Clear as the ocean (Waves of clarity, book 1)

Chapter 29

"Wait, it's only a week away? But I thought It wasn't before the end of July?"

"It was, but the recent weather reports pushed them to move it til next Friday. If they hadn't, we'd be surfing in a full on storm. It was either that or cancel the contest.

Hayden couldn't believe her own ears. How had she missed this. With the contest only a week away she barely had any time at all to practice. Her future as a pro- surfer could literally depend on that one contest. Scouts and sponsors would be there, looking for their future clients. If she failed then that would be even worse than not showing up there at all.

"Hayden, are you okay?" Sasha asked with a worried look on her face. They were back on the beach, resting on their surfboards. Cheryl was still making her way onto land, not yet caught up with the two others. Hayden blinked to move her focus out of her head and onto the conversation she was currently involved in.

"I-I'm fine, it's just... why haven't I been informed?"

Sasha furrowed her eyebrows, not quote understanding what Hayden was talking about.

"You have, or at least you should have been. I received an email a couple of days ago, with the new date, time, rules, and basically everything we need to know before showing up there"

As the word rolled out of Sasha's mouth Hayden realized were the fault lied.

"Crap... my email" she sighed. 

"I haven't checked it in weeks" she threw her hands into the air in frustration. "I mean, who even uses email now anyways?"

"I'm sorry Hayd, but hey- look at the bright side, we'll be going to Santa Barbara in less than a week"

"Yeay" Hayden fake squealed, not quite ready to be enthusiastic.

She was supposed t end her workout when Sasha and Cheryl left, but the recent changes forced her to stay and train for many more hours. If she wanted to fight among the best, she would have to prepare herself. That trick she'd been working on lately would have to be flawless by the time she left. Luckily, if there was one sort of workout she actually enjoyed, then it was anything surfing related.

And whatever could improve her surfing was exactly what she needed to focus on. Her balance had been slightly off lately, courtesy of her skateboard fall. Her nerves had also been getting the best of her, and what a lot of people didn't understand was that the mental part of surfing- or any sport really- was just as important as he physical part. Without a cold head she wouldn't have gotten anywhere in the athletic world.

Three hours and one bowl of sweat later, Hayden finished up and went back to her house. Her parents had called her a total of five times, but all she had responded with was a couple of short text messages, explaining that she was just staying late at the beach. She felt bad for making them worry, but it was important for the sake of their sanities that they all just forgot about the Frank issue, and wen back to their normal lives.

"Hi, I'm home" she greeted as she stepped into the house. She knew that she was a little late for dinner, but for all of their sakes she had decided to take a shower down at the beach.

"Hi, honey. Come to the chicken please, we're having kitchen for dinner"

Hayden walked through the kitchen entrance and sat doen next to her brother.

"Yum mom, can I please have two cabinets? And Justin, would you mind sending me the fridge?" She could see Justin stifling a laugh next to her, and her father was also humming along.

"Now now Hayden, be nice. Your mother has had a very stressful day"

"Stressful? Well dah, making a kitchen for dinner can't be an easy task. I mean, where do you prepare everything when the oven is being eaten as well? Congrats mother, you've d