"Sup," Brady said casually as he joined Mack's side. Despite what had gone on between them he seemed calm and collected still. Mack couldn't understand how he could be so casual about things.
"How'd you know I was gonna be here?" She didn't turn, she could recognize that voice from a mile away, even though they had only spent the past 2 months together, they had grown so close to quickly.
"I knew you couldn't miss surf like this." He smiled as he playfully bumped her shoulder with his own. Mack couldn't deny that she still got that fuzzy warm feeling in her stomach as he nudged her, she always did when Brady touched her. Perhaps it was just the enormous waves before her giving her butterflies, though she was never usually nervous. She began to plead with him, that it was already tough enough her having to leave so abruptly. He didn't argue back, just simply said,
"I came here to watch you surf, that's it, I'm not gonna propose," he smiled. Mack couldn't help but smile back at him.
"Yeah, well watch this." She flicked her ponytail as she turned and marched straight down the beach with her board tucked under her arm. Brady watched the brunette make her way down the beach, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous for her, though the green flag was still present.
Mack nailed the first waves as usual, she had learnt from the best. Brady couldn't take his eyes of her, she moved so elegantly, even as the waves became more violent. She knows what she's doing. He reassured himself.
Mack's grandfather walked up behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder to greet him, before standing beside him. "I don't like the look of that sky Brady." They both watched for a moment as other surfers began to wipe out off their boards. the waves were definitely much bigger now. Mack was still handling them relatively well.
Then suddenly the lifeguard blew his whistle from atop his tower, waving the red flag frantically in the air. "Out of the water! It's too choppy! It's dangerous" He yelled between sharp bursts of the whistle. Mack looked over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Brady for a moment, before turning away. She had to surf this last wave, it would be her only shot for the next few years being stuck at boarding school.
The remainder of the surfers hauled their boards behind them, safety onto the shore of the beach. "She isn't coming in." Her grandfather said in a low, and still somehow calm voice. The panick had bubbled up inside Brady and was now evident in his voice. "She isn't coming in. Why isn't she coming in?" Then Brady saw the reason why, it was the biggest wave he had ever seen, and he had lived on the beach his entire life. Mack was paddling straight towards it, it must've been 15 feet high, double the size of their average waves. "Mack!" Brady had began to shout, she couldn't hear him, she looked over her shoulder once more before turning, taking a breath and beginning to stand on her board. "Come on Mack!" He pleaded taking a few steps forward in the sand.
Mack began at the base of the wave, before eventually disappearing inside it. Brady held his breath waiting for the moment that she would duck back out, but the wave rolled closer and closer towards the shore, shorter and shorter as it did so. He stood there for what held like an eternity, waiting for the moment she swerved out victorious. A smile a mile wide. Brady was now at the shoreline, still waiting for her to re appear, and it soon became apparent she would not. Brady began to panic even more so Keep calm he told himself She can handle herself. She knows what she's doing. He began to shake. So panicked, he hadn't realised that in that moment the remainder of the wave she had been inside had washed up, crawling over his feet. he finally caught side of Mack's board, in was unmissable amongst the dark blue. He began to sigh a relief, waiting for her dark hair to resurface, he waited a few more moments. "Mack?" He shouted out calmly. "Mack?" He shouted once more. "Mack?!"
And finally he couldn't take it anymore, he sprinted across the shoreline grabbing hold of the one jet ski on the beach. He started the engine and pushed it off into the shallow water whilst pulling on his life jacket. He hopped on and zoomed away.
"Mackenzie? Where are you?" He slowed as he approached, he didn't want to risk going over her. "Mack?" He looked across the water, and finally caught sight of her neon pink rash guard. Brady flicked the engine off and drove straight into the water, swimming as fast as he could to her. He began to loosen his life jacket, ready to wrap around his girlfriend. He reached down under the water and grabbed hold of her top before hauling her up to the service. That's when Brady noticed how floppy she was. His mind was going in circles, he looped the straps of the life jacket on to her, to keep her head out of the water, and dragged her back to the safety of the jet ski. Brady fought against the waves, which had thankfully subsided for a moment. He pulled Mack onto the jet ski in front of him and began to hurry back to the shore.
When he finally arrived, he turned the key, picked Mack up bridal style and put her down on the beach gently. Mackenzie's grandfather knelt down next to her, alongside the life guard, who had radioed for help. A few kind beach goers brought towels to cover Mackenzie. Someone handed one to Brady as he slumped back into the damp sand, exhausted and breathing heavily. When he heard the horrific sounds. Mack was gasping for air in her unconscious state, the breaths were short and shallow with an odd gurgling sound. Her grandfather began to bark orders, "Get her on her side, she needs to get out what went in." The life guard helped roll Mackenzie carefully onto her side, supporting her head. Almost instantly she began to vomit up mouthfuls of salty water. Brady's eyes widened as he moved towards her. Her body jolted between each upbringing of water, after several mouthfuls it eventually stopped. "That'll do, roll her back" Her grandfather instructed "Keep watching her, I'm going to go and wave down the ambulance". Brady sat right beside her, and took a hold of her hand gently, her finger tips had began to turn blue, just like her lips. He looked over at her chest and could see it rising and falling slowly, at least she could breathe. He gently moved the hair that had been plastered to her forehead out of the way, as he did so her eyelids started to flicker.
Mack began to regain consciousness. Her throat was so dry and everything was so salty. She tried to murmur some words and tried to open her eyes. It felt like concrete was holding them shut. She managed to open her eyes slightly and was met by Brady's blurry face. "Shhhh. Don't speak, it's okay, I got you. Just stay still." And with that Mack went out cold again.
Thankfully it wasn't long before the ambulance showed up, and two paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher and into the safety of their care. Brady wrapped himself tightly in the towel, "Can I go with her?"
"Best you meet us there. You need to get some dry clothes yourself son." One paramedic answered, "We'll take good care of her whilst you can't" She shut the back door of the ambulance, with an unconscious Mackenzie inside. Mack's grandfather laid a hand on Brady's shoulder as he often did, come on, I've got some stuff you can wear and you can help me grab Mack's things and we'll get there before you know it." Brady nodded and turned away with him towards the surfboard makers shack. And with that came the roar of sirens and blue lights as they sped away with Mack.
Brady couldn't have gone through Mack's stuff quicker, he grabbed her favorite bear, though she would deny it if you asked. Her favorite pajamas, slippers, brush, comb, and shoved it all into a bag he had found in the bottom of her closet. He changed himself in there, slipping into one of her grandfathers Hawaiian print shirts and a spare pair or surf shorts he had left at Mack's house. He pulled his flip flops back on a rushed out into the living area of the surf shack. "Ready!" Brady called to her grandfather, he was eager to catch up with the ambulance.