Chapter. 7
I finished my extra maths lesson as I watched the lifeguards go about their job. They were stressing out because next week the schools finish for half term break, so they are expecting around 40,000 people on the beach a day.
"How's the maths lessons going?" Seth teased.
"Fine." I said rolling my eyes.
"What's 5 times 7?" Seth mocked.
"I dunno? 53?" I said without putting much thought into my answer.
"No." Tom groaned dramatically. "The 5 times table always ends in 0 or 5."
"There's really no hope for her passing maths." Ethan teased.
"Hey I'm brilliant at labelling shapes." I scoffed.
"This doesn't look good." Liam said, pointing out the window of the tower as he looked through his binoculars.
"What's happened?" Tom asked.
"We've got at least 15 people just swum straight into Bathing rip. Looks like they can't swim back in." Liam said.
"They're getting pushed towards the rocks." Tom said.
"Three are waving their hands now, lets go." Liam said.
"There's only four lifeguards on duty today and someone has to stay and watch the tower." Tom said.
"Elsa watch the tower. Radio us if anything happens." Liam said as they all rushed down the stairs and jumped onto their quad bikes. I picked up some binoculars as I watched the beach. I don't remember signing up for this job, nor do I remember accepting the job.
"Excuse me, my son slipped on the rocks and has cut his knee, can you help out at all?" A woman said, standing by the door with a little boy who was sobbing his eyes out.
"I'm not actually a lifeguard-" I trailed off realising right now I'm sat with binoculars, in a lifeguard tower, still wearing Liam's lifeguarding sweatshirt. "Come in and take a seat." I smiled at the little boy, trying to stop him crying. "Now I'm going to make your knee better, but you need to do a big favour for me." I smiled, trying to take his mind off his bleeding knee. "You see these binoculars? Whilst I'm sorting out your leg I need you to watch the beach." I said. There was only a few people on the beach so I could take my eyes off the sea for a minute.
"Is everything okay on the beach?" I asked the little boy as I cleaned up his deep cut.
"Everything looks good." He replied, giving me a thumbs up. I used some steri-strips to keep the wound closed, before adding a plaster.
"You're so brave! Perhaps one day you should work up here." I smiled, before passing him a chocolate as he hopped to his feet and waved bye to me. I looked up again seeing Liam leaning in the doorway smirking. His hair was wet from the rescue he'd just done, as he stood there showing off his muscular bare torso.
"What?" I said rolling my eyes.
"Nothing." He chuckled, looking at the ground. "It's just that for someone that claims they have never been a lifeguard before, you knew exactly how to patch up a deep cut, you knew how to treat a spinal injury and you knew how to watch a beach from a lifeguard tower without instructions."
"It's not that hard." I mumbled.
"I've been working here for three years and you already have the same amount of knowledge as I do." He said, not sounding convinced by my lie. "You're from Bondi right?" He asked.
"What's your point?" I asked.
"Bondi is one of the busiest beaches in the world. Don't tell me you weren't a lifeguard there?" He said.
"I worked with them for a summer. That is it." I lied.
"Then why won't you come to tryouts on Saturday?" Liam asked.
"I just don't want to be a lifeguard! Okay?" I snapped. Liam clenched his jaw, obviously pissed off by my answer but he didn't push the topic any further.
"Lets pack up for the night." Tom said, entering the tower.
"Hey we're gunna go for a surf, you guys in?" Blake offered.
"That's okay, I haven't really spent much time with my mom since I got here, so I better go home." I said.
"Well we'll see you tomorrow." Tom said, as I grabbed my belongings and left the tower.
"Did you ask her?" I heard Tom say once I was outside.
"Yeah and she denied it and refused." Liam huffed.
"There must be something deeper going on than just not wanting to be a lifeguard." Tom sighed.
"Can't you like search her files or something at school?" Liam asked.
"I'm not going to do that. If you want to find out what's going on she's gunna have to be the one to explain." Tom said, before changing the topic. I headed back along the boardwalk, until I reached my house. It still didn't feel like home in the house, more like a place where I sleep in.
"You're back early for a change." My mom said, reading some random cooking book on the table.
"There weren't very good waves today so I came straight back after my maths lesson." I lied as I stroked Mojo.
"Who was the boy that picked you up from school this morning?" She questioned. I forgot how Liam picked me up in his car this morning because according to him 6 miles is far too far to walk.
"He's one of the lifeguard." I said.
"You better not be slacking at school because of this boy." She said, her reading glasses falling down her face.
"Mom we're just friends!" I snapped. "Why is everything that comes out of your mouth a negative comment." I spat. Too be honest my mom was always like this. Since the accident she was like a zombie of depression, she never left home, she was negative about everything and she rarely smiled.
"I'm not that negative." She huffed.
"Oh yeah? Have you even left the house since we've moved here? Oh yeah that's right, you even got the groceries delivered so you could stay inside." I spat. My mom was the polar opposite of my beach loving father. My dad was relaxed, calm and just never got stressed, and that helped to keep my mom calm.
"That's enough." She huffed.
"Fine, you wouldn't even manage a trip to the mall, I bet." I spat.
"I can I just don't want to." She said.
"Prove it, go to the mall at some point this week." I challenged.
"I don't have to prove myself to my 16 year old daughter!" She shouted.
"There it is, you can't even get my age right!" I shouted. "Mom I'm 17, 18 in two months, but you wouldn't know nor would you care because you haven't celebrated my birthday since the accident!" I shouted, before storming upstairs and slamming my bedroom door. I don't care if I was harsh on her, somebody needs to bring her back to reality.
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She's Casual
Teen Fiction--- Due to circumstances, Elsa is forced to move from her home and beach she grew up on. Moving into a new country with a new beach to explore, she attends her first senior year of school after being homeschooled growing up. Only her carefree behav...
