"Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." – Matthew 28:20
With the end of November came the end of college applications, warm summer weather, and the struggles of the beginning of the school year. Thanksgiving break was welcomed with open arms by every member of the gang, for it meant a well-deserved break from homework, tests, drama, and the other headaches that came with high school. Instead, the gang relished their midmorning surf sessions in the cool, glassy water, spontaneous bike rides to Scottie's for lunch, and an uninterrupted time of bonding and friendship that had been lacking for the first three months of school.
Alana woke up on Thanksgiving morning with her heart already prepped for the excitement of the day. She made a cup of coffee, wrapped herself in three layers of blankets, and curled up on her bed to spend a few quiet minutes reading God's Word. Instead of bowing her head as she prayed, she lifted her eyes to the blue cloud-filled expanse of the sky outside her bedroom window. Her heart overflowed with thanksgiving. She was still coming to terms with the shame she felt from rejecting Cole, but now was the first time she finally believed she was forgiven. Her slate had been wiped clean. Cole had made his mistakes and she had made hers, but this was a new chapter for them. They had passed through a tumultuous struggle and emerged victorious. Now that was something to be thankful for.
Fifteen minutes later, Alana was interrupted by the sounds of Dylan and Tammy getting ready for the day. They were joining the Andersons for a Thanksgiving lunch at noon, and after that, Alana would join the gang for what Jake had famously dubbed The Quad Date. It was basically a quadruple date made up of Maya and Jake, Alana and Cole, Koa and Nikki, and Blaine, who—much to his chagrin—had been set up with a blind date.
While she thought ahead to all the day's events, Alana smiled imperceptibly, knowing that the Quad Date was going to make for an extremely fun evening.
As with all holidays, however, the anticipation far outlasted the actual duration of the holiday. Thanksgiving was no exception. Lunch came and went quicker than Alana would have liked. It was both relaxing and entertaining to eat Thanksgiving turkey, ham, and stuffing with Tammy on one side of her, Dylan on the other, and the Anderson twins sitting across from them.
But then it was time for the quadruple date. Even though she normally didn't obsess over what to wear, Alana found herself staring at her closet for ten whole minutes, pondering what was acceptable for a dressy-casual date. She finally sighed and dialed Maya's number, hoping her friend would be able to get her out of the predicament.
Maya was more than happy to help Alana choose an outfit to wear. After Alana described several of her tops (and a few dresses that she had shoved in the back of her closet, hoping she would never have to wear them), Maya finally picked two outfits and told Alana to send a picture of each of them once she had tried them on. Alana obediently followed her friends' instructions, and in the end Maya had her wear a light silver dress with a black cardigan and ankle boots.
With just ten minutes before Cole was supposed to pick her up for the Quad Date, Alana hurriedly brushed her teeth, fashioned her hair to hang down in its typical beach waves, and pulled on her shoes.
The doorbell rang moments later. Though Alana heard it loud and clear, causing her heart to perform an uncharacteristic flutter, Dylan nonetheless hollered "Cole's here!"
Alana raced downstairs and met her brother in the foyer. She saw Tammy peek her head above the back of the couch and smile.
"Have fun!" Tammy said.
Alana grinned and put a hand on the doorknob, but Dylan stopped her with a slight tug on her cardigan. "Hey, don't act so nervous," he said.
"Who—who said I was nervous?" she stammered.
His eyes twinkled. "Enjoy yourself. But remember that you'll always be my little sister, too."
She met his gaze with a cautious, inquisitive one. Tammy interrupted their silent conversation moments later by shouting, "Give Cole a kiss for me!"
Alana turned and glowered at her, causing Tammy to laugh and duck behind the couch again.
"See you tonight," Dylan said before releasing his hold on Alana's cardigan. She flushed and pulled open the door, eager to escape the embarrassing moment. But as soon as she turned towards Cole, she came face-to-face with his fist, which was raised midway in the air as if he had been about to knock.
"Oh," he said, quickly dropping his fist before his momentum drove it straight into Alana's face.
She laughed and closed the door behind her. "That was a close call."
"Yeah...sorry." He winced. "So, uh, how's your head doing?"
It was a question Cole had asked every single day since Alana had fainted on the beach during their last competition. "You know it was only a mild concussion. I'm fine," she said, stressing the word fine to show that he didn't have to ask again.
Catching her drift, Cole blushed slightly and put a hand on her arm. As they walked to his Volkswagen, he looked away so she couldn't see the flush on his cheeks. Upon reaching the vehicle, Cole held open the passenger door for Alana to slide in.
She raised an eyebrow. "Why, thank you."
Cole grinned.
After he closed her door and circled around to the driver's side, Alana glanced out her window and saw Dylan watching them from inside the house. He gave Alana a quick wave, and she returned it with a smile.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Cole jerked open the driver's door and took a seat. After buckling himself in, he turned the key in the ignition and shifted into gear.
The drive took twenty minutes, but for Alana, it seemed to go by in an instant. She found herself continually glancing over at Cole, watching his hand on the gearshift, his light curls catching the late afternoon light, and the soft half-smile curling on the corners of his lips.
It only took a moment for her to realize what was happening, and when she did, she felt a thrills cascade down her back and to the very tips of her toes.
She was falling for Cole Anderson, and she was falling hard.
She noticed it when he parked at the restaurant, sprinted around to her side of the van, and helped her out with a firm hand on her arm.
She noticed it when he guided her into the waiting room with his palm in the small of her back, occasionally glancing down and smiling at her with his lips hovering only a few inches above her own.
She noticed it when he sat across from her at their table, wiggling his eyebrows and cracking a joke every few minutes, making sure to nudge her foot with his shoe whenever he said the punchline.
It was nearly impossible for Alana to focus on the other matters at hand—namely, spending time with the rest of the gang—but she was so caught up in Cole that it was hard to keep her thoughts occupied with anything else.
Suddenly, Jake broke the news about his mom. "Guys," he said, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"You secretly love shortboarding," Cole suggested.
Jake smiled but shook his head. "It's about my mom." He gave Blaine and Maya a pointed look. "These two already know, but I don't want to ruin tonight's dinner for the rest of you guys."
That got everyone's attention. "Don't worry about it," Koa said. "We're here for you."
With a deep breath, Jake explained, "Recently I found out my mom has cancer."
"I'm so sorry, Jake," Alana said immediately.
"Oh, man," Koa put in. "That's heavy. What treatment is she getting?"
"Chemo for her breast cancer," he replied, lowering his gaze.
Maya placed her hand on top of his. "We're all praying for your family," she said.
"Why don't we pray now?" Cole suggested. Everyone looked at him and nodded, so he led the gang in prayer for the Sanders family and for healing. Alana was especially touched by his genuine words. She thought about her own parents' accident, and then Maya's family, and realized relationships were gifts that should never be taken for granted.
"Alana? Alana."
She quickly opened her eyes and realized the prayer had ended. Everyone had turned their attention back to their food.
"Hey," Maya said quietly, "what's with you tonight?"
Alana parted her lips, about to reply, but quickly shut them when she realized she didn't know what to say. Her eyes met Cole's across the table, and a warm feeling settled in her stomach. "Just...happy," she said lamely.
"Good." Maya smiled and put a hand on her knee. "It's because of you that the Ventura High surf team gets to go to the championships, after all!"
Everyone immediately chimed in after that. "Hey, you're right," Jake said, leaning forward and nearly knocking over his water glass. "The competition is this weekend."
"We're gonna take first," Cole declared.
"And Alana deserves to win," Koa added, giving her a wink.
She felt her cheeks flush and quickly deflected the attention back to Koa. "But there has to be a longboard champ, too."
"And what makes you think it won't be me?" Jake asked in mock offense.
"Because Koa obviously has more talent than you," Maya said.
"Ouch," Jake muttered, causing everyone to laugh.
"I second that," Nikki spoke up, giving Koa a little nudge with her shoulder.
Alana smiled as she met her gaze. She was happy for Koa—really, really happy. Now that things were no longer as awkward between them, their friendship had rapidly improved. Plus, she had gotten to see a new side of Nikki. Though she and Koa had only been dating for a few weeks, their relationship was as solid as Maya and Jake's. Nikki had even started coming regularly to church, intrigued by Koa and the gang's faith and curious to learn more.
Alana smiled down at her half-finished plate of food and stirred her salad around with her fork. Maybe in time Koa would be dating a new Christian, like Alana was now. They would certainly have their arguments and squabbles, but things were looking up. Maya and Jake were back together, Koa had found his girl, Alana and Cole were reunited, and Blaine—well, Blaine was currently engrossed in conversation with the girl Maya had set him up with for tonight's quadruple date: a fellow surfer and regular attender of youth group at church.
Everyone thought it was hilarious how quickly Blaine and Holly got along. They talked surfing, they talked school, and they talked church—three things which Blaine could never run out of ideas for. Now, as Alana glanced over at them from where they sat at the opposite end of the table, she couldn't help but smile at their interactions.
"They're getting along well, huh?" Cole asked just loud enough for Alana to hear.
"Very well. Do you think...?"
He shrugged. "Time will tell."
She chuckled. Time would tell. For now, she was satisfied with the direction the gang was headed, college and all.
"Have you received word yet?" she asked Maya, referring to the acceptance letter that Maya was anticipating from Channel Islands, a nearby university.
Her face suddenly lit up. "Oh my gosh! Yes!"
Her voice attracted the attention of everyone else at the table, Blaine and Holly included.
"Where did you apply?" Holly asked.
"Cal State Channel Islands," Maya clarified. "I received an acceptance letter from them yesterday."
A flurry of congratulations were thrown her way, causing Maya to beam. "But don't forget about Jake," she said. "He got accepted before I did."
Jake nodded and smiled. It was official; they were going to the local university together.
"Blaine," Maya said, gesturing towards him with her fork. "Are you still thinking about Bible college?"
"Definitely," he replied. "I've already applied to California Coast Bible College."
Alana saw his eyes flicker over to Cole. She knew both brothers were going to stay local, just like Maya and Jake—only Cole would be going to community college while helping his dad design surfboards on the side.
As for herself, Alana was headed to community college too, but she didn't have big plans for a four-year university afterwards. Her main goal was to keep up her sponsors and someday make a career out of surfing. Already Roxy had briefed her on a potential all-girls' surf film that they wanted her to be a part of. The filming would be done primarily in Baja Mexico, a surefire way to give Alana more coverage along with some extra cash in the bank.
From there, the conversation turned towards everyone's plans for the future. Though things were a little hazy after college, everyone was in agreement that surfing would definitely remain a part of their normal routine.
"We should start a tradition," Cole said, placing his hands flat on the table as he gave his friends an eager look. "If some of us move away from Ventura, or move across the country, or end up in Hawaii—whatever happens, we need to stick together. And what better way to do that than to set up an annual surf session?"
Everyone grinned.
"We definitely should," Jake agreed, "but when would we do that?"
"During one of the holidays," Koa suggested. "That's when everyone would have a break from work and school."
Cole held up his hands. "Why not Thanksgiving?"
Alana leaned back in her seat, thoughtful. "We usually spend Thanksgiving with family," she pointed out.
"Yeah, but just like we did tonight, we also had time to get together as friends," Cole pointed out.
"True," she assented.
Blaine suddenly leaned forward. "How about a nighttime surf sesh? You know, after we're done eating our Thanksgiving turkey and spending time with family?" He smiled. "After all, tonight's a full moon."
Alana glanced around the table. Excitement danced in everyone's eyes. "Let's do it," she said automatically.
"Right after dinner?" Maya asked.
"As soon as we finish," Cole said, "let's head home, get changed, and meet at C Street like we usually do."
Jake pumped his fist in the air. "All right!"
It was settled. The gang finished eating and talking minutes later, then filed out of the restaurant in pairs to head home and get ready. For Alana, the night didn't seem like Thanksgiving anymore—it felt like Christmas, or maybe New Year's. Her heart was aflutter with excitement.
Cole swept her hand up in his own and led her towards the Volkswagen. "Are you ready?" he said, dipping his head to get a close look at her expression.
"Of course," she said breathlessly.
Half an hour later, Alana and Cole were standing in the twilight next to a tall palm tree, digging their toes into the sand to keep their feet warm while they waited for the others to arrive.
"You know," Cole said, his breath coming out in white puffs in the chilly night air, "we've been through a lot since school started in September."
Alana studied his profile, which was faintly illuminated by a streetlight, creating little golden halos around his curls. "Yeah," she said. "We have."
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, simultaneously folding her arms over her chest to ward off the cold. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Cole replied. "Anything."
Alana smiled. After their breach of trust, he had become extremely committed to doing everything he could to reestablish communication.
"I know it's a touchy subject," she said apologetically, "but we never really talk about Taylor."
He ran a hand down his jaw, thinking.
"How do you feel about it? Her death, I mean."
He sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I was shocked when it happened, but then at the same time I was relieved, because it took a huge weight off my shoulders. But later I came to realize that her death left me with so many regrets. I never got to talk to her again, or point her in the right direction, or..." His voice trailed off.
"Hey," Alana said gently. She placed her hands on his shoulders and drew close. "You did all you could. You were good to her."
He kept his eyes downcast, but a soft smile graced the corners of his lips.
"Did you ever find out who the real father was?" Alana asked.
"No," he sighed. "I wonder if she ever told him...whoever he was."
"Maybe she wrote a note to him, like she did to you," Alana suggested.
He furrowed his brow. "Maybe." He suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"You have no idea how lucky I am to have you," he said, placing his hands on her waist. "I'm so lucky to get to spend time with you."
She laughed when he leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against hers. "I'm lucky too," she said quietly. Recently she had sat down with Dylan and made some changes to her schedule: reducing her number of photoshoots and other media coverage, including interviews. This allowed her more time for school and relaxing—and for hanging out with Cole. She was fortunate to have Dylan's guidance.
"Are you excited for doing another film with Trevor?" Cole asked, reminding her of the footage they were planning to get over winter break.
"Definitely," she said. "I think Trevor should do a film exclusively about you, though. I don't want to get all the attention."
"But you're the best surfer out of our group," Cole pointed out.
"Oh," Alana laughed, "now there's something I would never hear the old Cole Anderson say."
He started laughing too. "It's true! I love watching you surf. I love watching you do anything, really."
"Oh, come on. That was way too cheesy."
"Is this?" He grinned, tracing the bottom of her chin lightly with his thumb, before slowly pressing his lips against hers.
Alana immediately closed her eyes. She smiled slightly against their kiss, concentrating solely on the way he moved his and the pressure of his hands on her waist. It made thrills of joy run all the way down to the tips of her toes.
"Well?" Cole asked after he pulled away.
"That—that was great," she said breathlessly. It was as amazing as she had imagined her first kiss would be. She laughed and moved her hands down to his back. As they embraced, she nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder.
Cole leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Good," he said simply.
Suddenly, two headlight beams swept over them before fading away into blackness. Alana and Cole looked up and saw that the rest of the gang had finally arrived. They watched as Jake, Maya, Blaine, and Koa jumped out of Koa's truck and grabbed their boards from the back.
Cole rubbed his hand against the small of Alana's back. "You ready?" he asked, grinning.
"I'm cold," she said, her teeth chattering, "but I'm ready."
He laughed. "Then let's get moving!"
The six teenagers whooped and talked excitedly as they got ready for their nighttime surf. Once every board was waxed and every wetsuit zipped tight, they headed across the sand to the water. Alana shivered when the cold water hit her legs, but her attention was quickly diverted by the crashing of whitewater off in the distance.
Jake whooped. "Look at that set!" he exclaimed.
Alana could see the whitewater as clear as day. The foam reflected the shine of moonlight perfectly. Meanwhile, the rest of the ocean was dark as midnight, yet illuminated slightly by small whitecaps glinting from the moon's rays.
She glanced to her right and saw Maya jump onto her shortboard. On the opposite side stood Jake, eyes fixed excitedly on the horizon. To her left stood Cole, Blaine, and Koa, tall and strong in the faint glow of the moon.
Alana looked up at the starry sky overhead. She was beyond thankful—thankful for her amazing friends and for the God that blessed her with them. Whatever happened the rest of the school year and into college, she knew he would be with her. He would always be with her.
With a smile, she jumped onto her board and began paddling.
the end :)
I tied up as many loose ends as I could so you would enjoy this final chapter. But the gang's story is not yet over...I am still considering writing an outline for a third book! We shall see :D
I am so excited - and so sad - that Caught Inside is officially complete. But even more so, I feel immensely grateful for everyone who has ever read, voted, commented, and supported this story. Some of you have even commented on every single chapter, which blows me away - your feedback has been incredibly helpful and motivating!
Thank you guys for sticking with me all the way through. You have been so encouraging and inspiring, and I feel blessed to have such great readers and friends :)
Enjoy the rest of the year, have a merry Christmas, and stay posted for the next story I'll be writing!
God bless,
Summer