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

Chapter 35

Hayden walked out of the water with her board in her hand and her heart in her throat. She made it through to the finals. She actually made it. Only one point less would have resulted in her not making it through. Think about that, only one point. It was sick. One point could crush you, ruin your entire week and possibly a whole lot longer.

Stacy and Howard were already down by the water, ready to congratulate Hayden. She could see her mother tripping around on the beach, not able to stand still. Hayden found herself smiling at that, realizing just then that the one point hadn't crushed her, it had sent her to the finals. Giving her the chance to live her dream and show what she was good for.

"That was amazing honey, I can't believe you made it through!" Stacy embraced her in a tight hug, forcing Hayden to put down her board and put her arms around her mother.

"Thanks mom, I can't believe it either" she almost whispered into her mother's ear. She could feel Stacey's soft hair against her own ear and breathed in the scent of vanilla. She knew how lucky she was to have the parents that she did. They showed up to every surfing competition that she competed in, even the small ones. Even when she was utterly angry with them for hiding the fact that she had a brother, she still loved them. She just hoped that they would soon be as happy as they once were. Things hadn't been themselves lately. They had all been looking over their shoulders 24/7, and she doubted that her parents had gotten much sleep, knowing that their only daughter had been threatened on her life.

Frank had scared her. He'd made fear a big factor in her life recently, forcing her to always sleep with one eye open. He'd put a hold on her life, but Hayden was not going to let him keep her from living. There comes a time in life when you have to look beyond your fear in order to fully live. Maybe this was the time for Hayden to do so, and if that was the case, she wasn't going to let herself down.

"Congrats Hayd! And opposed to your mother, I knew you'd do well" Howard gave her a cheeky smile and high-fived her. Believe it or not, her father had never been much for hugging. Hi greaying hair stood out in every possible direction, giving him a crazed up look that only her dad could pull off.

Hayden let out a soft chuckle, glad that her dad hadn't lost his sense of humor.

"So, the finals hah? Can you believe it?" he asked her, pushing her out to an arm's length, still holding on to her shoulders.

"I guess not" Hayden furrowed her eyebrows while thinking. She did have a hope once of actually making it to the finals, but that hope had soon died as Frank entered her life.

"Well, the important thing is that you did" Howard smiled at her. His blue eyes had a new spark to them now.

"And remember Hayd, no matter what happens in the finals- we're incredibly proud of you. You've been through so much lately, yet you still managed to find the inspration you needed to keep on going. Good on you"

"Thanks you guys" Hayden smiled to both of her parents, suddenly finding it hard to keep herself from crying.

"Now go over to your friends and let them congratulate you. You should have heard them out there, they were screaming the loudest out of everyone at this beach" her mom said, nodding towards the group of teenagers standing beside the kiosk.

Hayden gave one last smile to her parents before picking up her board and walking towards her friends. Her wet shorts made a squeeking noise for every step she took, and her shirt clung tightly to her body, making her regret not bringing a change of clothes. Luckily the weather was warm so she wouldn't be freezing.

There were noises coming from everywhere around her, and the beach was quickly filling up with people. Everywhere that Hayden stepped, someone else had stepped before her, wether it was a child, a contestant or even a dog, someone had already been there. And since this was one of the largest beaches in the area, you could only imagine how many people there were.