Page 68 of Not That Into You

Cameron grins at me. “Ready?”

“No.”

He starts paddling toward the horizon, and with a deep sigh, I follow.

After a short distance, he sits up, straddling his board. “Okay, turn your board around, so you’re facing the shore. When a wave comes, remember what we talked about. Paddle and pop up.”

“Right.” I give a wary look behind me.

“Don’t worry. These are only baby waves. You’ll be fine.”

“Right.”

“Just keep an eye out for sharks.”

I whip around, eyes wide, and only realize he’s joking when he starts laughing. Jerk.

Flipping him the bird, I focus back on the shore and clear my mind.

“Okay,” Cameron says behind me. “This is a good one. Start paddling.”

A frisson of anxiety runs through me as I start paddling, picking up momentum.

“Pop up!”

I push up to a push-up position...

“Pop up!”

. . . and flop back down to my stomach with a laugh. My smile grows bigger as the wave carries me closer to shore. I may not be surfing, but the ride’s still fun.

By the time I get back to Cameron, he’s chuckling and shaking his head. “You forgot to pop up.”

“I popped up partway, but then...” I shrug with a grin. “I want to try again.”

“That’s the spirit. You’ll get the next one.”

The next wave comes, and I get up to a crouched position before losing my balance and falling over into the water.

I try a few times more, keeping in mind Cameron’s coaching:

“Don’t grab the rails. Keep your hands flat.”

“Don’t rush the pop-up.”

“Bend your knees.”

Balance continues to elude me, however, and I keep wiping out.

During a lull in the waves, I sit up and straddle my board next to Cameron. “These waves really are pretty puny.”

He smiles. “They’re good beginner waves.”

“I want to try a bigger wave.”

He snorts. “Sure thing. We’ll tackle Jaws next.”

“The shark?”

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