𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜

𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨.

MORNING HAD FINALLY RISEN ALTHOUGH THE SUN HAS YET TO COME OUT FROM HIDING, Autumn loves to get out in the morning. It makes her feel productive and refreshed for her afternoon activities. The beaches in Victoria are stunning, the sight of catching waves with the sun reflecting off of the ocean creating sparkling particles in the barrel is beautiful.

Autumn Sage was trying her best to be amped but it was also 6:00am and the clasp on her wetsuit continued to get stuck. The night before was even worse than the following morning, Autumn just didn't want to be home when Rosemary wakes up. 

Milan Cohen; Autumn's mum had passed away six months prior to her father's marriage to Rose. One part of Autie loved that her father had found love again, she wanted nothing but happiness for Ray. The other part was that after his new marriage he never mentioned his past wife. Milan was nothing to him anymore, that's what Autumn is afraid of. If she never brings up her mum to her father he'll forget about the woman who gave him a child and bestowed her love when he needed it most.

Rosemary Cohen is against surfing, she thinks it's completely unladylike and constantly pressures Autumn to quit and open a book. The woman has no idea what surfing had gotten her through, the beach helps Autumn blow off steam so she doesn't get angry at anyone for no reason. Surfing brings Autie contentment, as she persistently reminds her step-mother that none of what she does really concerns her. Never once has Rose greeted her step-daughter with any kind of warmth in her heart, anytime she has is when Ray is around. Rose is a gold-digger, nothing but a cheater who's only in it for herself.

Autumn pushed her annoyance of her father's wife to the back of her brain and only focuses on the main target, finally hitting her Off-the-lip. The off-the-lip is a vertical top turn in which the surfer attacks a steep slope, projects half of his board off the wave's lip, and then drives it dramatically down toward the bottom of the wave without losing momentum. She's been working on it for months but can't seem to hold on long enough.

As you would have it Autumn had attempted the trick but unfortunately failed yet again. Even though she pretty much predicted the outcome it still angered her that she can't perfect her technique. Groaning Autumn walks back up the beach through the light waved water, dragging her feet in the sand she mumbles insults to the inanimate surfboard as if it could hear her disciplining it. She unwraps the velcro from her ankle and tosses the board into the sand facing away towards the horizon.

"Whatever that board has done I'm sure it's sorry." With an indirect glare Autumn's eyes stare directly at a tall boy around her age with the prettiest hair she's ever seen. It's a low cut that seemed to be completely blonde but it has a washed-out pink tint to the front. Honestly, he's hot. Autumn's never really had any attraction to anyone in her life, so it's quite a shock that she thinks this. His shorts are low-cut that come down to his knees and matched with a hawaiian shirt that's opened revealing his sculpted stomach.

The mysterious boy just stands in the sand with his hands resting his is pockets, almost out of place. Autumn's never seen him before, he must be new. "It better be sorry, the stupid board costed me the trick."

Pinky makes a 'tsk tsk' noise why shaking his index finger, his steps get closer to Autumn. "That my friend is called projection. The board doesn't doesn't make you a good surfer, the person on the board makes you a good surfer."

That just confuses Autumn even more, she sighs before replying to the persistent teenager. "Friend? I have zero clue on who you are."

"My apologies, Friend. Bax." he sticks his hand out with a goofy grin plastered on his lips. Autie rolls her eyes before placing her palm in his wrapping her fingers around his knuckles.

"Autumn."

"Cute." tilting his head he smiles at the shorter girl once more. This time under his gaze Autumn's eyes bounce back and forth refusing to meet his. 

Autumn pulls her hand out of Bax's grip, the wind begins to pick up. "I think I'll go back out in the water, the wind is much stronger now." 

"Mind if I join?"  Bax asks already retreating back to where he was initially standing picking up his surfboard.

"Go for it. I don't own the ocean." Autumn reattaches her velcro around her ankle, she grabs her board and runs into the water. Not far behind her was her newfound accomplice chasing behind her and into the water. Purposely he kicks his legs creating splashes of salt water going into the face of Autumn Sage. "Ew! It got in my mouth!" she scrunches her face as the salted water touches her tongue.

Laughing whole-heartedly, Bax runs faster to catch the incoming waves first. As he's running he realizes, that's the first time he's ever let out a laugh in a while. A complete stranger made him laugh, someone he's never met before had the subtle ability to make him crack a grin. 

"That tears it!" Autumn brushes him off and chases the boy she met merely 5 minutes ago into the ocean. 

Autumn doesn't really have a lot of friends, but the ones she does have are the ones she cherishes the most. Bodhi, Marlon, Poppy, Ari, Summer, and now Bax deserve the world. Autumn will never let them forget it.

Baxter Radic is going to make Autumn Sage's life swirl like a tornado, but he will flip it around into a realm of clouds, rainbows, and evil little leprechauns that will steal your money and fudge chocolate ice cream.