The Tour

twenty / golden

I tugged down the skirt of my gold dress nervously. It hit about mid thigh, but sitting down tended to change that and I felt slightly exposed. That, and the fact that I knew that a couple hundred people would be staring at me in a few seconds.

We had already worked our way through most of the smaller film awards and accordion to the program that was currently being clutched in Evan's sweaty hand, we were about to get to rookie of the year. I smoothed my hands over my hair, anxiously looking across the table at my parents who were staring at the stage in anticipation.

One of the usual commentators for the events was presenting the awards, and he stepped up onto the stage as the last recipients cleared off. He held the mic near his mouth and looked over at where I was sitting, as well as the table where Kelia sat, the other newbie that was up for the award.

"This year's Rookie of the Year Award will actually not be presented by yours truly. And once this announcer appears, it will be very clear who won. However, we think that it will be worth it. Will Sanders grew up surfing with our female rookie of the year and there are few people better suited to present this award to the hottest new surfer on the tour. While he had a front seat view of her progression and accomplishments, along with his brother Noah and our rookie's brother, he can also attest to this Rookie's character. She missed one of her last competitions when he was injured in an accident. It is abundantly clear that this year's Rookie of the Year is not only a great surfer, but a great person. Here's Will to announce your WSL Rookie of the Year."

I sat completely still for a moment when I heard the announcement before looking over at Evan to confirm the news. He nodded with a chuckle and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as Will wheeled himself out from behind a curtain onto the center of the stage. He took the mic and looked over at me, a gleeful grin on his face.

"This year's rookie of the year made the Championship Tour at only eighteen years old. This is a feat that many young girls aim for, but few achieve. However, she didn't just make the tour. River placed tenth or better in every competition that she participated in, and she was the only person on tour to achieve this feat. These top ten results were highlighted by a second place finish to end the season, along with a third place finish and two fourth place spots. By the end of the year, she ended up as the fourth best surfer on the Championship Tour, even after missing a whole event to make sure that I was alive. She is an amazing surfer, and I hope that you all get the same chance that I have had to realize that she is an even better person. This year's Rookie of the Year Award is presented to River Lancer."

I covered my mouth with my hand, still shocked at everything that was happening. Will handed me the trophy with a wink once I made my way to the middle of the stage.

"I can't believe that you're here!" I said as I took the last few steps toward him.

"Well, you're not the brightest bulb in the box. Can't believe that you thought we would miss it," Will smirked.

I took the trophy out of his hand and bent down to hug him, careful to position myself in a way that wouldn't result in my glittering dress moving in an unbecoming way.

"I appreciate the hug, but it's really not worth risking flashing the crowd for," he laughed, speaking away from the mic.

"Shut up," I said quietly before turning back to the people gathered in front of us.

"Thank you all so much for the support," I spoke into the mic, "I appreciate all of the kind words. It has been an honor to surf among the best in the world this year, and I can't wait to be back for many more years. Thanks so much."

Will followed me down the ramp off of the stage and back to my family, who had now been joined by the rest of the Sanders clan. We watched the rest of the awards quietly, although things got a little louder when Enzo was called onto the stage to accept his Fan Favorite award, as well as taking the opportunity to lift his trophy up from finishing first on the tour. I cheered and the boys around me whistled as he accepted the award after finishing first for the second year in a row. People were already calling him the next Kelly Slater, but he still had a long way to go before he reached that level.

When the awards finished the managers from Ripcurl called the Brazilian and I over for a photo op. He wrapped his arm around my waist as we held our awards in front of us, smiling wide for the cameras. As soon as we finished he walked over to the side of the camera set up with me.

"Congrats River, you deserve it," he extended his arms for a hug.

I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around him, my head barely making it over his shoulder. "I figured I should say congrats, as well as let you know that I would be making a lot more moves if I didn't see the way that he looked at you," Enzo nodded over my shoulder. I turned to see Will, who was sitting with Evan at our table.

"O-oh, me and Will, we're not together," I managed to stutter out, feeling very unprepared for this conversation.

"So he won't mind if I do this then," Enzo asked quietly as he moved towards me before pressing his lips against mine briefly. He was already pulling away before I even had a chance to react, looking back at me with a half smile.

"Uh, Enzo, I don't really know..." I struggled to find the right words. The kiss, as brief as it was, hadn't exactly been bad. It was actually good, but the pure shock took away from any potential enjoyment. That, and I still wasn't sure about anything happening between me and Enzo.

"Well, I'll tell you, he definitely did mind," Enzo said with a chuckle. I turned my head to see Will looking in our direction with a less than pleased expression on his face. A blush began to spread over my face like a wildfire. "So it looks like you have some stuff to figure out back on the island, River. I have to say that his speech for you was pretty great. On the other hand, I really wanted to kiss you and at least make sure that you know I'm interested," he shrugged, "but it's your call. I'll see you in a few months if you want to hang."

With that he gave me a wink and moved back into the crowd. Will was turned back around and involved in a conversation with Evan. Enzo and I had been in a more secluded spot, so I was optimistic that not too many people had seen our interaction other than Will.

I adjusted my dress again before walking back over to my family, praying that no one would say anything. Will looked up at me when I arrived with a blank expression, and I subtly shook my head, hoping that he wouldn't say anything about it to Evan. Thankfully, he turned back to my brother and continued their previous conversation about what we would be doing tomorrow.

The rest of the night passed fairly quickly, and mostly involved the obligatory conversations that I had to have with people involved in the WSL and other surfing organizations. Finally the event was winding down and I rejoined my family to head back to the hotel. No one else had brought up Enzo, so I assumed that I was in the clear in regards to information being spread.

A pit sat in the bottom of my stomach as I clutched my trophy in the back seat of the car, and I didn't know if it was because I wanted Will to talk to me or if I never wanted him to bring it up to me again. I definitely wasn't going to be the one to bring it up, so at this point the ball was in his court. Or rather, he was on the mound and he was either going to throw me a fastball down the middle or he was going to let me take my base.