A/N: Another short one. Stacy lovers, hang in there! He and the other Z-boys will drop in and make the next few chappies a little more lively...

Chapter 12

For the next two weeks, the days were still mostly gloomy and rainy. Whenever Jess saw it, the Pacific Ocean was leaden gray and heaving with the winter swell, bringing out determined surfers in sturdy wetsuits. Due to the colder temperatures and unpredictable rains she hadn't been back to Bicknell Hill or the surf shop, but she certainly intended to return despite the objections from some of Dogtown's female residents.

One Thursday morning early in February came a little brighter and than usual, but not a lot warmer. Unfortunately Jess' budding plans to return to Dogtown were nipped for the day when she got a groupwork assignment in her Creative Writing class. Given a complex task with a short deadline, there would be little time for larking off to flirt with skater boys or trouble. Luckily her fellow group members seemed to be equally committed to knocking the paper out in record time, so they made plans to meet up after everyone was done with class and extracurricular activities that couldn't be put off. The other female member of the group, a tall, rangy brunette named Dawn, asked Jess to meet her at the playing fields at 4 o'clock when her drill team practice would be over. She exited the building's west side, opposite from where she normally left, and walked toward the playing fields. The sound of drill team's marching drums came echoing to her across the distance, guiding her steps. As she crossed the parking lot she saw the band itself, decked out in different degrees of sportswear as it went through its routine. The only outward signs of the chilly weather showed in the flushed cheeks of the flag girls as they dutifully twirled their banners in time to the staccato beat. Dawn, clad in a red-and-white baseball jersey, was bringing up the file of cheerleaders waving rainbow-colored pom-poms. A lone figure was seated at the top far corner of the bleachers; a female with light brown hair and a fawn-colored poncho trimmed with white fur. As Jess reached the edge of the field she realized with a sinking heart that the it was Stacy's girlfriend. Strange to see her without him attached to her hip, Jess thought. Trouble in paradise? She did seem a little down- but no, as soon as the thought formed she heard someone running up behind her and quickly peeked over her shoulder –Stacy himself was approaching, his bright hair making a banner of its own in the wind as he hastened to rendezvous with his beloved. Jess resisted the devilish urge to trip him as he jogged past. Instead she skulked off to her left, keeping to the chain-link fence that bordered the field as she watched Stacy's girl rise to her feet and descend to ground level to meet him. They stood next to each other and watched the band for a while. Maybe it was wishful thinking on Jess' part, but she was pretty sure she saw Stacy checking out a couple of the banner girls a little more than he should have been. But his girl seemed oblivious and after a few minutes they drifted off toward the main road. Too bad, thought Jess. It would have been funny to see what Miss Perfect California Girl would have done if she caught her Mr. Perfect California boyfriend gaping at some spandex-clad butts.

Ten minutes later, the drill team finished practice and Dawn, sweating despite the 50-degree temperatures, came over to join Jess by the fence.

"That looks like it might be hard work but fun too," Jess observed.

"Yeah, it is," Dawn agreed. "I guess you didn't cheer back home, huh?"

"Nah, I'm not so limber."

Dawn shot her a sympathetic smile as she stretched using the fence for support, then pushed herself upright. "Ok, let me get my gym bag and then we can go to the library."

As the two girls cut across campus, Jess noticed Stacy skating in a parking lot with two other guys she didn't recognize as part of the core Zephyr crowd. As they did various freestyle moves, Stacy's girl watched from the sidelines. Was it more wishful thinking on Jess' part, or did she look vaguely bored? Jess supposed that unless she got a turn on the board it might get a little dull just watching guys skate all the time…but then Stacy pulled off an extended series of 360 spins that made his hair fly out in a perfect arc and Jess was mesmerized all over again. How could you possibly get tired of watching that? She glanced back at Stacy's girl, whose face was now suffused with a glowing smile, her light hazel eyes focused completely on Stacy. Damn, maybe she's not so bored with him after all, Jess thought ruefully. She forced herself to come out of her reverie and reluctantly sped up her pace to catch up with Dawn, who was quite unaware that her study partner had been distracted and fallen behind. Jess had to wonder about her too: how could she pass up a sight like that? Either she was completely used to seeing gorgeous skater guys doing their thing, or she didn't like guys at all. It wasn't worth contemplating further. She caught up to Dawn and tried to forget about Stacy, but it wasn't easy; he always seemed to be haunting the periphery of her existence, his presence both elusive and yet very real. And yet there was no sign of anything changing either way. Frustrating, but what else could she do except accept things for the way they were and move on? After all, Jay still had a chance and if he didn't work out, maybe she'd go with another Z-Boy like that cute Paul or perhaps Tony – he'd given her some lingering looks at that party…no, not Tony. Too arrogant, too over-the-top, too everything; she'd never be able to handle him.

And so with her head jammed with thoughts of errant skaters, Jess walked on to the library.