Ellie had just surfed her sixth wave and she was totally carving it up out there. There was no doubt that she would be advancing to the next heat, while Anne would probably be free to go home sometime within the next ten minutes.
She tried to remember her diving days, when she had been the one to beat, just like Ellie was now. But it didn’t exactly compare, since she’d been diving since she was eight, and everything was just so much easier back then, mostly because people were pretty impressed with just about anything you did at that age. But now, at almost seventeen, the pressure was much greater, especially when she knew Ellie was out there like a vulture, patiently watching and waiting for her to fail.
Oh well. It beats wearing an ugly bridesmaid’s dress at your pregnant mom’s shotgun wedding, she thought, popping up on her board, determined to at least make it to shore without falling off.
chapter sixty-five
Lola’s nails were wet, her face was caked with makeup, and her hair was all piled up high on top of her head like a big chocolate-frosted cake. “I’m supposed to walk around like this all day?” she asked, shuddering at her own reflection. She looked more like a Vegas showgirl than a virginal debutante about to be introduced to society.
“Well, it’s not like we’re going anywhere else. After here it’s just home, until it’s time to put on your dress and go,” her mother told her.
“Uh, wrong,” Lola said, shaking her head carefully so as not to dislodge the million bobby pins and sparkly barrettes that were holding the whole mess together. “I told Diego I’d meet him.” She nodded, having come up with this genius excuse sometime between the massage and the body scrub.
“You are not meeting Diego,” her mom said, turning away from the increasingly frustrated makeup artist. “You will see him tonight at cotillion. You two are just gonna have to wait until then.”
Lola noticed the little smile on her mom’s face when she said that, like she was so proud of herself for introducing her daughter to her future husband. If she only knew, Lola thought, shaking her head. “Mom, it can’t wait. Because he wants to give me …” She hesitated; she hadn’t really thought it all the way through to this point. “ … a present. He has a present for me that he wants me to have … for tonight,” she concluded, thinking how now she’d also have to stop by the mall to pick up some little trinket and then pretend it was from Diego. She’d have to make sure she wore her sunglasses, ’cause there was no way she could be seen lurking around South Coast Plaza with hair like this.
“Fine,” her mother said, frowning as Lola jumped up from her chair. “But be home as quickly as possible. Your hair and makeup have to last until tonight, you know.”
“Don’t worry,” Lola said, slipping her flip-flops onto her feet and thinking how odd she must look with her California girl clothes and Spanish soap opera hair and makeup.
chapter sixty-six
Anne could not believe when she heard her name called. “Third place,” Jake said, smiling and slapping her on the back. “That means you get to go on to the next heat!”
“It does? Are you serious?” she asked. The scoring and rules were all new to her, so she sincerely hoped he wasn’t just fooling around.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t start for a while, so you can just chill,” he said, smiling.
“Did you hear that?” she said, as her dad and Brooke approached. “I’m advancing to the next heat. I mean, I’ll probably choke on that one, but I don’t even care! It just feels so awesome to get to this point!” She was so excited, she even hugged Brooke.
“I just saw Chris,” her father said. “He’s looking for you. I told him you were over here.”
“Oh, really?” Anne bit down on her lip, wondering why Chris was looking for her. Was he going to break up with her? Right now? Well, he’d just have to wait, since there was no way she was going to let him ruin her day. The last thing she needed was for some stupid relationship drama to kill her buzz, and there was no way she was gonna let him bring her down. “Well, if he comes by, just tell him I’ll catch up with him later. I’m totally starving. I’m gonna grab something to eat.” And then, grabbing Jake by the arm, she said, “Wanna join me?”
chapter sixty-seven
Ellie wasn’t surprised she’d advanced to the second heat. Nor was she surprised that she came in first. But what did surprise her was the sight of Lola walking across the beach with the biggest hair she’d ever seen.
“Don’t even mention it,” Lola said, holding up her hand defensively. “In fact, please don’t even look at it.”
“How can I not?” Ellie said, laughing. “It’s huge!’
“Can you even believe it?” She rolled her eyes. “I swear, the things Lola will do to please her mother …”
“And the things Lolita will do to be a good friend,” Ellie said, hugging her gently so as not to get stabbed in the eye by a pink heart-shaped rhinestone barrette. “I can’t believe you showed up.”
“Hey, I haven’t missed one of these yet. And for your information, Jade’s here, too. I just saw her with her dad; they were talking to Chris.”
“Is she surfing?” Ellie asked.
“No. Apparently, she had to learn a lesson about the consequences of certain actions, or however her dad phrased it.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, how long are you staying?” Ellie asked.
“Long enough to totally embarrass myself with this updo, and see you nail a trophy and a sponsorship.” She smiled.
chapter sixty-eight
“So why are you using me to hide from your boyfriend?” Jake asked, taking a sip of his coffee and looking right at Anne.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, feeling her face go every shade of fuchsia. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” She shook her head and sipped her drink, avoiding his eyes.
“The dude’s been looking all over for you, but you keep hiding—mostly behind me. So, what’s the deal? You guys in a fight?” he asked.
“I …” Anne hesitated, feeling frustrated because she really didn’t know how to answer. Because she really didn’t know what the answer was. “I’d really rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” she said, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at him.
“Okay, that’s cool,” he said, looking at her and nodding. “You know you’re gonna be a real catch someday—when you grow up.” He smiled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
But he just looked at her, tossed his empty coffee cup in the bin, and started to walk away.
“For your information, you’re only two years older than me!” she yelled after him, feeling even more annoyed when he just smiled, waved, and kept walking.
Oh, that’s just great, she thought, standing there and staring after him as he weaved his way through the crowd of people. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? He works for my dad! And he should really learn to be more respectful. He had no idea what was going on in her life, and he had no right to judge her.
She shook her head and looked out at the water. Thirty more minutes until her next heat, and there was no way she was gonna let Jake upset her. He is nothing to me. He’s just a minor annoyance, she told herself as she headed back toward her surfboard.
chapter sixty-nine
Lola sat on the shoreline with Jade, trying to forget about her stupid hair and the fact that everyone who walked past her turned and did a double take. Ellie and Anne were out there surfing, and even though on the surface she was rooting for them both, deep down inside she really wanted Ellie to win, mostly because she had the most riding on it.
“I wish I was out there,” Jade said. “I really blew it this time.”
“There’s always next year.” Lola shrugged.
But Jade knew that wasn’t necessarily true. Feeling her eyes start to sting with tears, she closed them until the moment passed. She wished she could confide in Lola about her conversation with her dad—about how they might have t
o leave Laguna Cove and move far away. But she was barely able to admit it to herself, much less her best friends. So, determined to put it out of her mind, she decided not to say anything.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll even enter it with you.” Lola laughed, but her smile froze into place when she spotted Dean standing just a few feet away. And he was looking right at her.
“Oh my God,” Jade said. “I think Anne’s going for it. Oh, I can’t look. It makes me too nervous. I’m gonna go pee instead.” She got up from her towel.
“Now?” Lola asked, panicked. The last thing she needed was to be left alone. Because then Dean might come over. And she had no idea what she’d say to him if that happened.
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.” Jade gave her a strange look.
“But can’t you wait?” Lola asked, realizing how needy and ridiculous she sounded. But there’s no way she could let Jade leave her.
“What’s the deal?” Jade said, hopping anxiously from one foot to the other.
“Nothing.” Lola shook her head with resignation. “Go ahead.” Jade ran off toward the bathrooms while Lola looked out at the ocean. Anne had just fallen off her board. That’s gotta hurt, she thought, cringing as she watched Anne get worked by a wave.
“Hey.”
Lola knew the voice, so she was reluctant to look up and actually see the person it belonged to. “Hey,” she said, her eyes remaining focused on the ocean in front of her, since she didn’t know how to face Dean.
“How’ve you been?” he asked, kneeling down next to her.
“Okay.” She shrugged. Then, suddenly remembering her outrageous hair and makeup, she began to feel really self-conscious. “You’re not filming me, are you?” she asked, glancing nervously at his camera.
“Um, no,” he said, turning it away from her and putting the lens cap back on. “Listen, Lola, I don’t really know how to say this, and you know I’m not that good with words and stuff, but I miss you.” He gave her a tentative, shy look.
“You do?” She turned toward him, her eyes going wide. Could he possibly really mean that?
“Yeah.” He blushed. “But I know you have a new boyfriend now, and you guys seem really happy, so I’m not looking for anything. I just wanted to apologize for ending everything so abruptly. I can see now that I made a big mistake.”
Lola just looked at him. After all this time, after all the heartache she’d endured, he’d finally just said all the right things, using all the right words. And now she had a choice. She could either tell him the truth about Diego and end the whole stupid charade right now, or she could keep her secret and let Dean suffer just a little while longer.
She looked right into his eyes and slowly trailed a finger down his cheek. “I really appreciate you saying that.” She smiled. “And I really hope that we can still be friends.”
chapter seventy
Ellie had one more wave to go and plenty of time in which to do it. She was on fire today, having never surfed better in her life. But Anne had just wiped out again, and Ellie noticed that her face was all red as she paddled back in. There was no way she would make it to the final heat. She’d had a decent enough start, but now she was totally falling apart. And even if she did surf a perfect last wave, it still wouldn’t be enough. It was pretty much over for her.
Ellie saw Anne glance at her warily and then position herself as far from her as possible. Which also just happened to be the absolute worst place she could have picked. And it made Ellie wonder if Anne chose it because she had no idea how bad it was, or if she chose it so she could be far away from Ellie.
Oh my God, what have I done, she thought. I’ve turned into such a jealous, competitive, nasty bitch that I’m actually sabotaging this poor girl’s chances! And isn’t that like, the exact opposite of what surfing is supposed to be about?
Ellie looked at her watch—she had two minutes left to catch her last wave and really shred it to impress the judges.
Or she could help someone who really needed it.
chapter seventy-one
Anne sat on her board, choking back tears and hoping that the salt water pouring from her eyes was blending in with the salt water from the ocean, so no one would know what a big, pathetic baby she was being. What had started out as a pretty good day had quickly gone to hell. She felt bad about her mom’s wedding, she felt bad about Chris avoiding her (or was she avoiding Chris?), and she felt inexplicably bad about Jake’s stupid little comment.
Even her surfing had fallen apart, and her body felt bruised and battered from getting worked by so many waves. And now, to just top off this miserable day, that total bitch, Ellie, was sitting on her board waving at her. God, she was like a pit bull. She just never let up.
Oh well, I may as well get the last wave out of the way, she thought. I mean, I have to get back to shore somehow. Anne started to paddle, but stopped when Ellie charged right in front of her. “What do you want?” Anne glared at her.
“I want to help you, if you’ll let me,” Ellie told her.
“Yeah, right. You probably came all the way over here just to gloat. Well fine, you’re winning, okay? You’re winning at absolutely everything. You’re taking Surf Fest, you’re taking Chris, and now you probably want to take me down. Am I right?” Anne looked away. There was no way she would cry in front of her.
“Listen, we don’t have a lot of time,” Ellie said. “And you’re right, I’m ahead and you’re not. But it really doesn’t matter anymore. I mean, don’t you want to surf one really awesome wave before you go home?”
Anne just looked at her, not sure if this was for real or not.
“I can help you do that, if you’ll just follow me. Oh, and for the record,” Ellie said, turning back to look at her. “Chris likes you, not me. And I’m okay with that.”
chapter seventy-two
“Oh my God, look at her! I think she’s really gonna take it this year!” Chris said, grabbing Anne’s hand and watching Ellie surf her very last wave of the junior’s final heat.
“Oh, I can’t look,” Jade said, covering her eyes. “Just, just give me a play-by-play but don’t tell me if she falls, ’cause I don’t want to know about it.”
“You’re just gonna have to open your eyes and see it for yourself because the girl is rippin’ it up,” Lola said, glancing back and forth between Ellie out in the water and Dean running up and down the shoreline taping her.
“Hey, don’t you have cotillion?” Anne asked.
“Yeah, but I’m not budging ’til this is all said and done,” Lola said, glancing briefly at Anne, and then back at the water. “Oh my God, she made it. She did it! Yes!” Lola got up from her towel, and jumped up and down on the sand, while bobby pins and barrettes sprang from her hair, landing all around her.
“Uh, Lola, I think your hair just popped,” Jade said, pointing at Lola’s sunken updo and laughing.
“Oh, who cares?” Lola yanked out the remaining bobby pins and barrettes and threw them onto her towel. Then, quickly combing her fingers through her long, dark hair, she ran down to the water, toward Dean.
chapter seventy-three
“You did it! You were amazing!” Jade said hugging Ellie, while Chris and Anne nodded in agreement.
“You think so?” Ellie asked, squeezing the salt water from her hair. “I mean, you never know until the scores are read, right?”
“You totally deserve to win,” Anne said, looking at her and smiling.
Ellie smiled back; then looking past Anne she noticed Duncan standing just a few feet away, with his arm around a pretty brunette who she had just competed against. Their eyes met briefly, and Duncan smiled and waved. But Ellie just nodded, surprised by the way she felt at seeing him with another girl.
“Honey, there’s someone waiting to talk to you,” her dad said, interrupting her train of thought.
“Dad! You made it! Did you see me?” Ellie asked, feeling like a little kid begging, Look at me, Daddy! Look at me!
“I didn’t
get here ’til your final heat, but I saw all of it. You were amazing.” He smiled and hugged her tight. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered.
Ellie clung to him until the threat of tears had passed, and then she pulled away and said, “So who wants to talk to me?”
“Some surf-brand big shot,” he said, looking at her and smiling. “He mentioned something about a sponsorship?”
Ellie grabbed her dad’s hand and headed toward the tent. Her biggest dream was about to come true, but the thing that she felt the most proud of was something the sponsors and judges never even saw. But she knew. And Anne knew. And maybe, in some strange way, even her mom knew.
Stopping for a moment, she lifted her face toward the sun, closing her eyes and feeling the warmth against her skin. Then, looking over at her father, she smiled and squeezed his hand as they continued toward the tent.
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously
LAGUNA COVE. Copyright © 2006 by Alyson Noël. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN 9781429907392