Bold=text messages

Plain=everything else

Just so you don't get confused and think that I have bad grammar. :)

I hauled my suitcase out of my parents' car and set it down on the concrete outside of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I leaned against the handle and sighed. I turned the volume of the music I had blasting on my phone (Guns n Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine), noticing my mom open her mouth.

"Now, Joy," she said sternly. Uh-oh, I thought. Lecture time. "Remember to text me when you get there." I nodded, gesturing to my 98% battery I still had on my phone. "Call me every day." I sighed and rolled my eyes at that, but didn't say anything. "And don't have any fun." I burst out laughing. My mother never meant it when she said that. "Surf your hardest, 'kay?"

Before we get too far into the story, I should probably let you know that I'm Joy Copperton. I live in Washington, D.C. I'm 13 years old. I have brown hair and hazel eyes.

But here's the thing: I also have a split personality. I discovered it in Spring Break of the year 2000, when I came with my family on vacation. During the flight, my hair color started to change. I went from a brunette to a blonde in the course of 6 hours. I went from having hazel eyes to bright blue in that same time.

The very next day, I discovered I had an incredible surfing ability, and I tested it by entering myself in a competition. I ended up in fourth place, which was good. I also met Bethany Hamilton.

She's, like, a pro surfer. We only exchanged phone numbers and left, thinking that was that. But nope, we started to text. She invited me over to her house one day. She had dinner with my family the next. The Sunday before we left, she asked me to go to her church service, which I did. I met Pastor Sarah Hill. She's great.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave. Bethany and I said tearful goodbyes, and I headed for home. When I got back, I was back to my normal self, as if the whole trip had never happened. I was a brunette with hazel eyes once again.

I dragged my suitcase into the airport and went through the usual airport things. I checked my bags, went through customs and security, and headed to my gate.

I decided to get Bethany, whom I was staying with, a Canadian souvenir. I got her some Rocky Mountain Chocolate and a keychain displaying Canada's favorite sport, hockey. Since Hawaii's was surfing, and she'd given me a good taste of that, I wanted to give her a taste of hockey. Maybe I'd even teach her how to play if they had an ice rink. Which was unlikely, but still.

I had twenty minutes to wait at the gate before I could board the flight. I was glad, though, that there was a public lounge. It, at least, had things to do. I headed up there with my carry-on, my large blue school backpack full of things for the flight: books, my laptop, headphones, DVDs. You get the picture.

I got a text from Bethany about fifteen minutes into the wait. Where r u? she asked.

In airport. Plane leaves in 5 mins. Cant wait 2 see u! I replied, putting an excited emoticon at the end of the message.

Haha. Cant wait 2 see u either. When will u get here? Bethany's reply asked.

Ummm... IDK. Lemme check. I quickly did some mental math and said, 10:55 tonite.

Awesome! Was Bethany's exclamation in her text. We will b there the airport waiting 4 u.

No duh, I replied, giggling as I sent the message. How else would I get to ur house?

Ha ha. Very funny. Bethany's message was unamused but teasing.

"All those on flight 436 to Kauai, the flight is now boarding." As the announcement rang out over the loudspeakers, I jumped up and grabbed my backpack. I put it on my shoulders and raced to the jet bridge. For good luck, I touched the outside of the plane.

OMG! I said in a text to Bethany. The plane is boarding now. 6 more hours!

So excited 2 c u! Bethany's reply said. Cant wait for u 2 meet my bros.

I hadn't gotten the opportunity to meet Bethany's brothers on my last trip. They'd been at the competition, but we'd gone back to the hotel before I could meet them. When I'd gone over to Bethany's house, we'd gone surfing the whole time, but the boys hadn't come. And then, I had never gotten the chance to see them at the church service. And I definitely hadn't invited them to our hotel room. Why would I?

I found my seat easily enough. It was in the middle, and it was a window seat. That kind I liked. I could never afford first class, and it sucked to be at the back near the stinky bathrooms. It was a perfect location.

After six hours of boredom, I sent Bethany a text telling her that I was landing. I got off the plane and headed to the baggage claim. At first, I didn't see the Hamiltons anywhere.

I got my bags and looked for the family. That's when I spotted them. They waved when they saw me, and I rushed to greet them.

"Oh my God, you look awesome!" Bethany cried as we pulled apart from a hug.

"You don't look too shabby yourself," I teased. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton."

"Please, call us Cheri and Tom," said Bethany's mom. "It's easier. And this is Tim, and that's Noah. There's also Alana Blanchard, Bethany's friend, and Alana's brother Byron."

"Wow, so I get the whole package," I joked. "The real deal."

"With these guys, it's always the whole package," Tom agreed. "No strings attached." I laughed.

"Right, let's get home and get to bed!" Cheri exclaimed. "I'll bet you're tired after that long flight." I nodded and yawned, as if to prove her point.

Bethany, Alana, and I chatted the whole way to the car. "So, how did this meeting come about?" Alana asked.

"Well, I was here on vacation three years ago, in 2000," I explained, "And I was in one of Bethany's competitions. And then we exchanged phone numbers and started hanging out. And here I am now!"

The drive to the Hamiltons' house was about forty-five minutes from the airport. It was a quaint little wooden house on the beach. It had a brown exterior and a colorful interior. We dropped Alana and Byron off at their house first.

I was staying on a mattress in Bethany's room. "And here's my room!" Bethany exclaimed as we entered. "It's not much, but I like it."

"I think it's cool," I said. The walls were teal, covered with Hawaiian decor. "I like it." I set my suitcase down and observed the room. There was a ukulele on top of the dresser. "You play?"

"A little," Bethany said. "Alana and I played a song for our fifth-grade talent show later in the year after you left."

I nodded. "That's cool," I said. "Will you teach me?"

Bethany was caught completely off-guard by my question. "Um, sure," she said uncertainly. "If you want." I laughed and gave her another hug. But then I yawned.

"All right, sleepy time!" I exclaimed. I went into the bathroom to change into my pajamas and brush my teeth. I sat down on my mattress and crawled under the covers.

I lay on my side. I pretended to be asleep. Bethany climbed into her bed, which was in the center of the room, pressed against the back wall. "Joy?" Bethany whispered. "I'm glad you're back."

And then, I whispered, so softly that she couldn't hear me, "I'm glad to be back."

And I was sure that I meant that statement.