Once Upon A Surf

Chapter Thirteen

I slid into a seat at the lunch table, shaking my head at Abbi.

"Okay, one of us needs to talk to her."

Abbi pressed a finger to her nose.  "Nose goes."

Instantly Jake and Luke tapped their fingers to their noses and I let out a dramatic sigh, glaring at the three of them.  "Seriously?  Are you aware that she totally hates me right now?"

"Yeah," Luke said, stuffing a bite of his burger into his mouth.  "But you're the one who's good at resolving conflict."

"Since when?" I frowned, poking at my mac and cheese.

"Since now," Jake grinned and I punched him in the arm.  "Seriously, Lindsey.  She'll listen to you."

"Actually, she'd probably listen to you, considering she totally crushes on you," Luke pointed out.  I smiled as Jake's cheeks grew red and he looked down at his food.

"Shut up," he muttered.  "Lindsey, you're talking to her."

I rolled my eyes, glancing nervously over at Jenna's table.  She sat next to Courtney, though every once in the while looking over at our table.  I bit my lip, looking back at my friends.  "What am I supposed to say?"

"Ask her what's up," Abbi said.  "Figure out why she's mad."

"We know why she's mad," I pointed out.  "That part is easy."

"Okay, so ask what we can do to fix it," Abbi shrugged.  "Jenna should listen to you."

I bit my lip, letting out a deep breath.  "Fine.  If I die, Jake gets my shell collection."

Luke opened his mouth to protest but I stood, grinning at them and tossing my tray in the trash.  I glanced over at Jenna's table again before a familiar figure stepped into my line of vision.

"What's up, Fish?" Drew grinned at me and I was unable to keep the smile off my face.

"Nothing," I said, peeking over his shoulder.  "I have to go talk to Jenna."

"Okay," Drew nodded in understanding.  "But listen, I was hoping we could meet up later this week?  I have some shots I'm submitting for a photo contest and I'd really like your opinion on them."

I smiled.  "Yeah, I'm sure I could manage."

"Great," Drew's eyes sparkled, and he shot a quick glance at Jenna before winking at me.  "Good luck."

He brushed past me and I took a deep breath, focusing and letting out my nerves before walking over to Jenna.  Courtney's eyes found me first, a look of contempt flashing over her face.

"Uh, hey, Jenna," I ignored Courtney, sliding into a seat across from them.  "Can we talk?"

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Fish."

I felt my face grow warm and glared at Courtney, before looking at Jenna again.  "Well then she can tell me that."

Jenna avoided my eyes, though I noticed the way her hand clenched around her fork.  I let out a frustrated breath.

"C'mon, Jen," I said.  "How can I fix this?"

At this, Jenna's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing.  "Are you kidding me?"

I blinked.  "Well, I--"

"Fix it?" Jenna let out a short laugh.  "You ended my surfing career, Lindsey."

I shook my head.  "Okay, I did not end your career.  You have next year--"

"Please," Jenna scoffed.  "As if anyone will pay attention to me next year.  This year was the only shot I had at getting scholarships or offers from anyone of importance--"