Ride the waves
Two weeks into the summer before eighth grade, four months since anyone had seen Shelby, and they were still at a loss. They had no contact with her, and it worried them, what was happening to her? Toni’s anger was getting worse the longer she was away, the workouts with Mr. Levi not helping much anymore. As much as Leah loved her friends, she felt like she needed a break. She was worried about Shelby, of course, but there was nothing they could do, and her friends were driving her insane about it. That’s why, when her parents mentioned spending two weeks in California, Leah jumped on the chance. Two weeks away from their small town sounded amazing.
They kept up their weekly movie nights, even without Shelby, so Leah decided that would be the best time to broach the topic. They were gathered in Dot’s living room this weekend, her dad being busy at work, leaving them with the whole house to themselves.
“You’re going to be gone for two whole weeks?” Fatin asked as she shifted from her seat on top of Dot’s lap.
“Fatin, I swear if you don’t get off me, right now!”
“Chill, you’re lucky I even like you enough to be near you, after what you said earlier.”
"The only thing I said was that I didn’t like '10 things I hate about you’!”
“Ya and that’s a war crime.”
“That’s a stretch Fatin.” Martha said from her spot on the floor across from Fatin and Dot.
“That’s what you think.”
“Can we get back to the topic at hand, Leah is abandoning us.” Toni said as she throw her hand out in Leah’s general direction.
“That’s an over-exaggeration.” Nora said as she finished setting up Mario cart on Dot’s Nintendo 64 before handing controllers to Rachel, Toni, and Martha before grabbing one herself.
“No, I don't actually think it is, it's definitely feels like an abandonment.” Rachel said as she chose her character.
“It's nothing like that, my parents just wanna visit my mom's sister.”
“Whatever you say babe,” Fatin said, “but you guys should play the tournament with the rainbow Road, you know because Toni's playing.”
“Fuck you man, you know that works for you too, right?” Toni asked.
“Not fully, that's why it's funnier with you.” Fatin replied.
Leah smiled as the conversation got away from them, even after eight years together, they still can't hold one conversation at a time. It was always like this with them, wasn't it? They could be serious when things like Shelby’s disappearance happened but when it came to something like Leah going away for two weeks? That meant nothing, because when it came down to it, they weren't worried about Leah coming back. They knew this trip was nothing compared to Shelby’s disappearance, they knew she was coming back. She had a day she was returning and that's what they would look forward to.
Leah had never been on a plane before; to say her anxiety was spiking would be an understatement. As she followed her parents through security and up to their gate, she couldn't get her bearings on anything. They sat by the gate for half an hour waiting to be able to board and when the time finally came, Leah froze again. Watching her father cross the threshold to the plane Leah couldn’t move until she felt her mom's hand on her back. She looked up to see her mom smiling at her.
She said “I know this is new, I know this is scary, but just remember your techniques and your practices. You've come a long way from your first attack, you remember?”
Leah nodded “You came a long way since then. I want you to remember those feelings, tuck them deep in the pit of your stomach, and step onto the plane. Your father and I will be with you the whole time and we will help you through this.”
Leah closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked onto the plane. She passed the flight attendants and the pilot who greeted her with wide smiles. She walked up to where her father was standing halfway through the plane, she looked up at her dad as he smiled at her.
“What seat do you want? Would you like to sit by the window?” Leah nodded as her father let her pass to sit down, before he himself took the middle seat allowing his wife to have the aisle. Leah followed her techniques and kept calm even as the plane started to move. When it started to come off the ground, however, her hands gripped the armrest. Her eyes fell shut until she felt her dad's hand on her arm, she opened her eyes to look at him as he smiled.
“You got this honey.” He gripped her hand until the plane rose to its cruising altitude. Once they were settled in the air and were allowed to move Leah was able to breathe again. She hoped to be able to sleep though this whole ride, that it would be over when she woke up. She was caught off guard though by the flight attendant who walked up to her. She put a smile on her face as she held out something in her hand. Leah looked at it wearily before looking at her parents who gave her a nod. Leah picked up the small metal before holding it above her head to inspect it, it was a small pin with wings on it. She looked back at the flight attendant who smile, “You just got your wings kiddo.” she said.
Leah relaxed more, pinning the pin to her blue flannel. The ride was smooth until then reached California. Leah tenses up once again when they started to descend. She reached for her dad's hand and was able to breathe as his grip grounded her. The landing was not Leah's favorite part of the trip, and she was glad it was finally over. That had been the longest 5 hours of her life. When they finally got off the plane they were greeted by Leah's aunt, her mom's younger sister, Bailey.
“Maryann, Kurt, its so good to see you both.” Bailey said as she hugged them before turning to Leah. “Leah, my beautiful niece, you’ve gotten so big.” Bailey pulled Leah into a hug as Leah awkwardly patted Bailey’s back.
Leah had only met her aunt twice in her life, the last time she was seven years old. She has no idea how to act, this woman was practically a stranger, and with no kids of her own, Bailey had no way of keeping Leah distracted. The first few days of their time together were uneventful with Leah trying to find anything to occupy her time. Why she felt the need to come with her parents she no longer understood. She needed a break from her friends, and their worries about Shelby but that didn’t matter now that she was hours away from them and she was bored out of her mind. They had created a group chat a few months ago that seems to always be going off. Fatin had even added Shelby into the group, saving her name as WithoutATrace, Leah thinks that’s a show, but she can’t remember. She kept reading texts from the group chat just wishing that she had stayed with them.
Unsinkable 8 (Why Fatin named it that Leah will never know)
Dot’s girl: Leah!!! When r u comin home??!!
Tastetherainbow: Leave her alone she’s probably busy
Tastetherainbow: And stop changing our names!
Dot’s girl: Your no fun Toni, Martha likes the names don’t u Martha?!
Mstands4Vegan: I think it’s funny
Dot’s girl: SEE
Nora: Are we still going to the park today?
Highdive: Why is Nora’s name normal?
Dot’s girl: Bc I actually like Nora 😁
Cargoshorts: That’s weird to say when your name is literally my name
Dot’s girl: I can be your girl and still not like you
Tastetherainbow: 😂
Dot’s girl: And yes Nora we r I need to beat TTR at 🏀
Tastetherainbow: Did u really just shorten the name u gave me?
Dot’s girl: 🌈
Tastetherainbow: wtf Fatin
NerdyandAnxious: She’s just reminding you of your club
Tastetherainbow: god I hate you both
Mstands4Vegan: She doesn’t, she misses you a lot
Tastetherainbow: MARTHA, the betrayal
NerdyandAnxious: It’s been three days…I miss you guys to
Highdive: I regret giving any of you my phone number
Dot’s girl: I would have gotten it from Nora anyway
Cargoshorts: She’s not lying Rachel I hear noises outside sometimes and I’m not completely convinced it’s not Fatin
Dot’s girl: I love that I live in your guys’ nightmares 😈
Leah smiled as the texts kept coming in, her friends had always been her lifeline and knowing she would see them soon gave her the courage to explore a bit more. She couldn’t go home without some stories to share. At least her aunt lived near the beach, maybe she could spend some time down there. On day four Leah headed to the beach, she was collecting seashells for her friends when she noticed the kids surfing on the beach. Leah watched them in amazement as they performed all sorts of amazing tricks. She watched one boy as he rode through the center of a wave. She was captivated by the bright grey eyes and messy brown hair. Leah has never had a crush before, she didn't know what she was supposed to expect, but she sat there watching him for an hour as he pulled off moves, she would deem impossible.
She decided it felt nice to have a crush on someone, even if she didn't even know his name yet. Leah watched as he returned to the beach and got off his board. She realized he couldn't have been more than 15, making him a couple years older than her. She watched as he grabbed his board and headed towards a colorful shack. The shack was selling other surfboards, and she watched him lean the board against the house before going inside. It seems he works there, maybe that would give Leah the opportunity to actually talk to him, but that wouldn't be today. Her anxiety is too high for that, no she's going to return to her aunt’s house. It will be dinner time soon anyways and Aunt Bailey has been a stickler about family dinner since they've been around. She would ask Aunt Bailey about the shack she saw out on the beach. Her aunt would inform her that it was run by a bunch of high school kids during the summers. They sell surfboards and even offer surfing lessons, but Leah wasn't sure how she was going to use any of that to take to the boy she saw.
Her father, however, seemed to have an idea, “Would you be interested in learning to surf Leah? We could sign you up for some lessons.”
The idea terrified Leah but it would be a good chance to talk to the boy with brown hair. She hurriedly agreed and the next day her father would walk her to the beach and handle all the talking when it came to the teenagers behind the counter. Leah couldn't see the boy she had become infatuated with; it seems he wasn't around today. She was disappointed as her father signed her up for surfing lessons. She didn't even get the chance to ask the boy's name as she was informed her first lesson would be the very next day. Although it didn’t turn out how she wanted this might be a good chance for her to bring back something she can do that her friends can't. Yeah, maybe she won’t have to tell her friends she spent the whole time she was gone wishing she was with them instead. When she showed up for her one-on-one session the next day, she was caught off guard when the boy with gray eyes was the one to meet her.
“Hey, my name's Brandon P., Brandon S. told me you'd only be here for another week maybe which means we gotta get as much done in that amount time. I don't have any other clients right now so whenever you got time I got time.” Brandon smiled at Leah.
She couldn't help but notice the sparkle in his smile, she felt her stomach flutter as he handed her a board from my shop for her to use. “Now come on, we're gonna start with some basic stuff we'll work our way from there.”
Leah somehow lost the ability to talk the whole day, she just listened to Brandon's instructions, trying her best to stay on the board but let's face it Leah was a disaster. Brandon kept helping her every step of the way and the fluttering in her stomach didn't stop even as they increase their lessons in both days and time. Leah could barely say 2 words to him the first day. Brandon didn't seem to mind though he spoke plenty enough for both of them. Over the next couple of lessons Leah managed to speak more, mostly about her friends, or her favorite books. She even managed to ask him to take a photo of her with her surfboard that she quickly sent to her friends.
Its during their final lesson that she speaks up again, “Thank you for all of this.” Leah said after she had fallen off her board again and managed to climb back onto it. They both just sat on their boards as the water started to push them to the shore, “I know I'm not the greatest but thank you for taking the time to try and teach me.”
“Of course, that's what we do here and don't sweat it Leah, I'm sure you can get more practice once you go home.”
“Yeah, I don't think there's a lot of places to surf in Montana.”
“Montana huh? That's pretty far, is that why you're only here for two weeks?”
“Yeah, we're visiting my aunt, tomorrow's our last day.”
“Well, you should come by the shop tomorrow then, you gotta say a proper goodbye to me and the other guys.”
“Um, sure.” Leah said as they headed back towards the beach.
“Alright, well then, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll take the board back for you.” Brandon said as he grabbed the board from the edge of the water.
Leah smiled as she watched him walk away, first crashes are a weird thing. She knows she'll never see this boy again but that didn't stop her from wanting to talk to him again. She regrets not having better things to talk but Brandon didn't seem to mind. Maybe this trip wasn’t such a bad idea. She did go back the following day to say one final goodbye to Brandon P, Brandon S, and Brandon J, because of course this had to be 3 Brandon's that worked there. Brandon P watched her approach with a smile on his face, “Hey there she is. We got something for you.”
He reached under the counter and pull out a shark tooth necklace “It ain't much kid but you gotta get something to remind you of your little trip to California. Plus, you can Remember me and the boys this way.”
Leah smiled as she grabbed the necklace from Brandon, “Thanks, I hate that I have to leave.” She said reluctantly.
“I get that, this is pretty cool place. If you ever find your way back here feel free to stop by. I'll probably still be working here with these knuckleheads. It'd be great to see you again if you ever make your way out here.”
Leah agreed before heading back to her aunt’s place. Getting on the plane later that day was harder than she anticipated. Saying goodbye to her aunt was a weird feeling, Bailey started out as a virtual stranger but when she hugged Leah, Leah couldn’t help but melt into her hold. Bailey was so welcoming and went out of her way to make Leah feel comfortable in this strange town. She didn't know leaving a place she had only been for two weeks would be so difficult, but it was an experience. She met some cool people, got to experience her first crash, she got some freedom from the silent hell her and her friends were going though over the past five months. After another long plane ride, where Leah managed to keep her anxiety under wraps this time, they finally managed to get home.
Walking into her house and all Leah wanted was to see her friends, but the jet lag was real, and she need to rest for the day. She could see them tomorrow, summer is only half over, there’s plenty of time to hang out, her friends would understand, right? She sent a quick text to their group chat, ever since that first set of texts the chat had been going crazy. Leah hadn't had time to check all the messages, most were from Fatin trying her best to make the rest of their lives miserable, and her constant flirting with Dot and Toni. However, as always, it was quiet from Shelby's end, there was just nothing there, still no trace of her and still no word from her folks.
The whole situation was still so weird to them, but what could they do? A bunch of 13-year-olds, they can barely do their math homework without cheating off each other, all they could do was wait for her to show up. She would show up eventually, right? At least that's what Leah keeps telling herself as she unpacks that night, she would show up eventually, she's got to. She'll show up with some dumb stories about her time at her aunt’s place. Was Shelby’s trip anything like Leah's time away? Was her aunt like Aunt Bailey? Was she warm and fuzzy and welcoming? Did she make Shelby feel safe or was she having a completely different experience?
Maybe, unlike Leah, Shelby knew her aunt, maybe she was off having fun and completely forgot about them. The more she thought about it the more it made sense, they were in a fight when she left, maybe she just doesn't wanna see them anymore. Maybe she went to see her aunt of her free will, maybe she just thought they weren't worth it anymore. Should they change the unthinkable 8 to the unsinkable 7 now? Maybe…but maybe that's premature, they should probably wait until they hear from Shelby again. Whenever that'd be.
Whatever, Leah has got a big day tomorrow and she can't be thinking about all this stuff. She's got to prepare for the questions from Toni and Martha and the sneak attacks from Fatin. Who Leah just knows will be extra clingy. Now lying in her bed at home for the first time in two weeks, Leah felt relaxed. She felt content and she was ready to see her friends.
Waking up around noon the next day Leah went through the list of whose house they would be going to today. Dot’s house was the weekend before Leah left, meaning they went to Martha’s the following week, so they were all heading over to Fatin's place tonight. Leah got dressed as fast as she could, she yelled out to her parents that she was going to Fatin’s before rushing out of the house. Fatin didn't live too far away, just a couple of blocks, Leah walks there all the time. Muscle memory kicked in at this point, walking up to that front door, her heart pounding. She pounds on the front door waiting for Fatin to jump her the minute she opens the door. Leah feels her breath catch as instead of Fatin; she's met with the face of Shelby. The same Shelby who had been missing for five months now. Leah couldn’t form a single word in her head. Leah’s heart stopped, why was Shelby here?
Where had she been? Does Fatin know Shelby is opening her front door? Of course she knows, Leah thought, it's her house. Why, though, was Shelby the one answering the door? Shelby let out a cracked smile before saying “Hey Leah, long time no see.”
Leah couldn’t move she froze, even as Shelby wrapped her in a hug, Leah couldn't move her arms from her side. What was happening, why was this happening right now? What did it all mean? Leah saw Fatin over Shelby shoulder, she was just leaning against the doorway to the living room watching them. Leah knew she was the first one to arrive as it was much earlier than they normally planned. Which gave Leah a sense of relief because they had time to prepare for when the others showed. How were they going to explain any of this to them? To Toni? Why did Fatin even let Shelby in her house? Questions swirled in Leah’s mind even as she lifted her arms to finally hug Shelby back.