Island Vibes

28. surf school

And hell it was.

Brie chattered contentedly en route to the beach, stopping at the bar she worked at to pick up her surfboard.

"Your boss lets you keep your surfboard here?" I asked, wide-eyed. It didn't seem like the ideal storage space, but the location was just right, I supposed. We could already see the waves crashing in from here.

"Yeah, he's super chill," Brie shrugged. "You know, if that café of yours goes under... I could probably get you in."

I raised my eyebrows as high as they'd go. Brie? Offering me a job? God, I really didn't have a handle on her. I wondered if I'd ever understand what her deal was. She was mercurial and guarded in a way that perfectly contrasted Noah. He was easy to read, breezy and a little predictable. I didn't always know what he was going to do, but I knew he was pretty much always trying to make me laugh.

I looked over at him, as he continued to be uncharacteristically quiet. So, maybe he wasn't trying to make me laugh right now, and maybe him kissing me had been unpredictable as hell, but... I figured he'd work it out.

He was basically having the inverse crisis to me. I'd left home behind to try something bold and new, and I'd wound up on this tiny little island where I didn't know anyone. Noah had called this place home for as long as he could remember, and he knew everyone – and he was sick of it. If only we'd had a way of offloading our problems with each other, like, a way to share our situations. Noah could've had an escape, and I could've found my footing.

Brie continued to do all of the conversational heavy lifting as she led us over to the gear rental place, her board tucked under her arm.

"So you've never surfed before?"

"Never," I confirmed, laughing a little at how astonished she seemed.

"Never?"

"Is it that hard to believe? I mean, maybe I surfed when I was a little kid, but I don't remember. I think I had, like, a bodyboard or something," I admitted.

"I used to bodyboard," Noah said, finally chipping in, "y'know, before Mom and Dad let me learn how to surf."

"You were so jealous," Brie said, her grin matching her already-annoying tone. She turned to me to explain, "He was upset that I was allowed to surf and he wasn't. Dad said bodyboarding was the best he was gonna get," she chuckled.

"Hey, you know that wasn't fair," Noah pouted, but some of his usual fire was back in his eyes. He turned to me, notes of pride in his voice. "I was always a stronger swimmer than Brie, and she knows it."

"Whatever," Brie said, rolling her eyes.

"It was bullshit that they let you learn and not me," he concluded, and I couldn't help but smirk, thinking about all the arguments their parents must have been subject to throughout the years.

Brie knocked her shoulder into the door of the rental place and grinned at the girl inside.

"I'm bringing you some fresh blood," Brie laughed, totally dropping the bickering with Noah.

"Love it," the girl replied, clearly familiar with Brie and Noah. She turned her attention to me. "Just a foamie, to start?"

Then, immediately, she had her back turned, fishing down a board from behind her. I looked helplessly at Brie, then Noah. What was a foamie?

"That'll work, yeah," Noah said, noticing my floundering. "Just something easy to get you started," he said, half-explaining what was happening. I gave him a grateful smile and checked out the board the girl presented to me.

"I think this'll be a good fit," she said, standing the board up in front of me and lifting it up, waiting for me to take it and weigh it, too. It was lighter than I expected, but I also hadn't really thought too much about the logistics of surfing.

Truth be told, I hadn't really been planning on actually ever getting round to surfing. I wanted the beachy, fun-in-the-sun experience, but not so much the salty-sandy wet hair experience. Surfing had been pretty low on my list of stuff to try, but... Brie and Noah were opening up all kinds of doors for me.

Noah wound up renting a board too, because apparently he'd given his most recent board away to a kid cousin of theirs. It was beaten up and in need of repair, so he'd let them have it on the condition that they fixed it up and used it well. He said he was in the market for a new one, but he'd never gotten around to it with all the renovation work getting in the way.

As we headed back out, I started to panic a little. How was this supposed to work? Would we leave all our stuff on the beach and keep an eye on it from the water? What if someone stole our stuff? What was I supposed to do with my sunglasses? They'd probably fall off in the sea, and I didn't want to lose them. I thought about how I should've brought an extra towel, and probably a bottle of water, and--

"Melissa!"

And there was that, too. Oh, yikes.

Brie waved her over, bright and happy in contrast to the way I visibly flinched at the sight of Noah's girlfriend. Now I was double-panicking.

"How's it going?" Melissa had a board with her, and a professional-looking surf vest that emphasized the fact that she clearly knew more about surfing than I did.

"Awesome," Brie said, apparently answering for the three of us. "Looks like we've got some good waves."

"Right?" Melissa said, coming in closer and joining our group properly. She greeted Noah with a quick, innocent kiss, but it made me look away all the same. I knew he hadn't told her yet, and it made me triple panic. I wasn't going to be the one to spill, but... she had to find out. I was praying Noah would be able to do it soon.

Noah slung his arm over her shoulders, casually protective, and Melissa stood next to him, wrapping an arm around his middle. I was way too tuned into their easy, casual intimacy, but I had no idea how to shake their relationship out of my mind. Maybe I really did need to get out in the waves. Worrying about drowning would definitely be one way to stop myself from worrying about them.

Melissa turned and squinted at the surf, where a number of people were already out there with their boards. She raised a hand up to her forehead to shade her eyes, and she nodded. "It's gonna be so much fun. When's the last time you got out there?" Melissa asked Noah, turning to look up at him, a hand to his chest.

"Uh, man, I d'know. Feels like forever, y'know?"

I laughed a little. "For me it really is forever," I joked, and Melissa chuckled along. 

"Aw, you're gonna love it. I bet you'll be a natural!" 

Well, at least Melissa believed in me. She seemed naturally warm, likable. I imagined if Noah were out of the picture, we probably would've been real friends. Hell, we still could've been, but considering the situation, the odds weren't exactly in our favor.

"Alright," Brie clapped her hands, taking charge. "You guys get out there," she said to Noah and Melissa. "And we'll catch you up in a little while, because you," she said, grinning wolfishly at me, "have to pass Brie's Surf School first."