When we finally got to the beach (after Jill took ages changing her outfit as usual) we found a nice place to sit down all together on the sand. It was me, my sister, Cath, Danny and his little daughter Gracie. We were fooling around, talking about some random stuff. That day there were particulary many surfers in the area, which brought Jill to start talking about the surf lessons I give to her. More like bluffing I'd say, which is typical of her. Only that today she found herself facing a better fighter, someone who could beat her down on her own game: my dear and as well very immature friend Daniel.
-Steve says I learn really fast, she said with a huge smile on her face, Probably I'll be catching waves very soon...
-Well to tell you the truth Jill..., Danny said with a giggle busting her ass.
Wrong move dude. You really pissed my sister off this time. I think her head was about to explode, specially when Gracie started laughing too. Oh my God...
-What Daniel? C'mon, spit it out, she said burning him with his look.
I frowned at her and to Danny too. Why he had to put my sister into the bratty mood?
-Jillian..., I warned her but she didn't even listen to me.
-Come on Jill, I'm just looking out for you, Danny pretended, A delicate and fragile lady like you could get hurt out there. Maybe you just don't have the required experience yet.
-Oh come on Danny, that's not true, Cath luckily stepped in Jill's defense, I've seen Jill during her surfing lessons, and I think she's taking Steve's lessons really well.
-Oh yeah?, Jill said glaring at my dumb friend, Well if you're oh so sure that I can't catch a wave Daniel, you might want put some money in your mouth.
-Jillian, stop it, I said giving her a stern look.
She couldn't talk to Danny that way, not even when he totally deserved it. And believe me, he did deserve it. I couldn't understand why did he enjoy fighting a 13 years old girl. He has fun teasing everyone, but my sis was the wrong person to tease.
-C'mon Steve. We're just fooling around, he said patting my back for me to relax, Of course I know your lil sister can be a great surfer... on sand.
That was it. I couldn't control Jillian anymore, so she stood up facing my friend and grabbing something from her beach bag. I rubbed my face in frustration. What was she gonna do now?
-I bet you 50 bucks I can catch a wave right here, right now, she said showing him a 50 dollars bill in her hands, the other one on her hip. Oh damn it.
-That's not gonna happen Jill, I told her glaring at Danny for him to take the hint to shut his mouth.
Why? Why does he always acts like a toddler? Why did he just put me in this situation? Now we have a big discussion coming, because Jill wasn't gonna take a No for an answer so easily.
-But Steve!, she said stomping her foot before blinking, a clear sign that she just got an idea, Wait a minute. What if my brother and I catch a wave together? Do you wanna bet?, she said putting 50 dollars right next to Danny's hand. Where the hell did she got that money anyways? I could think about a few options.
-Well I'm willing to risk some coins to see that happening, he said giving us a funny smirk.
Ok, I was in as well. Nobody makes fun of my skills, specially my surfing skills, and specially Daniel. We were gonna beat him down.
Fortunately I have a pretty long board, so Jill sat down on the front of while I started paddling further, heading deeper into the sea. No way I was letting my sister do this all by herself, at least not for the moment. Also there was absolutely no way I was letting Danny mock of me and my skills, any of the many of them. I'll show you Daniel Williams. Maybe that way he'll shut up, at least for the rest of the day.
-By the way Jill. Where did you get those 50 bucks from?, I asked my sister while I was paddling straight to the waves in front of us
-Mom gave me some money before she left, she said while looking away.
Just one meaning for that gesture of hers: BFL. Big fat lie. What can I say? I know her too well, despite all this time we've spent apart. She was still the little Jill I remembered... in more aspects that I'd like to admit.
-She gave it to you? Just like that?, I asked her in absolute disbelief
-Well... maybe I made her feel guilty for leaving me, so she gave me some money, she said looking at the waves in our horizon. She could be pretty manipulative sometimes, specially with my mother.
To be completely honest, I wasn't really sure if my sister would be able to handle it. I mean, she has learned all the basics, and really fast to be truthful. But I don't know... I wasn't really convinced about this bet. I couldn't back off though. Danny provoked my sister on purpose to have fun, and I was really looking forward to check out his face when we beat him. An evil smiled drew all across my face, and I could bet Jill could feel it too.
-Ok, I said sitting on my board for a moment, When I tell you to, you do that move you've been practicing ok? Remember:
-Pop up, stabilize and then rise. I got it, she cut me off looking with wide eyes the big waves crushing one after the other. It is very scary when you face your first wave. Fortunately, she wasn't alone in this.
-Relax sis. I'll be right behind you, ok? We can do this, I said giving her a smile.
She smiled to me and I came back to paddling. We were almost there, but I wanted to make sure that Jill also learn from this, so she'd feel confident to be on a board by herself. Alright I was trying to feel confident on leaving her to ride a wave by herself also. I cannot be blamed for that.
For the moment we were going through small waves, so to avoid them I just had to lift my bod up of the board, so my own weight lifts the board and the wave doesn't pushes us back. But then I saw we had a big one coming, maybe a little too big for Jill to start with, so I decided to let it go.
-Alright Jill. I want you to hold your hands on tight to the board and hold your breath for a few seconds. Do not let it go, ok?, I said staring at the wave and calculating the exact moment for me to make a move.
-Ok, but what are you going...?, Jill started to say but she had to stop and hold her breath.
Just then I firmly grabbed both sides of my board and rolled over 180 degrees. We remained under the water for a few seconds, until I was sure the wave passed through us, and then I rolled back and kept on paddling. When we came up, Jill coughed a little bit. Poor her, probably she swallowed some water. It's really common the first time.
-You ok Jill?, I said rubbing my face to look at her without water in my eyes. Maybe it was better to get back after all, if she wasn't ready or if she didn't feel comfortable. I didn't want her to do this only because Daniel was stupid enough for dare her.
-Yeah I'm fine Steve, she said spitting some water, But I never saw that coming. What was that?
-That was a turtling. To avoid the waves to push you back, you need to sort them. This is one move, where you roll over and let the wave pass over you, I explained to her. It was something really hard, or impossible, to teach on the sand, so I was actually glad she was learning from this experience.
-I see.. like the thing you do, lifting your board, she said watching how I lifted my body again, sorting another wave.
-Yep, exactly, I said smiling to her. She's such a great student.
I sat down on the board, waiting to see the proper wave. I don't know, all of them seemed too intense for Jill. Oh come on Steven, you need to pick one at least. This is happening, like it or not. Or you can go back and face Daniel's big "I told you so" smirk. NO WAY.
-Ok, do you think you can handle that one? Ready to teach Danny a lesson?, I said smiling to encourage her, since she seemed pretty nervous.
-Let's do this, she said smiling back at me.
When the wave was close enough, I turned the board, so we had our backs on the wave coming, and started to paddle slowly, waiting for it. A few seconds later I started to feel the wave raising us, so I knew it was about time to see if Jill would be able to do this.
-Alright Jill, I said loud enough for her to hear me, NOW!
Barely I said "Now", she popped up on the board at the same time I did. Perfect timing my dear sister. Her position was perfect, so I started to worry about my own. It was a little bit difficult to surf with another person on the board, but I've done it before. Besides, Jill was so tiny that I could barely feel the difference. I glanced at her for a seconds while we were on the wave, and saw how happy she looked. The feeling you have during surfing it's just... too good to describe. It feels like total freedom or something.
We were having such a good time when something that I wasn't counting with happened. It's really common actually, but I didn't thought I'd have so much bad luck. Just when I thought everything was perfect, some teenager on a board ran into us and we all fell into the water. That's the moment when I remembered I didn't tie Jill to the board. Oh great Steven, you're a huge idiot! The wave dragged me down, but since it wasn't really a big one, I was able to get to the surface really fast. I rested my body on my board and spitted out all the water I swallowed.
-Jill?, I yelled looking for my sister, Jill where are you?!
-Stevie, over here!, I heard she yelling, so I turned my head around to see my sister's little head on the water. I came closer to her and dragged her on the board. She was coughing a lil bit, and her eyes were irritated. Probably the wave rolled her much harder than it did to me, since she's a lot much smaller than I am.
-Hey, it's ok. I got you sis, I said holding her tight against the board. I could say she was still pretty scared, so I decided it was for the best to drag her out of there. If I'd had that guy right in front of my face I'd have some things to say to him.
I got to the coast as fast as I could, where Cath and Danny were waiting for us, looking pretty scary.
-Oh my God Steve, is she alright?, Cath asked me coming closer to Jill. I'd say she wasn't hurt or anything, just pretty shocked. The feeling of being dragged by a wave it's awful, and it was her very first time.
-Yeah I think she's good, I said trying to catch my breath, It's just that some idiot got into our wave and we ran into him.
-I saw him. If you want, we can go kick his butt, Danny said kneeling beside my sister, trying to cheer her up. He was pretty good at it, since she instantly smiled at him, but no thanks to his terrible joke.
-At least I won 50 bucks from you, so I guess it was worth it, she said to Danny with a smirk, You better pay me Daniel.
-He will, don't worry sis. You sure you're ok? You didn't got hit by anything?, I said fearing she could have hit the board with her head.
-No, I'm ok. I'm sure, she said getting up and drying her hair, I just swallowed too much salted water, that's all. But it was absolutely amazing. I mean... I catched my first wave!
-You did it great sis, I said hugging her, But we're gonna keep practicing, alright?
-Well it was good while it last, she said with a giggle.
I smiled watching her giggle, asking to heaven to give her patience enough to go all the way through this. She'd have many wave rollings before she adapts.
-Hey, I heard someone saying so I turned my head to look at him. It was the teenager that we ran into, coming closer to us.
I turned my head as well to look at him better, but softened my act when I saw he was just about Jill's age. He was a kid technically.
-I'm so sorry guys. I didn't see you until it was too late. Are you ok?, he asked not precisely to me.
-Yeah we're fine. Don't worry, I said trying to be nice. He was a kid after all. I couldn't be that mean... could I?
-Again, I'm so sorry. Are we cool?, he said looking at me. Probably he detected I was the overprotective one, so I gave him a cool smile.
-Yeah, we're cool, I said looking at Jill, Right Jill?
-I guess so, she said shrugging and looking away. I shook my head. She couldn't quit her bratty attitude, not even for a second.
The guy walked away after making sure we were ok, and I noticed Jill was glancing at him over her shoulder. Oh shit, I was in a hurry, and Cath seemed to notice it.
-Hey Steve, what do you say if we go for a walk?, she said pulling me by my arm.
Hell no! I wasn't gonna leave Jill alone with that guy around. What if he's a 2nd Brian or something even worse?
-I don't think Jill wants me to leave, right?, I said trying to resist my girl's charm... and her arm pulling. She's very strong for her size.
-Go brother. Have fun, she said without looking at me.
Oh, I hate you Catherine. You can't do this to your own boyfriend. I feel absolutely betrayed.
-C'mon, give her some space Steven, she said whispering to my ears and pulling me out of there.
We took a long walk through the beach and sat down in a spot under a few palms. I wrapped my arms around her body and decided to let it go. I could only trust Cath knew what she was doing. She's a smart woman after all.
Jill's POV
Ok so one minute I'm on my brother's board, feeling the wind in my face and enjoying it to no end. Then something roughly bumps into me and I fall into the water, swallowing tons of it and feeling rolled over by a huge wave. Once my brother carries me back to the cost and I feel protected I see him... WOW. That was the guy that I ran into on the wave? What a lucky girl I am. He was a lil bit taller than me, dark hair and green eyes, for what I got to see in the few seconds he was standing next to me. He was so cute! And he wanted to see if I was ok. Hmmm...
Alright, time to make a move before I lose this chance. Steve's girlfriend just bought me some time away from my brother (thank God) and Danny was peacefully playing with his daughter on the sand. I made a quick scan of the are trying to spot him and I got to see that he wasn't really that far from me. He was just hanging out with his surfer friends apparently. I grabbed a lil mirror from my bag and checked my hair and my sweet smile. I always do that before going where a cute guy is. Yeah sure, my hair was still wet and a lil messed up but it looked natural.
Ok, let's get this show on the road. So this is my personal favorite move to get a guy's attention. I slowly walked to where he was and passed right in front of him, making sure he saw me as I conveniently looked away. Then I leaned over the soda spot, pretending I was ordering something. I don't know how, but I could bet he was staring at me. I quickly peeked over my shoulder to check on that. Yep, he was indeed staring. Great job Jillian. Now wait for him there, holding your zero coke. I actually hated it, but I had to give him the impression that I was a healthy girl. We don't know what kind of guy he is.
Yes! It worked. He walked closer to me, and I glanced at him once or twice, to let him know I knew he was there. He leaned next to me, giving me a smile. Oh my god, I had to try so hard not to sigh like an idiot in love.
-Sorry again for running into you, he said holding his lips curled in a cute grin. I gave him a half smile, trying not to make a big deal out of this encounter.
-Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal anyway, I said swiftly looking at him up and down. Of course I couldn't tell him I felt like dying just because a tiny little wave rolled me over. He was much more professional than I was... apparently.
-With all this mess I must have missed your name, he said taking a small step closer to me.
Breathe, breathe, breathe! Don't let him see you're nervous. "Men can smell fear better than dogs", that's what my mom says. And the hell she knows.
-I'm Jill, Jill Clelland, I said taking a sip of my coke raising my brows to him, And you are...?
-I'm Zeth, Zeth Sattely, he said offering me his hand, Nice to ran into you Jill.
I couldn't help but giggling. Usually, I avoid to look adorable during the first round, but I couldn't help it. He was so cute, and so funny... ugh, control yourself for God sake! You've only spent five minutes with this guy.
-I... I like your name, I said smiling to him like a dork.
"I like your name"? What the hell was that?! Omg, he must think I'm so stupid. C'mon Jill, he's the one supposed to tell you that he likes stuff about you.
-Thank you. You're really nice, he said looking at his friends, that kept on calling him, Look I really have to get back there right now, but I'd like to see you again you know. What do you say?, he said waiting for my answer. I really didn't know what to say.
-I don't know... it's just that I'm not from here, and I'm staying with my brother so..., I said and he instantly dropped the smile.
Oh, great Steven. You just cost me a date. I really, really hate you right now.
-Don't worry. I understand, he bringing the smile to his charming face again, But if by any chance your brother sets you free, he said grabbing a pen from the soda spot, Text me. I'll be more than glad to show you the city.
-Ok, I'll do my best. No promises, I said trying to look tough, but I wasn't successful at all. Ugh Jill, you look so desperate. Oh wait a minute, I actually am. I'm alone in the middle of Hawaii and my ex boyfriend is in jail. Yeah, I think I have the right of look desperate.
Just then I remembered I had a lil problem with all this Zeth thing. Steven got my phone.