CHAPTER 10 - IN A SUNSET MINUTE

At long last, here's the tenth and final chapter to this story. As promised, I've got some ReeFin happening in the first part of this chapter as Fin shows her thanks to Reef for his help in getting back at Bummer for his crappy treatment of her in Chapters 7 and 8, followed by a Fin-Lo friendship focus in the second part as Fin gives thanks to Lo for being there for her. The title of this chapter is also taken from the phrase "New York minute", and also had a bit of inspiration from the Don Henley song of the same name ("Everything can change...").

So, you think the kiss between Reef and Fin in "Grom Fest" was the first time those two locked lips? Wellll, not quite so... ;D

The next day, the mood among the summer staff had improved considerably thanks to Bummer being removed as the Surfer's Paradise day manager and busted down to merely assisting Johnny at the front desk. With Bummer no longer in charge, his ban on surfing against the staff had been overturned and those who had been forced to work seven days a week under Bummer's rule would now get weekends off again. Mr. Ridgemount also declared that those of the staff who had been cheated out of their pay by Bummer would get what they were owed.

To celebrate their freedom from Bummer's tyranny, the groms and Johnny, along with Kelly and David, went into town that evening for burgers and fries at Starvin' Marvin's Drive-In, then they went to see a rare non-surfing-themed movie playing at the Big Wave Theatre, Speedy and Gomer Escape from the Looney Bin. After the events of the past week, the gang (especially Fin) were in need of a few good belly laughs, which that comedy film gave them to spare.

After the movie ended and the gang returned to the hotel, Fin and Reef were the last ones to arrive in the hotel's west wing, where the female summer staff had moved into available guest rooms of their choice. They were both laughing as they came out of the elevator, thanks to having flashbacks of the funnier parts of the movie. "Man, that was one of the best movies I've seen in the past three years!" Reef said as he and Fin slowly walked the hallway toward Fin's room. "Never laughed so hard in all that time."

"Yeah, I know," Fin agreed in between laughs. "I wouldn't usually agree with you about that kind of movie, but I really needed some good laughs after all I've been through this last week and that show was just what the doctor ordered."

"Then Dr. Reef's at your service," Reef joked with a grin, "and I don't charge for house calls."

"Yeah, you wish you were a real doctor," a smirking Fin retorted. "And don't even think of asking to 'play doctor' either, kook."

"Got you laughing again, didn't I?" Reef said, wiggling his eyebrows like Groucho Marx.

"Well...yeah, you did," Fin said, giggling slightly.

"Then I've done my job," Reef said with a little self-satisfaction.

As she and Reef rounded a corner to another hallway, Fin said to him, "You know, this is a real surprise to me. Who knew you and I could get through spending time together without having any arguments about anything?"

"Yeah, me too," Reef said, realizing that he and Fin had not argued at all since they went into Sunset Beach for their night out with the gang. "Big shocker there." After a pause, he then asked, "Think we could make that last?"

"Well, that's up to you now, don't you think?" Fin said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess so," Reef said after another brief pause. "Now that I think about it, we had a pretty good thing going tonight and I'd hate to do anything to mess that up."

"Good to hear," Fin said with a nod. She and Reef continued walking a few more feet before she stopped in her tracks. "You know something?" she said upon stopping. "I haven't thanked you yet for yesterday."

"Huh?" Reef said, wondering what Fin was talking about.

"Lo told me what you did during the raid on Bummer's office you guys pulled off yesterday," Fin pointed out while she walked up to Reef. "She said you were the one who found those files she needed to show her dad to take Bummer down."

"Yep, that was me," Reef admitted. "Didn't even realize what I had at first 'til I showed them to Lo, though."

Can't say I'm surprised about that, Fin thought to herself. "But it made all the difference," she then said to Reef. "Thanks to you finding those files, Bummer's paid the price for all the crap he's done to us the last few weeks."

"And to you especially," Reef added.

"Yeah, to me especially," Fin said with a smirk. "That's why I want to thank you for doing that for me."

Reef chuckled nervously a moment, not expecting Fin to be thanking him for his part in the gang's payback against Bummer. "You do?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Lo said you were a hero for finding those papers, and she was right," Fin said. "And there's a way I can repay you for your part in Bummer's downfall. In a way, it's also a payment for doing it to stand up for me on principle after what Bummer did to me two days ago."

"Really?" Reef said, curious as to what Fin had in mind for her payment. "What do you want to..."

Reef did not get to finish his question, as Fin spun him around and pushed him against a wall in the hallway, walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Just shut up and let me show you, okay?" Fin said in a low, breathy tone, then she put her hands on the sides of Reef's head, pulled him close and began to kiss him.

Whoa, mama! This betty's a tiger! a shocked Reef thought to himself as Fin pressed her lips to his and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The kiss started out gently, but after a few moments, to Reef's surprise, Fin took it a step further when she parted her lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Reef, who had not expected Fin to take the initiative with him after several weeks of speculation about them by their friends, decided simply to go with the flow and willingly engaged his own tongue with Fin's, enjoying the passionate French kiss she had pulled him into as much as she was.

After about two minutes of kissing, Fin slowed it down and pulled her lips back slowly from Reef. "So, what do you think of my way of telling you thanks?" she said quietly, gazing into the surfer boy's eyes.

Reef, still surprised by Fin's kiss, remained in stunned silence for a moment before he replied. "You're...you're welcome," he said hesitantly, then he grinned at Fin, showing his appreciation for the kiss.

Fin giggled slightly and smiled back at Reef. "My pleasure," she said as she stepped back, then began walking away slowly. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Reef replied, then he watched Fin as she walked down the hallway, paying particular attention to her butt while he watched her go. After taking a few steps, Fin, who got a sense that Reef was checking her out, stopped a moment and turned to glance over her left shoulder at him. "Are you looking at my butt?" she asked out of curiosity with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhh...yeah?" Reef said with hesitation, wanting to be honest with his answer but also hoping Fin would not get mad at him for it.

Satisfied with the answer, Fin simply giggled again. "Just checking," she said with a grin, then she continued down the hallway to go meet Emma at her room, while Reef continued to watch Fin until she arrived at Emma's door.

A few minutes later, Fin and Emma headed up to the Ridgemount penthouse, where Lo had invited them. Mr. Ridgemount was away for the weekend on a business trip to Calgary and had taken Ty and George with him, so Lo had asked her friends to join her for a sleepover at the penthouse. The girls, joined by Mrs. Ridgemount, had a good time with their slumber party, playing Guitar Hero World Tour on the Ridgemounts' 92-inch plasma widescreen TV first, then watching a "chick flick" movie on pay-per-view while enjoying pizza, popcorn and pop. After Mrs. Ridgemount decided to turn in for the night when the movie ended, the girls spent the next half-hour gossiping about boys and talking about their newfound freedom from Bummer's rule before they also called it a night.

At around quarter after one in the morning, however, Fin was outside on the penthouse's pool deck. She was unable to sleep, so she had gone out to the pool area and was looking at the moon, the stars in the night sky and the Pacific Ocean in the near distance while standing near the railing surrounding the pool deck. She was still standing at the same spot when Lo, who had woken up a few minutes earlier and did not find Fin in the living room where the girls were sleeping, spotted Fin outside and went out to join her.

"Hey, Fin," Lo said as she stopped next to her friend. "Feeling okay?"

Fin glanced toward Lo for a moment before turning back to the sky. "I couldn't sleep," Fin replied. "I'm still thinking about my dad."

"You want to talk about it?" a sympathetic Lo asked, putting her left arm over Fin's shoulders.

Fin let out a small sigh. "I was thinking about the last time I talked with Dad on the webcam before the accident," she said. "I was telling him about what a good time I was having here with you guys, with the surfing and the other stuff I was doing."

"Well, that's good, right?" Lo said. "I'm sure he was happy to hear that."

"He was," Fin said, "but what I told him was only half-true."

"What? I don't understand," a puzzled Lo said.

"The part about having fun here is true," Fin explained. "But I didn't tell him that I was unhappy at the same time because of Bummer and what he put us through here. I didn't want to say anything to Dad about it because I didn't want it getting back to my mom. If Mom had heard about me feeling miserable the past couple of weeks because of that jerkwad Bummer, she would've used it as an excuse to make me give up working here. Remember when I said my mom hates it when I go surfing?"

"Yeah," Lo said, nodding. "But I know your dad let you surf and your grandma encouraged you to do it. That's what matters, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Fin agreed. "But now with Dad gone, I'll never get to see him there to root me on when I decide to compete at the higher-level surfing events." Her voice became more emotional upon thinking about her personal loss again. "He won't be there when I hold up the Canadian Championship trophy on the winner's podium, or even the World Championship."

"No, not physically," Lo said. "But he will be there in spirit. After all you told me, I think he knew how important surfing is to you and I think he'd be proud to know, even now, that you're doing what you enjoy best. Any trophies that come along are just an added bonus." Lo then put her right hand on Fin's upper right arm, another comforting gesture to let her friend know she was there for her. "The main thing is how supportive he was of you and your desire to be the best surfer you can be."

Fin turned her head slightly to glance at Lo again, then she returned to watching the sky. "True," she admitted, thinking about what Lo said. "I'm glad he was."

"And as long as you think about your dad and all the good memories you have of him, and you keep him in your heart, he'll never really be gone," Lo said, giving encouragement to Fin with her reassuring words.

Unknown to Lo (who was standing on Fin's right), a tear slid down Fin's left cheek as she glanced up at the sky and thought about Lo's words. "Thanks, Lo," she said quietly, then she paused a moment. "I'm really glad you and the others had my back through all this."

"It was worth it," Lo said. "Everyone else thought so too, even Reef."

"Yeah," Fin said in agreement. "I know you said Reef was the one who found those forms that busted Bummer, but it was your idea to raid Bummer's office that helped make it happen. You took a big risk to step up to the plate for me."

"Like I said, it was worth it for you, for a good reason," Lo admitted. "You could've stayed mad at me and snubbed me when I made you guys miss your first chance to surf on your first day here before I joined the staff, and I wouldn't have blamed you...but you didn't. You started believing in me when I stepped up and started taking more responsibility, and you supported me in the things I did to make life a little easier and more enjoyable here for the summer staff in spite of Bummer."

Lo paused a moment before she continued. "And after the faith you showed in me, I wanted to do what I could for you when you told me about your dad," she told Fin. "Besides wanting to help you feel better, I did it because of how important you've become to me over the summer. You're my best friend, and you're like the sister I wish I could've had. And most important of all, Fin... I love you."

When she heard Lo consider her to be like a sister to her, Fin was touched. "You really think of me like a sister?" she said as she turned her head to look at Lo.

"I do," Lo said with a nod and a smile.

Fin softened when she heard Lo confirm what she said. "Thanks Lo, that really means a lot," Fin said. "I'll admit something to you, too... Over the last few weeks, and especially over this past week, you've been just like a sister to me too. I thought I could try to get through my dad's death on my own, but you really came through when I needed someone to lean on. Outside my own family back home, you've been the closest thing I've had to family here all this time."

Lo smiled again at Fin's heartfelt statement, then she turned her friend around to face her and put her hands on Fin's shoulders. "You know something, Fin?" she said. "As far as I'm concerned, after all we've been through, you are family to me now, just as much as my folks are to me. Don't ever doubt that."

"Don't worry, I won't," Fin said with a nervous giggle. After a pause, she added, "And remember when I said you were a sweetheart for being there to comfort me after my dad..."

"Yeah?" Lo said.

"You're more than that to me now," Fin admitted as she looked Lo in her eyes. "You're an angel." Remembering the kiss Lo gave her on the cheek while she had comforted her, Fin repaid the rich girl in kind as she moved forward and gave Lo a kiss on her cheek, then she and Lo wrapped their arms around each other in a big hug, which they held onto for several minutes while Fin leaned her head against Lo's. "I love you, Lo," an emotional Fin said as she shed another tear.

"I love you too, Fin," Lo replied softly, feeling some tears of her own coming on. "I love you so much."

"And I'll find a way to repay you someday for your kindness," a grateful Fin said. "I owe it to you."

"It's okay," Lo said. "That's what I wanted to do."

After their embrace, Lo stepped back a bit to look at Fin again. Neither of the girls had really wanted their hug to end because of the positive emotional and spiritual vibes and the comfort they got from it, but Lo needed a moment to wipe away her tears. "So, you ready to go back inside?" she asked Fin, keeping her left hand on Fin's right shoulder while using her right hand to get to the tear trails on her cheeks.

"No, not yet," Fin said, taking a moment to wipe away another tear of her own. "I think I'll stay out here for a bit to be with my thoughts." She paused briefly before she then said to Lo, "Though I wouldn't mind some company while I'm here...and I'd be okay with some more cuddling, if you want."

Feeling happy to be needed and more than willing to grant Fin's request, Lo smiled. "Sure, I'd love to," she said. While Fin returned to looking out to the night scenery beyond the hotel, Lo went behind Fin and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist in another embrace, with Fin putting her forearms on top of Lo's as the two girls watched the full moon's reflection off the ocean's surface.

As she and Lo continued watching the beach and the water near the hotel, Fin then glanced up at the sky, looked at it for a few moments and had a thought about what she was watching. "They're beautiful tonight, aren't they?" she said.

"What's that?" a curious Lo wondered.

"The stars," Fin said. "I didn't really pay much attention to them those times the gang went night surfing, or a lot of other times before I came to the hotel. But now since Dad's been gone, I've been looking at them more and thinking about him while I do."

"I understand," Lo said. "Sometimes I look at the stars too, when I have things on my mind." After that, the girls said nothing for a few moments as they continued watching the stars. During that time, Fin took Lo's right hand into her left, then moved it up to her left shoulder to rest there and kept her left hand on top of Lo's right, doing so in appreciation for how supportive, sweet and caring Lo had been to her in the week following Fin's father's death. After noticing this, Lo simply leaned her head against Fin's and smiled contentedly.

"You know what else I have on my mind right now?" Fin said quietly, breaking the silence. "Reef."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lo commented with a small giggle. "Why is that?"

"Reef walked me over to my room right after we got back from the movie," Fin said. "He and I talked a bit along the way about the plan to knock Bummer off his high horse, then I told him how funny I found it that we didn't argue once during the night out tonight."

"Uh-huh," Lo said, eager to know what happened next. "Then what?"

"Well," Fin continued, "then I pushed Reef up against the wall in the hallway, then I... I kissed him."

Lo let out a small gasp when she heard that news. "No way!" she said. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Fin replied with a nod. "Lasted a couple of minutes or so. It wasn't just an ordinary kiss either."

Lo gasped again. "Did you French him?" she asked, curious to know.

"Mmm...yeah, I did." a hesitant Fin said. When Lo let out a louder gasp in response, Fin sensed what was coming and took a pre-emptive measure. "Please don't squeal in my ear, Lo," she said to her friend. "Otherwise I'll lose hearing in my right ear for like half an hour."

"Oh, sorry Fin," Lo apologized quietly. "I won't do it then. It's almost like force of habit when I hear about you and Reef together."

"That's okay," Fin said with a giggle. "You're actually the first one I've told about it."

"Whoa, now that is special," Lo remarked. After a moment, she added, "Maybe we could talk about you kissing Reef in more detail over some leftover pizza when we go back inside."

"Sure," Fin agreed, "but not just yet. It's a beautiful night out tonight and I'd like to enjoy it a while longer."

"Yeah, me too," Lo said softly as she and Fin decided to remain in their embrace out on the penthouse pool deck and continue watching and enjoying the surroundings in the moonlight beyond the hotel.

THE END

And if you've read Chapter 5 of A Stoked Christmas, you know how Fin ended up repaying Lo for the kindness she showed her in this story. :D

And there you have it. Next Stoked fic I do, it'll be the beginning of Year Two for the Surfer's Paradise gang as they reunite for another summer of adventure, drama, romance and humorous hijinks at the hotel, and they get joined by some new groms.

Comments and reviews are welcome.