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Coasting out of the tunnel, I carve away from the curl and cut a few impressive maneuvers to keep the peanut gallery talking, then sail over the back of the wave. The board falls away as I hang suspended in the space between swells, free falling, before splashing back into the sea.
The next wave approaches quickly as I slide the board back beneath me, paddling hard before it can curl. I glance back for Paige. She’s several waves back, carving along the crest, her blonde hair fanning out around her as she turns. I want to take all the credit for Paige’s brilliance in the water, but I can’t, even though I taught her. Paige is her own special brand of awesome.
We meet back up beyond the breakers, side by side, watching as the sun slides further down the sky.
“I got accepted to the Caldwell School of Art and Design.”
I look over at Paige in question. “What?”
Paige meets my gaze. “It’s a full-ride scholarship. Hundred percent. Caldwell is one of the top ten design schools in the country.”
“Holy shit,” I reply, glancing back out to sea. “That’s amazing. Congratulations. Truly. You worked really hard for that, and you deserve it. It’s about an hour’s commute, are you staying on campus?”
She nods. “Dorm. I’ll be back on the weekends, though.”
“You better,” I tease, breathing a sigh of relief. She applied to schools nationwide yet chose local in the end.
“But I have something I need to do first,” she begins carefully. The hesitation in her tone puts me on edge.
“Laundry? Maybe learn how to cook?” I offer sarcastically. “The Ramen directions are on the back of the pack, you’ll be fine.”
“I’m going to Florida for the summer.”
I jerk my attention back to her in surprise. “What?”
“I want to travel, see another coast. I’ve never been outside of Gray’s Cove. This program at Caldwell is accelerated, so I won’t have a break until I’m done. If I’m going to travel, this is my chance.”
I swallow hard. “Florida.” It’s not a question, I just needed to say it. To taste the words in my mouth so maybe it will feel more real.
She’s never had to ask my permission for anything. This is no exception. Even though I stepped up as her guardian, I’ve always trusted her. I’ve never had a reason not to. Since the day our parents died, we’ve been a team. Looking out for each other when no one else would. I close my eyes and dig my nails into the layer of wax on my board, feeling small and ineffective all of a sudden.
“How long?”
“Three months,” she says, and my heart drops.
“Can I talk you out of it?”
“I leave next week. It’s a small town on the Gulf Coast called Pelican Beach.”
My mouth drops open. “Next week? And you’re just telling me now?”
“I didn’t know how,” Paige confesses, chewing on her bottom lip.
I shake my head, looking up at the clouds moving in from offshore.
“What about your internship at the gallery? We had plans… What if you like it better than this? What if you never come back?”
“Hear me out,” she says, choosing her words carefully. “I need a break from Gray’s Cove. From California. From all the memories here, good and bad. When I leave high school, the rest of my life begins. The future is now and all that shit.” She leans back on her hands.
“That year we spent living in the Bonneville when I was in eighth grade was the first time I wasn’t afraid to go home. I will always remember the day we left because that was when life actually began. Even though we moved around a lot, that car was the first place to ever feel like home. We were kids, we struggled, but we were free. We built a life here, from the ground up. Blood, sweat, and tears. With no one to give a fuck if we made it. If we ate. If we were warm at night. We have a home now, we’re safe now, and that’s because of you.” She glances over at me. “Don’t ever believe that I am in any way oblivious to everything you sacrificed to get us here. I have choices to make for my future that are hard, but the fact that I have any choices at all is because of you.” She pauses. “I’m not leaving you. I’m leaving Gray’s Cove. And only for the summer.”
I nod. “I know. And I knew one day you were going to leave.I just…” I skim my hand lightly across the top of the water, to touch but not to hold. “I figured I’d be ready for it, but I’m not.”
“I should have told you sooner.”
I shake my head. “No, I get it. Believe me. That’s the nature of home, right? The duplicity of it. To love the place that made you who you are, and hate it for the same reason.”
Paige nods. “I can have a fresh start in Pelican Beach. New place, new people. New possibilities.”
