Thanks for adding this story to so many favorite lists! I love that people are enjoying the story! I'll try and keep it up! Enjoy.
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Chapter 3: Beautiful
Bobby watched Spader curiously. The boat they were on was pretty big, considering that there weren't too many aquaneers aboard. Only about 10, two of them driving.
"What are those?" Bobby asked curiously. Spader had rolled up one of his pants legs and was putting a weird anklet sort-of-thing on.
"It's a brace. I have to put them on all the main breakable areas. It's so that if I hit the water wrong or get into a dangerous current, then there will be less chance of the area getting broken. See?"
He finished putting the brace on and unrolled his pants. Then he offered Bobby his ankle. Bobby blushed, but curiously tried bending Spader's ankle. It bent like an ankle normally would, but if he tried to coax it to bend anymore he felt the brace prevent him. "Wow."
Spader smiled and put another brace on his other ankle. He put one on each of his wrists and one around his neck. "I was wondering why you had on such a high collared shirt," Bobby explained.
Spader smiled, "I think having the braces showing is weird. Most of the others probably don't care to cover up the braces though. Some of them don't even bother wearing them."
Bobby folding his arms, "Well, you have to. If you don't, I'm not letting you in the water."
Spader smiled. "You sound like my parents."
"Good."
Spader stood up and made his way topside, Bobby on his heels. "Wow, the ocean is pretty scary," Courtney stated as Bobby and Spader joined her.
"This is great, look how beautiful those waves are!" one of the aquaneer chuckled, clasping Spader on the shoulder.
"Bet you I'll get better waves than you," Spader laughed.
"You're on."
"Bobby, wish me luck!" Spader cried happily. "If you want to watch from underwater, go below deck. There are some windows."
Spader dashed off excitedly with several of the other aquaneers. They all adorned air globes and grabbed their boards. Spader's board was silver and black, painted beautifully with a design. The aquaneer who'd been driving the boat was just starting to lower the anchor by the time all of the rides had dove into the water.
"I think it's about to rain," Mark offered.
"We're on Cloral, Mark. They don't care if it rains, they're always wet anyway. Uh, that sounded wrong. They're just surrounded by ocean, so…" Courtney explained nervously.
Bobby smiled and leaned over the rail, watching Spader curiously. "Hobey-ho, Spader!"
Spader slipped under the water with the other riders. Bobby watched curiously, wondering what they were up to. Much to his surprise, as a wave started to raise, three Clorans were riding it, shooting down the face of the wave on their boards.
Others had surfaced and were actually paddling like real surfers, letting the waves lift them up.
"Where's Spader?" Courtney asked, scanning the raging ocean.
"It's hard to keep up with any of them, there are waves everywhere," Mark added.
"He's… oh! There he is!"
The three from Second Earth sighed in dismay. Spader was atop the biggest and meanest looking wave, and he was riding it like a pro. He got cocky as well, striking a pose. "He always has to show off," Courtney laughed, cheering Spader on.
Spader rode the wave out as it collapsed and he vanished below the surface once again. "Let's see what they're doing below the water," Bobby urged.
The three quickly slipped below deck, gathering around a thick glass window that gave them a full view of the ocean. "Oh, wow! It's like they're surfing underwater!" Courtney gasped.
The Clorans were. They were catching underwater riptides and currents. They were using their boards like underwater sails, getting towed through the water until they found a right current. When they did, they'd ride it up and vanish above the surface.
They jumped when a fist knocked against the glass. Spader beamed at them through the window, waving playfully at them before getting ripped away by a current.
"Wow, they're amazing," Courtney commented.
"They really are graceful in the water," Mark agreed.
"Spader's beautiful," Bobby breathed softly. Mark and Courtney looked at him in surprise and Bobby gasped. "I said that out loud!?" he screamed to himself. "I—I mean… he's… well, he's really elegant and he keeps getting the biggest waves, I err…" Bobby stammered nervously.
Courtney and Mark shared a knowing look, but turned their attention back to the aquaneers. The aquaneers spent a few hours in the water, but then the storm died down and the waves faded away to just choppy and ruff sea. Spader got out of the water. He was one of the last ones out, but there were still a few in the water.
He seemed a tad shaky, like many of the others that had gotten out of the water. He was resting, absolutely exhausted after spending several pecks swimming against currents and kicking like mad as to not get too swept away from the boat. He was also starving, which was what had driven him out of the water just as much as the lack of waves had. He and Bobby were talking as Spader removed his braces.
"They're totally flirting," Courtney commented to Mark.
"Courtney, they're both guys and I think they're both straight…" Mark answered. Bobby flirting with a boy? No way.
"They slept in Spader's bed together, they went off on a walk alone, and Bobby said Spader was beautiful. They've been stuck to each other like glue."
"That doesn't mean anything. Bobby wrote in his journals about him and Spader going on a walk or two together in the moonlight… He slept with Spader because I was on the couch, and he said Spader was beautiful as in elegant, not hot…" Mark argued.
Mark flinched. What had Bobby wanted to tell him this morning? Why had Bobby been acting so nervous? "Bobby would tell us if he was gay, wouldn't he?" Courteny asked curiously.
"No," Mark sighed, "He'd probably be too scared that you'd make fun of him. Also, he's not gay. He's straight, but maybe just for Spader…" He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed so obvious. Mark looked up at his best friend reluctantly and couldn't help but to smile. Bobby looked so happy with Spader.
"So, are we going to hook them up or just get Bobby to admit his feeling or what?" Courtney asked.
Mark sent another look toward Bobby and Spader. "Both. He's our best friend, how could he not let him be with Spader if he loves him?"
"What about Spader though, does he like Bobby back? He is a bit of a flirt…"
"I'm not sure," Mark admitted.
"We'll talk to Spader first?" Courtney offered.
"Well, I will. You work on Bobby. Make him feel more comfortable about admitting he likes Spader to you," Mark replied.
Both of them nodded.
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