Can't Get Enough [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Twenty-Three

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." – Proverbs 15:1

The drive to Doheny Beach was slow but scenic, with PCH winding its way over cliffs and past ocean views. Cole drove the entire way with his window rolled down, relishing in the feeling of the cool sea breeze running through his short curls. It kept him fresh and alert while a certain surfer girl in the backseat kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

They had acted as normal as possible in the water, pretending like nothing had happened between them. And nothing had, really—at least, nothing of consequence. But they both felt it. Fortunately, no one in the gang suspected anything...except Blaine, of course. But when didn't he suspect something?

Through his peripheral vision, Cole saw Alana glance at him in the rearview mirror. She was curled up in the backseat listening to her iPod, but something told Cole her thoughts were focused elsewhere. He could only hope that The Plan hadn't backfired.

"Cole!"

"What?" he snapped.

Koa held up his hands in surrender. He leaned forward in the passenger seat to get a better look at the side mirror. "Relax, man, I just wanted to point out that you missed your turn."

Cole's grip loosened on the steering wheel. "Sorry," he muttered, flipping on his blinker and making a U-turn. He pulled into a small parking lot on the right-hand side.

"We made good time," Blaine piped up from the backseat. "We still have three hours to go before sunset."

"Time to whip out the longboards!" Koa declared. He grinned at the sight of small, glassy waves breaking next to a jetty.

"Good thing I brought my longboard," Alana said. She yanked her headphones out of her ears and stuffed her iPod in her backpack. She didn't make eye contact with anyone as she hopped out of the van onto the asphalt. Cole took a deep breath and slid out as well, hoping that the evening would go better than expected.

He glanced up at the sound of a loud motor. It turned out to be Maya and Jake in the campervan. As soon as she parked the massive vehicle, they hopped out and walked over to their friends. Not feeling like socializing, Cole busied himself by rummaging through his beach bag. His fingers automatically found his phone, and he frowned when he realized he had turned it off.

"Oh, right," he murmured, remembering how Taylor had been blowing up his texts over the past few days. He sighed. How desperate was she? And what was motivating her to get ahold of him, anyway? She had never been this clingy.

"—there's a McDonald's and a few other places just up the street, remember? We passed them on the way here."

"Why don't we just wait until it gets later? It's not even six o'clock."

"We're all pretty hungry. We skipped lunch again."

"That's what the snacks are for."

"Well, maybe some of us want real food."

"Fast food isn't real food."

Cole groaned at Jake and Maya's voices, which were rising in pitch with every sentence. "Guys!" he exclaimed, rounding the corner of his Volkswagen and coming within sight of them. "What's going on? Are we getting more food?"

"Jake here thinks we need to get something to eat," Maya said. "I'd rather go surfing."

"Yeah, like we haven't been surfing every single day for the past two weeks." Jake rolled his eyes.