Caught Inside

Chapter Nineteen

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." – 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

After Alana's victory at Emma Wood, the weekend continued to look up. Cole placed fifth, just barely shy of making the final, while Blaine went on to claim third. Jake and Koa placed first and second, respectively, in their longboarding heats. Even more exciting than Koa's trophy was a certain dark-haired girl who congratulated him when he stepped off the stage. He and Nikki talked for a good ten minutes before his family whisked him away to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Dylan and Tammy treated Alana to lunch, and the rest of the gang went their separate ways as well. Mr. Anderson took the day off work and let the twins carve up the local skate park instead of doing their Saturday chores. All in all, it was a refreshingly fun day, topped off with a sunset surf session at C Street.

The next morning, after being awakened by Dude's paws climbing all over his forehead, Cole headed to the beach to squeeze in another surf sesh before the swell faded away. The twins and their father scored overhead waves with not too many people out. Apparently the big surf had scared away all the beginners. As soon as Cole made it into shore, he called up the rest of the gang and met them for another surf session midmorning.

Finally, by early afternoon, Cole was officially surfed out and exhausted. He took a quick shower before heading to Scottie's Surf Shack for the gang's weekly Bible study. Everyone, it seemed, was tired and sore from surfing all weekend long, so they ordered the biggest lunch they could afford. Hamburgers, tacos, fries, and salads littered their table, leaving barely enough room for Blaine to place his Bible. Before they started the study, however, Maya interrupted the group with a surprise.

"I'm assuming no one else read the paper this morning?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"I don't get the paper anymore," Koa said, while everyone else shook his or her head.

Maya grinned and pulled out the Ventura County Star from her backpack. "Wait 'til you guys see this!" she declared. With one sweeping motion, she unfolded the paper and placed it triumphantly on the table. As soon as everyone got a good look, gasps erupted around the booth.

Alana was the first to lean closer and pull the newspaper towards her. "No way," she breathed. There, on the front page, was a full-blown picture of her surfing at Emma Wood. Her winning wave in the final, where she had executed a perfectly vertical top turn, was the subject of the photo. The spray from underneath her board created a terrific halo of water all around her. The heading read: "Local surfer blows competition out of the water."

Cole laughed. "I think the heading is literal," he said. "Just look at that massive spray!"

"I don't believe it," Alana said, shocked. "This is crazy."

"What, having your picture in the newspaper?" Jake asked. "It's happened before."

"But not on the front page as the main article!"

Maya's smile grew wider. "I knew you would like this. And check it out"—here she flipped to the page where the article continued—"the reporter even did a special on your sponsorship with Roxy."

Cole glanced at Alana. In the back of his mind, he remembered her being interviewed by a few reporters, and then having a long conversation with the women from Roxy. Apparently this was all bigger than he'd expected. "You're officially famous now," he said.