by Jordan Ford
“Okay.” I pick up my board and mirror Aidan, resting mine in the sand and holding it like I’m about to pose for a photo. “So, we’re going to start off just riding a few waves lying down. You need to get used to the feel of the board on the water. We’ll start in the sand to get your position right, then head out and see how many waves you can catch on your belly.”
“I can do that.” Aidan nods, glancing out to the ocean.
An early morning runner jogs down by the water’s edge, his well-behaved dog keeping pace beside him.
Aidan’s cheeks kind of flare when he notices the guy.
Scrunching up my nose, I snap my fingers to get his attention and give him the warning that was given to me when I started three years ago. “I know this is probably going to be hard, but you have to remember this above all else.”
Aidan raises his eyebrows at me.
I suck in a quick breath then say, “You have to forget about anybody else on the beach and just focus on what I tell you. Even if you feel stupid doing it. Got that?”
13
Surfing in the Sand
AIDAN
Oh, great. She’s going to make me look like an idiot.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Nodding is suddenly hard as my body stiffens at the idea of humiliating myself. Like I need any more reasons to feel like a loser.
“Trust me.” She smiles. “It’s worth getting it right here on the sand before hitting the water. You’ll pick it up so much faster.”
I swallow and nod. “All right. What do I have to do, then?”
“Lay your board down.”
I do it right away, figuring I want to get this part over with as quickly as possible.
“Now, hold the sides of the board about three-quarters of the way up and lie facedown.”
She shows me what she means and I copy her, feeling less idiotic because she’s doing it as well.
“Keep your elbows back, like chicken wings.” She flaps her arms and I grin, getting into it as she keeps going with her explanation.
I’m soon lifting my chin and chest in some weird yoga position.
“Oh, make sure your toes are touching the end of the board.”
I wriggle my body a little farther up the longboard.
“That’s it.” Harley stands and checks my positioning.
She’s looking pretty damn amazing in her wetsuit this morning. That neoprene is hugging every surface of her body, highlighting her toned muscles and sportiness. There’s something kind of sexy about how sporty she is.
I close my eyes.
Dude! She’s your surf instructor! Stop thinking about her as sexy!
“Okay, let’s hit the water.” Harley claps her hands and picks up her board.
I follow suit, nerves crashing through me as I watch her footprints leading a path to the sand.
Shit, I hope I can do this.
I hope I can be brilliant.
“Attach your lead first.” Harley stops at the water’s edge and quickly attaches hers like she’s done it a million times before…which she probably has.
I lay my board down and attach the lead around my ankle. The cold water hits my feet and I brace myself for this early morning swim. I’m used to diving into a slightly heated pool, inside four walls.
This is something else.
The salty foam tickles my ankles as I wade in, the sharp cold of the Pacific rising up my legs.
Harley wades out until the water’s around her waist. I run to catch up with her and listen as she explains what type of wave I should be aiming for.
“Lay your board down and just walk it forward. These baby waves are perfect for you today.” She’s grinning like a happy pup.
I can’t help smiling as well. Her enthusiasm is so contagious.
Harley explains the waves to me and what to look for. “So we’ll spin our boards around and just ride them in. Nice and easy.”
“Nice and easy,” I murmur, awkwardly turning the longboard around and jumping on it when she tells me to.
“Just let the wave catch your board and ride you in,” Harley calls out to me. “Hold the sides. Lift your chin and chest. That’s it!” She whoops and I feel the rush as the board rides me in.
I’m not even standing yet and I’m already having fun.
I ride the wave in until it hits the sand, then stand up and turn around to do it again.
After five tries, Harley is ready to move on.
I check my watch and hope there’s enough time to do a little more before I have to split for school.
“Let’s go, let’s go.” Harley waves me up the beach and starts rushing me through. She’s obviously aware of the time as well. “Okay, now we need to figure out if you’re a regular or goofy foot.”
“If I’m a what?”
She snickers like I’m stupid for not knowing these terms, but is then nice enough to explain them to me. “It’s how you stand on the board. Kind of like…which hand is more comfortable to write with? Your right or your left? In board sports it’s recommended that your dominate foot is at the back of the board as it’s got the bigger job to do. I want to start that way, and if it’s not working for you, you can always switch it up later.” She shrugs. “Let’s at least work out which foot is the stronger one and then we can go from there.”
“Makes sense.” I nod and wait for further instructions.
“So regular means your left foot is at the front of the board, goofy means your right foot,” she keeps explaining then runs me through a few quick tests.
We soon figure out that I’m a regular foot, and then she makes me stand on the board and pretend like I’m surfing in the water. She laughs and corrects my stance, then gets me to lie down and practice the “how to stand up” move.
“Turn your foot to the side so your ankle’s touching the board.” She crouches down by my feet and moves my right foot for me. “Good. Okay, now lift your chin and chest, then bring your front foot forward.” I do as she says. “Yes. That’s it. Okay, try it again.”
She makes me do it over and over until I’m getting it right every time.
“Yes!” She pumps her fist in the air and jumps excitedly. “Let’s hit the water again!”
I glance at my watch and nearly tell her I don’t have time, but she’s already running, and I’m compelled to chase her.
She calls out instructions to me as we hit the waves, and I’m aware that this is it. This is the moment to prove that I’m not a complete waste of time.
I screw up the first wave.
Harley laughs. “Don’t worry about it. Try again.”
Flicking the hair off my face, I swipe the salty water out of my eyes and head back into the surf. It takes me three attempts, but on the fourth, I manage to do everything she’s told me to and actually keep my balance.
I’m riding a wave.
Holy crap, I’m riding a wave!
“Yes! Go! Go!” Harley’s cheering me on.
Elation blooms in my chest.
It feels freaking awesome.
Even when I wipe out and hit the water with a splash. I resurface and let out a loud whoop, punching my arm in the air. “Yeah!”
My butt hits the sand as I grab my board and stand, walking into the shallows.
“That’s awesome!” Harley splashes through the water as she races up behind me and jumps on my back.
It’s only for a second, but the celebration makes me warm throughout my entire body.
I spin around to face her just after she jumps back down to the water.
We’re both beaming at each other, and the urge to race straight back out is nearly too strong to ignore. But I can’t be late for school, and Dad always says it’s best to finish on a high.
And damn, is this one serious high.
“I get it.” I grin at her.
She smiles back, knowing exactly what I mean. “I thought you might. Best thing in the world, right?” She holds out her fist.
&nbs
p; “The best.” I tap my knuckles against hers and feel it again. Warmth, all the way through to my core.
14
Sniffing the Greenbacks
HARLEY
That look on Aidan’s face is freaking fantastic.
He has a great smile that stretches across his entire face. White teeth, no doubt straightened with braces, rest on his lower lip, and I can’t help mirroring his expression.
It’s tempting to suggest we head out to catch another, but our hour is most likely up. I’m not wearing a watch, but I can sense we’ve probably gone a little over time.
Aidan checks his watch and winces.
I shrug. “It’s good to finish on a high note. If the conditions stay steady overnight, we should probably try and do this again tomorrow.”
He winces again, running a hand through his wet hair. “I really need to hit the pool tomorrow or Coach will have my ass.”
“No problem.” I try to ignore how sharp my disappointment is and hope it doesn’t show on my face. “I’m here basically every day. I’ll give you my number and any morning you can come, just text me and I’ll let you know if the conditions are right for you.”
“Sounds good.”
I like his smile.
I like the way his body moves as he heads up the beach towards his backpack.
He stops and lays the longboard down before ripping off his rash guard and reaching for his towel.
I like the way his muscles move.
I like the tanned color of his skin.
Would you shut up!
I force my gaze away and lay my board down, yanking out my own towel and quickly drying off before getting my phone out.
Standing up, I turn to face Aidan, who is still shirtless and just as gorgeous from the front as he was from the back.
He’s not gorgeous. He’s just a guy. Your surf student!
He unlocks his phone and holds it out to me. I do the same and we swap, programming in our numbers. A smile twitches my lips as I label my number Just Harley.
When we switch our phones back, he glances at the screen and starts laughing. I check my screen and notice Just Aidan typed next to his number.
“Great minds.” I chuckle and slip my phone away.
“Here.” He holds out forty bucks, and I hesitate for just a moment before taking it.
“That covers today and next time.”
I’m super stoked that he trusts me enough to pay me in advance. I don’t even bother fighting my smile. I’m actually happier that he wants a next time. I had fun today. As soon as I started teaching him, my nerves evaporated, although a small part of me was worried he didn’t enjoy it, that he’d want to bail.
People bail all the time, let you down without warning. I really don’t want this super-fun experience to be stripped away from me. I take the money and clutch it in my fist.
“Thanks, Harley.” Aidan grins down at me and my stupid stomach flutters with butterflies. “I had a great time today.”
I’m desperate to go for casual but end up grinning like an idiot instead. Clearing my throat, I look down at our sand-covered feet and tell him, “You were good. You’ll be surfing in no time.”
“I think I’m going to like it.”
I glance up and squint against the sun. “Man, you’re gonna love it.”
He holds out his fist, and I pound it before he walks away.
Shit, he really is hot, and I really should not be looking at him that way.
Clenching the money even tighter in my fist, I remind myself why I’m doing this.
“For the money,” I murmur, going as far as to sniff the greenbacks before slipping them into my bag. “And to help Aidan.” I tip my head to the side.
He looked happy today.
I’m convinced this sport can take away his blues and make him feel better about life.
And that makes me feel better about life, because I’m helping someone.
“That’s it,” I remind myself as I crouch down to organize my gear. “That has to be it.”
It’s a warning more than anything.
I’m not falling into the trap of loving someone again.
That only leads to trouble.
Betrayal.
Heartache.
15
Queen Cool’s Party Invite
AIDAN
The stone steps leading into school don’t seem so long and tiresome today. In fact, nothing seems as long and tiresome when you’ve started your day in the ocean. Harley taught me all about surf etiquette today. Having been surfing together for a week, in an empty ocean that felt like ours, we actually had to share the waves with a few guys this morning.
For some reason, Harley wanted us to keep our distance.
“You know those guys?” I questioned her, frowning as I studied them. They looked kind of intimidating, especially the bald black guy. He glared at me like I was his next target.
“Yeah, we hang out sometimes.” Harley nodded, tugging me a little farther down the beach. “They’re not so bad, as long as you don’t get in their way. Surfing is sacred to them, and they kind of hate newbies, so let’s definitely stay in the shallows.”
It was easy to agree to. I’m not ready for the big waves anyway. Thankfully the surfers paddled out to the deeper water and we ended up not interacting with them at all.
I managed a few really great rides today.
It’s exhilarating.
Maybe Harley’s right after all. Maybe surfing is the best thing in the world.
Man, she’s easy to hang out with. Her passion for the waves is contagious. And I like her smile. Her laughter. The way she banters with me. Time takes off when we’re together, and so far, I’ve felt a sharp disappointment every time my lessons have come to an end.
That’s why Saturday was so completely cool. We surfed for like three hours, and she didn’t even charge me extra. I wish we could have surfed for three hours again this morning.
I run a hand through my salty hair, water droplets hitting my white school shirt.
I’m getting used to the salty tang on my skin, the smell of the ocean lingering on me as I go about my day. The waves were so good this morning, I ended up getting out of the water really late and only had time for a quick rinse off at the beach and a shower in a can—as Harley calls it.
A grin spreads over my face as I think about her.
We’ve had five lessons together so far. We squeezed in an extra one on the weekend, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be asking to squeeze in more.
She mentioned as we dried off this morning that as soon as I’m feeling confident on the longboard, she wants to switch me to a smaller board. That seems kind of fast to me, but I think I’ll start surfing the web and doing some research so I know what I’m looking for when I start shopping.
I swivel sideways to get past a squad of giggling freshmen and head to my locker.
The grass, as always, is looking green and inviting through the archways, but I’m running late and need to get my books organized before the bell rings.
I also need to come up with a good excuse for Simon about why I bailed on his invite for an extra swim this morning. He’s going to figure it out soon enough, so I should just tell him, but I kind of like keeping this surfing thing to myself. It’s my thing that has nothing to do with the Walton world, and I kind of want to keep it that way.
“Hey, cuz.” Skylar appears out of nowhere and steps up to my side.
“Morning.” I glance down at her, struck by the fact that she and Harley are similar heights. It makes me feel like a giant sometimes, but that doesn’t bother me too much. What Skylar lacks in height, she makes up for in personality. And so does Harley, but in a very different kind of way.
I look around as we walk down the hall, aware that Skylar is on her own.
No Savannah? No Craig?
Seems weird to see my cousin flying solo.
I catch a movement over her right shoulder and spot Wyatt. Facing forward, I roll my eyes.
Of course he’s here. Skylar’s probably aware of it, but she never, ever flies solo at this school.
Wyatt Mattley has had a crush on her since the second he arrived at Walton. That must have been freshman year. Skylar has shot him down plenty of times, but he still lingers in the background of her life, a loyal puppy who will never get petted or played with.
Skylar calls him a creeper and has threatened to report him, but he seems harmless enough to me. It’s not like he’s ever tried to touch or threaten her before, he just likes to watch her.
Okay, yeah, it’s creepy, but I don’t think he stalks her the way she sometimes claims.
Skylar just likes to stir shit and create drama. She’s extra all the way, and I’ve learned to take almost everything she says with a dollop of skepticism.
“So where have you been lately?” Skylar looks up, her green eyes bright and demanding.
“What do you mean?” I play dumb, giving myself a chance to formulate an excuse.
She rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. You’ve been scarce.”
“I’ve been around.” I shrug.
We get to my locker and I’m forced to stop. Simon and Jonah aren’t around to cause a distraction, and for once Craig isn’t either.
I can’t help wondering if Skylar’s planned it this way. Told them all to leave me alone so she can play chief investigator for the morning.
Resting her shoulder on the locker beside mine, she crosses her arms and gives me a pointed look. “My sources say they spotted you at the beach this morning. What’s going on?”
“Your sources?” I give her an irritated frown. “Gimme a break, Sky. Are you having me followed now?”
“No, I just happened to catch the right gossip train this morning. And they said they saw you taking a shower at the beach.”
I pull in a breath, relieved they didn’t see me with Harley or a surfboard.
“Why are you showering at the south end?”
“What were your ‘sources’ doing at the south end?” I use air quotes to emphasize how dumb I think this whole conversation is.
