AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Forget the board,” Sarah yells back as we both hold onto her surfboard and swim for shore.
Once we’re crawling onto the beach, Conner, Isaac, and Tommy run towards us, but Sarah and I ignore them. Together, we collapse onto the sand.
Sarah must still have some energy because she quickly sits back up as if fuelled by her frustration. She whirls on me. “Why the hell would you go out that far?”
She apparently isn’t ready to hear an answer because she continues, “And in this fog! What if I hadn’t seen you? You could have drowned! The boys and I met up on the beach after ten minutes because the weather was getting worse, and we couldn’t see you anywhere! It was sheer luck that I managed to catch a glimpse of your red hair, and then I saw you go under a wave, and you didn’t come out! I’ve never been so scared in my life!”
I don’t know what to say. I’ve never experienced this before.
Sarah isn’t upset because I might have embarrassed her in some way. She’s genuinely concerned for me.
Guilt washes over me at this new experience. “I – I’m so sorry Sarah.”
This is it, I realize. My friends are going to abandon me for the stupid mistake I made, and I’ll be on my own again.
I sit up and hug my knees to my chest, cradling my face into my knees as I try not to cry. But then someone wraps a towel around me, and an arm comes around my shoulders.
Sarah cuddles up next to me, “Just don’t do insane stuff like that again before saying something, okay? I’m all for chasing thrills, but let’s make sure we stay alive to chase the next one.”
I’m still trying to process what just happened. Sarah isn’t staying angry with me. She forgave me just like that.
Conner drops in front of us and is quickly followed by Isaac, huddled under their towels. “What happened, Viv? Did you decide you were the little mermaid and figured you’d try aquatic life?” Conner asks, his perpetual goofy grin still on display.
So, he isn’t angry either?
“No, Conner, I told you,” Isaac answers. “She decided drowning was better than writing Dr. Parnard’s term paper.”
I can’t believe this. Not one of my friends is turning on me. Instead, they look concerned and are trying to lighten the mood after such a stressful event. It warms my heart – which is good because I’m pretty sure I’m turning into solid ice out in this freezing wind.
“I...” I stammer, “I was looking for you guys. I had no idea how far out I was with all this fog.”
I feel guilty for not telling them the full truth, but there is no way in hell I’m going to tell anyone about the lights. No matter how supportive my new friends are, nothing is worth taking that chance again.
“That fog really did settle in on us quickly, didn’t it?” Sarah notes, and the guys nod their heads in agreement. “Alright, well, I think we should get dry before we get hypothermia.”
She stands and helps me up, but when we turn towards our things, Tommy stands behind us, looking grim. He’s now sporting a dark blue raincoat with the hood pulled up against the wind. It contrasts against his bright board shorts. “Look, uhm, Vivian, is it? I’m sorry to do this, but the board you were using hasn’t washedback onto shore, and I am going to need to charge you for it, or my boss will wring my neck.”
He looks terribly uncomfortable, and I feel bad for him. The guy already bent the rules, letting us try the equipment for free.
Sarah looks shocked, and by the scowl that comes over her face, she’s about to tell Tommy exactly where he can shove his surfboards.
I step in front of her and quickly answer. “Of course, I completely understand. Do you mind if I put on some dry clothes first? I’ll have trouble paying if my entire body has frostbite, and my wallet is with my clothes.”
Tommy is quick to agree, seemingly relieved that I’m not putting up a fight against paying for the missing board. Ten minutes later, I’m back in my dry clothes, wishing I had brought a winter hat.
Once again, I’m trying not to let my jaw hit the floor from monetary shock.
“Five hundred dollars? The board is five hundred dollars.” I ask again, just to make sure.
“Sorry, Viv,” Tommy answers. “It was one of our newer training boards and has hardly been used.”
My head spins. This, combined with my replacement phone, will take a considerable chunk of my remaining student loans for the fall semester. I suppose I can get a job at the library, which should help me get through the winter term.
Still, I’m grateful I at least have the cash to pay for this. I would feel bad if Tommy’s act of kindness got him fired. Even if I’m pretty sure Tommy’s lust for Sarah spurred on said act of kindness.
Apparently, lust for Sarah isn’t on Tommy’s mind now. Once I finish paying, I catch Tommy eyeing me up and down appreciatively. “Look – uhm, I’d love to take you to dinner sometime to make up for this whole fiasco. Or I could give you a personal, one-on-one surfing lesson.” The look on his face is lecherous.
My cheeks heat. Isn’t this creep supposed to be dating my friend?
