"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." – Ephesians 5:15-16
With her shortboard balanced on top of her thighs, Alana Walker sat just behind the water's edge, wiggling her toes into the sand. She gently traced the white rails of her board as she studied the waves. With onshore wind, mushy sets, and an extreme high tide, the conditions were poor for surfing. Alana frowned and checked her watch. "Any minute now," she murmured.
"Alana!"
Alana grinned and looked over her shoulder. "Maya!"
The petite brunette sprinted down the stairs and onto the beach. She stuck the nose of her shortboard into the sand before reaching over to high-five her friend. "Man, it feels good to hit the water."
"Tell me about it," Alana said. "I was glued to the surf cam for almost an hour waiting for the tide to go down."
"Obsessive much?"
Alana shrugged. "What can I say? Surfing is my life."
"Mine too." Maya grinned and sat down next to her friend. "I hope everyone else gets here on time."
"Jake texted me this morning saying he's coming."
"Hey, how come my boyfriend is texting you and not me?"
Alana laughed.
"Well, they better not be late," Maya said. "Even though the waves suck, I need to surf. It's the last day of summer!"
She groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Well, I'm kind of looking forward to it. After all, we're gonna be seniors."
Alana made a face. "Yeah, but it's still school."
Maya just smiled and patted her arm. "Hey, look who it is."
They both glanced over to see a dark-skinned surfer jogging towards them. He carried a thick longboard under one arm. When he glanced up, the girls could see his Hawaiian features clearly.
"Koa!" Alan called, waving. "Glad you could make it."
"Are you kidding?" he exclaimed, setting his board down next to them. "I wouldn't miss this tradition for the world. We always have a surf sesh on the last day of summer, no matter the conditions."
"I hope the others feel the same way," Maya put in.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," he said. "They'll be here."
Sure enough, less than five minutes later the remaining three members of the gang arrived: Jake Sanders, the other longboarder in the group; and the Anderson twins, Blaine and Cole. Hello's and high fives were exchanged all around before Jake said the words they were all waiting to hear: "Let's hit the water!"
In a spray of sand and water, they dashed into the surf and hopped on their boards. The cool water immediately caused goosebumps to pop up on Alana's skin as she paddled to the lineup. Her white-blonde hair, still dry, blew around her shoulders. She knew it was only a matter of time before it would be completely wet. With the first whitewater wave that tumbled her way, she pushed her surfboard underwater and duck-dived. She traveled completely underneath the wave before resurfacing on the other side.
"Yikes!" she exclaimed to Maya, who had also completed a duck-dive judging by the wet hair plastered against her neck. "It's a little chilly out here!"
"I guess fall is coming a bit early this year," Maya replied, her teeth chattering.
They duck-dived under a few more waves before reaching the lineup. The majority of the surfers around them were wearing wetsuits to stay warm. Alana was thankful for her own fullsuit that covered every inch of her body except her hands, feet, and face.
She sat down on her board and crossed her arms over her chest, placing her hands underneath her armpits to keep warm. Moments later, a set of waves came rolling in. The first two were claimed by longboarders while the rest of the lineup paddled to get in position. Alana finally succeeded in stroking into her own peak, which was mushy but still rideable. Once she felt the wave pick her up and cause her to surge forward, she placed her hands on the rails of her board and popped to her feet. The wave was now hers to control.
She did a few turns to stay in the pocket, the area just in front of the whitewater where most of the wave's power was concentrated. As soon as it began picking up speed, she drove down to the bottom and angled back up. Just when the lip was about to curl over, she twisted her hips and made a sharp 180-degree turn. The maneuver sent a huge spray of water that fanned out in all directions.
Now with even more speed, Alana bent her knees and angled across the face of the wave. Ahead of her, she saw a beginner on a giant foamboard paddling into her wave. "Hey!" she called. "Watch out!"
But the kid was concentrating too hard to hear her. Alana groaned and prepared for one final maneuver. The beginner's wake was going to cause the section in front of her to break, ending her ride prematurely. So in one last display of skill, Alana twisted her upper torso and hips, making sure to keep her body low and centered over her board as she rotated. She reached forward and grabbed her front rail while making a complete 360-degree turn. When she straightened back up, she almost lost her balance and rode straight out in front of the whitewater.
With her ride now over, Alana jumped off her board into the foam. She climbed back on and was about to begin paddling when she heard someone call her name. It was Blaine, and he waved to her from where he was sitting ten yards away.
"Have you caught a wave yet?" Alana asked when she stroked over to him.
"Yeah, I took a little one on the inside before the set," he replied. "But I should've waited to catch one like yours. That spray you threw from your off-the-lip was insane."
"It was pretty fun—while it lasted, I mean."
Blaine made a face. "I saw that kid drop in on you."
She groaned. "There was nothing I could do."
"Well, at least winter's coming. Less people in the water, and definitely not as many kooks."
Alana shivered in the cool breeze. "True, but other than that, I'm really not looking forward to winter. It's too cold!"
"Get used to it," he laughed. "It's time for seven a.m. surf sessions with the team again!"
Alana nodded, reflecting on her experience with the Ventura High surf team over the years. Their "practice" was typically in the morning before school started. If the waves were too small or the conditions weren't favorable, then Coach Kerr usually set up a class on technique and improvement. Sometimes he even gave the team a day off. For the most part, Alana enjoyed being a part of the surf team. She loved the extra surf session, hanging out with her friends, and improving herself. But she tended to shy away from competitions—not friendly competitions between friends, but rivalry contests between schools. Without her parents and her brother Dylan by her side, it just didn't feel right. Ever since her parents' accident, they had left a blank space in her life, and though Dylan tried the best he could to fill in, it just wasn't the same. Because he'd stopped competing, Alana lacked his wisdom and instruction in her own contests.
A thundering crash of whitewater jolted Alana out of her thoughts. She and Blaine quickly scrambled to get out of the way of a set wave. As they paddled over the shoulder, Alana squinted into the sun to see that the surfer riding the wave was none other than Cole Anderson. He performed two giant carves that showered Alana and Blaine with spray, only to dive off his board a moment later and land directly behind the duo.
"Sick wave, bro," Blaine said after Cole resurfaced.
"I only surf to impress the ladies," he replied.
"Clearly Alana's not impressed," Blaine quipped. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but she's the best surfer out here, not you."
"Sorry, Cole," Alana said with a smirk. "What can I say?"
"Fine," Cole sighed in mock disappointment, "I guess I'll have to work my charm elsewhere."
"Yeah, like Scottie's," Blaine said. He and Alana both cracked up at the mention of Scottie's Surf Shack, a surf and skate store slash diner that had opened a few weeks ago. Maya worked there on weekends and occasional weeknights, but the other girl on staff was a rather attractive community college student who the gang was always trying to hook Cole up with.
It had started when they were all crammed into a booth at the diner and Maya's coworker, Nikki, was taking their orders. Cole had been sitting at the edge of the table and had quietly exchanged a few words with her when he slid a napkin into her hand with his number scrawled across it.
Of course, the gesture hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the gang, who teased Cole unmercifully despite his protests of, "You don't understand! Her brother ordered a board from my dad's shop, and they need some way to contact us!"
Needless to say, it was a huge joke among the members of the gang, and a sore subject for Cole. The only two people who knew where Cole's romantic feelings really lay were Blaine and Alana.
Now, floating in the water, Cole shot his brother an exasperated look at the mention of Scottie's. Blaine just laughed and resumed his paddle to the lineup.
"Hey," Alana said with a slight smile, "don't take it so seriously. We all know you're not actually interested in that girl."
The corners of Cole's mouth twitched upwards. "Are you saying that because you're trying to make me feel better, or are you saying that because you hope it's true?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Come on, Alana," he goaded, "don't be jealous that Nikki has my number..."
Her eyes narrowed. "Cole, that is not what I meant."
"That's what it sounded like."
She reached over with both hands and shoved his head underwater. When he resurfaced, she folded her arms across her chest.
Cole climbed onto his surfboard, grinning. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."
"Good." She shook a strand of wet hair out of her eyes and started paddling away.
"Are you sure you're not just a little bit jealous?" Cole called after her.
"In your dreams!"
Blaine laughed and motioned Alana over. "Hey, speaking of jealousy, don't forget about our Bible study at Scottie's today," he reminded her.
"James chapter 3?" she confirmed.
He nodded.
"Well..." She glanced over her shoulder at Cole. "Does James happen to talk about taming the tongue, by any chance?"
"It sure does."
"Perfect," she said, just loud enough for Cole to hear.
Blaine shook his head. "You two are practically made for each other. Just listen to yourselves banter."
"Oh, no—not you too," Alana groaned. "I never asked for my love life to be analyzed by both of the Anderson twins."
"Did someone say love life?" came a voice.
They turned to see Jake paddling towards them.
"Oh look, it's Lover Boy himself," Blaine chuckled.
It was true. Jake was so smitten with Maya it wasn't even funny. They had only been a couple for a little over a month, but just by looking at them one would think they'd known each other for a lifetime.
"Jake," Alana asked, "are you coming to our Bible study this afternoon?"
He made a face. "Unfortunately, no. I have to do some last-minute school shopping with my brothers."
"Boo," Blaine said. "Is Maya coming?"
"Probably."
"Well," Alana said, "with one less person in our booth, at least it won't be as crowded."
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of another set on the horizon. Everyone immediately burst into action, paddling towards the lineup as fast as they could. Jake, gliding effortlessly on his longboard, made it outside just in time. After duck diving under the first three waves of the set, Alana spun her board around and paddled into the fourth, which happened to stack up right in front of her. She launched into the peak. It was a late takeoff, but since the wave was so crumbly, she had no problem standing up and cruising to the bottom.
She leaned forward and dug a hand into the water. Her shortboard drew long, carving lines across the face of the wave until it grew steeper on the inside. Alana cruised from top to bottom, gaining speed before attempting a big roundhouse cutback. She banked her surfboard off the lip, made a huge wrapping turn in the opposite direction, and pulled a snap in the pocket.
She continued to do turn after flawless turn until the wave died out. When it no longer had any substantial size or power, Alana kicked out and started her long paddle back to the lineup. She was a little bummed that the conditions were less than ideal, but at least there was some swell. The important thing was that she made the most of this last day of summer.