Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog and its creators.
A/N: Well, this story is getting closer to the end, I just hope that you like it so far. I want to thank you all for reading and supporting this story and thanks to the people that have commented on it. Not many people do that, so thank you for taking a little time to do it. after this story, I will take a little break, because even though I'm working on another story it will take some time to finish the first draft and I not post anything until I have the first draft finished. I don't want to get stuck or take too long to write a chapter while I'm posting, so that is why I don't when I'm not finishing the first draft. But don't worry, I will continue writing on this fandom until I don't have any more ideas to write. :D Now let continue with the story.
Chapter 25: Feeling the Waves Again
( Later that night.)
"Oh… yess… c'mon Joel… harder…" said Ellie moving up and down in Joel's lap. They were having sex on the edge of the bed after having a long shower. Ellie has her arm around his neck and her legs crossed on his back as she moves. Joel was using his hand under the butt to help her to move her body.
"I think… I'm getting… too old for this," he said while going as deep and fast as he could.
Ellie moves her mouth to his ear and whispers. "You fuck like a young boy… to me." She sucked his ear softly, making Joel tense up a little, but started to move faster. "That is my boy… now… make me come." A few minutes later Joel gave her a hard orgasm when he came inside her. "Ahhhhhh!..." Ellie lowered her head to his shoulder as she gasped for air. "Fuck!... that feels… so good," she said almost without air.
Joel moves his hand on her back and holds her tight against his body. "I need to stop coming inside of you… the last thing… we need… is getting you… pregnant." said Joel with a worried tone.
Ellie moves her head from his shoulder a little so she can look at his face. "You don't need to worry about that… I'm on the pills… remember?"
"Yeah… but those are not 100% secure… and I-"
"Sssshhhhh…" Ellie made it as soon as she put one finger on his mouth to stop him. "All is going to be fine Joel… I'm not going to get pregnant." Ellie moves her legs from his back and pushes him down to the bed.
"You're not thinking of going on again… right?" he said with a worried tone.
Ellie smiles at him. "Why not!… don't tell me that you're tired already…" she said in a mocking way.
"Are you serious? Jesus girl… we're being fucking for two hours… not stopping… I'm not a robot… you know."
Ellie lowered herself until her face was in front of his. "Well, I hope not, because I don't want to think that the sexiest and lovely man on this island is just a robot…" She moves forward and kisses him. Joel moved his hand on her back and deep the kiss. After a minute they move their mouth away. "Did I tell you how much I love you?"
Joel stops moving his hand and looks at her. "Yeah… like 100 times." He moved his hand toward her face and gave her a small kiss. "But I like it when you say it…"
"Good… because it's true." Ellie sat up on top of him. "Okay, this was the part when you said I love you too… Ellie" said Ellie while moving off of Joel and lying beside him.
Joel waited for a minute before answering. "I love you too… Ellie… more than you think, but… do you think that we're doing the right thing here?"
"C'mon Joel… not all this about our age difference again… I thought you were good with that," she said with a frustrated tone.
"Yeah… I was… well, I mean I'm… but you saw all those people looking at us on the beach the other day… and some of them probably were talking about us. And those assholes on the beach today… they already thought that you're my daughter… So what do you think they are going to say if they found out about us?"
Ellie moves to her side to look at him. "You mean when they found out… not if. Besides… who cares what people think? This is our life… not theirs and if we love each other it is not anyone's business." Ellie quickly moved closer to his body and put her head on his chest. "Joel, you should not be worried about this. We already talked about it and you said that it was fine."
"What about you Mom? Or are you friends back at school? Do you think they will be okay with us being together?"
Ellie laughs at that… "Like I have a lot of them back there. Besides, the one that really matters already approved it… and my Mom? She will understand too…"
"Wait… Did you tell your roommate about us already?"
Ellie moves her head up and looks at him. "Sure… I told her about you from the beginning. She was the one that encouraged me to make a move and have sex with you…" said Ellie with a smile.
"Really? And you told her how old I'm?" he said with a surprised tone.
"Joel, you're not that old… and yes I told her. I also sent her a picture of you and she said that you look sexy… she was happy for me… and my mom well, that will be another story, but she will accept you too." She moves up and kisses him before putting her head back on his chest. "I love you and if you love me as you said… our age should not be a problem," she said before a yam came out of her.
"Okay, kiddo… We should get some sleep… if those boys are going to be here in the morning… and I need some rest too," said before covering both of them with the sheet.
"Okay… you're right…" she yam again. "It's going to be a long day…" she said before cuddling into Joel's arms.
Joel kisses her forehead and holds her tight. Yeah… you're right or age should not be a problem… but for some reason, I can't stop thinking about it… your vacation is almost over and I don't know what to do about that either. He said in his mind before finally falling asleep.
( Next Morning )
Joel opens his eyes as soon as he hears car horns outside his house. He put his hands on his face remembering the surf lesson he promised those boys yesterday. He knew that teaching them to win was a long shot, but he needed to do something to make those people understand that anyone can surf. Joel can't believe that those American surfers are the ones responsible for losing his job so in a way he wants to make them pay for that. And those local male chauvinists need a lesson too. They think that the beach is theirs… so he needs to put an end to that. After a few minutes, the car horn sounded again.
"FUCK!… just give me a minute…" he yelled after he hear the horns again. Slowly he turned and saw Ellie still sleeping on the other side of the bed. Jesus… How can she stay sleeping with all that louder noise? He was going to wake her up… but he decided to let her sleep a little more and also it was better if the boys didn't see her come out from the house with him. Even if Ellie said on the beach that she wasn't his daughter, they don't know what their relationship is. So he just kissed the back of her head before moving out of bed.
Joel put some shorts and a shirt on and got out of the room. He can hear the boys already talking in front of the house, so he walks there and opens the door. "Can you lower your voice? And to stop touching the horns is annoying… Jesus!"
"Good morning… Mr. Maverick… and thank you for taking some of your time to work with us," said the older of the boys.
"Can you stop calling me that kid? I already told you that I'm not that person," said Joel before taking a deep breath. "My name is Joel… Joel Miller, so call me that please."
"Good morning Mr. Miller…" said the other 3 boys that are part of the group.
"Just Joel… okay," he said after rolling his eyes. "Okay… now let's start this," he said before starting to walk away from the boys. "I hope you all already eat before coming here… because right now I don't have anything to give you guys… Now all of you can go down to the beach that is at the back of the house and start to warm up… I will be there in 20 minutes." said Joel before turning around to get back inside, but before he did, he turned his head and looked at them. "Don't go deep into the water until I get there… that part of the beach is too dangerous to surf… so just get your stuff there and wait for me… okay."
"Yes, Sir…" all of them said at the same time.
After that, Joel goes inside his house and closes the door. He went to the bathroom to get ready for today's lesson. That he does not have any idea how to start. Yeah, he has been teaching Ellie… and she has been a good learner, but teach a group of kids? Is it something different? At least they already know how to surf, so working with them is not going to be hard, he just needs to teach them a few techniques to improve their surfing so they can have a chance to win. While Joel was brushing his teeth, he felt someone touch him from behind.
"Good morning handsome…" said Ellie while hugging him from behind.
Joel jumps a little in surprise and turns his head to look at the girl behind him. "Jesus… Ellie, you scare the shit out of me… I thought you were still sleeping."
"Sorry… I just want to surprise you," she said while moving her head on top of his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "Did the boys arrive?"
He turns his head back to the mirror to finish brushing his teeth. "Yes… they came too early… so I just told them to go to the beach and wait for me."
"Okay… so why didn't you wake me up, when they arrived?" said Ellie with a soft tone. "You know I'm part of the team… now."
Joel finishes his brush and spits the water on the sink. "Yeah… I was going to call you when all were ready, I just want to let you sleep a little longer…"
Ellie moved her arm away from him and put them on her waist. "Is that true? Or you just do not want them to see me here with you?" she asked with a mad tone.
Joel turns around and looks at her. "Please, don't get mad… they just arrived like 10 minutes ago… and you will be there on the beach with them… I just not-"
"Don't want them to know about us…right?" Ellie rolled her eyes. "You don't want them to know, because you think that they think that our relationship is wrong."
Joel moved his hand up and put them on Ellie's shoulder. "Ellie… I never said that… I just want them to concentrate on the lesson… and not be distracted by-"
Ellie glared at him before shaking his hand. "Fine… if you're ashamed of us, then I will not go… so that way you don't need to worry about them finding out that we're a couple." Ellie gives him a final look before turning around and getting out of the bathroom and slamming the door closed.
"Shit!... way to go Joel always fucking things up," Joel finishes putting his clothes on and quickly gets out of the bathroom and walks toward his room. As soon as he was going to open the door it was locked. Joel put his forehead against the door and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry… Ellie… I don't mean to say… that… Can you open the door… please?" He waited for a few minutes, but as Ellie didn't answer, he decided to go to the beach and wait for her to calm down. He doesn't blame her for getting mad at him, he really needs to stop thinking about their age difference. If Ellie doesn't care about that, why does he?
Joel goes to his shack and grabs his board and a few other things and walks toward the beach. Soon he got there, he saw some of the boys on top of their board practicing while others were chatting.
"Hey… guys here he comes." said one of the boys. Soon the others saw Joel coming down with his board, they stopped what they were doing and moved together into a line formation and waited for him to do a formal introduction.
Soon Joel was in front of them. He stabs his board in the sand and looks at the boys. "Okay… boys this is not the army so you can relax," said Joel while putting his hand on his back. "As I said before my name is Joel Miller and for the following week I will be your surf instructor. As I don't know your names… I guess the introduction will come first before we start working on your surf lessons." Joel moved in front of the first boy that was in line. "Okay let's start with you…"
"My name… is Robbie… Robbie Morrison. And I'm 19." said the first boy.
"Nice to meet you, Robbie," Joel said before moving to the next boy. "Now it's your turn."
"My name… Is Mark. Mark Johnson. And I'm 18."
"Hi… Mark… next?"
"I'm Paul… Paul Gerafallow. And I'm 17."
"Hello Paul… and you?" said Joel to the last of the boys.
"Martin… Martin Woodworth. And I'm also 17… well, I'm going to be 18 in two months."
"Nice to meet you, Martin. And congratulations. So two of you are minors… do you have permission from your parents to be here?"
"I'm in charge of them… but yeah they have permission from their parents," said Robbie while moving forward.
"You're 19 right?" asked Joel while looking toward him.
"Yeah, but we came with my uncle and his girlfriend, but they don't like surfing, they only come to enjoy the beaches and chaperon us."
"Okay, I will need his information and call him, so we don't have any problem with this," says Joel before starting.
"Okay Sir…" answered the boy.
"Okay… now that we all know each other… let's start with the first lesson," said Joel while looking at them. "I saw some of you surfing on that beach yesterday and you're not so bad, so since you know how to surf I'm just going to teach you a few techniques you can use to get better." Joel started.
"So how do we win this competition?" asked Mark.
Joel turns his attention to the boy. "Well, lucky for all of you this local competition is for surfers under 25 years old. So many of them are not experienced surfers and there are not going to be any professional ones in this competition. So all you need is to get better than you're now and you will have a chance, so let's start. First; you will learn how to stay longer on any kind of wave and for that… you need to know your board, the water, and yourself. Yeah, surfing is a sport, but all of you need to feel it in your heart and soul if you want to be good at it. Yeah, you probably just do this for fun and it is okay. But to be a good surfer is more than that… you need to be passionate about it and love it. Also, have in mind that this is a dangerous sport… and if you're not careful you can get hurt or killed. The waves and current under the water are unpredictable, so you need to be aware of that too." As Joel continued, he was surprised at how attentive the boys were to his speech. So he had a good hope that this group of boys had what they needed to be good surfers and that was good.
After Joel finishes his speech he tells the boys to go into the water for a swimming test. Being a surfer is not only riding a wave, they need to be good at swimming and have good stamina. Joel makes them swim for one hour before giving them a few minutes to rest before continuing with the next exercise. As the boy went and sat in the sand, Joel was looking toward his house waiting for Ellie to show up. Yeah, Ellie was mad at him, but she needed the practice too.
After a few minutes, one of the boys spoke. "Hey, Robbie? Do you think that his daughter will come to train with us?"
"Yeah… she was gorgeous… and a good surfer too and also she is supposed to be part of our team," said Martin.
"Can you stop already?" said Robbie while moving closer to his two friends. "If you two remember well she said yesterday… that she wasn't his daughter… so stop talking about that. "
"Well… she was with him… and they looked like they were close… So you think that they are… something?" says Mark.
"That doesn't mean anything… She is probably someone he is training too… and also is not our business."
"But she is part of our team… so she will be here to train with us or not?" said Martin while looking toward Joel.
"Hey, Robbie do you really think that he is that Guy Maverick you tell us?" asked Paul now.
Robbie looks toward Joel and smiles. "I'm sure he is… even if he said that he is not. I had a picture of him in my room when he won his third championship in California," he said proudly. "He was one of the reasons I started surfing…"
"So what do you think happened to him? And why does he deny it?" asked Mark.
"I don't know… but I'm sure he has his reasons and we better leave it that way," said Robbie while looking at his friends now. Is already an honor to get some advice from him and if he is willing to teach us a few things, that is great."
"Yeah… if he teaches us what he knows… we have a better chance to win this thing… So let's stop questioning him and work with him," said Martin before grabbing his bottle of water and taking a sip.
"Yeah!" said the other three boys at the same time.
A few minutes later. "Hey, Robbie? Why did you not go over there and ask about the girl? If she is part of the team we need to know if she is going to come to practice with us."
"Why do I have to be the one to ask him? Why don't you go… Mark?"
"Because you're the one that knows the man better," Said Mark while pushing him to his side.
The boy looked toward Joel and saw that he was looking toward his house a lot. So after a few minutes, Robbie took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay… fine. But if he gets mad at us for that I will kick your ass," said Robbie before starting to walk toward Joel who was now checking his board. "Mr. Miller… sir." said the boy as soon as he got close to Joel. "Can I ask what happened to the girl that was with you yesterday? Will she be practicing with us?"
Joel stops what he is doing and looks at him. "Just call me Joel…okay?"
"Okay… Joel." answer the boy before stopping in front of him.
"You all should get ready. I will start with all of you again in a few minutes."
"Sorry for asking… but we're wondering if she will still be part of the team," said the boy in a lower tone.
"She was supposed to be, but I'm not sure if she will come today… So why not go back there and tell the others that I will be there in a minute… okay?"
"Yeah, okay… Sorry for asking… Sir. I just hope that she still wants to be part of the team. Or we need to find someone else."
"You don't need to find someone else, if she does not want to do this, I guess that you need to do it by," Joel was saying before he hear Ellie's voice coming from up the sand dune.
"Hey, guys… Sorry I'm late… but I have to make a call and it took me longer than I expected," said Ellie as soon as she got down from the dune sand and entered the beach. She was carrying her board and was wearing the dive suit that she was using to surf.
Joel quickly turns around and looks at her. Joel walks toward her leaving the boy behind. "Ellie... I'm so sorry about what happened early…" he said in a lower voice before Ellie stopped him.
"No now Joel… we can talk about that later… okay." Joel felt that she was still mad at him, but when he saw her smile, he relaxed a little.
"I thought that you were not coming after what I said," he said with a sad tone.
"We talked later… and I never said that I was not going to come. Did you really think that I was going to let you do this alone?" she said before looking at the boy that was standing a few feet behind him. "And you! Why are you and your friends resting? We have a lot of work to do if we want to win this." she said louder.
"Sorry ma'am… we're ready to start again," said the boy with a firm voice.
"Good… and don't call me that, I'm just 21… just call me Ellie," said Ellie after rolling her eyes at the boy's formality. "Now go and tell you, friends, that break time is over… we have a lot of work to do."
"Yes… ma'… I mean Ellie." said the boy nervous before running away.
Joel smiles at the scene in front of him. Joel quickly grabs his board from the sand and walks closer to Ellie. "You can really make a strong impression on people… I bet you almost made him shit in his pants." Joel watches Ellie as she looks at the boy going toward his friends and quickly makes them get up. "Thanks for coming… I don't know if I can do this alone. I know I was stupid before, but I just want you and the boys to concentrate on this…" he stops when Ellie turns his head and looks at him.
"I know how hard all this is for you… and that you will need some help with those boys. So I did not want to leave you alone with this." Ellie turned her attention toward the boys that were now trying to stand in formation nervously.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"Yeah… I will help you with this, but that does not mean that I'm not mad at you… and don't worry I'm not going to tell them anything about us."
"I'm just a stupid old man… and I'm really sorry."
Ellie turns her head back at him. "Yeah, I know you're, but you can be stubborn sometimes… but let's leave that for later. Now let's help those kids to win this competition…" said Ellie before starting to walk toward the boys. "Okay… guys… it's time for the hard work." Joel hears her yell at them. "Now… start running to the other side of the beach and back… we have a lot of work to do… Move, move." Joel looks at her and smiles.
"She remembers me of Tess… don't you agree?"
Joel jumped to his side as soon he heard the voice. Then he turned around and saw Tommy's ghostly figures standing behind him. "Jesus man… Do you want to give me a heart attack?" said Joel before looking to the other side to make sure the others can't hear him and think that he was talking to himself. "Shit! This is happening for real? Because I thought that you were part of my imagination last time I saw you."
"Yeah… I suppose you will think that after drinking too much… but no… this is happening."
"Why? No, it is not good to see you again… But this is really creepy."
"Sorry about all this, but someone has to keep an eye on you… since you have a gift of ruining things… with women," said Tommy before putting one arm around Joel's shoulder.
Joel looks at his ghostly figure and somehow he can feel his touch. "I know that… and I think that-"
"Yeah… that is your first problem Joel… you think too much… just follow your heart this time and not your stupid mind."
Joel looked toward Ellie that was now running behind the boys as she yelled at them. "Ellie is really something… is she?" said Joel while turning his head to look Toward Tommy but the young man's ghost was gone.
Ellie came running toward him with the boys behind her after making them run for 20 minutes. After that, Joel took the lead of the group and told them to grab their board and start to teach them the same techniques he taught Ellie at the beginning. They practice on the beach until 5:00 pm. Then Joel told them that it was enough for the day and that they would continue tomorrow for a water lesson. After all the boys were gone Joel walked toward Ellie who was now sitting on the sand closer to the water and looking at the horizon.
Joel walks toward Ellie and sits on the sand beside her. They stay for a few minutes looking at the horizon until Joel decides to break the ice. "Thank you for coming to help me with the kids… even if you're part of the team… you don't need to do this if you don't want to," he said while still looking at the ocean. "I know you're mad at me and I don't blame you… sometimes I can be an asshole…"
"Sometimes?" Ellie answered without looking at him.
"Well. maybe more…" he answered her. "Now you can see why I was alone and didn't have too many friends." he lowered his head and took a deep breath. "I don't know why I always push people away and fuck things up…"
Ellie looked toward him and waited for a minute before speaking again. "Joel… you need to stop punishing yourself and try to let people into your life.'' She also took a deep breath. "Don't need to worry about this, I'm not going to tell them about us… you're right they need to concentrate on the surfing practice if they… I mean we want to have a chance to win this."
Joel raises his head and looks at her. "I'm so sorry for being like this… I don't care much about what people think about me… but I really do what they can think about you," said Joel with a lowered voice. "I know you don't mind what they say… but… but people can be cruel sometimes and it makes me mad that some people think bad things about you."
"Joel… you should not be worried about that, but I can see that it bothers you."
"Yeah, I know… but it does not bother you what people will say about you? I mean what does a wonderful young woman, intelligent, funny, hard worker, do with an old man like me?"
"You forget… beautiful and sexy… but it does not matter what people say if we love each other," she said with a little smile on her face.
"Yeah… I guess you're right, but there are always going to be people that will judge that. And I do not want to go with you to places and start to hear the people mumble there about us. I never was good with my relationships… And I have to push Tess away because I do not want to hurt her, but in the end, I ended up hurting her more."
Ellie turns her head and looks toward the ocean, Joel was doing the same. "Joel… I know that what happens in your past changes your life forever and I know you get hurt too… we talked about all that already, but you don't have to stay hooked into the past." Ellie moves closer to him and grabs his hand and interlocks their fingers. "I'm glad that you changed a little after we met, and I really love you Joel… but I can see that you need some time to think about what you want in your life? So I will give you that." Ellie put her head on his shoulder and looked toward the ocean. "I will get ready for the competition and help you with those kids to get them ready too, and when all this is over you can tell me what you want to do about us… okay?"
Joel keeps looking at the ocean with Ellie beside him. He knows that he loves her, but the conflict about what he thinks about their age is still there… So maybe it was a good idea to concentrate on the surfing lesson and think about what to do after that. He knows that Ellie's vacation is almost over so he needs to make a decision before she needs to go.
"Okay… is a deal," he said after a few minutes.
The following days Joel takes Ellie and the boys to one of the western beaches to continue their practicing. When they were at Joel's house, Ellie slept on the couch to give Joel the time he needed. Joel told her that he doesn't mind her sleeping on the bed with him without having sex or talking about their relationship, but Ellie insisted that it was better that way. They still talk to each other as friends, but sometimes things feel like the world is between them, so after three days Ellie talks to Rodrigo and asks him if she can stay with him until the tournament ends. Joel tried to talk her out of that, telling her that it was not necessary, but she insisted on giving him the space and that it was better if she didn't stay there. After that Joel was noticing that the good relationship they have was starting to flow away.
( Two days before the competition )
Ellie was on her board waiting for the next good wave when Robbie moved closer to her and spoke. "Is something wrong with Mr. Miller and you?" asked the boy with a worried tone.
Ellie was looking toward the shore where Joel was with the other boys giving them a few more lessons. She was so focused on that that she did not even notice the boys talking beside her.
"Hello!... Miss Willian… are you there?" asked the boys while moving closer to her. "Miss Ellie?" he tried again but louder.
After a minute Ellie turns her head and looks at the boy with surprised eyes. "Oh, Robbie… I don't see you there… What did you ask me?"
"That if you're okay?" said the boy. "You miss a few good waves already… so I was wondering if you're right."
"Yeah… yeah… I'm okay." she said before turning her attention back to the shore. "I guess I get a little distracted…"
"I know this is not my business… but you and Mr. Miller have a fight or something?" he said with a concerned tone. "Because you two barely spoke to each other now."
Ellie turned her head toward him again. "Why do you think… that? Joel and I are fine… so I don't know what you mean."
"Look I do not want to sound like this is my business, but we all noticed from the beginning that you and Mr. Miller have something and now it looks like you two were strangers."
"Listen… mmmm… Robbie." said Ellie with a frustrated tone. "Nothing is going on with me and Joel… he is only a friend and he is teaching me how to surf… and that is, okay?"
"Okay… Sorry. I should not ask that, I just worry," said the boy while looking toward the beach where the others are. "Can I ask you something else?"
"Well, that will depend… was your question something personal?"
"In a way, it is kind of it… I can see that you and Mr. Miller have been… knowing each well… So I wanted to ask you something about him… if you don't mind?"
"Mr. Miller and I have known each other only for a month more or less. So if you wanted to ask something about him, why did you not ask him?"
"I just wanted to know why he quit surfing all those years ago. I know that he said that he is no Maverick… but I was a fan of him when I was a kid and I know is him. He was a great surfer and after his last competition, he disappeared. I just want to know what happens to him."
Ellie lowers her head and looks at the board. "Sorry, Robbie but I can't answer you that… that is his personal life. But I can tell you this, he is putting a lot of himself to help you guys up… so the best way to make him proud is to listen to his teaching and do your best in the competition. I'm sure he will appreciate that very much…" Ellie turns her head and looks toward the boy. "I can see that all of you are good boys, but try not to enter into his personal life unless he wants to share it with you guys, that is not polite."
The boy feels sad for asking. She was right the man was taking some of his time to help them and is not good at trying to get into his personal life. "Thank you… and sorry for asking you… you two are helping us a lot and we're grateful for that."
"Don't worry about it… we are doing this for a good reason, so let's keep it that way," Ellie looked back and saw a new wave coming. "Okay, kid… what about a race?"
The boy looks back too and smiles. "You on!" he said while lying on his board and starting to paddle. Ellie does the same and when the wave starts to form both of them get up and start to ride the wave. The boys and Joel notice them and start to share with both of them.
"That is Robbie you can win…" his friends started to yell. Joel does the same for Ellie.
Joel put his hand on his waist as he watched them go. Ellie and the boy were doing a great job, they rode the wave better than he expected, but in the end, Ellie got ahead of him and finished first. Ellie raised her arm in a sign of victory before the wave ended and she jumped into the water. The boy follows her and both of them get on their board and paddle together toward the shore.
"That was fantastic… and I almost got you." said the boy as soon as they got close to the beach shore and got off the board.
"You did a great job there too… and remember that I've only been on this for a few weeks so I was lucky too." Ellie watches as his friend runs toward him happily and starts to congratulate him. Ellie smiles and quickly grabs her board and starts to walk out of the water and toward the sand where Joel is standing.
"Nice work there… I guess you're getting really good at this," said Joel as soon as she got closer to him.
"Well, I have a good teacher…" She turns her head and looks toward the boys. "They're doing a good job too… it's good to see how much they've improved in just a few days."
"Yeah… they are good boys," said Joel while looking at them.
Both of them stay looking at the boys as they celebrate and start to jump in the water, just like if they win a competition. "Are you going to tell them?" she asked while looking at the boys.
Joel turns his head and looks at her. "Tell them what? About us?"
Ellie turns her head and looks at him. "No… about you… been Maverick. Well, just confirm it, because Robbie already knows that you're him… he is really a fan of you so you're not fooling him."
Joel looks at the boys and starts to remember his past. "I don't know… I wanted to leave that part of me in the past… but I guess that the past always catches up to you sooner or later."
Ellie put the board on the sand and moved closer to him. "I know that sometimes bad things happen to us that make us want to forget… but all that is part of who we're and what we become. I bet that you have good memories of that time too. In my case, I wanted to move on about my father's death, but I got stuck on it. I push people away the same way you did, including my Mom… but you help me to accept all that and continue with my life like my father would have wanted… and I am always going to be grateful for that." Ellie looked at the boys that were now walking toward them. "I know that you love surfing and even if you can't do it professionally anymore that doesn't mean that you can't teach others and make them as good as you were before."
Joel looks at the boys and smiles. "I think you're right about all this and other things too… Ellie, I think that-'' Joel starts to try to tell Ellie something, but the boys get closer to them all excited, that he has to stop. He wants to tell Ellie how much he misses her, but that is something that will have to wait for later.
"That was so great… I almost feel the wave like it was part of me just like you said. Thank you for helping us…" said Robbie, who was all excited.
"Do you think that we have a chance to win now?" asked Matt and the other boys.
Joel turns his attention toward them. "Well, we still have a few more days of practice, but I think that all of you have a better chance now."
"That sounds great… it will be great if we teach a lesson to those bullies," said Robbie.
"Yeah that would be great, but the most important thing is that all of you do the best… and have some fun."
"Yay!" all of them start to jump on happiness and get closer to Joel and Ellie and start hugging them.
"We're going in to win… we're going to win… we're going to win…" they start yelling as they jump around… excited.