Surf Camp

Chapter 5

Goofy foot- Surfing with the left foot on the back of board (generally uncommon.)

"Honey, you'll be fine."

I narrowed my eyes at my mother, trying to decide whether she was being sweet or just plainly trying to deny that all hell was about to break loose.

"Define your definition of fine."

"Fine: of high quality or in good health and well-being. Synonyms may include, thriving, health-" Ross began saying.

"God save me now." I raised my hands toward the roof of the Chevy.

To be completely honest, the Chevy was a nice car. It's one of those cars that you wouldn't look at twice, but during analyzation might say, 'Yeah, that family's doing well. They seem financially stable.' Sadly, this scenario would be slightly different if you encountered our misfortunate Chevy.

When you see my mother behind the wheel of the Chevy Silverado, on the streets of the West Coast, you turn around and run. See, my mother isn't exactly the best driver. Or more accurately, she isn't anywhere near an average driver. O.J Simpson would certainly get a kick out of riding with her on a highway chase. The car had numerous dents, one headlight was utterly destroyed, and the back was falling apart. And the scrapes? Well, we don't count those anymore.

Why don't we get it fixed, you might ask? Because according to my father, "What's the point of getting it fixed? She'll bang it up again the next time she goes out!" Although my mother likes to believe she hasn't gotten it fixed yet because it gives the car more 'character". This is reason #317 why I think I'm the only sane one in this family.

"What's the worst that can happen dear? It's just hockey." My mom says as she turned into the parking lot. A huge sign read, 'Scherzer Ice, home of the Bears hockey team!'

We slid into a parking space as I sighed and I grabbed my gym bag from beside me. As my mom turned to open her own door I spoke up, "Hey, we've discussed this already, remember?"

My mother paused, "Yes I suppose," She slid back into her seat and closed the car door again, "I will be the irresponsible mother who doesn't go to meet the coach that is going to be interacting with her child."

"Good, because the last thing I need is another Shepherd family member to come and embarrass me furthermore. The Dad has already done enough damage." I mumbled, referring to the agreement I had with my mother to not come inside and introduce me. You see, my plan was to remain... low-profile for the duration of the class and my family would certainly not contribute to that.

"You can do this Jacks!" My brother yelled from the car as I weaved among the cars to get inside the rink.

The woman in the booth was less impressed.

"Hi there, I'm here to join the girls' hockey team. I'm Jacklyn Shepard." I said, attempting a bright grin.

The woman gave me a once-over. She was well into her forties but seemed to be clinging to her teenage days. Her graying hair was up in a tight pony, with a bold red lip, false eyelashes, and a nametag that read, Elizabeth.

"Sorry girlie, our girls' team is full. You can come 'round next season for try-outs, though." She reached over and handed me a brochure.

"Miss, I believe that I am already on the roster, if you could just check your computer maybe I would be there?" A tiny spark of hope fluttered inside me at the thought that maybe my dad hadn't signed me up after all.

She narrowed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "Sure girlie, I'll check. But our system really isn't prone to-" She paused and bit her lip. "Hm, seems like you are on the roster after all." She turned and opened a filing cabinet and handed me some paper work.