paradise | jack gilinsky

one

lily williams

"lily, you gotta get up. we need to head down to the beach" my dad called from the doorway

"i'm up, i'm up"

competition season was just around and the corner and my dad always went hardcore. i grabbed a bathing suit and wet suit changing into it before heading down to the kitchen. i sat down at the table and my dad placed a glass of orange juice and bowl of cereal in front of me.

"are you ready to get back in the water?"

"yeah, i'm really excited"

surfing has always been a passion of mine. ever since i was little my dad would take me down to the beach to watch the surfing competitions. watching other people in the water, riding the waves made me want to give it a try. it took me a while to be able to learn how to do it but now that i have the hang of it being in the water is pure bliss. living in california, right on the beach is also a huge advantage. i have the whole summer to surf and compete before i start my freshman year of college.

after i ate, my dad and i headed down to the beach. when we got there, there were a few other surfers in the water and my friends, matt and hayden. matt, hayden and i have always been like the three musketeers, we've been friends for years. hayden is like me, she has a love for the ocean and for surfing. my dad coaches both hayden and i for competitions. matt on the other hand was not a huge fan of the water but he would always come and watch hayden and i when we surfed, even if it was just practice.

"morning" i smiled as i walked up to matt and hayden

"well how are you this fine morning?" matt asked

"good, well great. i'm really excited to get back into the water. i've missed it"

"i'm with you on that one" hayden agreed

my dad talked to us for a few minutes, letting us know what we're going to be doing today and when competitions start. after he was done hayden took her board heading down to the water. i stepped into my wet suit and matt came up behind me and zipped it up.

"catch some good waves out there for me, alright?"

"oh, you know i will" i smiled, grabbing my board

i ran down the beach catching up with hayden. this was my favorite part of everyone year. heading into the ocean with my best friend right next to me. we both looked at each other and smiled before heading into the ocean. we both paddled out a great distance and waited for the perfect waves to come along. one finally came and hayden told me to take it. i started paddling and once i got to just the right spot i stood up on the board.

i was riding my first wave in over 9 months and the feeling was indescribable. i could hear both matt and hayden cheering my name as i rode the wave in. i pulled my board up to the beach a little and matt ran up to me giving me a high five. we waited a few moments for another wave to come along and hayden rode it in. we both went back out into the water for another hour. being back in the water was an amazing feeling. it's one of the only places i feel really happy.

"how was it, being out there?" matt asked as we got back

"amazing" hayden replied

"it was perfect, you both know me, that water is my paradise."

my dad walked over to us with a smile on his face.

"great job out there today, girls. i'm really shocked out how much you both have improved since last year already."

"thanks dad"

"thanks mr. williams"

"i keep telling you hayden, just call me mike" my dad laughed "okay i'm going to head back up to the house, if you guys just wanna hang out here for a little bit you can."

"let's go swimming" hayden exclaimed

"you know i don't really like going into the ocean" matt sighed

"please" i begged

"fine"

i took off my wet suit leaving it on the sand next to my towel. we ran into the water and just started messing around. yes, i love surfing but spending time with my best friends in the water was even better.

-

matt left, leaving hayden and i at the beach alone. we finally decided to get out of the water. hayden ended up leaving after a few minutes but i sat on the beach watching the waves crash to the shore. it was so relaxing and it made me feel like the whole world had stopped. i finally decided to head back to my house.

i stared down at my feet as i walked through the sand. i wasn't paying attention when i bumped into to someone.

"shit i'm sorry" i said

i looked up to see a tall boy with brunette hair. he had dark eyes and a really attractive smile.

"it's alright" he smiled at me "why are you here by yourself?"

"i was surfing with my friends before but they already left. i was just sitting here admiring the view."

"oh, you surf?"

"yep"

"surfers are pretty cool" he smiled

"i'm glad you think that" i winked at him

he gave me one last smile before heading down the beach. i watched as he walked away. he seemed really sweet but i didn't even get his name. i sighed and went back home.

-

okay so this is the first chapter and i'm really excited about this story. i plan on trying to make each chapter 1,000 words this one came pretty close with 950 words :)