"So what are you going to do?" Abbi's voice was muffled, her head buried inside her closet as she searched for something to wear.
"Hold on to the letter until my birthday," I said. "Then take it to Donna along with a lawyer."
"Then what?"
"I'll be owning the Shack, so in a couple of weeks I should have enough money to put a down payment on an apartment," I said. "Until then, I was hoping I could...stay here?"
Abbi peeked her head out of the closet, shooting me a wide grin. "Of course. Mi casa es tu casa."
"Thanks," I said. "And once I have my own place, I can take online college courses in business. Get my degree while still having plenty of time to surf and help out at the Shack. Until I have my degree and know how to manage the place, I figured I could have Mike run it. He used to work with my dad behind the scenes, so he knows a little bit about the managing stuff. Even if he is lazy when he works."
"Sounds like you've got it all set out, Fish," Abbi emerged from her closet, tossing a few outfits on the bed. "But have you thought about the championship?"
"Thought about it? Of course. It's all I think about."
"Well if you win that, the grand prize would go to you," Abbi said, frowning down at a blue dress before putting it back in the closet. "Since you're turning eighteen a day before the competition. Which would mean you'd have plenty of money to get an apartment right away. You could move out the day after the championship."
I blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah," Abbi said, raising her eyebrows at me. "You've got a good chance, Lindsey. You could really win this thing."
I nodded slightly just as my phone blared. I glanced at the caller ID, letting out a sigh. "Donna."
"You gotta run?"
"Per usual," I shot her a grin. "I'll see you tonight."
"Sounds good," Abbi said as I tapped my screen to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Lindsey, dear, are you almost home from surfing? We have to get ready for the ceremony tonight," Donna said as something crashed in the background. I hopped in my car, leaning my head back against the headrest.
"Yep. Be home in a few."
"Okay. Do you have something to wear?"
"I laid out a couple of—"
"I'll go pick one out," Donna cut me off. "I'll see you soon."
With that, she hung up, and I set my phone in the cupholder and started the car up. Prior to the championship, a large party was held for the finalists who made it. It was basically a news conference, where the four of us who made it to the top would answer questions and meet the people who would be our judges. It was a formal dinner, something I was not too thrilled about, but it was an open invite to any who wanted to come so I had plenty of friends joining me.
I pulled into my driveway, hopping out of the car and into the house. I tossed my keys on the counter, walking back to my room and peeking in to see Donna rushing about.
"I'm home."
"Lindsey!" Donna's face was lit with excitement as she rushed towards me. I understood completely; while she knew nothing about surfing, Donna definitely knew how to attend a dinner party in style.
"What is that?" My nose wrinkled as I stared at the dress she had laid out.
"That is what you're wearing tonight," Donna picked up the dress, smiling widely. "I bought it today as a surprise."
Seeing the pure joy on Donna's face and knowing it was directed towards me made a smile rise to my lips, despite the dress that was totally not my style. I took the hanger from her hands and stepped into the bathroom, slipping the dress on before reappearing in front of Donna.
"You look gorgeous," Donna said, her eyes glistening as she clasped her hands together. "Let me fix up your hair and makeup and you are going to steal the show tonight."
I sighed as she brushed past me into the bathroom, setting out random tools to help me get ready. I cocked my head, studying the dress in the mirror across my room. It was a bright red sleeveless dress with a lacy top half, the skirt landing just above my knees. I turned just as Donna ushered me into the bathroom, sitting me down and ordering me to close my eyes.
For the next hour and a half, I waited as she painted my face with just the right amount of makeup, curling my hair so it landed on my shoulders in soft waves. By the time she had finished, I hardly recognized the girl in the mirror—sharp red lipstick, smoky black around my eyes, somehow the look making my blue eyes pop.
"And last but not least," Donna leaned forward, clasping a necklace around my neck and giving me a soft smile. I looked down before my eyes snapped back up to hers, my heart warming.
"This was my mom's," I said quietly.
"It was," Donna said. "Your dad asked me to give it to you on your graduation day. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have it a little early."
"Thank you," the words barely escaped my lips and I let out a deep breath, turning to face myself in the mirror.
"You look stunning," Donna placed her hands on my shoulders, smiling. "Now I have to go get ready."
I nodded as she left the room, heading back to get ready. I could barely hear music playing as Kelly and Taryn got dressed as well. I stepped out into my room, slipping on the black heels Donna had left out and picking up my phone to see a text from Drew.
Am I picking you up tonight?
I texted him back, smiling slightly to myself.
No thanks. I'm riding with Donna tonight.
I stood, stepping over to my dresser and picking up my wallet and purse. I shoved my things into the small bag before heading out into the hallway, unable to keep the smile off my face.
For the first time in a long time, I was confident that tonight I would enjoy time with my family.
******************************************************************************
"Holy shit."
I turned slightly to find Drew's eyes on me, my mouth curling up in a smile. Stepping forward, I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. "Hey babe."
"Hey," he said, his hazel eyes finding mine. "You look...wow."
"I hope that's a good wow."
"It's a very good wow," Drew smiled flawlessly. "Damn, my girl is gorgeous."
I flushed slightly, laughing as we took our seats at the table. Donna was sitting to my left, Drew to my right. The rest of the table was filled by Kelly and Taryn, each with their respective dates. At the table next to us sat Abbi, Luke, Jake, Jenna, and Braxton, all dressed up for the evening. I glanced around the room, my eyes finding Courtney sitting with her family, Matthew at her side. The boy had been practically glued to her hips ever since they started dating, and he did all of Courtney's bidding—which she was obviously thrilled about.
"You nervous for the press conference?"
"Not at all," I smiled at Drew as the food began coming around, large plates set in front of each of us. "I've dreamt of this moment my entire life."
"I'll be right here the whole time," Drew said with a meaningful smile. "Look at me if you need me."
"Got it," I said, taking a bite of my salad and letting out a content sigh. "I was so hungry."
"Is it good?" Drew asked, picking at the lettuce suspiciously.
"Surprisingly, yes."
"Speaking of surprises," Drew gave me an unfamiliar look, standing and smiling at someone behind me. I frowned, turning and instantly smiling widely as I stood.
"Mitch," I said as Drew's father came towards us. "You came."
"I wouldn't miss this," he said. I turned to look at Donna.
"Donna, this is Drew's dad," I said as she rose to stand next to me. "He's been helping me out on the waves."
"It's so nice to meet you," Donna said with a smile.
"The pleasure is mine," Mitch said, opening his mouth to speak when an announcer's voice blared across the room.
"Could all finalists please take their places at the stage?"
"That's my cue," I said, turning and placing a kiss on Drew's cheeks and waving to Mitch and Donna. I stepped up to the table on the stage, taking a seat at the place with my nametag. In front of me sat a simple glass of water on the black tablecloth.
I was barely aware of Courtney sliding into the seat next to me, dressed in a tight black dress that hugged her hips just right, the sleeves stretching down to her wrists. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, silver earrings dangling from her ears. To my left sat the other two finalists—girls I had only seen surf on film. Tomi Humphreys was a shorter girl with gorgeous curly hair, her skin a dark olive color and her eyes deep brown. She turned, giving me an infectious wide smile.
"Isn't this crazy?" her voice was sweet and I shook my head.
"Insane," I said as the other competitor Bianca Denver sat next to Tomi. Besides Courtney, Bianca would be the top competition on the waves—though Tomi was good as well. It would be a tight contest, all four of us having different skill sets. Bianca was well known for her speed on the waves, and she was able to land more moves in a quick, clean matter.
"Welcome, ladies," the announcer's voice snapped me out of my daze and I smiled, the lights blaring into my eyes as I faced the crowd for the first time. "We're so glad you could join us tonight. This is going to be quite simple—only a thirty minute press conference before you can meet the judges, and then the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy. At the four tables in the middle are journalists from well-known news sources, here to interview you guys. You will take turns answering questions until the time runs out.
"First off, could you please run down the table and introduce yourself? Your name and district, please."
Bianca started the line off. "Hi, I'm Bianca Denver, and I'm from the Honolulu district."
Tomi waved to the crowd next. "I'm Tomi Humphreys, from the Hilo district."
I smiled, turning to look at the reporters specifically. "I'm Lindsey Fisher, from the Kuwaii district."
"Courtney Jenkins, also from the Kuwaii district."
"Thank you," the announcer smiled at us before turning to the reporters. "The floor is now open for questions."
I watched as four or five reporters hands shot into the air, each shouting out different names. Looking down the table, I opened my mouth to tell Bianca she could go first before I heard Courtney say, "Yes?"
"Melissa Jordan, from the Honolulu Times," the reporter stood, her short blonde hair falling off her shoulders loosely. "Ms. Jenkins, there's a rumor going around that you're now landing a double kickflip, a move that tops your long-time competitor Lindsey Fisher's famous 360. What made you decide to add the move to your routine?"
I raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Courtney. She cocked her head at the reporter, calm and collected. "I really just wanted to add an extra edge to my routine. The double kickflip allowed me to showcase some of my top skills without forcing me to remove any other moves from my layout. Plus, it edged me above the other competitors when it comes to skill level."
The reporter rushed to write things down as Bianca called on another reporter. It went on like this for about twenty five minutes, each girl answering several questions about our layouts and skill sets. Finally, the announcer cut in.
"We have time for one more question," he said, looking out at the reporters. One of them stood in the front, raising his hand before looking directly at Courtney.
"Ms. Jenkins, we know that you and Lindsey Fisher have had an intense rivalry on the waves for years now," he said. "How do you think that is going to play out in this competition?"
I looked at Courtney, curious to hear her response. "Lindsey and I have been pretty equally matched for a while, especially as we get older. I feel like every time she develops a new move, I come up with one soon after, and we usually go back and forth on who's on top."
I nodded as she continued, shooting me a strange glance. "She makes me a better surfer, I'll give her that. This competition will show who's truly the best."
I was genuinely surprised at her answer, barely noticing as the announcer ended the conference and allowed us to retake our seats. I sat down next to Drew, shooting Courtney one last glance before smiling at the table around me and rejoining the conversation. I let myself relax, enjoying the strange night—Donna and I bonding, Courtney and I getting along, even Kelly and Taryn coming to support me.
For all its surprises, tonight was one I would cherish for a while.