“There’s supposed to be a storm today,” Paige said.
“Well,” Maya replied, “we’ll ride until it hits. There’s no point staying out of the water because of what will happen later. All in favor say, ‘aye.’”
“Aye,” Paige said through a laugh. Taking votes between just the two of them had been an inside joke they’d had since they met in the first grade.
They were heading toward the beach with their surfboards tucked under their arms. Dressed in their typical summer uniforms—swimsuits with sneakers they’d take off before they went into the water—and each sporting a small backpack they used to carry their towels, wallets, keys, and cell phones, the girls planned to spend their day like they had almost every other day this summer. Surfing.
Maya could already tell that the shore would be crowded. On the other side of the street, a family was headed the same direction, picnic basket and towels in hand and wearing bathing suits and T-shirts. A few cars passed by that were packed with umbrellas and toys perfect for the beach or a pool. It seemed everyone was trying to soak up as much of this Saturday as possible before the rain started.
There were clouds on the horizon. The storm was just beginning to creep into view, but it was far away, and aside from its looming threat, the conditions for surfing were ideal. The sun was beating down, but the breeze off the water cooled the air to the perfect temperature.
Maya loved surfing more than anything in the world. She’d gone almost every day this summer, many of them like today with her best friend in tow, but summer was coming to a close. Carefree days of riding waves would be replaced with homework and sitting in classrooms. She’d only be able to surf after school, on weekends, and in daydreams for nine months. So she wanted to make the most of what was left of the season.
“Did you get Ms. Kessler for history?” Paige asked. They’d both gotten their class schedules the previous day.
“Can we talk about something other than school?” Maya said. “I’m kind of dreading it. I just want to surf today.”
“You want to surf every day.” Paige smiled at her.
“Not every day,” Maya replied. She was disagreeing just for the sake of it. She did want to surf every day, and Paige knew it.
Paige smirked and changed the subject. “How much time do you think we’ll have before the storm hits?”
Maya shrugged. “At least a few hours. Hopefully longer.”
By now, they weren’t far from the beach. Maya could smell the salty breeze coming in from the ocean, and she could hear the waves. Her heart started beating faster, and a smile crept onto her face that she wouldn’t have been able to shake even if she had wanted want to. She didn’t realize that she’d started walking faster until Paige told her to slow down.
The public beach was crowded with families setting up umbrellas on the sand, and the water was full of people. There were a few surfers here, first-timers mostly, but for Maya and Paige the waves weren’t big enough. They were headed to where the real surfers went—down the beach where the waves were bigger and where there weren’t swimmers getting in the way.
“Slow down!” Paige said again, a little agitated. “The waves aren’t going anywhere.”
“Sorry,” Maya said. “Just excited.”
“Be excited at a regular walking pace, please,” Paige replied.
Maya nodded to her friend but only slowed down a little as she climbed the large grassy mound that separated the surfing area from the rest of the beach. The mound was about seven feet high and blocked the view of the surfers from the more casual beachgoers. Maya liked that. It made the area feel more private—a special place just for surfers.
She reached the top of the mound and her face fell.
“Great,” she said sarcastically.
“What?” Paige asked, just reaching the top of the hill.
Maya didn’t answer the question. Paige would see for herself once she looked out at the beach.
“We should have known they’d be here,” Paige said flatly.
Kai was standing on the beach next to a cooler gulping down a blue sports drink. As usual, he had about eight friends with him, and they were hogging the surfing area. He tossed the bottle back into the cooler and was just about to grab his board when he saw Maya and Paige standing on the dividing mound. He said something to a couple of the guys he was with and pointed at the girls.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” Paige suggested.
This wasn’t the first time Kai had tried to keep the surfing area all to himself. Maya wouldn’t let it happen today, not on the Saturday before school started.
“Maybe not,” she replied quickly. “He doesn’t own the ocean or the beach. We can surf where we want.” She started down the mound toward the sand, Paige trailing behind her.
Kai undid the strap that attached his board to his ankle and started toward them.
“Nope!” he shouted just as their sneakers hit the sand. “Occupied!” He was waving them back the way they came. “Go somewhere else!” Two of his friends were following close behind him, and the rest of the Kai’s group was on high alert. Maya could even see some of his friends in the water sitting on their boards watching to see what would happen.
“You can’t tell us what to do, Kai,” Maya shouted to him as they got closer.
“We’re practicing here,” Kai replied. “Our last competition is tomorrow. You two will get in our way.”
“There’s plenty of water,” Paige said. “It’s not like—”
“We’re here,” Kai cut her off. “Which means you need to go somewhere else.”
Maya stepped up so she was just inches from Kai’s face. “We’ll surf where we want to, and we want to surf here.” She crossed her arms. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re going to do about it?”
Kai scowled. “You know, we actually surf for a reason. I won a new board at last week’s competition, and the winner this weekend gets five hundred bucks. Surfing is just a hobby for you, so take your hobby back down that way with the rest of the casual boarders.”
“If you won your last competition, you should be fine this week,” Maya spat back at him.
“I won because I practiced,” Kai replied.
“You’re lucky Maya doesn’t compete,” Paige said. “If she did, you wouldn’t have a shot at that money.”
“Is that so?” Kai shot back over Maya’s shoulder to Paige.
“Yeah,” Maya said firmly. “I’ve seen you out there, and you’re not half as good as you think you are.”
Kai looked like he was grinding his teeth. “If you think you’re better than me, sign up and prove it.”
“Unlike you,” Maya said. “I don’t need other people to tell me I’m good at what I enjoy doing. From where I’m standing, it seems like you only enter competitions because you’re an insecure little child. Get out of our way because we’re surfing here.”
Maya had struck a nerve. Kai’s eyes narrowed and his face turned red. Even the two friends behind him seemed to sense that Maya had crossed a line.
“You’re so much better than me, huh?” Kai’s head tilted and an evil smile came over his face. “In that case, why surf here? We’d get in your way.” His mocking tone made Maya’s blood boil. “You should surf where only a pro can pull it off. Why don’t you head down to Ripper’s Cove?” He looked at each of his friends and nodded to them, prompting them to agree. They both stayed silent and even looked a little concerned at Kai’s suggestion.
“Don’t be stupid,” Paige said at exactly the same moment as Maya shouted “Fine!”
“What?” Paige said, a little dumbfounded.
“Great!” Kai said, still smirking. “We’ll be here practicing, and you’ll be at Ripper’s Cove proving how good you are. Sounds perfect to me.”
“Sounds good to me too,” Maya said. She knew she was rising to Kai’s bait, but she didn’t care. “I’m happy to shred up some waves you’re too scared to touch.”
Kai eyes narrowed again, but he smiled through it. “Great. Have fun.”