A/N: Read! Review please! Make me happy =P

"Can you feel that folks? The ground rumbling? Can you hear that? The volcano's about to erupt! But don't panic, it's perfectly normal and we're perfectly safe."

"Safe? Are you nuts? We're a mere distance away!"

"Relax, kid, this volcano oozes out lava from its sides, not the kind that explodes with lava and ash into the sky."

"Ooooh," I said sheepishly.

And the fiery mountain erupted.

Lava oozed out and down the mountainous terrain.

"Wow. What a beauty. Hmm, maybe volcanoes aren't so bad, as long as they don't erupt like that one in Pompeii..."

Alice nudged me.

"See? You're slowly getting over your fears. You just have to look at the good side of things, not the 'what ifs'."

"I hate it when you're right."

"Yet, I haven't missed a beat today," Alice said smugly, "you need to stop worrying, and just enjoy this. I mean look at the view. It's breathtaking."

I scowled.

She was right.

Again.

The view was breathtaking.

The waves gently rolled on, pushing one another, a beautiful shade of ocean blue.

The palm trees swayed, as if dancing to the barely audible whistle of the wind.

The climate was warm, but not sweltering, just bearable.

And the volcanoes, were a natural wonder of the landscape.

The sand looked soft, and was not too hot, and made of a variety of minerals.

It was fine sand.

The sights were absolutely voluptuous.

I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks along the shore.

"Hawaii is a place of beauty, but has a few down sides. It experiences earthquakes every now and then, and tsunamis due to the fact that it's an island and surrounded by water on every side. Earthquakes are vibrations causes by the collisions of plate tectonics on the earth's crust, and a tsunami is an unusually large sea wave produced by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. Not to worry though, we have seismologists that study in advance."

I sighed in relief.

Alice just shook her head.

"Well, that concludes our tour. Have fun!"

Then we headed back to the hotel.

My parents had come back with our luggage.

Alice was hyper again.

"Bella, let's go surfing!"

"What? I don't know how to surf, and I'm pretty sure you don't know either!" I remained pertinacious.

"You're right, I don't...but there is nothing wrong with learning to!"

"Where are we going to find a surfing instructor?"

Oh boy, my parents overheard. This can't be good.

"Well, sweetie, this is a full service hotel. Just ask the desk lady downstairs in the lobby."

"Come on, Bella, we have our swimsuits now, let's change and let's go!"

I opened my mouth to argue, but Alice saw it coming.

"If you plan on arguing me, don't bother. We all know who's going to win in the end," she told me superciliously, "don't waste your breath."

I quickly changed into my swimsuit, and wore my regular clothes over. Alice took at least half an hour trying to decide between the red one, or the yellow one.

I grew intolerant of her indecisiveness. "Just wear the orange one! It's a mixture of red and yellow!"

"Oh my gosh! That's brilliant! Just let me go change."

She seized her swimsuit and dashed into the washroom.

I swear, if I hadn't made the selection for her, she would've taken at least two hours.

At least.

Boy, would I be bored.

Well, that's Alice for you.

Fashion-crazed and incredibly hyper.

"Okay! I'm done!"

"You are not going down to the lobby looking like that," I stated disapprovingly.

"Why not?" She complained.

"Just put on your clothes over your swimsuit, and grab a towel," I ordered, trying to conceal my annoyance.

"But-" I cut her off.

"Grab your clothes and the darn towel and let's argue in the elevator," I suggested.

At least we would be getting somewhere.

She dragged her legs behind me.

In the elevator, she eventually gave into me and put her clothes on.

I had pulled the "you're making me go surfing so don't sass me" card and she yielded.

As soon as the elevator door opened, she bolted to the front desk.

"Hi! Can we get a surfing instructor here?" The desk lady looked up and gave us the evil eye. She had a minatory expression on her face. It was a different lady than before, since the other one was on the phone.

"Of course, you brats."

I could tell with the tone of her voice that she thought teenagers were sleazy and puerile.

She made a few phone call and got back to us.

"Sadly, you're in luck. The last session just ended. Your surfing instructor will be here betimes. His name is Jacob," she told us sardonically.

Then some ripped guy walked into the lobby.

"That's Jacob, right?" I asked.

The desk lady was surprised.

"How did you know that was him?"

That disgusted tone in her voice was still there.

She probably expected us to be obtuse.

I liked the other amanuensis better.

I replied, "Well, let's see, he's shirtless, wearing his iridescent swim trunks, with a whistle around his neck, and he's carrying a surfboard."

Alice nudged me and hissed, "Don't be such a smart aleck. Stop it with the repartees."

I sneered.

The desk lady's expression changed from surprised to dumbfounded.

That'll teach her to be baleful.

Jacob approached us with largo, greeting us with a svelte attitude. I

could tell he was a flippant, intractable, and bumptious lothario, but yet a debonair Adonis.

I know I'm a captious person, and really judgemental, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

He's the kind of man that feels the need to be macho.

"Hello there, beautiful," he complimented Alice, and kissed her hand. Alice giggled demurely.

I prodded Ali's shoulder, and seethed, "Don't be fooled by his looks. He's a feisty one. Keep your dignity.."

I told Alice, but my intuition was telling me that she wasn't listening.

Then Jacob tried to take my hand.

I pulled away.

He looked confused for a second, but just shook it off.

"I'll go get your surfboards, ladies," he said smoothly, "meet you two, down by the beach."

He winked.

"Alice..."

"Bella...I can't believe we're going to learn how to surf! Isn't this awesome? It's a once in a lifetime chance! Come on!"

"Alice, you know I'm a gauche person..."

"That doesn't matter, let's just go have fun!"

My best friend was instantly snapped out of the trance.

I grinned victoriously.

We headed down to the quixotic beach, where many couples were having trysts, sharing coconuts.

Jacob was already out in the water when we arrived.

We put down our towels and stripped ourselves of your regular clothes, since our swimsuits were underneath.

We walked together into the water, which was warm, and only up to our knees.

Jacob gestured for us to get on the boards.

We got onto the boards and he taught us step by step how to surf.

"First, you have to lie, tummy down, on the board. Then you start to paddle with your feet, then move your arms like this." He showed us how. "And then when there's a big enough wave you stand on your board and balance. It's similar to snowboarding or skateboarding, if you ladies do that. Those are the basics. If you want some more advanced lessons, just give me a call."

He winked.

I felt totally disgusted.

Alice learned how to surf quite fast.

I just lay on the board and paddled around the shallow parts of the ocean, close to the shore.

I could tell Alice was disappointed that I hadn't joined her yet.

"Bella! COME ON OUT! THE WATER IS GREAT!"

I guess I should listen to her, but I also have cymophobia, a fear of waves. I sighed.

Well, what's the worst that can happen?

I headed on out.

A/N: You know the drill, review and share with your friends!