Catching waves

Victor should have expected to see Perla ready for the beach when he walked in. He shook his head when she said she wasn’t even going to wait for her dad. ”His fault for taking so long.” Victor agreed. The one customer left the store without purchasing anything, leaving just him and Perla alone. Victor glanced around. Nothing he needed to buy today, which was good, because he hadn’t bothered to bring any cash.

”You know it. I heard about that storm, too, I’ve been watching the beach. Apparently the waves are pretty frequent, that’s what people keep saying.” He said. He grinned when Perla suggested he check it out with her. ”Well that’s what I was coming here to ask you to do. The ocean’s plenty fun alone but surfing’s generally more fun with another person.”

He leaned on his board slightly, sparing a look outside. It was gorgeous outside, and from their position on the storefront, Victor could see the waves as they glistened, cresting high and coming in frequently. He hadn’t opted for a wetsuit of his own today – he’d rather keep it casual. And if he lost his shorts, he’d have a hell of a story to share. ”I’ve been waiting for a perfect day like this to go surfing, honestly. No way I’m giving today up.”

Victor waited for Perla to finish getting ready, leaning against the wall of the shack. He had actually purchased this very board here, at the beginning of the month. He followed her out when she closed up shop, the sun kissing the skin behind his neck. Victor didn’t get how girls could live with long hair – he couldn’t stand losing the feeling of the sun on his neck. He turned and walked down the boardwalk with her at his side, his board in his hold.

”I know! I asked my friends but they don’t surf much. Can you believe it? Not even willing to take a trip down to the beach with me! Oh well. If I was with them I wouldn’t have been wandering the boardwalk! I had a feeling I’d find you at that store so I figured I’d check it out.” He said. ”Your lessons should be more popular than they are. Well, they’ll probably pick up when summer comes around. Some people are probably wimps and think it’s too early.”

When she said she’d go for competitions like her dad, Victor turned to her. ”Good, go for it! And maybe I’ll come watch them! You know, the college I’m looking at hosts a lot of those competitions. It’s right by the beach, obviously, it’s a Maritime Academy. And if you’ve ever around, I’ll go and watch the competitions. Maybe even participate and give you a good rival.” He grinned boyishly. ”That’s what I want. When I’m off sailing the ocean half the time, I’m gonna be tempted to just dive overboard.”

When she mentioned cradle cove, he shrugged. ”I dunno – remind me again?” He said. His feet his the sand, which squished around them and made it difficult to walk. The sandals helped somewhat. Around them, people were on the beach, though not as many as the summer might bring. Spring was still a good time for the beach, but not as popular as the summer for sure. ”Pearl, I got a boat. Once the tide’s low, we gotta go see this place. I’ll jump on any excuse to get my boat out of my port.”

Victor knew his assessment had been correct – he shook his head when she said most signups left the lessons within a week. ”They’re the type of people who just think it’s all fun and no work. Surfing’s something everyone says they want to do, but they’re not willing to put in the work.” and some people were scared of drowning, of being without their board.

Neither of those things terrified Victor too much. He had been a swimmer since he could walk, and even when he was a toddler he was always hanging out in the deepest part of the pool he could find. He loved the feeling of being in water over his head, of treading water through his legs. He could float on the surface by calming himself, and he could dive underwater for a rush. He never felt worried in the water. In fact, most of the time he felt at home there. If he could find a way to grow gills, he might never leave it.

When she told him he has a long ways to go, Victor snorted. ”Only ‘cause I don’t do competitive surfing like you do. Not that I’m not going to challenge your record someday,” He said. ”Someone’s got to give you competition, otherwise what’s the point?” He shrugged when she said he better have someone to pull him up. ”Maybe I’ll scale the ship myself, like some kinda monster. Can you imagine the people in the cabin’s reactions to seeing someone scaling up their window out at sea?” He laughed.

Now that she explained the cove, it sounded familiar to Victor. It also seemed like the kind of place he wanted to go to. ”Shit, man. It wiped you out? Now I’m tempted to try and nail it on my first try.” He said. ”My boat’s not fancy. It’s smaller. Though when I graduate my dad might get me a fancier one to keep on my dock,” he grinned. ”How far away is the cove?’

Victor shrugged his shoulders. As they descended through the sand and approached, he could hear the waves crashing on the beach and the seagulls squalling in the sky. The air was salty, the sky a clear blue. It was hard to imagine somewhere across this sea were the remnants of a hurricane, blowing across the water. The waves were good, and there were a few people there. Mostly families, a few with some kids, littered the beach. Victor gave someone he made eye contact with a smile before he focused back on the beach. They walked away from everyone else, to a more secluded spot. He glanced at her odd little banana. It was hiding a joint, which made Victor smirk. She definitely knew how to have fun!

”Yeah, some people are just boring, man. They’ll like watching sports but not playing them. I don’t get it. Sure, I’ll watch the ball games, but only because the whole school’s there. My dad’s weird obsession with baseball? Makes zero sense.” He said. ”Hey. I’m an overachiever, Pearl.” he took a long drag of the joint, and when he exhaled, he laughed at the Cthulhu comment. ”Don’t knock my strategy. I’ll scale a ship someday. Keep your eyes peeled on the news for the story. I hope one of the terrified passengers shits themselves.”

Of course, when she said he would likely wipe out the coarse, it rubbed Victor the wrong way. He wasn’t a surfing pro by any means – he only did it recreationally. But he liked to think of himself as a pro, so he took her comment as a challenge. ”I’ll nail it, one day. I’ll do better than you did – just watch me,” he said, his tone completely full of conviction as he took the joint and felt the effects warm him. ”Of course I’ll keep my tiny boat – Jesse’s not going anywhere.” He said, referring to his boat by name. ”That sounds sweet, though. I need to start to assess this new surfing cove I’m gonna nail one day.”

Victor gave Perla a thumbs up. ”Damn straight. I’ll scale that ship and become the next captain. An instance like that? I think it’s a surefire way to become the captain.” He joked. He knew that wasn’t enough to run a ship, but any instance in which he could picture himself as captain of a ship was a good instance.

When she said he was full of himself he snorted. ”Whatever gave you that idea, Pearl?” He asked, though he knew it. He was full of himself. It wasn’t his fault – if anyone else was him, they’d be full of it, too. He rose his brows when Perla laughed at his name for his boat. ”Every decent boat’s got a name. Hell yeah, it’s Jesse’s girl. Except no one’s going to be getting her but me.” He said. That was his boat – and while he enjoyed letting people on for the ride, he was the only one he ever allowed to drive it. Not even Stefan or his father were really any good at boating.

He took the joint and sucked in another puff, letting the smoke fill him as he held it in. He grinned and as he did a puff of smoke leaked out, making him appear dragonesque for a moment. ”Sounds good to me.” He said. They were at the usual class spot, Victor noticed. He took his board in hand, holding it more firm, as he stared at the water. ”All right. Let’s go.”

”No. It’s Jesse’s girl because I’m the metaphorical Jesse. You get it? I’ve got the girl everyone wants,” And it was true! Technically. A flash of Tina appeared in his mind and he grinned at the thought. The high was definitely beginning to settle in him now, the sand felt warmer between his toes as he removed the sandals and lied them beside Perla’s things. He watched as the waves crashed, the sea breeze tussling his hair. He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of the beach. The sun was kissing his skin, and the waves grew ever louder as he approached.

Perla was first into the waves, he watched as she stepped in and challenged him. He was quick to accept and darted to the water, the crisp chill welcome on his warm body. He got onto his board and paddled with his hands, heading out to deeper water.

Deep water had never scared him. Ever since he was a kid he always wanted to go to the deeper end, comforted by his floaties. When he was old enough to swim he abandoned those, a natural. He propelled himself out deeper, the water slashing his face and dampening his hair. The studs in his ears were cheap and useless – if he lost one, he wouldn’t care.

Once a wave began to appear, Victor propped his arms onto the board with ease and hoisted himself to his knees, steadied the board, and prepared to ride the incoming wave. He couldn’t tell if he beat Perla to the punch or if he was the first one to get up, but now that he was riding the wave, he didn’t focus as much on competition and focused instead on the euphoric feeling a wave gave him – it was like riding a roller coaster, but better.