Their Summer (editing)

Chapter Four: Surf Lessons 101 (editing)

      Over the pier and to the beach we went. We were in no hurry so we took our good old time. Kicking sand every few steps until we reached a bridge that connected the row of houses we were coming from to the huge ocean that spread for miles down the beach. When we cross we notice Owen and Connor have put their stuff not too far down the beach from us. 

We are there for hardly a minute until Nichole takes off her tank top and jean shorts that are covering her bathing suit. 

"What are you doing?" I ask.

Nichole laughs, "What does it look like I'm doing, I'm going to get in the water." 

"But it's so cold!"

"Don't be a sissy, now come on Owen and Connor are getting in too! We're all going to go and surf!" 

"Well, I guess I can, but I don't know how to surf..."

"We can teach you," Nichole says with a smile "right boys?" she says through her teeth. 

"Right," says Connor.

"Sure," says Owen. "I’m not sure I've introduced myself yet," he says, "my name is Owen." Holding out his hand for me to shake it. 

I take it, smile, and say, "Hi, my name is Sarah." 

"Nice to meet you," he says. 

"You too," I say. 

"And I'm Connor, Nichole's boyfriend. She told me a lot about you this morning," Connor says 

I laugh look at Nichole and then say, "Hi Connor, I'm Sarah." 

"Well let's stop chit chatting and go get our surf on," says Nichole picking up one of the surf boards the boys brought from the back of one of their trucks.

Connor follows shortly after. Owen picks up his board and starts toward the ocean and then turns back toward me, "Are you coming?" he says. 

"Yeah, I'm coming," I say, and I pick up the last board and head toward the water following Owen. When I hit the water it's cold. I walk a little farther, and the waves hit me like darts. There's no current but the water's hitting me so fast I can hardly see past them. As I get deeper it gets harder and harder to see Owen, Connor, and Nichole. Soon I'm so far in it's at least ten feet deep beneath me, and I'm tired of being dunked under water every thirty seconds, so I lay out on the surf board that I've been dragging by my ankle since I Velcro wed the strap to me. I start to paddle; I finally reach the spot that Nichole, Connor, and Owen have chosen to try to surf. 

"Took you long enough," Nichole says with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, it's a like rough out here," I reply.

"So, are you ready to surf?"

"Um... I guess so but I don't really know how..." I say while one million nervous butterflies are fluttering in my stomach.

"Its okay I'll help you out," Nichole assures me, "by the end of the summer you'll love it."

"Okay, so when a wave comes what do I do?"

"Well, you're going to need to push your body up on the board so you can stand on it," Nichole told me in a now serious tone. 

"Sounds a little difficult,"

"It is until you get used to it," Nichole then looks back, and I follow her gaze. Behind us is a wave forming waiting to be surfed on, “Here I'll show you." With that she starts paddling, and when the wave approaches her she does a push up on the board. Then she steps one led up and then the other and she's surfing. Nichole is good at it too because she's very balanced and strong. When the wave dies she dives into the water and gets on her board to come back to me. She smiles when she comes back. "How'd it look?"

"Hard but you did a really good job," I tell her smiling. 

   

"Yeah, it's hard at first, but you'll get used to it. I think since it's you first time riding we're going to start you in a little more with the smaller waves," Nichole says.

"Sounds like a good idea, we don't want Sarah getting hurt or sick," Connor agrees while Owen nods his head beside him. 

"Okay, whatever you guys think is best for me," I say while starting to paddle in a little bit more. When we get to a spot Nichole thinks will be easier for me to surf in she goes through the steps with me just make sure I have it down. 

"Here comes your wave, now remember what we taught you okay?" Nichole tells me. 

"Got it," I say and prepare myself. When the wave comes I start to push up on my board to get myself to stand, but my hands slipped.

Being taken underwater is the worst feeling. Your body has so much pressure on it you can't get up for air, and every time you come up for air another wave takes you under and water goes in your mouth. When you're attached to a board it's not any better because it's dragging you in to shore. You get sand in you bathing suit and hair. By the time you're able to breath again your in knee deep water, and you have to paddle all the way back to the spot where your friends are urging you to try again. This happened to me over and over again to the point where I was clogged up with water in my mouth, ears, and nose and sand that was everywhere in my hair and even my bathing suit bottom and top. I had to call it a night when I wiped out for what felt like nine hundredth time and had only had one solid surf. 

I promised Nichole, Owen, and Connor I wouldn't leave the beach since they still wanted to surf but also wanted to be with me after they surfed. Finally I see someone coming in to give me company, but I'm not sure whom it is. I know it's not Connor since he's riding a wave right now. As he comes closer I come to realize its Owen. 

"Hey," he says with a smile on his face. 

"Hi," I say glad that someone finally came out to talk to me.