All In

7

Chapter 7

*Josh Richard's POV*

I led the blonde-haired man upstairs, all of the other guys going back to their rooms. We stood there in an awkward silence until I finally cleared my throat, clearing the thick awkwardness separating the two of us. 

"What did she do?" I gulped as I looked at the man who had stormed into our house only a few minutes ago. 

"She made the Olympic team," he laughed softly, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "That damn kid made the first-ever USA Olympic surfing team and she's going to turn it down. I've known her since she was a young kid, met her at her first competition, been working with her ever since. I know that if we could get her into a half-full bathtub by Friday, I could have her in prime form by the beginning of July the latest," he sighed, shaking his head. 

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I gulped, pulling my hood up before crossing my arms. 

"I haven't talked to Boat since, hell, October? It was 2 weeks after Ted's funeral. She called me over. I thought she'd want to work on something, but we just sat in the sand. She didn't want to go anywhere near the ocean, man," the guy sighed, running his fingers through his hair before scratching the back of his neck. "How do you know Big Boat?" He gulped, slipping his hands into the pockets of his shorts. 

"Beau's my cousin," I smiled as the guy nodded, smiling softly. 

"You gotta be careful. The saddest thing out there is a surfer who used to surf. By the looks of it, I don't think she's coming back anytime soon. She's scarred from her dad's death. I don't know what happened out there that day, and I don't think anyone will ever know the true story except her and her dad," the guy sighed as I nodded, clearing my throat. 

"Was she really good? At surfing?" I smiled as the guy laughed, nodding his head. 

"Big Boat? She's the best surfer I've ever seen. For being 20, she's something really special. I understand she's hurting, but if she never gets on a board again then she's doing herself a disservice. You can take the girl out of the ocean, but you can never take the ocean out of that girl, and part of me thinks she knows that," the guy sighed, looking over at the stairs before looking back at me. "Kelly Slater, you ever heard of him?" The guy smiled as I nodded. 

"Yeah, one of the best surfers of all time," I gulped and the guy laughed softly. 

"He once said that he's always seen surfing as a reflection of who you are. You ever seen your cousin surf?" The guy smirked as I nodded, smiling softly. 

"Yeah, never competitively though, just sorta in a fun kind of way," I smiled as the guy nodded, clearing his throat. 

"She surfs with grace and confidence. She's aware when she surfs. She's aware of herself, her peers, and her environment. She cares. She cares about everything from the ocean to her competitors to the spectators on the shore to herself. Even if she's just goofing around, she still cares. Big Boat is a graceful, confident, caring, and aware person. I know that I have no place to say anything, but I can tell that you care about her a lot, enough to even invite her into your home. I can also tell that right now, she's being an epic bitch. But I can also tell that deep down inside, she cares. She just can't get past the swells right now. Once she figures out how to either get over or get under those massive storm waves, she'll be in the calm and she'll realize just what you're doing for her, trust me,"