Life starts now - A Bondi Rescue story

New Year Pt. 1

A/N: Hi guys! I am so sorry for not updating in ages. I have been really busy. Group projects for uni, rehearsals with the orchestra, family stuff... You get the picture. BUT the semester is over on Friday and I only have a handful of exams this time, so I'm hopeful that I'll update much more frequently.

On another note: Can you guys help me find a lifeguard nickname for Melanie? You know, in the style of Chappo, Mouse, Gonzo etc. I have one or two ideas, but I'm not really happy with those. So if any of you can think of a cool nickname that fits her, let me know :)

On New Year's Eve, the beach was always closed a bit earlier than usual due to the preparations for the big show that took place at night. The surf was still fairly high, but the wind was now blowing off-shore. Perfect conditions for beautiful, clean waves. So after closing the beach, the lifeguards went out to catch the last waves of the year.

For Melanie, the swell was right at the edge of her comfort zone. She was rather small and even though she had been surfing practically since she could walk, big wave surfing was still a class of its own.

It was a lot of fun, though. The boys were doing all sorts of tricks and watching pros like Kerrbox, H or Azza was amazing. Alicia also put on a pretty good show, having won several surfing contests already in high school. The boys cheered and whistled as she carved a wave.

"Think you can beat that?", the blonde called to her fellow trainee as they paddled back into the line-up.

The brunette muttered to herself: "I wasn't aware that this was a competition." Louder, she replied: "I won't try to!", earning her some giggles from her friends.

"Go on, Mellie!", Chappo hollered while they both got onto the wave. "Show us what you got!"

***

Her performance wasn't exactly impressive and, in the end, she bailed when she got scared. At least, she did it in style with a back layout that ended in a header.

Plunging into the ocean, Melanie felt the strong pull of the wave wrap around her. Automatically relaxing and trying to orientate herself, she let the current drag her since fighting against a huge wave like that was basically futile. When the force of the pull lessened, she began to kick her legs and swam up towards the surface.

The teen got back onto her board and paddled out of the backwash again, through the impact zone to the line-up. Ben smiled at her, Matt Dee winked and Gonzo gave her a thumbs-up. So she smiled and tried to put her less than stellar run out of her mind.

Eventually, when the light began to fade, they returned to shore, laughing and in high spirits. "Hey", Matt Dee called, catching up to Melanie. "You got plans for tonight?"

In the process of pushing her surfboard onto the storage rack, the small girl grunted something unintelligible. "Sorry", she said as she turned around, a hand swiping up to break up her salt-crusted mop of hair. "No, I don't. Why?"

The black-haired lifeguard gave her a crooked grin and answered: "Well, we thought you might wanna come along an' celebrate with us."

Her brown eyes widened and she froze mid-motion. "Really?", she asked, her arm still hovering in the air from where she had been opening the zipper of her wetsuit. "But...I'm still underage."

Matt shrugged, opening the tap and hosing the salt water off himself. "So?", he questioned. "Don't mean ya can't have fun."

***

Matt Dee was nothing if not persistent and by the time the group of lifeguards headed towards the parking lot, he had gotten her to accept the invitation. When he told the rest of the boys (a massive smug smirk on his face), Melanie was taken aback by the happy and excited cheers that were the response.