TO BUILD A HOME || surviving summer

two

THERE WAS A SURF COMP BEING HELD A COUPLE DAYS LATER, SO OF COURSE, GABBIE DECIDED TO ENTER WITH AN INDEPENDENT SPOT. It was a small competition, nowhere near as big as the ones in Queensland or Sydney, so Gabbie wasn't worried or stressed about it.

Her dad had been cooped up in his study at his laptop all day and all night, working from home. He had told Gabbie and Jack that now that he could work from home, he would be around a lot more, but it felt no different to how things usually were.

It was Saturday, and the furniture still hadn't arrived. Paul gave them a call and they said it shouldn't be much longer, so that was good at least. Gabriella's back was starting to hurt from sleeping on a deflated air mattress.

"Dad, I'm taking the car for a comp!" She called out from the kitchen, swiping an apple and the car keys from the counter, not forgetting her coffee either.

"Don't get caught!" He shouted back. He never came to watch her comps. He did once, when they were in a town called Cairns when Gabbie was about 12, but spent the entire time making business calls in the car park, and since then, always claimed he was too busy. She'd be lying if she wasn't a little upset that he didn't even bother to wish her good luck anymore, though.

She drove down to the beach, and seemed to arrive around the same time as Poppy and Bodhi, who were both in Manu's van. She hadn't spoken to them much since they surfed together a few days ago, mostly because she didn't have either of their phone numbers to contact them, but also a little bit because she was too scared to let her guard down and make friends.

Gabbie knew it wasn't fair on the other two girls. She could see they were trying, and that they genuinely wanted to be friends with her, but she couldn't help herself. It was like her brain just couldn't let her let them in, like a defence mechanism.

After running down to the booth on the beach to check in, Gabbie made her way back to the car, opening the trunk to put her wetsuit on, noticing that the under 16 boys heat was starting, meaning her heat was next. Shedding her denim shorts and blue t-shirt, she couldn't care less if people saw her in a bikini, seeing as it was a surf beach after all.

"Oh, my God! Gabbie, I need to know where you got those bathers from!" Bodhi squealed as she jogged up to the brunette.

Gabriella looked down at her orange bikini. "Um... Ripcurl? I think," She replied unsurely.

"What heat are you in?" Poppy asked, approaching the two with a towel slung over her shoulder, both of the girls already in their wetsuits.

"Heat three."

"Oh, same as me!" Poppy smiled.

"Finally, some real competition for you, Pops," Manu came up to the group, throwing an arm around his sister. He looked at Gabbie as she pulled her wetsuit on. "You haven't surfed this break before, so just be careful. Bank moved a bit over the last couple months; she's working at a high tide."

"Thanks, Manu, but I think I'm used to surfing on different breaks by now," She chuckled, pulling on the handle on her back to zip herself up. It was true, with how many different beaches she had surfed on,

"Yeah, as if she needs your help," Poppy joked. "You're not her coach."

"Not yet I'm not," Manu laughed. "But, Gabs, what do you reckon about joining Boardriders?"

She pursed her lips, knowing she'd have to join a club if she wanted to go to regionals this year. And maybe joining Shorehaven Boardriders could help her make some friends too. "Um... okay?"

"Yes!" Poppy and Bodhi started jumping in excitement. Gabbie laughed, taking a sip from her white Yeti tumbler, grimacing as she realised it was starting to taste watered-down as the ice began to melt. "What's in there?" Bodhi asked.