean enough. Go up to the first aid room if you want.”

  “Nah, I washed it out with sea water. It should be fine. Think I’ll go for a swim. See you, Chris.”

  Chris nodded then lifted his whistle to his mouth to get the attention of a group of bathers who had strayed outside the flags.

  Josh took off his shirt, leaving it close to the quad bike, and ran into the sea. The coldness of the water startled him, but it washed away the remaining sick feeling he’d had since Bevan had met him on the rocks.