Chapter 9
On Wednesday, the next school paper was out, and by lunch time, everyone had their hands on a copy of it. Since the surf meet two weekends ago, they all wanted to read the article Rachel had done on Sam and surfing. Bradin, Sam, Lucas, the two Hart brothers and Daniel all gathered at their lunch table and read through the article.
"Who said that women can't make it in an men's profession?" Lucas quoted Rachel's article. "Where is it written that only men can do certain things, especially when speaking about sports? Well, for this junior, Samantha Kupihea has proven all those stereotypes of women completely wrong." He said as they all smiled.
Tracy began reading the next paragraph. "As far as I know, surfing takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work. Not only physically, but also mentally. "You have to be in the right mindset for starters. You can't go out there only for the glory, you need to really love what you're doing to get the best out of it." Samantha explains about how she prepares before a competition." Tracy looked at Sam.
"Wow, you're all up in this thing Sam." He told her as they all smiled. Each of the boys took turns reading the article out loud to Sam. The article took up about three-fourths of the page, including a picture of Sam. Towards the end of the article, Bradin paused.
"And check out how photogenic she is." He said, smiling at Sam.
Sam smiled innocently. "What can I say? I love the camera." She told them, making each one of them chuckle.
"Okay, now for the big finish." Bradin said, taking in a deep breath. He looked down at the last paragraph and began to read.
"But when asked about being the only girl on the team, Sam knew exactly how to answer that. "Being a girl on the team doesn't mean that I'm different from any of the other guys." Sam feels that even though she may be a girl, she's still treated and seen as one of the guys, another teammate, no different from anyone else. "I don't want any special treatment just because I'm a girl. Nor do I want people to think I can't handle the intensity of the sport. Being the only girl just gives me the responsibility of encouraging other girls to try out for sports that are seen as guy sports. If you love something, then you should go for it."
The way I see it, Sam is setting a good example for all the girls out there. To take an interest in something and to stick to it no matter what comes your way. Sam, along with all the other surfers have the determination and strength to put their heart and soul into doing things they love. We can only hope that more people in the world will follow Sam's footsteps to take a risk, and stand up to every roadblock that comes your way so that you can enjoy something you love." Bradin put down the paper and looked at Sam. "That was excellent." He said softly.
Sam smiled. "Wow, I didn't know she was gonna make it sound so fancy." She told them.
Sean wiped his eyes and sniffled. "That-that really touched me Sam." He pretended he was crying. "That touched me deep down in my soul." He joked as he held his hand up against his chest.
"Cut it out Sean." Lucas said, slapping his arm. "But seriously Sam." Lucas turned to her. "That was awesome."
"Thanks guys." Sam smiled sweetly.
After lunch Lucas and Bradin left the same time to talk. "So, what are you gonna do?" Lucas asked Bradin about his Sam problem.
"I don't know." Bradin answered. "I was thinking I could ask her out this weekend." He told him.
"Really? Like in a real date? Not just to hang out and have pizza?" Lucas asked.
Bradin shrugged. "Yeah man. I mean, do you think she'd say yes?" Bradin sounded very nervous talking about Sam.
Lucas smirked. "Well you two have been spending a lot of time together. And it kinda seems she does like you." He told Bradin. "A lot."
Bradin smiled. "Really?" Bradin nodded his head and thought for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll ask her about this weekend."
"You sure you're gonna do this?" Lucas asked. "I mean, don't chicken out or something like that."
Bradin rolled his eyes. "No, I won't. I really wanna do this." He finally said, making his final decision about asking Sam out on a date.
Bradin had asked Ava about it that night, but she was a bit hesitant about it. She wanted Bradin to do well this coming semester, and she didn't want him distracted in any way. But she remembered what Jay, Susannah and Colby had said to her about letting Bradin do things on his own. So she told him that he could ask her out on a date for Saturday. Of course Bradin was thrilled and thankful that she said it was okay, but now he had to think of how to ask Sam. Bradin planned on asking Sam the next day at school, but choked up whenever he saw her. The only day left was Friday after school at practice. He knew that it was either ask her now, or possibly have Avery ask her. And that was something he definitely didn't want to happen. After practice, Bradin walked up to Sam just before she started to head home.
"Hey Sam, can I ask you something?" Bradin walked up to Sam.
Sam looked at Bradin. "Sure."
Other members of the surf team passed by them, and Bradin waited until they were gone to ask her. "So, I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow?" He asked as she put her backpack on.
"Um, I don't think I am?" She answered. "Why?" She asked, already smiling.
Bradin cleared his throat. "Uh, well," He tried to say. Sam could tell that Bradin was nervous and uncomfortable, and she had an idea about what he was going to ask her. "I wanted to know if you'd like to-" He paused suddenly, then smiled. "If you'd like to go out with me, tomorrow night." He finally asked her. He felt good for finally getting that off his chest.
"You mean, like a date?" Sam asked, already knowing the answered.
Bradin nodded his head. "Yeah, like a date." He blushed.
Sam smiled and looked into Bradin's eyes. "I'd love to." She told him.
"Great." Bradin said with excitement. They both stood there smiling at each other for a few moments until Lucas called to Bradin. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Bradin said to her.
"Okay. Bye Bradin." She smiled.
"Bye." He replied. He walked backwards, still smiling at Sam until he almost fell into a sand-hole. Sam quietly laughed as Bradin blushed even more. She watched him meet up with Lucas and saw Lucas slap Bradin's hand and applaud him on asking her. She took a deep breath, thinking about what had just happened. She had just been asked out by a cute, sweet and fun guy, he asked her out for her first real date.
On the way home, Sam couldn't help but smile and think of Bradin. She wasn't quite sure what her dad would say about it, but for now, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was finally asked out on a date that she wanted to go on.
"Hello, dad, you home?" Sam called from the door. She took her slippers off and dumped her bag by the door and stood her surfboard up against the wall. "Dad?" She repeated. Then she heard a voice from the living room.
"Sorry, no dad here." Sam recognized that voice and went running into the living room.
She stopped suddenly when she saw her older brother Matt waiting for her. "Matt!" She screamed as she ran to him to give him a hug.
"Hey Sam." He said to her, giving her an equally big hug. They hugged for a long moment before Sam let go of her grip on him.
"What in the world are you doing here?" She finally asked, stepping back a little.
Matt smiled. "Well, I studied early and took my finals a week early so I could come here." He told her.
Sam couldn't stop smiling. "Does dad know you're here?" She asked him.
He nodded. "Yep, how'd you think I got in?" He asked her slyly, taking out a key from his pocket and waving it in her face.
"So he knew about it all this time?" She said, somewhat mad that her dad didn't tell her, but still happy her brother was there. "So typical of you two, hiding secrets from me." She said, making the two of them laugh. "Oh, but I'm still stoked you're here!" She said, hugging him once more.
A little after that, Maka came walking in. "Hey guys." He said, taking his jacket off. "I guess you've found your surprise, huh Sam?" He teased.
"I can't believe you knew and you didn't tell me!" She said to her dad.
Matt laughed. "She was totally flippin' out when she saw me." He said.
"Really?" Maka asked while laughing. "Well I'm glad you're here." He said, hugging his son. "But I hope you know your things aren't unpacked, not all of it."
Matt shook his head. "That's okay dad. All I need are my sunglasses and my stick, and I'm good to go." He replied as they all laughed. "Which reminds me," He said turning to Sam. "How are the waves up here?" He asked her.
Sam lifted her hand up and rocked it from side to side. "Ah, it's okay out there." She smiled. "Not as good as Pipe's though." She said.
"How's the surf team you told me about?" Matt asked her.
"It's pretty good." She answered. "Better than I thought it would be."
Matt smiled and patted Sam on the head. "That's good, at least you're enjoying yourself out here." He replied. They all took a shower and got dinner ready. They talked about school for Sam and Matt, as well as Maka's job at the radio station. Sam knew that she had to tell her dad about her date with Bradin, so she decided to do it now, instead of tomorrow right before he showed up.
"Uh, dad. I haftah tell you something." She said, clearing her throat.
Matt and Maka looked at each other, suspicious about what Sam was getting at. "What is it?" Maka asked her, taking a good long look at her.
"Well, you know Bradin." She started off.
He nodded. "Yes, I know Bradin, good kid."
Maka looked at the two of them. "Who's Bradin?" He asked.
Sam looked at him. "He's this guy on my surf team from school." She said.
"How come you never told me about him before?" He asked sternly.
Sam nervously smiled. "Well, I didn't think it was that important." She turned back to her dad and smiled. "Well, umm…" She said. She looked at both her dad and brother. Both of them didn't seem to like where any of this was heading to, so she just plainly told them.
"Bradin asked me out on a date for tomorrow night, and I said yes." She looked at her dad, waiting for him to blow up like a rocket ship.
Maka looked at his plate and blinked several times. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Sam. "A date?" He questioned her.
"Yeah, I date." Sam told him.
"Well." Maka said, not knowing what else to say. Sam could tell that she caught her dad totally off guard, which wasn't too smart on her part. As for her brother, he looked lost, now knowing who this Bradin kid was. But he didn't like Bradin already.
"So?" Sam pressed her dad on the subject.
Maka looked at Sam. "Well, I think if you want to, you can go." He said, trying to smile.
Both Sam and Matt looked shocked. "Seriously?" She asked him, not sure if he was kidding or being serious.
He nodded. "Yes. Bradin seems like a good kid." He said, then turning to Matt. "He's doing well in school, he's agreed to spend time at the house to get to know Sam, his family is very well-grounded. He's a good kid." Maka said.
"Are you sure dad?" Matt asked, taking the older brother role seriously.
"Yes, I'm sure." He said and smiled at Sam.
She jumped out of her seat. "Oh thank you dad!" She squealed. "Thank you so much!" She said and kissed him on the cheek. She took all three of their plates and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"Dad, are you sure? I don't even know the guy." Matt told him. "I think being the brother, I should know him first."
Maka looked at him skeptically. "Matt, you haven't been around to get to know him. I have, and he seems okay." He said. "Trust me, I want the best for Sam, just like you do. But Sam's growing up Matt, and we can't always protect her the way we want to." He turned to see Sam in the kitchen. "We have to let her do things on her own."
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Stoked: Both surfing term and Pidgin meaning very happy.
Stick: Slang word for a surfboard
Pipe's: Also known as Pipeline; very popular surfing spot in Hawaii
