Chapter Twenty-Five
The day of the competition was cloudy and cool, something rare for California, even rarer in the summer.
I was shaking with nerves since I first rolled out of bed this morning, which was different for me. I didn't know how to handle it, but I tried to keep it under control.
I put on my new suit that I had saved up for and bought just for this occasion, aqua and white striped boardshorts (the tiny kind that went an inch below your butt) that had black belt stripes (though why anyone would have a belt on while surfing was a mystery to me) and a three-quarter sleeved rashguard that was done baseball shirt style, black with aqua sleeves.
I did my hair into three separate braids and then wove them together to make a sort of triple braid. I needed no makeup.
My mom, Jess, and Cassidy were meeting me at the competition. Jay had to work, but was coming a little later to see my time slot. Needless to say, Maria was not invited.
I had waxed my board two days ago and I gingerly put it in my car when it was time to go.
The sun was just coming over the horizon as I sped off the deserted road and onto the highway.
"I cannot believe there is hardly any sun," Cassidy complained as she met me at my car. "I was hoping to get a tan! If I have to be standing out in the sun for twelve hours, I would at least like to show proof!" She harrumphed and took my bag from me so I could carry my board.
"Yeah. Your life is so hard," I said sarcastically with a smile as I walked across the sand. "You just have to stand out here on the sand and look pretty."
"Oh, Ell, I'm sorry, I didn't even think how nervous you'd be…" she trailed off.
"It's fine," I lied, faking a smile. "I'm not nervous." Wow. I'm just full of lies today.
"Psh, are not. Here." Cassidy handed me a bottle of Green Tea. "It's the ultimate relaxation."
I smiled for real this time. "Thanks," I told her.
A volunteer for the competition led us to a row of private wooden cabanas. They were each about the size of a two-car garage and looked like they belonged in a tropical paradise, and not a temporary place for the competitors.
The volunteer consulted her clipboard. "You have cabana twenty-six," she said. "Someone will come get you twenty minutes before your time slot. There is a TV in there with a live feed of the competition, and just buzz us if you need anything! Good luck," told me, and hurried away.
I turned to Cassidy. "We are definitely not in Cali anymore," I said, and followed her to Cabana Twenty-Six.
The cabana had a mini-fridge full of energy drinks and snacks, three lounge chairs surrounding a small glass table and flat-screen TV, a bathroom, changing room, and even a little elliptical in the corner for serious competitors. The room was also full of tropical plants, so it smelled incredible. There was an A/C thermostat in the corner, but it was not on, and the temperature was sweltering, just the way I liked it.
"Okay. What are we going to do between now and your time slot?" Cassidy asked, picking up a TV guide from the table and fanning herself with it.
"I don't know," I said, walking once around the cabana.
"When is your time slot anyway?" she asked, sitting down on a lounge chair.
"5:15," I said glumly. "I have to freaking wait in this thing for ten hours. With nothing to do."
Cassidy let out a whistle. "Can you leave?"
"I guess," I said doubtfully.
Just then, there was a knock on the cabana door.
I went over and opened it to find my mom and Jessica. Jessica was carrying a gift bag, which she handed to me.
"Here!" she said. "Open it."
My mom laughed and gave me a hug. "She insisted we give it to you now."
I gestured for my mom to sit down and I got her and Jessica water from the fridge.
"This is some place," my mom said, taking it all in.
"Yeah," I agreed, opening the bag. "Oh wow," I said. Inside was a jewelry box that contained two charms. One said Daddy's Little Girl and the other was a trophy.
"For when you win," my mom said smiling.
I laughed and got up to hug her. "I haven't won," I said.
"But you will," Cassidy said confidently.
"You aren't finished," my mom said, and I dug through the bag. I found a tiny pink flower, a Sun Rose.
My parents had given me a bouquet of these after I won my first competition.
"Thanks," I said, tucking it behind my ear, trying hard not to cry.
"Aw, don't cry," Jessica said, coming over to pat me on the hand.
"Your father would be so proud of you," my mom said, also coming over.
"Okay, this is getting too teary. It's a competition for heaven's sakes, not a funeral!" Cassidy said, exasperated. She stood up. "Come on! We have all day to enjoy the festivities! So let's go!"
I wiped at my eyes and put the charms on my anklet. "Okay. Let's go see what this WCSC has to offer!" I said cheerfully, putting my arm around my best friend's shoulder.
My mom grabbed Jessica and we left the cabana.
The WCSC was really amazing. It was apparently a huge deal, and not just for everybody on the West Coast of the U.S. They had some carnival games and prizes, food vendors, and even the hotel across the street had deals on rooms for people in the competition and some festivities in the parking lot.
The whole competition spanned over three days and every night they showed movies on the beach. I was one of the lucky thirty to go today and not have the anxiety of waiting another one or two days to compete, but I was allowed to stay in the cabana for the entire competition in case I wanted to view the rest of my opponents.
"Come on!" Cassidy yelled as she tugged on my arm. "We need to get in line to buy tickets!"
So, a few hours later it was nearing lunchtime, we were on top of the world (literally, I was on a Ferris Wheel), and my butterflies in my stomach had been replaced by an insistent growling.
"Okay, we seriously need to eat. Like, now," I said, as we walked off the ride.
The others agreed and we walked off in search of food.
We had just sat down on the beach, away from the competition and chaos, but with plenty of other people that had the same idea, when the screaming started.
My head turned in the direction of the screams. A crowd had formed around a newcomer who was trying to walk onto the beach. I couldn't tell who it was, much less if it was a guy or girl.
Cassidy gasped. "Oh. My. God. It's him!"
"Huh?" I asked, with my mouth full of salad (hey I didn't keep up my toned figure by eating hamburgers and I so did not want to feel bloated while I was competing). "Him who?"
"Him, him."
"Speak English Cassidy," my mom said, helping Jess cut up her hot dog.
"The mystery guy!" she squealed, finally spitting it out. My head whipped around so fast I was lucky I didn't snap my neck.
"Where?"
"Jesus, Ell, chill," Cassidy laughed.
"I have to talk to him!" I said, scrambling to my feet.
"Honey, you won't be able to get anywhere near him. Look at all those fans."
As always, my best friend was right. I sat back down, dejected. "Ugh. I hate having to go up against him and not even know how he surfs, his tactics, and crap."
"Well if it's any consolation," Cassidy said, flipping through a program that she had stolen from an empty table, "He's going an hour before you, so you can scope him out then."
I fist-punched the air. "Yesss!" I said, ignoring the looks from the people around us.
"Excuse me?"
I turned around to find a little boy, around the age of ten.
"Yeah?"
"Are you Melissa?"
"Uh huh," I said, feeling really confused.
"Can I have your autograph? I just read about you in Soul Sports and I'm rooting for you in the WCSC." He had such a nervous and hopeful look on his face that my mouth knew the answer before my brain did.
I heard Cassidy give a soft Aww behind me and I grinned.
"Of course!" I told him and his face lit up. "Do you have a pen?"
"Yeah," he said, and he handed me a program and a permanent marker.
"What's your name?" I asked, marker hovering over the paper.
"Seth," he said, still smiling.
"Okay. Seth, don't ever give up on your dream. It will all be worth it in the end, no matter what life throws at you. Ellie," I said as I wrote. "Here you go," I said, handing it back to him.
"Thank you so much," he said and he took off running down the beach.
I turned to my mom and Cassidy. "That was so freaking cool!" I said. My nerves were all gone. That little kid had done what even Cassidy or I could have done. It made me confident that I could win.
At four o'clock, I went into the area of the beach sectioned off for the competition, Cassidy in tow. My mom and Jess were meeting Jay for an early dinner before coming to see me.
"I'm so excited!" Cassidy squealed, gripping my arm in a vice-like grip.
"Ow." I shook my arm loose. "Chill. We are just here to kinda see what his style is like and then I have to go to the cabana and get myself mentally ready."
Cassidy snorted. "Sure."
They called out his number, since in this competition they weren't bothered by names, and he walked out from the waiting tent behind the judges' table.
He wore his trademark baseball hat and dark sunglasses. He wore a bright blue pair of swim trunks and no shirt.
I tried hard not to gasp. He had rock-hard abs and very toned arm muscles. "Holy hotdogs," I said under my breath.
Cassidy started laughing. "Oh my god, he is one hot hunk."
I swatted her arm. "Shh! He's starting!"
Cassidy grumbled under her breath that people could talk, but I shot her a look.
The crowd was going wild. It had definitely increased in size since the performer before the 'mystery guy' and the noise was almost unbearable.
I clapped along, but I was silent as I pushed to the front of the crowd to try and get a heads up on what I was up against.
And I was up against a lot. This guy was good, unlike any other surfer I had seen before. His style was totally different. Most guys' surf styles could be categorized in two ways: reckless and even more reckless. His style was calm and cool. His movements were fluid, his tricks were flawless, and his board seemed to know what it was doing before he did.
Pretty soon, I had made my way to the very point of the crowd and was clapping and screaming along with everybody else, probably even louder. Cassidy just stood there with a smirk on her face.
I turned to glare. "What?"
"Nothing," she said and turned her focus to the surfer.
He was doing perfect. And then something went wrong. He lost his focus and turned his head in the direction of the cheers. That one slip up cost him. His arms shook and his feet slipped as he tried to regain balance on his board. He didn't fall, but it was a close call.
The crowd groaned in unison, we knew he would be deducted points.
When his round was finally finished, he walked up on the shore, careful to avoid the crowds, which was difficult, because they were trying to push past the boundaries and get to him. He shook his head as he walked, as if he knew how he screwed up. And I still couldn't tell who he was, which really ticked me off.
"Okay. Time to go," I said, pulling Cassidy's arm and dragging her back to the cabana.
I did a slow paced workout on the elliptical for five minutes, then pulled my yoga mat out of my bag and started doing yoga to calm my increasing nerves.
Cassidy, who knew better than to interrupt me, sat on a chair and watched the competition, volume on mute.
When it neared five o'clock, I grabbed my water bottle, sunglasses, and surfboard. I sprayed myself with sunscreen and Cassidy walked with me to the waiting area.
I looked around. There was no one else in the tent since at 5:30 they were stopping for the day. I took a deep breath and sat down in one of the plastic chairs that filled the tent.
A volunteer came in and told Cassidy she had to leave. "Look for me in the crowd," she said as she hugged me.
"How will I know where you are?" I asked.
"Oh, trust me, you'll know," she said, grinning mischievously.
I nodded and Cassidy walked out of the tent and into the gloomy day.
A/N- okay so i think its only another chapter (maybe 2 depending on if i can squeeze all that i want to into 1 ch) and then possibly and epilogue (but only if i get enough reviews, if not you guys are left hanging haha) and that'll be it! keep the reviews coming! snd oh, when im done this story (or now) check out my others on both this site and and i will be adding some new stuff a couple of weeks or so after im done this one! thanks for being a faithful reader!