Can't Get Enough [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." – James 1:17

Alana drew out her legs from underneath her and popped up into a standing position. The small, glassy wave remained unbroken as she put all her weight on her back foot and turned the longboard. Now that she was angling right, she cross-stepped up to the nose and put one foot over the tip. She crouched down, trailed one hand in the water, and smiled.

Koa hooted as he paddled over the shoulder of her wave. "Cheater five!" he called.

Alana stood back up and cross-stepped down the board. The lip began to curl over in a gentle splash of whitewater, so she pulled a small floater and attempted to hang five again. This time, she wasn't as fortunate to have an open shoulder in front of her, and she mistimed her cross-step. She laughed as she rode straight off the wave into calm water, landing flat on her butt.

Alana swept her gaze from the lineup, to the long jetty on her right, all the way over to the uncrowded beach. The palm trees planted near the parking lot swayed gently in the soft breeze. Fortunately, the ocean was calm and glassy, and Alana hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the evening.

"Is that the best move you got?" Koa teased when Alana reached the lineup.

"What—hanging five?" She grinned. "I've got more tricks than that."

"Then let's see 'em."

"Do I sense a challenge?"

He snorted. "No, I just want to see what other 'tricks' you can do on a longboard."

"Yeah, sure," Alana laughed. "Or maybe you don't want to challenge me because you know you're going to lose?"

He dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. "Please. We both know I'm the better longboarder between the two of us."

"We'll see about that." As soon as the next wave appeared, Alana turned her whole body around without turning her board. Now she was facing the beach, but she was sitting on her board backwards, with the tail in front.

Koa laughed. "Good luck with that."

"I don't need luck," she shot back with a teasing smile. She dug her hands into the water and glided into the wave. As the water receded beneath her board, its long single fin became visible, and she popped up to her feet. She leaned back onto her heels, automatically causing her longboard to swivel around. The entire board did a complete 180-degree turn so that the tail was in the back of the wave where it should be.

"How's that for a trick?" she called over her shoulder. Koa just gave her a thumbs-up and that trademark Hawaiian smile of his.

They continued to surf until sunset, when sky and water were illuminated with bold streaks of color. However, as dusk descended on the beach and the waves became harder to see, the only good thing that happened was the increase in wave size. The wind picked up to ten miles an hour and misty clouds began covering the sky. It looked like another storm was fast approaching.

After catching a wave in and changing into a warm sweatshirt and pants, Alana eagerly devoured one of the hamburgers Cole had bought. The rest of the gang chowed their dinner as well while they discussed the plan for tomorrow.

Alana wiped her mouth with a napkin and picked up her phone. "Upper Trestles is the next best spot," she said.

"And with this storm coming in, the waves are sure to double in size by tomorrow morning," Blaine added. "The swell is peaking. I agree—Uppers is our best bet."