Crash

two - tension

Big Lu noticed me almost instantly, greeting me with his famous smile.

I walked up to his juice stand and propped myself up on his counter.

"Kanoa, I was starting to wonder when I'd see you face around here again." He gently patted my hand closet to him, the smile never leaving his features.

"Well, you be seeing plenty of me now. I'm here for good." His smile - if even possible - grew wider.

I jumped down and began to stare at the menu above. The inside of his truck smelled like childhood. The boys and I would come here almost every day for lunch and one of Big Lu's famous juices after we had a long surf. We ate like absolute monsters and prided ourselves to be Big Lu's best customers.

The menu hadn't changed much. I want exactly sure why I was looking anyway, I already knew what I wanted.

"Loco Moco Please." I smiled up at him shyly. He gave me a knowing look and, with a chuckle, set to work.

I took a seat at one of the tables, I began to mindlessly search through my phone.
Fifty six unread messages from people in my league wondering why I wasn't competing anymore.
Fifty six messages that I couldn't bring myself to read, let alone respond to.

Although one message did catch my eye, one from a person I'd much rather never acknowledge ever again. My mother.

The women who left three years ago, who never bothered to come to dad's funeral or visit me in hospital. Not one phone call, email, letter - nothing, until now.

I was about to open the message when I felt the presence of other people sitting next to me.

"Hey, have you ordered yet?" Grace said, brushing her wet hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I have. I want sure what you guys wanted." I tried to sound apologetic, but they both know I wasn't - I mean when a girls hungry, she's hungry.

"Lets go order then."

With that they got up and walked towards Big Lu's and greeted him cheerfully.
They had gotten here around two months before me, so I guess they had grown accustomed to the locals.

Around four boys my age walked into site, and lord, were they good looking.
They spotted me and my cheeks immediately flushed with colour.

And then the absolute worst thing happened, they began to walk towards me.

No, please don't sit. But they did.
My heart race quickened and I knew my face was as red as the bench I was sitting on.

"Hey there, pretty girl. I don't think I've seen you around here before." The one with almost pitch black hair sat down directly in front of me, with a friendly grin on his face. He had an Australian accent.

"Well, I haven't seen you around here, either."
Good going Kanoa. That was really great.

"Touchè, can I get your name?"

"Kanoa."

"Pretty name, for a pretty girl. I'm Finley, that's Dustin, Jason and Max ." He pointed at each of them in turn and they all gave me a small wave.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled warmly, my face still carrying a warm hue.

"So, are you here for the competition?" Dustin - I think - asked me.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion while looking up at him, damn they were tall.

"The surfing competition." Finley confirmed.

"Oh, no. But I assume you guys are?"

They all nodded their heads. We carried on talking for awhile. Eventually Lani and Grace came back with our food and joined in.

"I suggest you back away from them right now." A voice boomed from behind me.

I swung my head around to see Will, Makai and Keanu stood directly behind us with their arms folded across their chests.

"Are they bothering you guys?" Keanu asked, laying his hand gently on Lani's shoulder.

Finley's shoulders tensed slightly, "We could ask you the same question."

"Um, what the hell is going on?" Grace voiced what we were all thinking.

"These friends of yours are just worried we're going to win over their girls just like we're going to win the competition." Max sneered.

Makai scoffed, "Neither of those things are likely."

I could feel his hand on my back. His hand was on my back. His hand was on my back.

"I thought we asked you to leave." Will took a step closer to them.

"Yeah? And who's gonna make us?"

"I gladly will." Makai grumbled.

The other boys got out of their seats quickly as Makai and Finley had a stare off, they chests almost pressed together, hands in fists at their sides.

I stepped myself between them placing my hands on their chests to keep them apart.

"Woah, tone down the testosterone. You are guys are staring at each other with such intensity that, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were about to make out."

"Well, we can see where we aren't wanted, see you later, Kanoa." Finley winked at me and left with his friends.

I took a seat again and the boys replaced Finley and his friends.

"You are never going to talk to them ever again." Will mumbled angrily, knitting his hand together in front of them - still staring in the direction where they had walked away.

"I can handle myself." I was staring to get annoyed now, they had done nothing wrong but my cousin and his dumbass friends thought it would be okay to harass them.

"You're seventeen."

"Yes I am. But I'm also a seventeen year old that has moved half way across the country and is technically living on her own with no parent or guardian. I believe that is the definition of being able to handle myself."

He stared at me for a good ten seconds before releasing a sigh - I smiled, knowing i had inevitably won the argument this time.

"But," he held up one finger as if to silence me, even though I wasn't talking, " if he, or anyone for that matter, does anything, and I mean anything, I won't hesitate to kick their teeth in."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second." Will and the boys had considerably calmed down since the, uh... altercation.

The girls and I had finished our food and the guys had just ordered theirs.

I leaned back, grabbing onto the metal table so I wouldn't fall backwards in my attempt to stretch.

"I'm super thirsty but I'm too full and lazy to go and get something to drink." I thought my comment had been ignored or not heard when no one had replied, so I just shook it off and left it at that.

Big Lu called out the guys' order and Makai went to go and get it.

What I didn't expect was him to come back with a frozen pink lemonade clutched in his hand.

He set it down in front of me and I stared at it in confusion for a few moments.

"How did you remember my favourite drink?"