Caught Inside

Chapter Fourteen

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." – Proverbs 18:2

A flock of seagulls flew by overhead, their loud squawking piercing the early morning air. Alana wrapped her arms tighter around herself and watched the gulls sail by. Their little white bodies stood in stark contrast to the dark sky, which was slowly lightening as the sun rose.

Alana returned her attention to the horizon when she was suddenly lifted up and over an unbroken swell. The light sideshore breeze that was blowing chilled her exposed skin, and next to her, she could see Maya shivering as she stuffed her hands under her armpits to stay warm.

Besides a few older longboarders, they were the only surfers in the lineup at that time of the morning. Alana hadn't been able to sleep, so she called Maya and asked if she wanted to paddle out extra early. Like the good friend she was, Maya had agreed. However, time had caught up with them, and the rest of the Ventura High surf team was due in less than ten minutes.

As she sat shivering, Alana reflected on her morning and wished she had stayed home for another twenty minutes so she wouldn't have to freeze her butt off in the chilly water. "How's your dad doing?" she asked, trying to divert her attention from the cold.

Maya shrugged. "He's okay. The recovery process is going to take a few months, but he should be fine."

"Good." Alana was hesitant to drop the subject because she felt like there was something Maya wasn't telling her. "Is he going to stay with you and your mom for awhile?"

"Yeah. Definitely while he recovers, but after that...I have no idea."

"Are you worried about something?"

Maya squeezed her eyes shut and simultaneously exhaled. "All of this is just so weird, Alana. You have no idea."

"I don't," she admitted.

"My dad, who I haven't seen in years, just flies to California out of the blue! I know he and my mom have been talking on the phone a lot recently, but why wouldn't they tell me?"

"Haven't you asked them?"

"I've tried, but they aren't giving me answers." Maya sighed in frustration. "I don't know what to do. Having my dad here is both exciting and bizarre. It's getting less and less awkward, though, as time goes on. I just don't know if he's here to stay, or if he's going to leave us again like last time."

Alana dropped her gaze, studying the water lapping against her chest as if it was the most interesting subject at that moment. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "I knew about your dad and what happened when you were little. I honestly wish I could give you some advice about what to do now, but..."

"That's okay," Maya said, offering her a small smile. "I'm just taking it day by day, allowing my relationship with him to heal slowly. At the back of my mind, though, I'm afraid that if I get too close, he's going to hurt me again. You know?"

Alana nodded sympathetically.

"This is out of my control. But I'm doing what I can." She sighed again. "I just wish I had some answers!"

The exasperated tone to her friend's voice caused Alana to lower her gaze, defeated. Maya needed her, but Alana didn't know how to help. She felt that familiar sickening in her stomach and realized they had fallen back into their old habit of keeping secrets. Maya wasn't telling the full story about her father, and Alana wasn't telling the truth about her relationship with Cole. She knew they had to open up about it sooner or later. But Maya was clearly overwhelmed by her father's sudden appearance, so maybe now wasn't the right time after all.