CHAPTER 9
Dad made good on his promise to find out who Jackson was. He made some phone calls, took a walk around the neighborhood and the beach, and eventually found Jackson’s parents. He told them what had happened.
Isaac didn’t hear the conversation, but he didn’t have to. He was mortified. There was no way he could go back to the beach now.
That’s the end of me surfing, Isaac thought.
Weeks passed, and Isaac continued avoiding the beach. Now he wasn’t just scared of Jackson. He was also too embarrassed to show his face there.
Since surfing was out, Isaac spent most of his time at the comic book shop on the main street. He managed to make a few friends there.
One day toward the end of the summer, Isaac and one of his new friends, Ben, headed to Isaac’s house for lunch after a trip to the comic shop.
After they ate, the boys headed to Isaac’s room to read their comics. Isaac’s surfboard, which hadn’t been in the water in weeks, still leaned against his bedroom wall.
“Cool!” Ben said. “I didn’t know you surfed.”
Isaac shook his head. “I don’t,” he said. “Not anymore. I tried once or twice and totally failed.”
“Once or twice?” Ben said. He ran a hand over the board. “And you just gave up? That’s pretty dumb. It takes a long time to really learn how to surf.”
Isaac shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it is,” he admitted. “The truth is, there’s this guy down there I’m avoiding. His name is Jackson.”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “He’s a real jerk.”
“You know him?” Isaac said.
“Sure,” said Ben. “You’re going to see him plenty once school starts next week. He’s in our grade.”
Isaac hadn’t thought about that. If he was going to have to see Jackson at school all the time, avoiding the beach didn’t make much sense.
And I really do want to learn to surf, Isaac thought.
He stood up from his desk and grabbed his board. “Come on,” he said to Ben. “We’re going to the beach.”
* * *
“Aren’t you worried about Jackson?” Ben asked as they walked up the boardwalk toward the beach.
“I am,” Isaac admitted. “But I’d better get used to it if he’s probably going to be in my class anyway.”
“Or you could switch classes to avoid him all year,” Ben said with a grin.
“That sounds a little too complicated,” Isaac said.
When they reached the beach, Isaac scanned the crew of surfers in the water. It was crowded. It seemed like the entire neighborhood was out to catch a few waves before school started.
“There he is,” Ben said, pointing at the water.
Jackson was under a huge cresting wave, about to be swallowed up by the barrel. The two boys watched as Jackson finished his run and surfed into the beach like a pro. He hopped off his board, picked it up, and immediately spotted Isaac.
“Uh-oh,” Ben said. “He sees you.”
Jackson handed his board to a friend and walked toward Isaac.
“Oh, man,” Ben whispered, sounding nervous. “Here it comes.”
Jackson’s jaw was clenched as he stepped right up to Isaac and Ben. Isaac narrowed his eyes, not sure what to expect. He didn’t know if Jackson was going to shove him or hit him or tell him off.
But Jackson didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he took a deep breath and held out his hand.
Isaac just stared at it a moment, unsure what to do. Then he reached out and shook Jackson’s hand.
Jackson let go of Isaac’s hand, nodded once, and went back to get his surfboard. A moment later, he was out on the water again, paddling out to catch another big wave.
“Uh, what was that all about?” Ben asked, looking confused.
“I think that’s the end of it,” Isaac said.
Ben stared at him. “What are you, a ninja or something?” he asked.
Isaac laughed. He had a feeling it was his dad’s talk with Jackson’s parents that had really made the difference.
“Come on,” Isaac said. “Let’s try this surfing thing one more time.”
With that, the two boys headed for the water and joined the rest of the surfers, taking turns on Isaac’s board until the sun came down over the water.