Shoreline (Robby Keene/Book 2)

Familiar Blue Eyes

I was straddling my board, feeling the cold water come toward me in waves like a silk sheet. It was soft against my legs and it made me calm. Looking around at the other surfers, I noticed that there were about ten boys and seven girls, not including myself. I looked at all of their faces but I couldn't find the one I craved to see. I sighed and decided to warm up. 

I threw my leg over the side of my board and slid into the water. My head went under and into the refreshing water. I opened my eyes, feeling the sting of the salt, it quickly passed. I looked around and below me, the sand was drifting quite a bit out where the waves would start, meaning the waves would be good. I listened for a second, complete silence. It was amazing. 

I resurfaced, gasping for breath and looking around me again. I guess it was a habit you pick up from always having to look to see if anything was around you that could hurt you. I saw a few people off in the distance and smiled. I swam over to where my board had drifted and hauled myself onto the surface. From my position on my stomach I transitioned back into my straddling position. 

All of us out on the ocean waited a good half hour, in which four more girls and six boys arrived and swam out to the rest of us. All in all, it was a small turnout, much smaller than I thought it would be. During the half hour, I watched people on the beach. Little kids running into the sea, couples walking along the shoreline, families building sand castles with their little ones. "Alright Ladies and Gentlemen!" A voice was put through all of the speakers that now littered the beach. I one last attempt, I scoured the beach for my friend, but to no avail. "Let us start by saying thank you to the amazing turnout!" At the announcers words, the entire beach broke into an ear shattering applause. "Today we have a total of twenty-seven young men and women competing for the chance to move on to regionals this year."  

His voice reminded me of one of those commercial voices, the kind that was excited and tried passing his energy onto the crown through the microphone, seemed to be working. "Now, competitors, when I call your name, its your surf. Swim forward and wave towards the beach when you've chosen your wave." He speaks directly to us now. "First up. Ryan King." He calls. I look around me to see a girl with dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She swam forward, and turned around, looking for the right wave. 

It took about five minutes for her to find one she liked, correction, felt. Although she passed on some monster waves, she got a medium sized wave, hurtling towards her quickly. She rode the wave until she did her bottom turn. The only thing I could really see was her jumping up or reaching the top of the wave. Sometimes it sucked when you were on the other side of the wave. 

***

After a seven people had gone, there were twenty of us left. I shifted on my board, crossing my legs and trying to balance and get my feet out of the water so they don't prune. I close my eyes and go over my routine while another surfer is called. Every other single person has passed up on a few waves, big ones and small ones too. I sit like that for another good ten minutes, the boys run taking up four and the scoring taking up six minutes. 

"Lydia Lexington." My eyes open and look around me. I realize it's my turn and swim forward to claim my run. When I stop swimming I hear people calling me and cheering me on, I look to where the noise was coming from to see Demetri, Sam and Robby cheering me on. I feel a small smile creep onto my face but its gone quickly when I remember to focus. I look behind me to see a large wave approaching me, not as big as my wave back in Jersey but good enough. I waved. "Oh she goes with the first wave!" The voice announces. I start riding and paddling with the wave until I'm on top. Pushing myself onto my feet, I start with a bottom turn, carving along the bottom of the wave. I switch to a cutback and turning to an off-the-lip turn. 

The announcer describing my every move to the crowd. I follow my routine, and went into a backside air reverse, landing it swiftly and doing two kickflips back to back right after. I hear more applause from the crowd and continues to carve. I saw my opening for my next trick, pumping my legs hard, making my board squiggle in the water, I bend my knees and drag my hand in the water. 

The sudden friction in the water allowing me to catch air and do a 720, giving me the perfect 540 Ally Oop. I land on back on the wave with a thud, fear flowing though me. I squeeze my core quickly and keep my head straight. To me, I almost fell, to others, I simply executed the turn perfectly. I do another bottom turn, crouched in position and finding a steep wall of water. I accelerate and preform a quick snap coming out and doing another cutback afterwards.

My eyes find a spot and I start pumping my legs again to pick up speed, I start to time the trick. When I reach the correct spot for the maneuver I drag my hand in the water again, the friction turning me towards the lip of the turn. When my board leaves the water, I spin in the air, doing an aerial. I land back on the water to applause and do another kickflip. 

The wave was coming to an end and I look around the beach quickly. My heart almost stops when my eyes find a pair of familiar blue eyes smiling at me. He was leaning up against his board which was stuck in the sand. I feel myself smile and look back to the ocean, a new desire to do win was now stuck in my heart. Deciding to risk it all, I change my routine. 

I start with a carve and and a tail slide, getting into position. I start pumping my legs harder than before, creating a speed so fast, I couldn't see to my sides. I take a deep breath and place my hand in the cold water. My board and I turn towards the lip, dismounting off the water. Everything seems to slow down as I thought of Robby, Sam and the boy waiting for me on the beach rush into my head. I grab my board and rotate in the air in proper form. 

Let Robby go. A voice told me inside my head. Let everything go. I exhaled and did just that. I felt my whole body relax and I let go of my board the second it touched the surface of the sea. I flowed along the end of the wave, seeing the sand up close to the water now, I knew I was at the end of my run. I was still in shock as I rode out the rest of the wave, standing up, my arms hung by my side loosely as the entire beach was roaring. I had just done a rodeo flip. 

I hopped off my board when I was knee deep in water, picking it up and tucking it in my arm. I was greeted by Sam, Robby and Demetri. "D, hold this." I handed him my board before he could object and ran off towards a smiling figure. 

When I reached him, he had his arms outstretched to me. I collided with him and threw my arms around his neck, taking in his familiar scent of citrus and wood. I felt his arms snake around my back and lift me up, spinning me around. "You made it!" I sighed happily into him as he set me down and I backed up to look at him.

"I said I would." He responded, smiling at me. His blue eyes filled with joy.

"I really missed you Nick." I said.

"I missed you too Lydia." He told me gripping me in another hug. "Now lets talk about that run." 

Fireworks! That's what I imagined at the end of writing this chapter. Complete giddiness is what I felt. I hope this chapter made up for how long it took me to update, which again, sorry about! Anyway please tell me what you think about it so far. Comment and Vote!

Thanks!

-Daisy