Caught Inside

Chapter Five

"Take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." – James 1:19-20

Bright and early Monday morning, Alana stepped out of Cole's Volkswagen with the Anderson twins on her heels. They were all sore from two fun days of surfing over the weekend, but now it was time to get back to business. Though the first week of school had been fairly easy, things were starting to pick up. Alana had already missed a few homework assignments, so she knew she needed to crack down and get focused.

But getting back into the school groove was awfully hard, especially when the sun was out and the water was warm. September in Southern California still felt like summertime. Alana was finding it difficult to readjust to life as a student.

"What's your first class?" Cole asked, swinging his keys around his finger. "Psychology?"

She nodded, noticing a little clump of fur on his shoulder. She laughed and reached over to brush it off.

"Oh," he said sheepishly, "I guess that belongs to Dude."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you named your kitten Dude! Who does that?"

"Hey," he said, slightly offended, "I think it's a good name."

"See you guys later!" Blaine hollered. He waved as he headed to the opposite side of the school.

Alana used the interruption to switch topics. "Are you excited for this weekend?"

"Excited is an understatement. There's supposed to be a nice swell hitting Orange County by then."

"And I'm pumped to get to surf Huntington waves again," Alana gushed. They had agreed to meet Trevor at a surf shop near Huntington Pier early Saturday morning. After surfing throughout the day, they would make the two-hour drive home in the evening.

"Just try not to get run over this time," Cole reminded her.

Alana made a face. "Yeah, that wasn't fun." The last time she had surfed Huntington Pier, a beginner had knifed through part of her leg with his surfboard. The loss of blood had caused Alana to lose consciousness.

"Well, if it does happen again, I'll be there to paddle you into shore," Cole said with a reassuring smile.

"I know you will." They exchanged a look, remembering how Cole had been the one to make sure Alana reached the beach safely. It had been a nerve-racking experience.

They passed through the breezeway and briefly went separate ways, Alana to her locker and Cole to his. After retrieving her books, Alana shoved her way through the throngs of students towards Cole's shaggy mop of blonde hair, which stuck slightly above the crowd. She spotted a few familiar faces but didn't stop to say hi. When she had almost reached Cole, she paused, suddenly confused by his demeanor. He was standing completely still, one hand on his backpack and the other resting against his open locker door. His gaze was fixed somewhere in the crowd, and whatever he was looking at caused him to frown.

"Cole!" Alana called over the loud chattering of students. She was at his side in a few seconds. "Ready to go?"

The concerned look in her eyes told him that she knew he'd been staring. He quickly shook it off and gave her a quick smile. "Yeah, of course." He closed his locker and swung his backpack over one shoulder, and they set off to class.