Charlie Landon had her future worked out until her mother died in a freak shark attack. Her father uproots their lives in favour of moving back to his small town in America. Charlie meets Percy and Noah who unknowingly turn her life upside down. Bot...
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SECOND CHANCES
October 2018
Salty water lingers on my lips and the blaze of the afternoon sun warms my cheeks as I glide across the waves on my surfboard. I direct the board outwards and jump into the cool depths of the ocean. The wave pushes and pulls as I'm suspended in the water.
This feeling of being weightless is addictive, but eventually, I need oxygen so I paddle to the surface and inhale a deep breath.
I tug on the cord that attaches the board to my ankle to rain it. I climb onto the board and glance at the waves and the sandy shoreline.
I could spend the remainder of the afternoon floating in the ocean but I don't want Noah to know I've skipped another day of College classes. He drags on about me falling behind but I'm falling behind just going to class. I don't understand anything they're teaching.
Groaning, I paddle to the shoreline and hop off my board once I can reach the bottom. I run along the sand and shove the board into the sand before plonking onto my towel. I undo the strap and stare at the ocean.
I don't know what to do . . . In every version, I'm disappointing Noah. Lying to him about loving college isn't the right thing to do, but maybe if I have a plan, it wouldn't be so scary.
Until I work out this miracle plan, I can't spend a minute longer procrastinating. I squeeze the water out of my hair and bathers, then pack my towel into my bag.
"Hey, Charlie?" Somebody shouts, hands waving in the air.
I consider dipping behind my surfboard, but this person has already spotted me. I shove my surfboard into the bag and hook the board under my arm in case I need to run.
The person races across the beach, a broad smile on their face.
"Um, hey, do I know you?" I frown.
He skids to a halt and inhales a deep breath. Water droplets trickle down his forehead and he brushes them away with his arm.
"You don't know me yet." He chuckles. "Are you Charlie Landon?"
"Should I be?" I raise an eyebrow.
"I'm Xavier and I represent surfers from Surfers Paradise, the surfing company. You spoke to a colleague of mine previously about joining the team. I know you turned us down, but I was hoping I could change your mind."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you Xavier."
"Despite being out of the competition circuit for a couple of years, you're still shredding those waves pretty hard."
