Wonderland // McFly

We're Alright

Part 100! Thanks for all the reads and love!

February 20, 2008

Before the boys even got to Australia, they knew that they wanted to take surfing lessons. We scheduled for a time, but while Danny, Tom and Gi went to the shops today, Harry, Dougie and I thought we would try our hand at surfing without an instructor. Some preparation. Kind of like studying for a test...right?

We rented wetsuits and boards for two hours and headed towards the sea.

"Do you think we should practice on the sand first?" I ask them as we make it to the water's edge.

"You want to surf on the sand?" Dougie asks. I roll my eyes.

"When you get instructed they make you practice on the sand first." I say.

"Sounds like reading directions." Harry says. "What's the point?"

"There's actually a good point in reading-" I start.

"What's the matter, Lilly?" Harry asks, turning towards me. "Scared of the ocean?"

"Ha-ha. You're so funny." I say, before we all start walking in.

Truth is, I've heard enough horror stories about people being knocked out by their surfboards and then drowning to make me never want to surf. But at least if someone was knocked out, I could practice my first aid skills.

We all laid stomach down on our boards and started paddling out deeper and deeper until I was certain I wouldn't be able to touch the bottom. I don't think Dougie or Harry would be able to either.

"Show us how it's done, Mr. Judd." I say. Dougie laughs as we both sit on our boards and look at him.

"Right." Harry scoffs. "How hard could this be?" He starts to paddle out further towards a big wave. He finally turns around and starts to ride it pretty successfully. He even makes it past us back towards the shore, but as soon as he tries to stand up, he wipes out. Dougie laughs at him.

"Is he okay?" I ask, not seeing him get up, and feeling my heart race a bit. Just then, he pops up and gives us a thumbs up.

"He's fine!" Dougie exclaims.

"The sand isn't looking too bad now, is it?" I ask, loud enough for Harry to hear as he paddles back to us.

"No! I'm a natural." Harry says.

"Natural what? Sand-eater?" Dougie laughs.

"Go on you two! give it a try!" Harry says. "It's actually quite fun." I sigh, and look at Dougie. We start to paddle out farther, just as Harry did until we spot a big wave. We turn and start to paddle towards the shore. We both begin to ride it, and I'm shocked at the speed we're going. Dougie wipes out as soon as he jumps up on his board, but I stand on it long enough to hear Harry call 'alright, Lilly!', before losing my balance and falling off.

My nerves start to melt away as we ride more waves, some successfully, others, not so much, and we laugh thinking about how we're going to be so much better than Tom and Danny when we take proper lessons.

We've been surfing for about an hour, and we're all sitting on our boards, out pretty deep, waiting for the nest good wave.

"Guys!" Dougie yells, pointing out into the ocean at two dorsal fins.

"Shark!" Harry screams. As I turn to look at him to ask what to do, I see that Dougie and Harry are already on their boards, paddling ferociously towards shore. I quickly scurry to lay on my board and paddle to catch up with them.

When I finally do catch up with them, we're panting and paddling, and quite honestly, probably splashing way too much. Just then, I get pulled off my board and backwards by a wave.

"Lilly!" Dougie calls, pausing and looking back. I come up and get back on my board as quickly as I can.

"Keep going!" I choke, coughing up the water I just swallowed, waving my hand towards shore. He follows my instruction and I start paddling again.

It feels like we're destined to be shark lunch as the ebb and flow of the tide keeps us from making it to the shore.

But finally, we do make it, and we collapse on the sand, panting like castaways who were lost at sea for days and finally cast ashore.

After just laying their, with the wind knocked out of us for about five minutes, I get up, and give each of the boys one of my hands and pull them up.

"Oh my god...we could have died!" Dougie says.

"We almost did, Dougie!" Harry exclaims.

"What do we do?" I ask. "We have to tell someone and get people out of the water!"

Just then, a little girl, who was probably only about four and her mum run up to the shore, only a few meters away from us.

"Look Mummy!" She exclaims with her Australian accent. "Dolphins!"

Harry, Dougie and I all turn and look to see the 'sharks' jump out of the water and reveal themselves to be dolphins.

The little girl and her mum walk away and we all look at each other.

And then, purely from embarrassment, we start laughing.

"We could not be anymore like English gits abroad if we tried." Harry says, in between laughs.

********

When we make it back to the flat, Gi, Tom and Danny have returned from their shopping excursion, and the boys are all grabbing something to eat from the kitchen. Gi is sitting at the counter.

"Hey Lilly, Tom and I are going on a date to this cool restaurant we found. We got a reservation for three days from now and we were wondering if you and Dougie wanted to come?" She asks. I look over at Dougie as he nods and shrugs in a way that says, 'sounds fun'.

"Sure. Sounds great." I smile.

"Nice." Tom says. "Reservations for seven."

"Looks like you and I are alone for the night, Dan." Harry says, giving Danny a dramatic, saucy wink.

"Wear your best and I'll pick you up at eight." Danny jokes back.

"Yeah, yeah lover birds. We get it." Tom says.

****

That night, after the boys went to the studio, I got a text from Tom saying they were going to some club downtown and that Gi and I could join them, but we both decided to stay in. This has been a couple nights in a row now that the boys had gone out to clubs after the studio and stayed out until the early hours of the morning, and I didn't think it would change for the most part anytime soon.

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