Relax Fly, I told myself. It's only been three months! The words were comforting, but butterflies continued to flutter in my stomach. I stared out the window of the bus, tuning out the talking and noise. It's only been three months, I repeated.
That's right, three months since I made it into the Pro circuit, three months since my days with Solar Blue had ended, three months since I waved goodbye to all my life-long friends. Yet, here I was on a bus to New South Whales, growing closer and closer to the place I called my home for a whole year. That wasn't what I was nervous about. If anything, returning to help out Simmo with the new recruits of Solar Blue for a year and postpone my wild card spot in the Pro circuit was something to be excited about! And I was, extremely so! But something else was occupying my mind; Heath Carroll. He didn't know I was coming back. It's only been three months, I said to myself again. It's not like he could have forgotten about you.
So, why was I so nervous to see Heath? He and I had lived together in Solar Blue for a whole year. We were great friends, but there was always something more. Everyone noticed it; Matt, Edge, Bec, Perri, even Anna. We never became more than just friends. Even when we kissed, nothing ever happened. Did I want it to? Did he want it to? We were never officially a couple. Despite this, I knew we would always be great friends, and I hoped that Heath would be happy to see me.
Letting my mind wander, I watched the Cosmopolitan inner Sydney streets fade to the Suburbia I knew and loved.
"Next stops, Blue Water Street."
Blue Water Street. That was me. Two blocks from Blue Water Beach. Two blocks from Heath. After what felt like hours, the bus doors opened. Taking a deep breath, I paced my way down the aisle, out of the bus, and into the sunlight. Sydney was no Western Australia, and for that I was glad. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked down the street towards Blue Water Beach. My stomach was like the swell of the surf, coming in sets of three.
As I approached the familiar Blue Water Beach, the swell in my stomach went flat. A new feeling filled me; happiness. I soaked in the Australian sun and gazed out at the glistening waters. We had had comp after comp here, not to mention hours of training.
"Alright, we call this the duck. It a huge wave is coming, duck your head into your arms and make yourself as small as possible, protecting your head."
I recognized that voice in a second, and scanned the beach for the source. Aha, spotted it. I threw my bag into the sand and ran off down the sandy each. There was Heath, his back to me, teaching tourists the basics of surfing.
"Oh, why am I here?" I heard him ask himself.
I gathered myself. "because you stuffed up too much last year!" I teased.
He turned around, and his confused expression changed as a huge smile spread across his face. "Fly!" he yelled, pulling me into an enormous hug. I laughed and hugged him back with all my might. The happiness continued to grow. Unknowingly, we stumbled towards the water where we fell in. Laughing, we crawled out, both sopping wet. The smile remained on his face. "How have you been? When did you get here?" All his questions sputtered out at once. We sat down in the sand and caught up on the last three months.
"So, you wanted to finish school?"
I shrugged. "Education is important. But postponing my spot in the Pro circuit for a year to hang here and help out is a plus."
"No kidding!" he commented. "Bec's helping out Simmo too. She's the substitute Jillie for a few weeks."
"Great!" I looked down at the watch encircling my wrist. "Oh!" I jumped up and brushed the sand from my shorts. "I've got to go."
With that, Heath jumped up too. "Why?"
"I told Simmo I'd be there at 4, it's 3:45."
"Alright, I'll catch you later then, hey?"
I grinned. "Yeah" I turned and made my way back to my bag in the sand.
"Fly?" he called.
I turned around.
"It was great seeing you."
All I could do was smile...again!
Eagerly, I opened the front door of the Solar Blue Surf Academy. A familiar smell filled my nose. I'm home! I thought; home for another year. "Hello?" I called into the academy, stepping inside.
"Fly?" I heard Bec's voice call me. "Fly!" Bec ran to me, her dark hair flying in every direction. She tackled me into a hug, which I happily took part in.
"Bec!" I greeted, just as excitedly as she had. "How you going?"
"Great!" she said, not breaking our hug. "I missed you so much! How you going?"
"Good!"
Finally, we released each other. Her hazel eyes were quivering with emotion. "Did you see Heath yet?"
Normally, this would just be Bec asking a question of whether I saw Heath, because she knew how close we were. But this question was spoken in a different way. She sounded too excited; to eager to know what my response would be.
"Yeah," I replied. "I just came from Blue Water Beach."
She smiled. "And...?"
I cocked my head to the side. "And what?"
She made a face. "How was it?"
"Bec?"
"Come on, Fly!" she laughed. "You can't possibly tell me you two don't still have feelings for each other."
"Bec," I said again, tucking my blonde hair behind my ear. "It's been three months. Any feelings either of us have had are long gone. We're friends, and we always have been."
"Yep." She nodded, though I knew she was thinking something else. "We'll see."
I was used to this kind of interrogation. Being the youngest at Solar Blue, Perri, Bec and Anna always wanted to know what was up.
She wasn't getting away that easily, though. "So," I started. "Have you spoken to Edge?"
She bit her lip. "Why? Did he say something?"
Gotcha. I thought, laughing to myself. "Should he have?"
"Fly?"
"Have you talked to him?"
She sighed. "Yeah, once or twice. It's so different now though. He's touring, and I'm still here."
"Aw Bec," I sympathized. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too."
"So you two are split up?"
"No," she bit her lip again. "Not officially."
"It's only been three months," I nudged her, jokingly.
She laughed. "Fly, sometimes your too sweet for your own good."
I had been told that so many times. It wasn't a conscious effort. I smiled back at her. "So, you and me for another year, hey?"
"Yeah! I'm stoked!" She paused. "Well, technically, me for a few months. Jillie should be back after that."
"You'll still stick around, won't you?"
"Maybe. Maybe I'll go fly to Tahiti and see what Edge is up to. After all, it will only have been a few months!"
We both laughed. It felt good to be home.
By eight o'clock I was exhausted. Watching these kids compete for a spot in the Solar Blue Surf Academy was so exciting! Everyone was great, and thankfully the dispute between Eric and Mike was settled. They both deserved to be in. I couldn't help but think back to that day one whole year ago; the day the seven of us made it in as Solar Blue surfers.
"Ah, Fly!" Simmo caught me on my way upstairs. "Great job today. We couldn't have done it without you."
"Glad to help," I replied. "Also, glad to be back!"
"Great. Goodnight."
"Goodnight!"
I forgot what it was like living in Solar Blue. I forgot the excitement of choosing our rooms, moving in, not quite being comfortable with each other. I felt as overwhelmed as the newbies did as they chose their rooms with Bec's assistance.
"Alright Fly," Bec said, yawning. "Now that they're settled, time to pick your room. Or, do you want to room with me?"
"Let's do it!" I exclaimed. "Just like old times."
Bec laughed and we walked into the vacant room together. We began unpacking in silence, until she broke it.
"So," she started. "I talked to Heath tonight."
"Really?" I tried to keep my voice neutral.
"Yeah, he was pretty stoked to see you."
"Oh." again, neutral.
"Don't pretend you don't care, Fly!" Bec teased.
"I do care!"
Bec smirked. "Thought so."
"That's not what I meant." I pouted.
"Come on, you two always had the hots for each other. Just because you won and he didn't you're going to throw it away?"
"No!" I tried not to yell. "Winning and losing have nothing to do with it."
"Then what is it?" she asked, stuffing her clothes into the middle drawer of the dresser.
"What is it with you and Edge?"
"Fly."
"I'll tell you when you tell me."
She sighed. "Is that the only way I'm going to get it out of you?"
I nodded.
"Fine."
I waited.
"We're never going to see each other."
"...and?"
"...and, I don't know. He's probably forgotten me already. Time does that to people. Distance does that to people. Sure, we talked about staying together, but that only lasts so long."
I nodded. "I know what you mean."
Bec's curious expression changed to a sorrowful one. At that moment, her mobile buzzed on the table. She grabbed it and fell to her bed, flipping it open. "Hm, speak of the devil."
"Edge?"
She was silent.
"Bec, is it Edge?"
She snapped her phone shut. "Yeah."
"...and?"
Bec rolled her eyes and handed me the phone.
I miss you it said. I miss you too, Bec had responded.
"Aw," I smiled.
"Okay, so I've told you. Now tell me about Heath!"
"Okay, Okay. Truth is I'm so nervous around him. I don't know what to think. It's been three months! I don't even think he feels the same way anymore. We're on a friend basis. We've always been on a friend basis."
"No," Bec shook her head. "You and Heath have always been more than friends. Come on, Fly. We all knew what went on with you two."
I froze. "Nothing went on with us!"
"How many times did you kiss, again? Read between the lines, Fly."
I blushed. "We-"
"So you still feel the same way."
"Maybe."
"and so does Heath."
"So?" I asked. "I like being his friend. There was nothing wrong with our relationship in the past, and there's nothing wrong with it now."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes, okay. Just okay."
I eyed her.
"What? You told me what I wanted to know."
"And you told me what I wanted to know."
"Okay," Bec grinned. "We're square."
We were silent again. I crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling, taking in the familiar sounds and smells of the Solar Blue Surf Academy boarding house.
I woke up just as the sun seeped through the blinds of the room. It took me a second to remember where I was; to pinch myself and make sure it wasn't a dream, that I was in fact back at Solar Blue, one of my favourite places.
Bec was awake too, staring at the ceiling.
"Morning, Bec." I greeted, rolling over.
"Morning." she greeted back. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"Very little," I started. "I feel like I did this time last year. It's the excitement all over again."
"I know! I didn't think I could miss this place so much. I wish we could rewind and go back to the beginning, don't you?"
I smiled. "The best year of our lives."
She nodded. "The very best."
Like last night, we went silent, both thinking about our year at Solar Blue. There was something bitter-sweet about being back here. All the memories we shared remained here, but our flat-mates didn't. I suddenly missed everyone; Perri, Matt, Anna, Edge, even Heath and Bec who were here with me.
"Well," Bec started, pulling the covers off. "Time to play mother Hen!"
I laughed. "Good luck with that. Yeah, I should get up too."
We walked downstairs together.
"Good Morning Ladies," greeted Simmo from the kitchen. "You're just in time to help me wake up the recruits."
"Simmo!" Bec laughed, "It's Sunday. You're not seriously going to wake them up this early?"
"It's 9:00, Bec."
"Oh!" Bec and I looked at each other. "Hmm, feels earlier."
Bec, Simmo, and I started up the stairs and took different directions to the different rooms.
I knocked on the bedroom door. "Girls?" No answer.
"Girls," I said again, cracking the door. The room was dark, and all the curtains were drawn shut.
"Girls!" I spoke louder. I couldn't tell who the girls were by the dark shapes in the bed. I flicked on the light. The figures moved and angrily sat up.
"Rachael, Amy, good morning!"
"It's 9 am!" Amy moaned.
"...and you've got a big day ahead of you!" I responded.
"Don't we deserve some sleep? We surfed all day yesterday." Rachael chimed in.
"Weekends are usually for sleeping, but today's the first day of being part of the Solar Blue team!" I gave them a smile. "Breakfast in 15."
I certainly felt like a coach. It was kind of fun! I closed the door behind me and started for the bathroom. Splashing cold water in my face helped me calm my emotions. I was so excited to be back.
After changing, I met Simmo, Bec, and the team downstairs for breakfast.
"Okay," Simmo started, looking around at the new recruits circling the table. "Welcome to day one. Congratulations again. You are in for quite a year, mates. The best thing you can do for yourself is stay focused, persevere, work hard, and of course have fun."
The entire team was smiling ear to ear.
"This year isn't about winning or losing, it's not about a year away from your parents, it's not about boys."
I shot Bec a look and she smirked.
The boys laughed.
"Gentlemen, it's not about girls. All of these things are just part of it. This year is about you. It's about all of you pulling together as a team. It's about every single one of you being the best you can be."
Finally, the team sat down for breakfast. I followed Bec outside to the picnic table with our breakfast.
"Oh, it's gorgeous out!" I cooed.
"That it is, ladies!" came a familiar voice from the driveway.
"Heath!" Bec laughed. "You're not planning on making this visiting thing a habit are you?"
"I just thought I'd see what you two were up to," he said, sitting beside me at the table. He folded his hands under his chin and looked at us.
"What?" I asked curiously.
He shook his head.
"Heath?" I asked. "You've got that look. What's up?"
Bec snorted.
"Nothing. This is just great. I love having part of the gang back together."
Bec smiled. "I wish it was the whole gang."
"Yeah," I agreed.
"I talked to Matt last night, he's off at some genius convention or something. I haven't talked to Edge or Perri though. Fly, how's Edge?"
"Uh," I swallowed and looked at Bec. "He seemed good when I left."
Heath gestured for me to continue. "That's it?" he said jokingly.
"I don't know. He was stoked for me to come down here. It was almost like he wanted to too, but he couldn't."
Bec played with her food.
"He'll come and visit though, I guarantee." I reassured.
"Yeah, it would be cool to get the whole gang back together for a long weekend or so." Heath said. "Well, I'd better head off. Got to teach some foreign tourists how to surf..."
I felt his eyes on me as I stirred my eggs with my fork.
"We should all hang out tonight," Bec said. "6:00 sound good?"
"Yeah, I'm in." smiled Heath.
"Sure!" I caught his eyes and he held my gaze as he spoke.
"So I'll see you both later then. Bye!"
As he walked away, Bec returned to stirring the food around on her plate.
"You okay, Bec?" I asked.
"Yeah! Yeah, I'm just thinking."
"...about Edge." I finished.
She pretended to look insulted. "and getting the gang back together for a reunion!"
I giggled. "Only kidding. Yeah, that would be awesome!"
"So," she started. "Edge said he's going to visit?"
"No," I said. "He didn't. He seemed like he really wanted to come down, though. And he promised you, so I'm sure he will."
"Did he...say anything about me?"
A grin spread across my face. I had totally forgotten what Edge had said about Bec.
"What?" she looked excited.
"He told me he couldn't stop thinking about you. He was seeing you ever where and it kept him going. He even won a few comps." I smiled all the while I spoke.
Bec sighed. Not a sad sigh, but an I'm-so-happy-in-love sigh.
"Alright guys," I heard Simmo's voice from inside. "Meet down on the beach in 15 for your first training session."
"I should go, Bec." I said, getting up.
"Alright, see you later. And Fly."
I stopped and spun around. "Try not to think about Heath too much today, alright?" she winked.
I rolled my eyes. "Don't let Edge distract you from being the best mother Hen!"
She laughed.
"Alright Solar Blue surfers, welcome to your first day of training. You're going to start off by paddling out to that buoy, paddling to that one, surfing back in, and racing to this here flag. After that, we'll see how we feel." Simmo instructed. "Starting with the boys. You ready?"
They grunted in agreement.
"On your mark, get set, go!"
The three of them took off into the deep blue waters, like Matt, Edge, and Heath had a year ago. Everything reminded me of last year.
"Haha, look at 'em go, Fly." laughed Simmo.
"Wow," I commented. "Pretty close call there." Cory and Mike were neck and neck with each other paddling to the second buoy, Eric close behind.
"Just like last year, hey?"
I swallowed. "Yep."
"Alright, now girls up!" Simmo yelled once the boys had collapsed on the beach. "On your mark, get set, go!"
I couldn't pay attention to the rest of the training session. My mind was elsewhere. Bec's words rang in my head.
"So you still feel the same way...and so does Heath."
The swell in my stomach seemed to rise again. Butterflies. I thought back to the times I had shared with Heath.
"Fly," he had told me that once we were trapped at the beach. "I don't think of you in a sisterly way."
I thought of the good times, and the bad times we shared. I thought about our kisses. I thought about how much I had missed him over the last three months. Maybe Bec was right. There had always been something between us; something that made us more than just friends.
Well Heath, I told myself. I guess I don't think of you in a brotherly way.
Simmo's whistle brought me back to reality. "Good job today, everyone!"
"That's it?" asked Rachael.
"That's it for today. Consider it the warm up to actual training. Tomorrow, training gets serious. So, in honour of the last day before it begins, I'm giving you the rest of the day off."
"Yes!"
"Yeah!"
"Alright!"
The team took off to the house.
"So Simmo, does that day off go for me too?" I asked with hope.
Simmo rolled his eyes. "Say hi to Heath for us, will you?"
I grinned like an idiot, thanked him, and ran down the beach. Where are you Heath? I asked, scouring the shore for a trace of him.
When I couldn't find him, I rang his mobile. "Hey, you've called Heath Carroll. Leave a message."
"Hey Heath, it's me. I've got the day off so I figured I'd come find you, only I can't find you! Give me a ring if you get this, hey?"
I finally found him on the dock. "Heath!" I greeted.
He smiled. "Hey, I thought you had training."
I shrugged. "Simmo gave us the day off. I thought you were working."
He made a face. "I got sacked."
"Oh, Heath, I'm sorry."
"Ha! I'm glad if anything. Minus the fact I've got no money..." He trailed off, throwing rocks in the water.
"You'll find another job." I said. "If you want we can go look through the job offerings in the paper."
He laughed. "Ha, no thanks.
"No," I said, "We should do that now so you can go for interviews ASAP."
"Relax, Fly!" He laughed.
"Heath," my tone went serious. "If you want a job, you're going to have to start looking and interviewing."
"I know, I know. Just let me take the day off to hang with you, okay?"
I eyed him.
"Okay! I'll look for a job first thing tomorrow. Chill!"
I laughed. "Just want to help you out."
"Well," he laughed, "Thank you for looking out for me, little sister."
Little sister. I froze. I had been called that before, but never by Heath. Was he kidding? Little sister. What does that mean? The butterflies in my stomach flapped harder. It means he doesn't think of you like that anymore, Fly. You two are mates, that's it. You lost your chance. Go! Be mates. Don't stuff up your friendship over what happened last year.
"You alright, Fly?" Heath asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah," How I managed to smile, I had no idea.
"I'm heading back, Heath." I called to him from the glassy waves.
He gestured for me to wait up, so I trudged out of the water and sat on the beach. A minute or so later he collapsed beside me.
"How about that swell, hey?" he asked. "That was brilliant!"
"No kidding! How about that to take your mind off work."
He closed his eyes and folded his arms behind his head. "This is the life."
I snorted sarcastically. I glanced down at my watch. "Wow, 4:00. I should probably head back for a bit"
"Yeah, okay," he said, sitting up. "You, me, and Bec are still on for 6, right?"
"Right," I stood up and brushed the sand off my legs. "See you then."
He nodded. "And Fly, thanks for today."
I cocked my head.
"I needed that."
I smiled at him. "Any time."
He held my gaze for a few long seconds, and waving a quick goodbye I grabbed my board under my arm and set off for the house.
Bec was in the kitchen chopping up a salad for dinner. "Hey," she greeted me. "How did your day off go? You and Heath have fun?"
I nodded, and silently went upstairs.
"Fly?" I heard her ask.
I flew open the bathroom door and peeled off my wet suit, hoping a warm shower would numb my emotions and set me back to normal.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called from the shower.
"Hey, it's me." Bec said. "Mind if we chat?"
"Sure."
She perched herself up on the counter. "So," she said. "Talk."
"Bec!" I whined.
"I know that look you gave me, Fly Watson. Something's up, so talk."
I stood in the stream of hot water, took a deep breath and sighed. "Heath called me little sister."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"Yes!" I shouted. "It is if Heath says it."
Bec was silent.
"Okay, let me start over." I said, squeezing a blob of shampoo into my hand. "Today at training, I thought about what you said about us never being only friends, and I thought about everything Heath and I have been through." I decided to leave out that details of what that entailed. "and I realized you're right. I do feel that way about him; I always have."
Bec giggled. "Finally!"
I giggled too. "So, we hung out today, and he, I quote, said, 'Thanks for looking out for me, little sister.'"
"Fly," said Bec, "It's Heath. He was probably joking."
"That's the thing though," I replied, a significant loss of spirit in my voice. "He told me once that he didn't think of me in a sisterly way. He wouldn't say something like that unless he meant it."
Bec was quiet for a moment. I continued washing my hair, letting her absorb what I had told her.
"I think you're over thinking this."
"What would you have thought?"
She was silent again. "Well," Bec began. "Probably what you thought. But I know Heath, and I also know how he feels about you. Anyone who spends five minutes with you two can see it."
"Well, right now we're mates. I don't want to do anything to stuff that up. I'm perfectly happy just being friends."
"So, the three of us are getting together later on, right?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, around 6. What do you want to do?"
Bec thought for a minute. "There's a party tonight at the Surf Club."
"Awesome! That sounds like fun!"
"Yeah, I'll ring Heath and tell him."
She closed the door and I turned the water off. Wrapping myself in a towel, I felt better. Maybe I didn't feel like that about Heath. Maybe I did think of him in a brotherly way. We were mates, and we would always be mates. I promised myself to be happy with that.
Heath showed up at 6:20. Typical Heath, he wasn't on time a day in his life.
"Hey, look who showed up!" joked Bec.
"We ready to go?" I asked.
We walked down the street, until we heard the music from a block away.
"Uh oh," I said. "It sounds wild."
"Oh Fly, lighten up. It's the surf club!" Heath nudged me.
Standing outside the club was almost as entertaining as being inside. Lights flashed, people cheered, music blasted.
The three of us squeezed through the doorway.
"Oh!" Bec touched my arm. "I see some friends I'm going to go talk to." She gave me a look, and motioned to Heath with her eyes. I knew what she was saying. "I'll be back soon." With that, she disappeared into the crowd.
"Come on," Heath pulled me towards the dance floor.
I looked around at the faces of people I had seen here before; some from school, so from comps, some from around town.
"You okay?" Heath asked, noticing my bewilderment.
"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "It's just great to be back."
"Well Fly Watson, it's great to have you back."
To stop myself from blushing I turned around. "Where did Bec get off to?"
"I don't know, why?"
"No reason."
"Fly! Hey!" a voice called from behind Heath. We both spun around to see Mitch Moulton. He almost pushed Heath aside and came over to talk to me. "How have you been?"
"Great, you?" I acted excited, but truthfully didn't even remember how or where I had met Mitch. Truth is I was just excited to be in contact with anyone from Sydney.
We talked for a bit, and then I returned to find Heath who was dancing with someone else. They looked familiar, but I couldn't place a name. Sure enough, they were smiling and laughing together. I backed up to give them some time, but bumped into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" I said.
"Don't be, it's my fault." He smiled.
Woah, was my initial reaction. Who is he?
"You're Fly Watson, right?"
"Right," I nodded, taking in his appearance.
"Awesome! It's great meeting you! I'm Matt."
"Hi," I was dumbfounded. Hot guys hardly ever approached me. He was tall, tan, and muscular with dark hair that shagged above his brown eyes.
"So, how old were you when you started surfing?"
"Oh, when I was four." I replied. I looked behind his shoulder at Heath who was done dancing with the girl and nodded for me to come over. I didn't want to be rude and walk away from Matt, so I gestured to him to give me a second.
"Yeah, I've been surfing since about six. Not as good as you though. I could never win the final comp! I've competed for a spot in Solar Blue three years running!"
I listened to him talk for a while, and then told him it was great meeting him. Where was Heath? I scanned the dance floor and saw him in the corner talking to a girl from school last year. I felt the blood course through my veins. Remember Fly, you two are mates.
I leaned up against the wall, and waited. Bec walked over. "This wall doesn't look too dodgy, Fly. I don't think it needs you to support it."
Ignoring her joke, I sighed. "I'm just waiting for Heath."
"Where is he?"
I gestured over to the corner of the room.
She shrugged. "Well, I saw you talking to quite a few guys."
"And?"
"And he was probably jealous."
I glared at her.
"Sorry. I'll make myself invisible again." She winked and once again disappeared into the crowd.
"Fly Watson!" came another voice. Oh no, I thought. Not again. Another stranger talked my ear off; asking me questions, talking about their personal surfing experiences. I pretended to be attentive, but continued glancing over their shoulder at Heath. When Heath and the girl finished dancing he started walking over, but seeing me with the stranger stopped. I smiled at
him and shrugged. He smiled back, but this smile wasn't a genuine Heath smile. He turned abruptly and went outside to the balcony as I continued listening to the stranger talk.
Finally I was free. I hurried outside to the balcony before any more people would talk to me and stop me from spending time with Heath. I found him leaning on the railing in the moonlight.
"Hey!" I walked over to him. "You okay?"
"Oh yeah," he said. "Having a grand old time."
"Sorry about all those interruptions."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
"Alright Heath," I sighed. "What's up?"
"I told you, everything is fine. I just needed some air."
"Got a little hot from the girls, hey?" I tried to make it sound like a joke, and I hoped that's how he would take it.
He gave me a look. "You serious?"
I shrugged. Was I?
"No way," he said.
Clearly, he wasn't going to tell me what was up. I turned around and sat down on the balcony, my back against the shingled wall. Heath stood at the railing for a moment longer, and then followed me.
"Heath," I said. "Please tell me what's wrong."
He didn't respond.
"I can handle it! I'm not a baby you know."
"Fly!" he looked amused, and laughed. "I know you're not a baby, alright? That's never been how I've thought of you, and you know that."
My stomach lurched. "How do you think of me then?"
"Remember your birthday last year?"
Oh No. I could almost hear him speaking the words in my head. "I'm glad we're friends, Fly. You're like a sister to me." Save it Heath, I already know. I nodded.
"Remember what I told you?"
I didn't respond.
"I told you I didn't think of you in a sisterly way."
"Okay." I said, monotonously. I didn't know what else to say. "We're mates Heath, I get it. That was last year."
"Fly," he said again. "My feelings haven't changed."
I looked at him questionably.
"Come on Fly. If you're such a big girl, try to read between the lines." He half smiled, quoting his exact words from my birthday last year. "I don't think of you in a sisterly way."
I don't know if it was shock or relief that I felt, but something inside of me let go. I leaned over and kissed him.
"Wow," he breathed.
I smiled and took his hand. "I don't think of you in a brotherly way."
"Thank god!" he laughed. "And don't seem so surprised. You've known how I felt since last year."
"You called me little sister at the beach today." I didn't look at him.
"Fly. You can't possibly think I meant it like that."
"Heath, for all I knew you could have. It's been three months."
"Exactly." He said. "I didn't think you felt the same way either. I mean, you've been acting like we were just mates, and all those guys in there!"
"Hey, I saw you dancing with a fair share of girls."
"I had to do something whilst I waited for the bachelors to leave you alone."
I giggled. "Bachelors, hardly."
He held my gaze for the third time in two days. "So, we're okay now, right?"
"No."
He looked down.
"We're great now."
He smiled and rolled his eyes. "I hope so."
"There you are!" said Bec walking outside. "I've been looking for you two. It's time to head back."
Heath and I stood up and walked to Bec like nothing had happened. The entire walk home the three of us talked and laughed about these people, and this song, and this dance, and other happenings. Finally, we said goodnight to Heath and climbed the stairs eager for bed.
"Fly, normally I'd be all over you about what happened with Heath, but I can probably guess. Plus, I'm way too tired so I'll have to bug you in the morning."
I laughed. "Sounds good. I'm exhausted."
At 5:30 the next morning, I rose with the Solar Blue team and headed down to the beach to assist with training. The only thing on my mind was Heath.
"You seem happier than usual, Fly." Simmo commented.
"Just got a good night's sleep last night." I retorted.
"Really?" he asked. "After getting home at 12:00 from the surf club?"
I blushed. Simmo knew everything.
"Alright girls, hurry in!" He called to the surfers.
I drifted back into my dreamy state; thinking about Heath. Edge was right; when you feel that way about someone, you see them everywhere.
After training, we all got changed, and Bec and I lead the team to their first day of school at Blue Water High. Bec eyed me suspiciously, and I smiled back at her innocently. I barely saw Heath all day because of our different schedules, but I heard his voice in my head. I felt his lips on mine.
After not being able to concentrate at training, and daydreaming at school, I changed into my bathing suit as quickly as I could when I got home, grabbed my board, and ran down the sandy beach. I dropped my board and put my feet in the water, closing my eyes and feeling the sun on my face. Could this week get any better?
"Fly!" I turned around to see Heath running down the beach, board under his arm.
"Hey!" I called to him.
"Hi," he stopped. "So, I just wanted to clear up what we are. Are we friends or are we together? Because, I mean, we've kissed before, but nothing really happened afterwards."
I laughed. "Heath, if you're so grown up, why don't you read between the lines." With that I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him again.
"That answers your question?" I asked.
"I believe so." He said. He tried to suppress a smile. "Beat you to the pier!"
"Ha! You'll try!" I laughed, and followed him into the water.
This week couldn't get any better. I was back at Blue Water High, Heath and I were finally together, and we'd be having a Solar Blue reunion soon with all our friends.
Before I knew it, the pier was in front of me, and mustering every ounce of strength in my body, I pulled myself up onto, grinning ear to ear. "Beat you," I snickered as Heath picked his head out of the water.
"You had an unfair advantage!" He laughed, pulling himself up alongside me.
"Oh really, and what was that?"
He paused. "You're small and…more aerodynamic?"
I snorted. "Hydrodynamic?" I mocked him.
"Oh, that's how you want to play it, hey?" he laughed, standing up. "You'd better run then!"
I jumped up and tried to run, but it was too late, he had caught me in his arms. "You're going in!" He yelled, holding me over the water.
I kicked and thrashed but he didn't budge. In a second, we were both submerged in the ocean, his arms still wrapped around me. When we surfaced, we both laughed.
As the sun began to set, we sat on the dock, leaning against the pillars. His arm around me and my hand was in his. We talked as we always had, except this time, there was no need to read between the lines.