Author's Note: I do not own the characters of the Masons. They belong to Joy Nicholson, the author of The Tribes of Palos Verdes. I highly recommend the book as well as the film. The film stars Jennifer Garner, Maika Monroe, and Cody Fern.

You had moved to Palos Verdes with your family three months ago. You were already bored out of your mind with formalities and cookie cutter shit. One of the only joys for you was watching the surfers. You wish you could surf, but it was difficult to even ride a bicycle due to awful hand-eye coordination and depth perception. The surfers don't care that you just watch them. It's not unusual for you to go home after school to grab your camera to take pictures. You feel like you fit in with the guys. They never once tease you about wearing black skirts with band t-shirts and dark makeup. They love the pictures you take and quite often ask you for a copy. You like doing so for them, and will even make it look cool with borders and filters. You had even done a few collages as school art projects. Those had been displayed in the hallway. You were working on another one the night your life changed.

"Y/N, it's time to get ready."

"Ugh, Mom, do I have to?"

"Yes and wear something decent. First impressions are everything."

You roll your eyes, save your work, and hibernate your laptop. Another boring country club dinner. I don't know why she forces me to go. You think while changing into a black knee length skirt with your heels. They are only about 2 inches tall because if you wore any higher, you'd fall. You put on knee high fishnet stockings and a black shirt with cap sleeves. Your makeup is simple just like you wear to school. You put in pressed powder, black eye shadow, blush, and dark red lipstick. You don't care if this isn't decent enough for your mother. The skirt has pockets, so it's easy to hide your earbuds. You sigh and walk out of your room and downstairs to leave with your parents. Your mom huffs in annoyance and your dad gives you a look of approval. He's more supportive of your style and art than your mom. On the way to the country club, your mom tells you that a new family moved to PV the day before.

"Their last name is Mason," she continues to say. "Mr. Mason is a doctor, and I'm not sure what Mrs. Mason does. They have two kids about your age, Y/N. Their names are Jim and Medina. Please at least smile at them as a greeting."

You pretend to not hear her, but kinda perk up at the fact these kids are your age. Maybe they'll be cool like me. You think suddenly looking forward to the shindig. At least I'll stand out in this outfit. You don't like to socialise with the fake people at the country club and try to go sit in the corner. Your dad stops you and asks if you'd sit with him. You do especially since your mother joins friends of hers.

"I notice you go to the beach a lot. Are you going to learn to surf?" your dad asks.

"No. I take my camera and watch the surfers. I take pictures of them, the waves, and just the beach in general. I've submitted a few for art projects at school."

"How come I haven't seen any of these?"

"I didn't think you wanted to."

"I'm not like your mother. I'd like to see the next one you do."

"Ok. I'm working on a project now. Do you want to see it?"

"Sure. You can show me tomorrow if you want."

"Ok, I will." you say with a smile.

You're kinda glad you came. Then your mom comes over which ruins the moment.

"The Masons are here," she says pointing to the family that just walked in.

You notice Jim right away. He is tall and has short blondish hair. He's wearing grey dress pants with a white button up shirt and a tie. Jim looks nervous, and the girl next him puts her hand on his arm and smiles. You assume that's his sister. She's wearing a white knee length dress with a red jacket. She had long blonde hair. You look back at Jim and study him. He has a slight muscular build, and you hope to see him at the beach. You can see that Jim is scanning the room, probably hoping to find someone his age. His eyes lock with yours, and you smile. He whispers to Medina, and they both walk towards your table.

"Oh look Y/N, they're coming over here."

"Mom, chill out. You'll scare them."

She just gives you a look as if to say that you'd scare them first. When they get to your table, your mom greets them with a handshake and fake smile.

"You must be Jim and Medina. Please sit with us."

"Uh ok sure," Jim says nervously.

His soft voice is like music to your ears. He sits next you, and you notice his blue eyes.

"Hi. I'm Y/N ,Y/L/N. Welcome to Palos Verdes."

"Thanks. I'm Jim and this is my sister Medina."

She smiles and sits next to Jim.

"I like your outfit and makeup," Medina says.

"Thanks. I like to be different. I like your outfit as well. This is my mom and dad," you say.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N."

"Likewise," your dad says with a smile.

"Oh there's Mrs. Smith. I just have to speak to her. You all have a lovely time," your mom says as she gets up.

Praise be! You think as she leaves. My mom can be super annoying.

The four of you have a lovely conversation. You can't help staring at Jim out of the corner of your eye. You hope he doesn't catch you doing so. Jim and Medina's parents come over and introduce themselves. Medina introduces you and your dad. She says that your mom went to talk to someone. You all shake hands and smile.

"Nice to meet you both. Come on kids, you need to meet other people," Mrs. Mason says.

Jim looks at you and rolls his eyes. You stifle a giggle. They get up and reluctantly follow their parents. Your dad catches you staring at Jim as he walks away. He noticed you staring at Jim during the conversation too.

"Someone's in love."

"Shut up, Dad."

"What?! Just callin' it like I see it."

"Ok, yeah. He is cute, and to be honest I hope to see him and Medina at the beach. It would be nice to have fresh faces there. I wonder if they surf."

"May the odds be ever in your favour, Y/N."

You shake your head at your dad and smile. The rest of the evening goes by quickly. Once back home, you go straight to your room to keep working on your photo project. About an hour into working, your vision gets fuzzy with sleep. So you save your work and turn off the laptop. You take off your makeup, change into pajamas, and crawl into bed. It doesn't take you long to fall asleep. You wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day. You ride the bus to school even though your parents would rather drive you. You know it's more about image than what you want, and you could care less about certain imagery. You get to school and go to your first period class. You see Jim enter the room a few moments after you. Your heart does a happy flip. The only empty seat is next to you towards the front of the room. You smile at Jim as he sits down. He smiles back at you, and you can tell he's nervous about his first day there. You are about to ask him if Medina is in the class too, but the bell rings before you can. Class begins and you zone out because of boredom about halfway through. You think of the beach and how free you are there. A tap on your shoulder brings you back to reality. You look up and see the teacher writing on the board so you look around. To your left, you see Jim scooting a folded piece of paper to the right edge of his desk. You quickly take it. It's a not asking if there are any good places to surf. You look at him and nod. You write telling him to wait for you in front of the school at the end of the day and pass the note back to him. He reads it and smiles. The rest of the day goes by quickly. Jim and Medina meet you in front of the school. You're glad that you brought your camera to school. So now you don't have to stop and get it before taking Jim and Medina to the beach. You're excited to be able to show them your favourite hang out spot.

"Did you have a good first day?" you ask them while walking.

"It was ok," Medina says.

"Pretty good," Jim says with a wink.

You smile at him. Medina smiles too; she's glad to have made a friend on the first day. You all walk in silence the rest of the way. You see that some of the guys are already there. A couple of them are surfing, so you stop and take off your backpack. Jim and Medina give you an odd look before seeing you take out your camera. You turn it on and aim toward the beach to snap a pic. You zoom in and get the surfers. Jim looks over your shoulder and is impressed with the shots you've just gotten.

Wow. That's good quality."

"Thanks. Just wait til we get to the beach."

Jim smiles at you and goes ahead, spotting an easy path to the beach. Medina laughs and you shake your head. You watch as Jim shyly walks on the beach. You see the guys look up when Medina joins him Shit! They are going to bitch about newcomers you think as you rush over to them.

"Hey Y/N," one of the guys greets you.

"Hey guys, this is Jim and Medina Mason. They just moved here, and I know Jim is interested in surfing. Be nice!"

"Yes Ma'am."

Medina hangs with you to let Jim get acquainted with the guys. She notices your photography

"You're getting great shots."

"Thanks. I enjoy this. The guys keep wanting me to learn to surf, but I have terrible depth perception, so surfing isn't my thing."

"I bet Jim could teach you," she says with a smile.

You blush and shake your head. You resume picture taking and see that Jim has been accepted with the guys. So you take a few pics, especially since Jim has shed his shirt. You see the well toned muscles in his arms through the camera lens.

"Y/N, do you know where we can get surfboards?" Medina asks breaking the silence between you.

"Yeah, there's a shop in town. Did Jim lose his?"

"No. We weren't able to bring them with us."

"Do you surf too?"

"Yep. I might be better than Jim, actually."

"Wow. I hope to see both of you out there soon. I'll probably take pictures of that, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I wouldn't mind to get a copy when you do."

"I can do that. I turn the pics into collages and stuff sometimes. I've done it for the guys as well as art projects for school."

"Cool. It doesn't matter which format you do."

You nod in acknowledgment. Jim motions for Medina to come over. She gets up and walks over to the guys. You can't hear what's being said, but it looks as if she is being accepted into the group. You take a picture knowing that Medina will want to have a memento of it. You see a wave in the distance and yell out to the guys. They see it and one of them hands Jim a surfboard. He eagerly gets into the water. You switch the camera to video mode, and will do screenshots of it on the laptop. One of the guys turns around to ask about pictures and sees that you already got it. You are amazed at how good Jim is; he rides the wave like a pro. Soon as he gets back to shore, you put down the camera. You run over and hug Jim.

"That was freakin' amazing!"
"Thanks," he says with a chuckle. "Aren't you worried about getting your clothes wet?"

"Normally yes, but not at the moment."

The guys look at you two and place bets on how long it'll take before you and Jim are an item. Medina joins in on that bet saying that the relationship will be official by the end of the next week. You pull away as Skeezer comes up.

"That was epic, Jim. I'm Skeezer."

"Thanks. Nice to meet you."

"Y/N, I hope you got pics of that."

"Oh you know I did. It's actually a video that I'll do screenshots of later."

"Awesome. Are you gonna join us for drinks this time?"

"Nah. I've got a project that I;m working on, so I need to finish that."

"You took video of my surfing?" Jim asks with a blush.

"Yeah. I was too awesome not to. Don't worry, just pics will be in a project. I'm keeping the video for myself," you say with a wink.

Skeezer shakes his head and asks Jim about joining the guys for a drink. He says that he will. Skeezer asks Medina as well, and she declines. You gather your things and say goodbye to everyone. On the way home, you can't get Jim out of your head. His ocean eyes are mesmerizing, and the way he rides the waves is awesome. Your parents aren't home, so you go straight to your room and keep working on the current project. Before you start, you transfer that day's stuff to the laptop, so you don't lose it. Normally you listen to music while working, but decide to have the video playing. Hopefully I won't get too distracted I'll do the screenshots after I finish this. You get lost in your work and don't hear someone come in. A knock sounds on your door making you jump.

"Y/N are you home?" your dad asks.

"Yeah, come on in."

He opens the door and walks in. Your current project is on the screen.

"This is the project I was talking about last night."

"Wow That's good. I want to see a before and after of the next one please."

"Sure I can do that. I actually already have to next one lined up."

"Cool. Don't you get enough of the waves at the beach?" he teases upon hearing the video.

"That's a video of one of the guys surfing," you say with a giggle.

I bet that was fun to film."

"Yeah it was."

"Oh, I brought pizza for dinner. Your mom should be home any minute."

"Ok, I'll be down in a moment."

Back at the beach, Jim is talking with the guys.

"You must be special to Y/N, Jim," says Skeezer.

"Why's that?"

"Because she's never done video of the surfing that I know of."

"Oh," Jim says and takes a swig of beer. Medina sits away from them lost in thought when her phone sounds. It's a text from her mom saying dinner is ready. She sends back a text saying they will be home soon.

"Hey Jim, it's time to go. Mom says dinner is ready."

"OK. Well nice to meet you guys."

"Will we see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah probably. Hopefully I can get a board an stuff soon."

"There's a store in town. You should stop there before coming here tomorrow," says Skeezer.

"Thanks for the info."

Jim and Medina leave the beach. On the way home, they talk about getting surfing equipment the next day. When they get home, they find their mom sitting at the table crying.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Your father is working late again tonight. He's always working late. I think he's covering for something."

"Why don't you ask him about it?" suggests Medina.

"I've tried, but he doesn't want to talk."

"Dinner looks good, Mom" Jim says as he sits down.

"Thanks."

They eat dinner in silence; your family does too. The next day at school, Jim tells you that he and Medina are going to the store for surfing stuff that afternoon.

"Are you going to the beach after that?"

"Yeah. Skeezer and the guys are cool."

"I'm glad you guys get along," you say with a smile.

After school, you stop at your house to get the camera. By the time you get to the beach, Jim and Medina are already there. Jim has already changed into the wet suit. Holy crap! Jim is super hot in the wet suit. I'm going to have a private collection of pics. You think with a smile. Medina catches your eye and smiles. The afternoon/evening goes by with everyone having lots of fun. You decide to stay while the guys drink so you can get other pics. One of the guys starts passing around a smoke. It gets to Jim and he takes a hit. Skeezer laughs while Jim coughs like crazy. You shake your head at them. Everyone stays about another hour before leaving. Over the next few days, you and Jim get closer. You'll be sitting next to each other and he'll reach for your hand only to take it back. You notice he's drinking more and taking more hits. I hope everything is ok, and he's not using this as an escape. You think one evening. You're falling for him hard and wondering if he feels the same way. You're working on photo projects one right after the other. The one you did for Medina was really good. She loved it and asked if you were going to do one for Jim. You blushed at that and said yes. You also told her that his was going to be very special. She smiled and said that Jim would love it. A couple of days after that, you and Jim are sitting on the beach kind of away from everyone else. You turn to him and say that you have something for him.

"Oh you do?"

"Yep. It's very special, and I hope you really like it," you say as you pull a folder out of the camera bag.

You hand the folder to Jim. He opens it and smiles from ear to ear. You had included pictures of hum surfing, including the first wave. You also had pictures of him with Medina and the guys as well as a couple of pics of you and him.

"Thank you! I love it."

"You're welcome. I know that things can get bad, and you fear yourself, especially with surfing. So I made this for you to look at during those times."

Jim gives you a big hug that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The next day, Medina calls you.

"Hello?"

"Hey Y/N, do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Yeah sure. What's up?" You can tell she's upset about something.

"My parents are splitting up. My dad had an affair."

"Damn! Are you and Jim ok?"

"Yeah, I think so. Mom is devastated."

"If you need to hang out for a little while or anything, let me know."

"Thanks. You're such a great friend."

"No problem. Call or text me anytime."

"Ok. Talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye."

You hang up your phone and try to imagine what your friends are going through. I'd be completely heartbroken if my parents split. I'm glad I gave Jim that picture thing. He can look at it and know better things are out there. The next day at school, Jim is sort of distant. He looks kinda spaced out. You ask if he's ok, and he tells you he's fine. You don't really believe him, but don't press the matter. A few days go by and you've noticed a negative change in Jim. So you decide to ask Medina about it.

"It's awful," she tells you. "Mom eats a lot and babys Jim even though she says he's the man of the house. I caught him smoking in his room last night. I saw some pill bottles too. Y/N I'm scared for him."

"Wow. I'm gonna tell you something, but please don't tell Jim. I've thought about this a lot."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I've fallen for him. However, if he's gonna be like this, then I don't wanna be with him. I'm willing to help him change if he want to."

"I knew it. It was kinda instant, right?"

"Yeah. Is there anything I can do to help him?"

"Just be here for surfing and school at this point. Mom kinda has him brainwashed."

That bitch! I want the Jim I fell for back.

"That sucks. Like I said before, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

You smile and give her a reassuring hug. Falling for Jim has changed you a little. You're not wearing black quite as much. It's still the colour you wear the most, though. The next day, you go down to the beach and don't see Jim. The guys and Medina are though. You and Medina share a look. You figure their mom has Jim preoccupied. You take a few pictures then tell everyone you don't feel good and go home. You turn on the radio and hear a guitar softly playing. The singing begins and the lyrics make you think of Jim. You like the song and want to look it up. The main lyric repeated is shallow, so that's what you look up. The lyrics site you click on also has a place to play the song. You hit play and read while listening. Your phone rings as the song ends.

"Hello?"
"Hey it's Medina," the voice on the other end says their voice laced with emotion.

"What's up?"
"Um. . .Mom found Jim unresponsive at home. We are at the hospital. I think he overdosed."

"I'll be right there. Send me the address."

You hang up and leave right away. The song plays in your head the whole way to the hospital. You get there and Medina tells you Jim is stable. The doctors did a stomach pump.

"Can I see him?"

"Sure."

You both go to the room.

"I'll stay out here so you can talk to him."

"Thanks."

You open the door and walk in.

"Jim?"

He turns his head to look at you.

"Hey," he says quietly.

"How are you feeling?"
"Numb, like nothing matters anymore."

"Hey are you searching for something and tired of trying to fill the void?"

"Yeah. I just want it all to go away so I can be happy."

"I've fallen and I'm off the deep end."

"What? That doesn't make any sense."

"I've fallen for you. I long for the change. I fell for you before your parents split. I'm willing to be with you and help you change back to the Jim I know."

"You like me?!"

"Yes, Jim, I do."

"I like you too. I have since we first started hanging out. I just didn't know of you felt the same."

"Well now you do."

He holds his hand out and you take it.

"We're far from the shallow now."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, it's a song that's stuck in my head. I heard it earlier; it influenced part of what I just said."

"Play it for me, please."

You pull out your phone and go to YouTube to play it. Jim gets emotional and says he understands why it was influential.

"Thank you for coming to see me."

"Of course," you say and kiss his cheek. "You need to rest. I'll be back later."

You exit and smile at Medina. She can tell by that smile that you finally told Jim how you feel. He gets out of the hospital a couple of days later. The day after that, he returns to the beach. You are very happy to see Jim and give him a full on kiss. The guys converse and none of them won the bet. They turn to Medina; she has a smug look on her face. They realise that she won the bet. That evening Jim leaves with you when it's time for drinks. You walk hand in hand to your house. Your parents are glad you've found someone. You and Jim are very happy together. In the bad times, he thinks of you and looks at the picture thing you made for him. These are reminders that it's not all bad.