"For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?—the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights." – Psalm 18:31-33
Alana was glad for the short drive to Corona del Mar. If it had been any longer, she probably would have died of embarrassment. Though the gang sensed she needed some time to herself and were too considerate to bombard her with questions, she could tell they were itching to ask what had happened.
And Alana knew exactly what had happened. She shuddered and slid deeper into her sweatshirt. She didn't want to remember, not after working so hard to forget, but the sight of those waves was too raw. Too powerful.
Cole parked on the corner of Ocean and Poppy. A gust of wind—the first they had experienced all day—hit them in the face when the gang stepped out of their vehicles. Below a stormy gray sky, the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, fringed by a rocky coast. Large houses were positioned at the edge of cliffs leading down to the beach.
"It's beautiful," Maya said.
Alana nodded. "It really is."
The sound of her voice broke the spell. Everyone suddenly began talking and moving at the same time. "Okay, we need to bring shoes and wetsuits," Blaine instructed.
"We're going in the water?" Jake asked. "Now? But it's freezing!"
"Well, technically we aren't surfing," Blaine replied vaguely. "We're gonna do a little exploring and we may have to get wet." He smiled slyly.
Alana numbly pulled on her fullsuit and a pair of booties, being careful not to aggravate her scab in the process. The wind whipped her hair in front of her eyes, so she pulled it back in a tight ponytail. She was cold and hungry—two more things to add to her list of complaints. Though the shock from the Wedge was wearing off, it had been replaced by embarrassment. She felt like a coward for running away from the gang.
Alana pursed her lips. No, she hadn't been running from the gang. She had been running from her past.
Another chill ran down her spine, though it wasn't from the cold wind. She forced herself to think happier thoughts and not dwell on the events of that morning. The Wedge was behind her. They weren't going back. There was no reason for her to be so afraid.
But the fear hanging over her like a dark cloud felt like shackles on her wrists, pinning her down, forcing her to remember what she tried so hard to forget.
"Alana."
Maya's voice shattered Alana out of her thoughts. Alana realized she was breathing hard. "Oh, sorry," she said, mortified.
"It's okay. Um, the gang is leaving..."
Alana caught a glimpse of a cherry-red sports car zipping around the corner, music blaring. As soon as the noise subsided, she said, "I'm coming!" She tried to ignore the worried tone in Maya's voice as they ran to catch up with the others.
They passed a sign reading Corona del Mar State Beach before descending a steep driveway to the beach. For a bleak summer day, there were lots of people on the sand and splashing in the water. Though the waves weren't suitable for surfing, some kids were swimming or riding bodyboards. Most of the people were climbing near the tidepools on the shore, curiously studying the sea life at their fingertips.
"Where are we going?" Koa asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Blaine grinned. "You'll see. We have a twenty minute hike ahead of us, but it'll be worth it."
Maya and Alana exchanged glances, but when Alana saw the worry laced through her friends' eyes, she looked away. Fear churned in the bottom of her stomach. As the sand slowly gave way to rocks, and rocks to jagged cliff faces adjacent to tidepools, Alana could feel the questions among the gang hanging in the air. The tension was almost tangible. Every so often Alana would slip on a rock or take a wrong step in the tidepools, and someone's hand would be on her arm, asking, "Are you alright?" It was hard to miss the double meaning in their words.
Before long, the rocky shoreline gave way to another beach. Only a few people were climbing on these rocks and tidepools. Alana was amazed at how beautiful and untouched this part of the coast appeared. There were small islands that had been carved into rugged arches from water erosion. Yawning caves of all sizes had been etched out of the cliff face. It was a different type of beach from the rest the gang had visited, and Alana liked it.
She was glad that Blaine had instructed them to wear shoes. A second stretch of sand quickly turned back into rocky tidepools. The gang picked their way among the shallow pools of water and rocky cliffs before a large island suddenly loomed out of the water.
"There it is," Blaine announced. "Cliff Island—or, as I like to call it, the jumping rock."
Only a handful of people were swimming out to the island, climbing up its steep surface, or jumping off the edge into the ocean.
"Sweet!" Maya exclaimed. "How did you know about this place?"
"I Googled it," Blaine said simply. "So who wants to jump off a cliff?"
They all laughed. Jake and Koa shouted, "Me!" at the top of their lungs. One by one, the gang carefully made their way through the tidepools until the water was just deep enough to swim. Every so often a large rock would protrude above the surface of the water, and they would have to either climb over it or swim around it. Before long, they reached the base of Cliff Island. Alana glanced up and saw a few people climb over the top precipice and disappear from view.
"How do we get up there?" Maya asked.
"We rock climb," Cole said in a "duh" voice. Like a mountain goat, he deftly swung himself up onto the lowest ledge and began climbing. Since the island was made out of crude ledges and jagged rock, he had no trouble making his way up to the top. The final ledge was a bit harder to climb over, as it jutted out farther than the rest of the rock, but Cole heaved himself over the edge with his brute strength.
A few seconds later, his twinkling green eyes could be seen peering down at them. "Who's next?" he called.
The guys wasted no time in following Cole. The girls weren't far behind them as they hurriedly climbed Cliff Island's thirty-foot face. Alana made sure to follow the three points of contact rule—having two feet and one hand (or two hands one foot) on a ledge at all times. She was glad for the quick burst of energy that kept her mind off the Wedge, if even for a few minutes. By the time she reached the final ledge, she was breathing hard and excited from the endorphin rush.
Suddenly, Cole's face appeared directly above her as she struggled to pull herself over the top ledge. "Need a hand?" he asked.
Alana glanced at his outstretched arm. Her lips curved up into a tight smile. "Thanks," she grunted as he helped heave her over the ledge and onto the top of the island.
"No problem." He flashed her a smile and got to his feet, brushing off some dirt from his wetsuit. "It's pretty nice up here. Come check out the view."
Alana stood up and looked around her. While climbing Cliff Island, she hadn't realized how high she actually was. She seemed to be much higher than just thirty feet from the surface of the water. She could see the rocky coast stretch across the entirety of her peripheral vision. Tidepools, thriving with miniature sea life, shimmered blue-green from the hue of the ocean. There was nothing but rocks and tidepools directly below her, but when she walked to the opposite side of the island, she realized there was a large sandbank perfect for jumping. The water was clear and empty of any rocks or obstructive objects except for a large clump of seaweed a few yards away.
"Awesome," she breathed.
"Who wants to go first?" Koa asked. He stood on the edge of Cliff Island, ready to jump.
"Why don't we all go at the same time?" Maya suggested.
"Aw, that never works," Jake said.
That was good enough for Koa. He let out a yelp as he bent his knees and jumped over the edge. He hit the water with a loud splash, and seconds later his curly head popped above the surface. "That was awesome!" he hollered.
Blaine and Jake exchanged glances, both of them daring the other to go first. As soon as Koa swam out of the way, they sprinted forward and leaped off the rock. At the last second, Maya darted behind them and grabbed Jake's hand, screaming as she, too, jumped into the chilly water.
Alana laughed. "Well, I guess that leaves us."
Cole grinned and took a step forward, poised to jump. "Ready?"
"You bet I am." She peered over the edge of Cliff Island, causing her stomach to squirm in anticipation of the long drop. It was different from taking off on an overhead wave—instead of having a board under her feet, there was nothing but air.
An image of a surfer attempting a late takeoff at the Wedge flashed through Alana's mind. She sucked in a deep breath, remembering how he had air-dropped fifteen feet into the water, and tried to push it away.
"Hey, are you alright?" Cole asked.
She snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you scared of heights?"
"No, it's not that." Alana squared her jaw and leaned forward. "Let's just jump."
Cole grinned. "Whenever you're ready."
Alana counted down from three, and both of them took a flying leap. She felt Cole wrap his hand around hers as they sailed through the air, her ponytail streaking high above her head. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact of water, which happened a few seconds later. In one moment, she and Cole had been flying in midair, and the next they were underwater.
Alana felt Cole remove his hand from hers. As the chilly water rushed into every pore of her body, she had a fleeting thought of the Wedge...the monstrous, pounding waves...and her dream.
My dream...
Instinct took over, and Alana quickly scissor-kicked her way to the surface. She burst through, but the cold feeling that had settled in her chest wasn't from the water.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" Cole asked, his eyes flashing with excitement.
Alan nodded and forced a smile.
Taylor drummed her fingers lazily on the dashboard. She skimmed through the messages on her phone one more time, even though she had just checked them thirty seconds ago. She hated waiting—but she hated the thought of losing Cole even more.
"They should be here soon," she murmured to herself, glancing over the rims of her sunglasses to peer down the street. Cole's Volkswagen and Maya's campervan were still parked next to the curb. Cole and his stupid friends were nowhere in sight.
Taylor groaned in frustration. It was growing darker by the minute. They were taking forever at Corona del Mar State Beach. What were they doing, and where had they gone? She watched the tiny hordes of people swarming over the rocks like little ants. A few playing in the water created miniature splashes that were almost indistinguishable from Taylor's distance.
She settled back in her seat and cranked up the music. Just as she was about to text one of her friends, movement caught her attention in the corner of her eye.
She smiled. There they were—Cole's deliciously muscled chest followed by his twin and the rest of the gang. Taylor waited until the gang was finished drying off and piling into their separate vehicles before starting her car. As soon as the Volkswagen and campervan pulled away from the curb, she pulled out of her parking spot as well, making sure to keep a safe distance so she wouldn't be spotted.
Let's see where these surfers go next.