Chapter 6
Birthday Surprise
Avery woke up on the morning of her fifteenth birthday feeling completely normal... with the exception of muscle aches in places she didn't even know she had muscles to begin with. She supposed it came with the territory of spending the better part of the last few days out in the ocean trying to stay upright on a darn surf board.
Well, at least she was getting the best tan she'd ever had.
She was going out with the boys again today; just for a few hours this time since the Tanners were adamant she be home by three for whatever it is they had planned for her.
She told them they didn't have to make a big fuss about her birthday last Saturday, but to be honest she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little excited about the afternoon.
The sun still wasn't completely up when she jumped in the shower. She didn't bother with make-up, since it'd get ruined anyway. She pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt over her bikini and put her hair in two French braids so that the dark blonde locks wouldn't be getting in the way all the time.
Avery didn't expect to bump into the Tanners on her way out, since it was only a quarter after five in the morning. She packed a water bottle and a granola bar in her purse before soundlessly making her way out of the house and across the street, where Asher was already waiting for her on the tailgate of his mom's Ford F-150.
"Hey New Girl," he grinned.
"You know I've got a name, right?" Avery smirked, plopping down next to him on the tailgate, her long legs stretched out in front of her.
"I know, Alyson," Asher shrugged.
"Funny," Avery smirked, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She glanced towards the end of the street, wondering if Stefan and Jamie were on their way yet. She looked back at Asher, smiling a little when she caught him looking her way. "Your eye's looking better," she added conversationally.
"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment," Asher snorted.
"You say that like I'm the wicked witch of the west," Avery chuckled, rolling her eyes at him. "I totally give you compliments! Yesterday I complimented your... what's it called again? That thing you did with your hands..." she hesitated, but the term was lost in the back of her mind when she saw the goofy look on his stupid face. She blushed furiously. "You're such a pervert, I was talking about surfing."
A red pickup truck pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. Eighteen year-old Jamie was in the driver's seat, his thick dreads pulled up into a messy bun. Stefan was in the passenger seat, his honey-colored eyes hidden underneath the bill of a baseball cap.
"Hey!" Avery smiled, waving as she climbed into the backseat. "Can you crank the volume up?" she added, gesturing towards the radio. They'd fallen into the habit of listening to the morning show with Ryan and Declan.
They waited for Asher to put his surfboard in the bed of the truck. Avery still didn't have a surfboard of her own, but Stefan was nice enough to let her borrow one of his old ones.
"All set," Asher huffed as he fell into the seat next to Avery's. "Let's roll!"
"Is Avery hangin' out with Asher again?" Charlie asked, wiping his hands on his jeans as he strolled into the kitchen through the patio door.
YOU ARE READING
High Tide
Teen FictionThey say you don't know what you're missing if you've never had it to begin with. The Johnson sisters would beg to disagree on that one. They've spent the majority of their young lives being tossed around the foster care system like debris in the o...
