Chapter Nine

Two months went by that Mercedes and Brady spent surfing with Landon and the boys. Brady seemed to fit in better with the group. Mercedes still felt her surfing was overlooked. Or if not overlooked, then they guys didn't want to admit that she could surf just as well as they could. She stuck it out though refusing to give them the satisfaction of driving her out of the crew. Returning to the beach every day with Brady, Mercedes practiced hard to improve her skills.

"Hey," Landon smiled as he paddled over towards Mercedes in the line-up one day. The waves were pretty big and rough that day. A storm was coming in off the coast, making great surf conditions. She was sitting on her board waiting for the next set to roll in, a pissed look on her face. Looking over his way, she locked eyes with him for a second and then put her head down as he came closer.

"Rough day?" Landon asked in regards to the many wipeouts Mercedes was having today. Every wave she tried to stand up on she wiped out and got worked!

Scowling at him as she looked up, she replied bitterly, "You don't have to rub it in!"

"Woah, woah! I was just asking," he defended himself, putting up both hands as in 'I-surrender.' Lowering his hands, he asked, "You ok?" with a genuine look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine," she answered disdainfully. "Just not my day with the waves. But I'm not quitting. I can hack it out here," she added defensively, looking harshly at him.

"Mercedes, I was just asking. I know you can hack it. I've watched you for the past two months. I know Jacob and Pete, and especially Chase and Shane, won't say this, but you're a good surfer. Actually, a great surfer. I've noticed even if they haven't," Landon spoke sincerely. He splashed some water at Mercedes to get her to look up. When she did, he gave her a smile and she managed a small one back.

"Sadie, Landon! Here comes the next set," Brady interrupted as he yelled from a few feet away to give them a heads up. The two turned towards the beach in preparation to catch some more waves.

Chapter Ten

Mercedes excused herself from dinner that night. The terrible surfing that day had made her lose her appetite. Instead, she headed upstairs to do her homework. Dom had taken it upon himself to never forget ask to ask for her assignment sheet that her teachers were forcing her to fill out and have him sign every night. He would then ask to see the assignments to make sure they were completed, and done correctly. Mercedes just saw it as a pain in the ass and a way for Dom to find something extra to yell at her about. Which is why she concentrated hard on her homework more often in order to not allow Dom to find anything wrong. Just as she got out all her books and lay down on her floor to begin, her cell phone rang.

Hurrying across her room to grab the phone, she read 'Brady' on the caller ID.

"Hey," she answered solemnly.

"Hey girl," Brady replied. Mercedes could hear the smile on his face, which caused her to smile a bit. "Whatcha up to?" he asked.

Sighing, she answered "Oh. just homework," as she headed back over to her bed to get working.

"The guys and I are going over to Chase's house tonight to watch a movie and play video games. Wanna go?" he asked excitedly.

"First of all, Brady, it's a school night and I doubt Dom would let me go out even if I asked. And second, I'm not feeling up to hanging out with all of them tonight," Mercedes sighed again as she replayed a few earlier wipeouts in her head.

"Alright." Brady replied reluctantly, pausing before he continued. "Well, if you change your mind, call my cell, ok? And Sadie? Don't worry about today. If anything, you showed them that you aren't some wimpy girl who crawls back to the beach after a wipeout or two. You showed them that you have what it takes to get thrown around and pounded by the ocean. That's something," he told her sincerely.

"Thanks Brady," Mercedes smiled slightly as she appreciated her best friends' encouragement. "Have fun, and I'll talk to you after school tomorrow. Lata bro."

"Lata chica," Brady concluded as they up the phone.

Chapter Eleven

Later that night, around 12:30 am, Brady decided that he had to head home. His mom would probably be a bit upset that he was out so late on a school night. He said goodbye to all the guys and headed out. Driving up the coastal highway, traffic was very light. Only a few other cars were out on the road this late. That's when Brady saw them. Two sets of headlights coming extremely fast in the opposite two lanes. One set then veered off to the right, crossing over the lanes of traffic and heading straight for Brady's Blazer.