Caught Inside

Chapter Twenty-One

"A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression." – Proverbs 29:22

Thanks to the cooler fall temperatures, an afternoon glass-off had started to appear in the ocean, creating calm and pleasant conditions for surfers. The wind died down and the surface became smooth, something that rarely happened in afternoons during the summer. Maya was thankful for the change in weather, even if it did mean that the days were getting shorter and the water colder.

She hugged her shortboard to her chest and studied the waves peeling in front of her. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure that her bike was securely locked and upright before giving Alana the go-ahead: "Let's hit the water!"

Alana smiled and bent down to grab her own surfboard. Her white-blonde hair fell in a sheet over her shoulder. Maya wished her own hair could be just as beautiful, but she was doomed to have wavy brown locks that could never be tamed. She sighed and headed down to the sand.

"Check out that right," Alana said, nodding towards a breaking wave off in the distance.

"If only the swell was a little bigger," Maya said wistfully.

"No matter what size the waves are, you always wish it was bigger," Alana laughed.

"Not true!" Maya protested, even though she knew her friend was right. She couldn't help it. As a shortboarder, she longed for bigger and faster waves. It helped that she was small and petite, because a set that was head-high for the average surfer was overhead for Maya. Despite this, she still yearned for larger waves.

Alana wrinkled her nose and set her board down in the sand. "I have to use the bathroom real quick," she said apologetically.

Maya groaned. "We walked past the bathrooms five minutes ago, and now you have to go?"

Alana gave her a sheepish look. "You can go ahead and paddle out. I'll meet you in the lineup."

Maya was reluctant to start surfing without her, but when she spotted a nice set out of the corner of her eye, she gave in. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll meet you over there." She pointed to the right that Alana had seen earlier.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll be right back!" Alana dashed off towards the bathroom, her blonde hair swinging against the back of her wetsuit.

Maya fastened her leash around the ankle and jogged in the opposite direction towards the surf. Though the water was a beautiful shade of dark blue, enhanced by its glassy surface, it felt cold against Maya's shivering legs. As soon as she waded in up to her waist, she hopped on her board and began paddling.

A few duckdives later, she reached the lineup, and positioned herself slightly behind the pack of surfers waiting for waves. She figured she would warm up by catching the smaller ones on the inside.

The slightest sea-breeze blew her hair over her left shoulder, and Maya turned her attention in that direction. She saw Ventura Pier, a small brown line against the horizon, melting into the backdrop of hills and houses. Though she couldn't see it, she knew one of those buildings was Scottie's Surf Shack. Maya loved the restaurant but was glad she'd taken the day off. School, work, and her struggling relationships with her father and Jake were stressing her out. It was nice to be able to escape from reality and pursue the one thing she truly loved: surfing.

But her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a longboarder at the front of the lineup. Maya narrowed her eyes. Of course, out of all the spots she and Alana could go surfing, they had to paddle out at the same peak as Jake! Maya was tempted to turn right around and paddle somewhere else, but she had already told Alana she would wait for her here, so she had to stay put. She crossed her arms over her chest and hoped Jake hadn't seen her. As long as he stayed outside and she stayed inside, they wouldn't have to cross paths.