It Starts With Him

14

Picture: Diesel DeCarlo (one of the Outlaws)

I feel fear circulating in the pit of my stomach as I stand on the sand, my hair pulled back into a ponytail on the crown of my head and fingers twisted into knots.

I watch the humongous waves grow from afar, and then dissipate before touching the shore. My snakeskin swimsuit is still dry as I hesitate to even touch my toes into the water. Why did I agree to this? Surfing wasn't even on mom's list!

Hayes is out on the waves, her hot pink bikini making her stand out. Her surfboard is yellow and green, and she makes the act of actually staying up look so easy. I know it can't be that simple.

I press my fingertips against my warmed skin and hope that I'm not burning. Hayes finally falls off her board at the end of the wave, and as her head pops out of the water, she calls me over to her. I hesitantly grab the surfboard she's let me borrow. It's light pink with purple slashes across it. I pull it across my body unnaturally and wade off the sand.

This is going to result in some painful bruises, I can almost guarantee it.

After paddling out the way she taught me to, I unsteadily reach her, worried I may fall off. "Ready to catch your first wave?" she asks, her eyes bright. The sun shines off her damp skin, and I look out into the distance at the swell. "No, but let's do it," I reply, honestly hoping to just get it over with. Maybe it will be fun, but the overwhelming fear is kind of masking the excitement I may have. I can't help but think how much more fun this would be if Ace were with me, but I shove it aside.

"Okay, just follow my lead. You'll do great," Hayes reassures with a smile, and I grin back at her. I watch as she starts paddling out towards the swell, and follow her as best I can. It's easy at first. There's no waves and it's not very choppy out today. But soon I see a wave so big it casts a shadow over me even though it's so far away. Hayes turns back to look at me.

"We're at the wrong angle for this one and it's already too close. We have to do the duck I showed you," she calls out against the rush of the water. The duck - where I have to dive underneath a killer wave all while managing to stay on my board, not drown, and not get swept up by the current. It's not like anything important's on the line with this one.

The wave approaches and I grip the sides of my board as tight as I can. It grows closer, and larger, and as it's only 10 feet away, Hayes calls out for me to duck. I push myself and the board downward and slink underneath the wave as best I can. It goes smoother than expected, and I pop out of the water, my pony tail now drenched.

Hayes smiles back at me reassuringly and we continue to paddle. An aching begins in my arms, but I ignore it and push further. Another swell is ahead of us, and I can tell by the way Hayes changes her position that we're actually going to be riding this one.

I mimic her and put space in between us. I copy her moves and put my hands onto the board so my elbows are pointed towards the sky. I then push myself upward until my feet are grounded on the board. And then, with the slightest bit of confidence to ever exist, I stand.

And it works.

I'm up, and I'm surfing. I'm unsteady, and constantly wobbling. I don't even notice, though; I'm too focused on the feeling of flying. Hayes is somewhere behind me and I barely hear her calling out my name in excitement. I extend my arms, and I must have been standing for a good 5 seconds when I look out to the beach.

I look at it for a moment, amazed at how fast it looks like I'm passing it up. But then my eye catches on someone away from the rest. I notice him anywhere even from this distance. It's Ace, and I can see him talking to another beach goer. He's turned away from me, but then, as if he feels my eyes, his head rotates.