Once Upon A Surf

Chapter Eleven

"And it'll be even better when you win it all!" Donna clapped her hands together. "I know you only have to place, but we Fishers are winners. Right?"

My stomach dropped and for a second I only stared at her. We Fishers. As if she was a part of this, as if she was actually family now that I was of some value—

"Um, sure," I blinked, studying the sand at my feet. "Yeah, I'll try to win, Donna."

"I'm going to find your sisters," Donna pulled out her phone. "Good luck, darling! You'll do great."

"Okay," I waved at her, turning and running a hand through my hair. While Donna had only meant well, her talk had rattled me, had me feeling nervous and antsy about the competition. I shook my head, watching as the waves crashed into shore and taking a deep breath.

I would not win this for Donna. I wouldn't win it for the money.

I would win this for my dad.

I picked up my board, jogging forward to where Abbi was talking with her dad. Abbi looked up and caught my eye, waving me over with an excited grin.

"Lindsey!" Steve Mitchell slapped me on the back. "It's been forever since I last saw you! You're huge!"

"Dad," Abbi flushed and rolled her eyes, shooting me a small smile. "Sorry."

"It's cool," I grinned at Steve, flexing. "And thank you. I worked hard to gain these guns."

"Shut up," Abbi laughed, punching my shoulder.

"I'm going to find a nice seat. I'm sure you'll both do great out there," Steve winked at me. "Kick Abbi's butt, will you, Lindsey?"

"Dad!" Abbi laughed and shoved him aside. Steve chuckled and walked over to join Abbi's mom.

"Your dad's so cool," I said with a smile, shifting the board under my arm. A flash of pity ran through Abbi's eyes before she shrugged.

"He's insane," she conceded, before growing more serious. "You feel ready?"

I bit my lip. "No."

"You're going to be amazing."

"I—" I let out a frustrated sigh. "I wish there wasn't so much pressure, you know? I just want...I want it to be like it used to."

"Listen," Abbi pointed out at the waves, meeting my eyes. "Out there? Out there is where it'll be like that. Because no matter what happens here on shore, the waves are always the same. The feeling you get out there is the same feeling you got years ago, when life didn't seem so complicated. Nothing else matters out there, Lindsey."

I opened my mouth to speak when the announcer blared over his megaphone, "Let's have the surfers line up and get ready!"

I nodded at Abbi, my heart leaping into my throat, and before I could blink she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "No matter what happens, Fish, we're still together in this."

"Always," I said, squeezing her back.

We lined up on the shore, where the clear water was just beginning to rush over our toes. I stared out at the waves, studying the patterns, figuring out where to go, which areas would be the best for my layout—

When the horn blew, everything faded away.

I dove into the water, paddling out towards the far right side of the beach. We had fifteen minutes to surf, and whoever had the highest score at the end of the meet would win the competition. And the only way to score was to catch a wave.