Love is Dangerous

4

As I get out of the car, I see a white van drive past, coming from Marissa’s house. I look in and see two girls riding in the back seat. It went by too fast but it doesn’t take an idiot to realize it was Marissa and that other girl. “I wonder who was in that car. It looked like two girls but I don’t know who,” Tyler says. I roll my eyes. Okay, so maybe some idiots wouldn't realize. I look down the road and see two girls walking down the road in bikinis, towards the beach. And, there goes Tyler, about to get rejected. Again. “Hey, girls. Why don’t you stop by the beach and watch me and my less good looking friend over there surf some of the humongous waves. No use looking for the view when it’s right in front of you.” I have to admit, that was smooth as heck. He must practice in the mirror. But the girls weren’t impressed. They just looked at each other and pushed him away. He rolled down the hill and got leaves stuck to his shirt and hair. I was cracking up. I doubled over from laughter. He glared at me but I just kept laughing. He got up and brushed himself clean. I calmed down a bit, but the sticks in his hair set me off again. 

He trudged up the stairs, me following behind him. We enter his house and I throw my stuff on his bed. He grabs two waters and hands one to me. “Let’s go to my room. I have a few things to tell you,” he says seriously. I shiver. Tyler never talks like that. He leads me through his house. We walk through the kitchen into a small hallway. After a few paces, we turn into his room. In one corner is his twin bed. Against the wall in front of him is a chest of drawers with a small TV on top of it. There’s a toy box that holds old toys from his childhood. In another corner is a bunch of surf gear. He sits on his bed and I sit in a spinny chair. “So?” I ask. That’s when Corbin runs in, chanting, “Let’s go surfing! Let’s go surfing! Let’s go surfing!” I roll my eyes and look at Tyler. He looks irritated but agrees. “Fine, let’s go wax up.” I stand up and Corbin yells, “Yay!” I laugh and run outside, bolting down the stairs. I go to the ‘man cave’ which is really just a room next to their garage and grab my surfboard. I grab the Ziploc bag and take out the green block of wax. I rub it against the board and it leaves behind green marks. I pick it up and the two other guys walked with me to the beach.

At the beach, the waves were like 8 to 10 feet tall. I could take them. I paddle out and drop in on a wave. I barrel it and catch some air. I land and jump off of the board. I look over at Tyler and see that he caught the wave behind it. He steers to the side, trying to make Corbin think he’ll run over him. Corbin just paddles down the wave and, get this, steals Tyler’s wave. I can’t help but laughing. It’s good I can find a distraction from the ticking. I look at Tyler, who is glaring at me. “I’m sorry, I laugh when you fail. It’s just so funny.” I paddle away and catch the wave behind me. While I’m going through the barrel, I start thinking of the song ‘We Move like the Ocean’ by Bad Suns. I love Bad Suns. Definitely one of my favorite bands. I get off the wave and settle back down, paddling back to the other two. Corbin catches a wave and gets some air, curving back the opposite direction. He might be 9, but he is a heck of a good surfer.

After about 2 hours, we head home for lunch. When passing Marissa’s house, I see the white van parked in the driveway. We walk into the yard and I can’t help noticing this feeling. I feel like something’s about to change. That my entire life was preparing me for something. But there is also another feeling deeper. I sense that my entire life is a lie. If only I knew what it all meant.