Dirty: The Complete Series (Secret Baby Romance Love Story) (92 page)

“That’s a shitty excuse for ruining your
best friend’s life.”

“I was still pissed off from you slugging
me.”

“You had that coming.”

“I was worried you were going to screw up
the rest of your life over a hot piece of ass.”

“Fuck you! Summer was…is more than that
and I tried to tell you that, but you didn’t want to listen. You told the
biggest mouth at that fucking gala everything about her that she didn’t want
them to know and they used it to humiliate her. It was like fucking high school
all over again. You all make me sick.”

“You’re right. I should never have told
Sabrina anything. I know she still has the hots for you. She wasn’t going to
just sit back and let you be with a girl who is twenty times hotter than her.
In Chrissy’s defense, though, I think she really felt bad…”

“Chrissy? What did Chrissy have to do with
any of it?”

“Summer didn’t tell you?”

“No, what did my sister do?”

“It was still really Sabrina. She drug
Chrissy into the ladies room to talk about Summer. It turns out that Summer was
in there and heard them. I guess she tore Sabrina a new one, but you know her.
That bitch is convinced she’s God’s gift to the world. It doesn’t matter what
anyone says, she’ll find a way to turn it around. She said Summer came at her
like a wildcat. Chrissy says Summer was pretty damned composed, considering. If
Chrissy hadn’t been there, I’d be willing to bet the story would have been even
crazier.” I turned and started paddling back to the beach. “Where are you
going?”

“To fire Sabrina.”

“She has a meeting with Catalyst in three
days… Laguna is next week!”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

SUMMER

“Hey, Summer, you got a package.” Ace was
yelling at me from the entrance to our hideaway. He already knew what kind of
mood I was in. I wasn’t sure why he wanted to fuck with me. I’ve been up pacing
since before sunrise, worried about everything from what I’d look like in my
shitty little bikini to a shark attack. Anything and everything that could go
wrong and keep me from losing that competition was inside my head. Before I
could say anything to Ace, Bennie yelled back,

“Leave her alone, Ace. She’s getting in
the mindset for the big win today.” Since I told Bennie I wasn’t seeing Drake
any longer, his mood had been almost euphoric.

“Okay, so what should I do with her
package?”

“Seriously, Ace, give that shit a rest.
It’s not even fucking funny,” I told him.

He stepped inside and held a black
neoprene surfing suit up to him. It didn’t reach across his chest and it only
came down to his knees. “Okay, but I really don’t think this is for me.”

“Fucking rich bastard.”

Bennie mumbled that, loudly. “Let it go,
Bennie.” I tried to keep a straight face as my heart swelled to twice its size.
Drake bought me a suit. It had to be from Drake. I didn’t have any other fairy
godmothers. I grabbed it from Ace and held it up against myself. I couldn’t
contain the smile. I could see Bennie scowling out of the corner of my eye, but
I didn’t care. I hadn’t even mentioned to Drake that I was worried about being
the only one there without one. He’d just known. As I hugged it to my chest
Bennie said,

“I thought you haven’t talked to that rich
boy.”

“His name is Drake, don’t call him ‘rich
boy,’ and I haven’t talked to him. He was teaching me, he obviously knew I
didn’t have a suit. It was a kind thing to do.”

“You’re going to keep it?”

“Do you have any idea how fucking cold that
water is?” He didn’t answer me, but I heard him make a choking noise when Ace
handed me a small canvas bag and said,

“There’s more.”

I took the bag and started to look through
it. Realizing I had an audience, I took it over to the back corner and sat down
with it. There was a can of Sex Wax and cloths to wax my board with, a leash
that had to be six feet long, a black compression t-shirt, and a pair of board
shorts. I couldn’t believe he did all of this and although I knew Bennie was
right and I really shouldn’t keep any of it, I was going to keep it all.
Suddenly, the anxiety I was filled with over this competition was replaced with
a sense of anticipation and something like peace. I felt more confident than I
had up to this point. I felt like I could really do this – and then I can
change my life.

“If you’re going to make it for check-in,
then we should get going.” Bennie was standing over me and the look on his face
wanted to suck the happy out of me, but I wasn’t going to let it. I smiled at
him, dropped my new things back in the bag, and stood up. He had my board. I
picked up the wetsuit and tucked it underneath my arm.

“Good luck, Summer.” Phoebe had come up
behind me. She was on her way out to her corner. It was business as usual for
the rest of the crew today. I realized then just how ungrateful I’d been
lately. I hugged Phoebe and when I pulled back I told her,

“Thank you! If it wasn’t for you, I
wouldn’t have even been able to enter this contest.” Phoebe’s take on her
corner paid my entry fee. I’d been so caught up in Drake and what I was going
to do, I’d forgotten to give credit where it was due.

She pushed me back and with a smile she
said, “Stop it and go kick some ass – I expect my money back.”

I giggled, giddy with adrenaline all of a
sudden. “I’m ready,” I finally said to Bennie.

It was a good thing that Bennie didn’t
talk on our short walk to the part of the beach where the contest was being
held. I used the time to get myself more pumped up and by the time we got
there, I was almost certain that I would be the one walking away with the ten
grand…almost.

The beach was as cluttered as I expected
it would be, but the sight of all of those spectators gave me anxiety. There
were sponsor tents and kiosks selling everything from sex wax to surf clothes.
The air around us smelled like suntan lotion and was laden heavily with both
sea spray and excitement. I looked out into the water at the orange and red
buoys floating and bobbing up and down. The buoys map out the swells,
supposedly. Drake had told me more than once that the buoys lie and that he
doesn’t put any stock in what they say, for the most part. He said the best
indicator of the force of the waves was how long it took the first one to knock
you on your ass.

We made our way to the registration tent
and while I stood in line, I took stock of my competition. There were ten of us
signed up to compete. A group of really young kids with stickered up boards
stood off to the side talking in a language I didn’t really understand, but I
could spot the one who would be competing. He was trying to look cool, but the
tiny bead of sweat above his lip and the tremor in his hand gave him away. Just
behind me in line were two old timers. These were the guys who reminded me of
Grandpa, only they had only dreamt of glory and never obtained it. Just in
front of me were a couple of teeny-bopper females in colorful bikini tops and
board shorts. They giggled a lot and theirs was a language foreign to me, as
well. Then there was the one big guy who looked like Drake. He was built like a
tank and you could see the aggression in his eyes. He might not be a
professional, but he had been surfing most of his life. He was ready to rip and
hungry to win. Watching his swagger made the anxiety begin to creep back in and
it threatened to smother that newfound courage I had this morning.

It was finally my turn at the registration
desk. “Summer French,” I told the girl. She dug through the pile until she
found my paperwork, crossed my name off a list, and handed me a big yellow
number. This was where Bennie and I parted ways. He gave me a hug before I took
my stuff and walked down towards the point. My number was five, which meant I
had to stand here and watch four others go before me. The anxiety was taking
over now and my entire body was shaking. I found a spot in the sun and took out
my wax and cloths to begin to wax the board. I swiped at it awkwardly at first,
until I finally closed my eyes and pictured Drake’s face as he showed me how to
do it. I began to move my hand in slow, rhythmic circles and within minutes, I
had gotten into a rhythm and a calmer state of mind. This was my chance and I
wasn’t going to blow it. I was going to be someone someday and it started right
here and now.

While I waxed the board, the opening
ceremonies went on and the sponsors lauded their products. When it was finally
time to get started, I put the wax away and carried my board over to where the
other contestants sat and watched. The first guy, one of the older ones, almost
immediately got sucked into a swirl. There was a bit of panic on the beach
until he finally popped up about thirty yards out. He looked more disappointed
than hurt or afraid. I felt bad for him. The attendees rushed out to help him
and number two got busy getting ready as the first was brought to shore.

Numbers two and three, both younger guys,
rode their waves, but their balance was off and neither of them looked totally
comfortable with it. The ocean didn’t give number four much to work with, but
he did well with what he had. He was the big guy who had worried me so much so
I felt a little guilty about being relieved. Unless the other older man, the
two teenage beauty queens, and the last two young guys were phenomenal, I still
had a chance.

I walked out towards the water dressed in
my new wetsuit and with the six foot leash attached to my board. I felt my toes
tingle from the cold as I waded out into the water and lay out on my board. The
wetsuit was amazing. The rest of my body didn’t feel the cold at all. I heard
the whistle and began to paddle out. I closed my eyes once more and listened
for the sound of Drake’s voice in my head, telling me to have patience and wait
for the wave to come to me. He’d told me more than once that surfing was all
about timing. My grandfather used to say the same thing all the time. As I
paddled out, I could see a wave building off to my right. I was getting tossed
around and pushed backwards by the current. I dug in deeply the way Drake
taught me. He told me that I should visualize the ocean as a solid thing and
grab ahold of it. Once I had a hold on it, all I had to do was pull myself up
and over the top.

I saw the next wave coming in time to
paddle towards it. This was it. I could see that it was building momentum. This
was my perfect wave, and all I had to do was ride it. Just before I got on top
of it, I took the deepest breath possible. Then, I shoved the board underwater
as deep as I could get it and I followed with the top of my body. I heard a
roar in the distance, probably the voices on the beach, but as I submerged my
body deeper into the water it was like hearing it from the inside of a
seashell. I punched back up through the surface and that was when I popped up
on the board. I had to smile. I did that like a pro. Drake would be proud. I
took another deep breath and I hit it: that sweet spot Drake told me to look
for. “Every wave has one,” he had told me over and over. I usually had trouble
finding it, but today it was like the stars had all aligned.

I “danced” on top of my board like he
taught me, a shift in balance, flick of the ankles, curl of the toes, until I
was all the way on top of it. That’s when I twisted and turned as I kept my
balance for what seemed like a long time. It was like time had slowed down
right up until I felt the smooth rush of the drop. My stomach was in my throat
while I rode it all the way down to the surface. I stayed on my feet the entire
time and once I was down, I could hear the cheering of the crowd on the beach.
I sat up, straddled my board, and looked out at them. They were cheering for
me. It was surreal. My eyes landed on Bennie. He had a bright smile on his face
as he jumped up and down. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. I tipped my
head back and turned my face up to the sun. I closed my eyes and just basked in
it for a few seconds – I felt so alive. When I opened my eyes and lay down to
paddle in, I saw Drake. He was wearing a pair of blue board shirts and didn’t
have on a shirt. He was looking at me, and the morning sun was suddenly
irrelevant as his smile lit up the beach and warmed my body from head to toe.

When I came out of the water, I searched
the rushing crowd once more. Drake was gone. Bennie grabbed me up in a hug and
swung me around. I could hear people around me talking about how I had clinched
it. People were congratulating me already as if I’d won and for the first time,
I allowed my brain to process the very real possibility of having ten thousand
dollars in my pocket by the end of the day. I felt a rush of endorphins that
only added to the way my body was shaking and I suddenly needed to lie down. I
whispered to Bennie that I needed a second and he was instantly on it. He
cleared a path for me through the crowd and holding my hand tightly, he led me
down the narrow, sandy path until we broke through the bodies and were
surrounded by nothing other than fresh sea air and sand. I dropped to my knees
and then onto my back, closing my eyes and soaking in the warm sun once again.
Like a loyal sentry, Bennie stood guard over me and later when they announced
the winner, his was the first smiling face I saw.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN