BackWash (Editing & Completed)

Chapter 21: One With The Ocean

I shield my eyes from the sun as I stare aimlessly out into the great unknown.

"You ready?" Chase asks, strolling by on the hot sand, his famous white surfboard under his arm. 

Hesitating, I fumble with the zip of my old black wetsuit. I have my bikini underneath. "Chase..." I stutter, "I don't know about this." I second guess myself.

Just looking out at the enormous waves has my heart racing in fear.

Chase says nothing, but merely brushes my hair aside - over my shoulder - before zipping up my wetsuit for me. He spins me around to face him, "It's too late to back out of this, Gabriela." He says sternly, "I'm going to be here every step of the way."

I believe him, yet still, it's not enough to stop my hands from shaking. I'm so petrified, I'm trembling all over. The longer you stay out of the sea, the scarier the sea seems to get. I should have faced this fear long ago before it escalated to what it is now.

Before I can protest any further, Chase hands me my black surfing board. When I'd taken the board off my shelf at home, it was thick in dust. I had to wipe it down before waxing it.

"You really need a more girly style." Chase remarks, his gaze slowly traveling over my form and surfing attire. Compared to Stels, I'd be the tomboy between us. She has a colorful wetsuit and a purple surfing board. I've always been about black - hence my black wetsuit and black board. It just goes with my tan skin. "Though," Chase smirks slightly, "I gotta say," he breathes before letting out a low whistle, "black is definitely your color." He winks at me, suggestively.

A blush rises, a faint pink dancing across my cheeks as I duck my head in embarrassment.

Chase doesn't wait a second longer before sprinting the rest of the way down to the strand. "Get over here!" He calls, gesturing me over as he sets foot into the water.

Seeing his pleading eyes, I mentally sight to myself before forcing the steps needed in order to reach his side.

It's our off day today, thus Chase made it the day to get right back into surfing. I miss surfing, but I'm also reluctant to face my new found fear of the ocean. It terrifies me. Every time I get close, I'm just reminded of Matt drowning. I always end up bailing out like a coward. Even Brent couldn't help me. Who's to say that Chase will succeed?

But then again, if anyone can help me, it's Chase. Not only do we have a history, but he's also a professional surfer. The rest of my friends are all amateur surfers - well except for Zeke, he's a retired pro. Caleb and Stels hope to make pro soon. Ty and Duke could care less. Jacob has his own agenda. 

Surely a championship surfer like Chase will be able to help me achieve my dream: to surf like I used to. Two years ago, I was well on my way to making pro. All of those past accomplishments mean nothing now. It's all been thrown away, scratched off. Now it's time to start right back at phase one.

"Thank you." Chase suddenly says, his sincere voice breaking me out of my reverie. He sees my confusion and explains, "I know this isn't easy for you, so thank you for trying and giving me a shot at trying too."

I'm the one who should be thanking him for taking valuable time out of his day to waste on me. I hope, for his sake, that it will be worth it.

"If it's gratitude time, I might as well say thank you for keeping this confidential," I reply back, referring to the fact that he hasn't said anything to the others just yet. I'd prefer to show them, not tell them. I'm hoping Chase can get me there.

"Don't sweat it." He answers nonchalantly as he begins to wade into the cool water.

He'd taken me to a reserved beach. This way, we won't bump into the others. The quiet shore guarantees our privacy.