As The Sea Claims Us

Then

Jeremih

The sun is bright beaming down over my shoulders and in my eyes when someone sprays me with water on a bottom turn attempting to hook a wave. I wipe the salt water from my face and follow the rest of the surfer’s movements secretly hoping they’ll wipe out. To my great dismay they hook the top of the wave once, twice, and three times before falling into the water. “Looks like someone’s giving you a run for your money today Jer. How’s it feel to be second best,” chides Ethan as he paddles up beside me on his longboard. Ethan is my oldest friend and he knows better than anyone that I hate to be shown up in anything, let alone on the waves in my sport.

“Please that was luck, I’m never second best.” I say trying only to show my confidence and not a hint of the annoyance bubbling beneath the surface.

“Prove it.” Ethan nods to something over my shoulder and I turn around to see the same surfer paddling out to another wave. It’s a big one, and it’ll be a good one. For me to take. With no time to waste I turn around and start paddling further out. If I’m going to take control of the wave’s peak I’ll have to cover the distance between us plus some to get there first. I paddle hard and fast and just as I’m getting close the surfer looks back at me. She’s a girl, looks about my age. The sun and water make her skin glisten, the mocha color of it standing out against the white of her board and she smiles at me as if my presence amuses her.  It’s not polite to sneak in and steal someone else's wave so I’m sure she won’t still be smiling when I’m done doing just that, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In seconds I’m right beside her and we’re neck and neck in a paddle battle, both of us trying desperately to get ahead of the other, trying to be the first to get to the inside. My arms are longer and she soon starts falling behind. It’s now my turn to look back and shoot her a smile but when I turn to look behind me she’s gone. She just completely vanishes into thin air, or so I think until she comes up from beneath the surface of the water not only ahead of me but on the inside of the wave. Fuck, I can’t believe she just dove right under me and caught the wave. I can only watch as she pops up on her board riding the wave I was so sure I was about to take from her. She snaps a turn off the top of the wave and even cross steps on her board, stepping one foot in front of the other, really shoving her win in my face. Just when I think she’s done she speeds down the wave’s line into the tube section. The crystal water distorts her figure but I can still see the way she treads the barrel, surrounded by the water riding through the inside of the hollowed-out wave. It’s not until she comes out of the other end and allows herself to fall into the water that I realize I was watching in awe more than anything else. Sure I was supposed to be proving I’m the best surfer to my friend who surely can’t wait to tease me about what just happened, but if this is the view from second place I don’t think I mind it as much. But then again, with the California State championship coming up I really can’t afford to let anyone show me up. Not even her, and net even if she does look that good while doing it.

I’m toweling off my hair when Keith and Cameron come back with cardboard trays full of In-N-Out Burger. “Took y’all long enough, I’m starving.”

“Shut up Ethan, if you were that hungry you could have come.”

“I swear you look for things to complain about just to keep yourself entertained,” the brothers tease as they set the food down on one of the towels. I met Keith and Cam a couple years ago when I started training with their father, Thommy for California’s regional surf championship, and they got acquainted with Ethan at one of the matches leading up to the big competition. Since then the four of us have been nearly inseparable.

“Trust me I had plenty of entertainment. Some girl was kicking Jer’s ass out on the surf, you two should have seen it. He couldn’t catch a wave for shit against her.” It’s almost concerning how much my recent losing streak delights my friend but I simply chalk it up to the fact that he’s just happy to know that someone out there in the world can beat me because he’ll never get the chance to do so. 

“Is that true?” Cam asks while Keith just stands there with his eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline.

“I was just tired, it’s been an off day.” I say rolling my eyes into the back of my head.

“Damn it was that bad? Which one was she? Point her out Ethan?”

“Right over there sitting down.” Ethan points to two girls talking only a short distance away while Keith crouches down beside him trying to follow his line of sight. After challenging her a couple more times and failing miserably every trip I stayed in the water to actually catch some waves while she paddled back to the beach. I tried not to be too obvious about it but I was looking for her when I was making my way back to shore, my attempts at being discreet proved to be a huge hindrance because in the end I’d assumed she’d left. The girl she’s with is laying down reading some book when she looks up to my surfer saying something I obviously can’t make out before trying to shade her eyes from the sun and refocusing on the book. My surfer pulls a cowgirl hat off her head and puts it on her friend.

“Wait, I'm confused which one is she?”

“The one in the red boots.” I answer for him just as she gets up to walk off somewhere. 

“Beat by a cowgirl on the surf? I’d pay good money to see that, sucks that I missed it.”

“Wait, isn't that other girl from our school? Megan Carson or something?” I ask.

“Her name is definitely Megan Cortez, not Carson, but yeah I think that's her. Looks like it at least.” I’m already walking over to the girl before Cam even gets the last couple words out.

The guys are calling after me making various comments that I pay no attention to as I make my way over to Megan. As far as I know Megan is pretty nice, super smart too. We don’t run in the same circles at school so we haven’t spoken much but I’m pretty sure we were partners in a chemistry project freshman year or something. I don’t recall her ever rubbing me the wrong way or being rude, not to mention that I know for a fact Cam has a crush on her. He tries to play it cool but I can see right through him. “Hey Meg.” I say attempting to sound casual.

“Please never shorten my name like that.” Looking up at me she slides a bookmark between the pages of her book before closing it. She adjusts the hat on her head and continues, “what's up?”

“My bad, I was just wondering about your friend.”

“My friend?” suddenly she seems intrigued, setting her book aside completely and standing up to meet me.

“Yeah, I was just wondering how you know her. I’ve never seen her around before.”

“That’s because she’s never been around before, what’s it matter to you?” I toy around with the idea of being completely honest and transparent for a moment before I scrap that plan altogether.

“Can’t a guy just be curious?”

“No he can’t. What do you want to know for?”

“Come on, what’s with the gatekeeping? Just tell me who she is.” Megan looks at me up and down as if sizing me up and then continues to keep her lips closed, not giving me anything. “Can I at least get a name?” I’m met again with silence. “Alright, she made for some tough competition out there today, so I guess I’m a little intrigued is all.”

“You're a sore loser through and through and she told me all about how she beat the brakes off you out there so I’m not buying that. What else is it?”

“There's nothing else–”

“Suit yourself.”

“Alright so she’s hot. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Eww shut up. That’s my sister you're talking about.”

“Eww? Your sister? Since when did you have a sister?”

“Since forever, but she lived with her dad. Anyways this is none of your business–” Megan gets cut off by a voice thick with a southern accent that I know must belong to my surfer before I even look over to the source.

“Well if it isn’t Green.”

“Green?” I ask turning slightly to face her instead.

“Yeah, like your eyes, they’re real green. Plus that's how we describe newbies back home and you were looking really green out there today. Did you just learn how to surf?” Before I can even open my mouth to form a reply I hear Megan’s laughter pierce my ears. She laughs like she’s never heard a joke before, it wasn’t that funny.

“I’ll have you know I’ve placed in every championship I’ve participated in  and I’m even sponsored by Tidal Surge.” I say looking at the branding on her board sticking up in the sand.

“Yikes, the championships out here must be a drag and who knew they hand out sponsorships to any pretty face willing to pick up a board.” Megan's laughter only grows louder and increases in choppiness as she struggles to take full breaths through it.

“Carm- girl you gotta stop. I- I can’t breathe. Please.” I’m choosing to focus on the fact that she apparently thinks I have a pretty face and ignoring the rest of what she said.

“Hey I’m just pulling your leg, you weren’t that bad. I rarely have to try that hard. I’m Carmen by the way.” So my surfer’s name is Carmen.

“Jeremih, so you want to tell me more about my pretty face, Darling?” I ask, imitating her accent. I’m not sure if I did that on purpose or not but I decided I’d better commit. 

“I personally  think you’d benefit more from some surf tips but if you’d rather flirt I can tell you that I’ve seen worse looking guys.”