Riptide

Chapter 1

I just sat there. Staring at the back of the person who sat in front of me. Drowning the teacher out as I stared at the white shirt with the black line that ran down the back of it. My mind was elsewhere. Playing scenes in my head, trying to get the first glimpses of summer vacation. In my mind I was at the beach, laying on a towel as I read Harry Potter. Or actually being in the water, my body moving with the surfboard as I glided under a wave that curled over me. My mind taking me places where I was doing anything that wasn't worrying about having to do homework, getting yelled at by the teacher or having to worry about what assignments I haven't done.

The boy who sat in front of me was hunched over, which is typically a bad thing.

I bent over my desk and whispered, "What are you doing?"

He sat up. "What do you think I'm doing?"

He turned around, showing me a paper plane in his hands.

I rolled my eyes, a smirk growing on my face. "Throw it."

"That's what I am going to do with it."

He pulled his arm back, and with one swift movement, the plane glided smoothly over the heads of the other students that were off somewhere else.

"Good one, Ben -" I was cut off as I saw the plane crashed into the back of the teachers head, the nose crumpled before it hit the ground.

I quickly grabbed the book in front of me. Pretending to read as I peered over the top.

The teacher had turned around, staring at Ben who had frozen like a deer in headlights.

I kicked his seat, causing him to break out of his daze. He grabbed the textbook in front of him and started 'reading' it.

"Cora!"

"Hmm?" I stuck my head out of my book as I looked at the teacher. I heard Ben snicker from behind his book. I glared at him. If I get in trouble for this, Tennyson.

"Please stop reading your book and pay attention to what we're doing in class." The teacher said, "I know that it's the last day of school and this is the last lesson, but your education is important."

"Sorry, Miss." I closed the book, putting it back in my backpack.

"Thank you." The teacher turned around and continued writing math sums on the board.

"Way to go, Ben!" I hissed.

"What? You were the one who told me to throw it!"

"Yeah, but not at the freaking teacher, you dweeb!"

---

"Come on, come on." I heard Ben muttering to the clock that hung above the teachers head.

I held my fingers crossed under my desk as I watched the clock. "Please, please, please." With each second that went by, the clock was getting louder.

"And I just want to remind you all that I will bee teaching summer school this year, and it's never too late to sign up." The teacher commented as she continued rambling on.

"Yeah right." I chuckled at Ben's comment, rolling my eyes.

I looked back up at the clock there were only seconds before the bell went. "Please, please."

The bell went, signalling the sound of chairs as the dragged along the floor.

"Yes! Out of here!" Ben and I cheered. I got up from my seat, putting my books in my backpack before I swung it over my shoulder.

"Hope you all have a good time." The teacher called out as the students flooded out the classroom, "I hope to see you all in the fall."

I shrugged, starting to walk out of the classroom.

"Hey, Cora." I stopped and turned around to see Ben. My brown-haired, green-eyed, best friend. "I wanted to ask you something -"

I held back a giggle, "busted..."

I heard Ben groan, running his hand through his hair. "Meet me outside," he whispered. "That's if I make it out alive."

I giggled as I walked out the door, "See you later then, Sunshine."

"When are you going to stop calling me that?"

"Hmm..." I put my hand on my chin, pretending to be thinking. A smile cracked across my face, "Never. Later, Sunshine."

---

"Hey!" I looked up from my book. "Cora!"

Ben was sprinting over to me, his shaggy brown hair being pushed back by the wind.

I sighed as I put my book back in my bag. "What's the damage? After school detention?"

"Na just got the usual lecture. You know, you should know better Ben, You are going to be a nice young man someday. Your education is important. Blah, blah, blah."

I giggled at Ben as I rolled my eyes. "Well, I mean, she's half right about the education part. It is important. But they teach us so much rubbish."

"Hey, you doing anything for summer?"

"Yeah. My dad invited me to come and live with for the summer."

"Oh," Ben remarked, looking down at the ground.

I raised my eyebrow, tilting my head to the side, "Why?"

"Oh, I, uh... I just wanted to know if you wanted to come with me and Grandpa Max on a road trip."

I felt my cheeks warm up at the thought of being with Ben for the summer. Being trapped in the rust-bucket for three months.

I looked away from Ben, biting at my bottom lip. "Sorry, that I can't come."

"It's okay,"

I looked up at Ben. His face beaming. I tilted my head.

"Maybe, Grandpa could stop at your fathers' place and we can see each other."

I felt my heartache. "Uh, Ben... My dad lives... outside of America. I'm pretty sure that your grandpa could take you there..."

"Oh..."

We walked the empty halls in silence.

"We can still call though..." I said hopefully.

Ben looked up at me.

God. You'd think that it was the end of the world, or that I was moving away forever.

The most that I and Ben have been apart from each other was a week. We've been friends forever. My grandparents were friends with Ben Grandpa Max, and naturally, my mum was friends with Ben's dad.

I guess this is kind of like forever.

"My dad gave me my own mobile phone, so we can call each other." I smiled.

"Really?"

I nodded, I grabbed a pen from out of the pocket of my jeans. I grabbed his arm, scribbling down my number.

"Call me tonight, okay."

"You know I will, Cora."