miss americana | jj maybank

one | something fun

one | something fun
[101: pilot]

Tess often felt like she grew up not in the Cut or Figure Eight, but on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks that sat between the division.

At seven years old, her father spent ten minutes with her on the sand, teaching her how to surf, before he--both metaphorically and literally--threw her into the deep end. But within the hour, she was catching waves like she'd been doing it for years.

Some people learned to ride bikes and build sandcastles. Tess learned to skateboard and surf. Some people dissected frogs and wrote history papers. Tess fixed cars, planted gardens, and mapped the stars.

Her father taught her that life was not best lived sedentary and that real learning didn't take place sitting behind a desk. Tess internalized that and carried it with her everywhere she went.

When she pinpointed the issue under the hood of her friends' vehicles, she thought of her dad. When her skateboard's wheels scraped across the pavement, she though of her dad. When Tess took to the waves, she thought of her dad.

And at this point, Tess would do anything to make sure she didn't forget him.

She came in from the waves to see her best friend, Rebecca, waiting for her, collecting their things back into sandy tote bags. Looking back up from her phone, she said, "We're gonna be late if you don't hurry up."

"Blame the ocean," Tess said, gesturing back to the roaring water. "How could we ignore a swell like this?"

"I'm sure the Carreras will understand," Beck chuckled, handing her a towel.

Tess started to dry off, squeezing much of the salt water out of her hair. With one more look back toward the horizon, she followed Beck up to her awaiting car. "I could guess why you are so preoccupied with what the Carreras think of you."

"Don't start with me, Tess. I could make you skate to work," Beck reminded.

"Ooh, speak of the angel," Tess said, catching sight of an infamous VW van. Its chipped, brown paint, scattered stickers, and barely-hanging-on muffler announced the arrival of its equally infamous occupants.

The side door slid open and out came Kiara Carerra. From inside, Pope handed her the group's surfboards one at a time so she could lean them on the side of the van where they awaited their owners.

"Hey, Kie!" Tess called out as John B and JJ got out of the van's front seats.

Kie looked up, smiled at the two, and waved. "One sec!"

As soon as the girl was facing the other way, Beck slapped Tess' arm. "What is wrong with you?"

"I am saying hello to our friend. Do you have a problem with that?"

"You know what you're doing, bitch," Beck laughed, Tess now hitting her arm to shut her up as Kie approached. "Hey!" Beck said, turning to the girl who joined them.

"Hi. You guys on your way to the Wreck?" Kie asked.

"Yup. Thought we'd squeeze in some waves before it was time to clock in," Tess replied.

Kie glanced out towards the water, shielding her eyes from the sun. "How were they?"

"Revitalizing as fuck. Like you wouldn't believe."

"I love you, Tess, but you'd say that about the flattest beach in the OBX. I think I'll need a second opinion. Beck?"

Rebecca's lip turned upwards as she bit the inside of her cheek. Tess swore she could see a light blush. "My girl does not lie," Beck said. "But I guess you'll have to drop by the restaurant afterwards and confirm our conclusion."