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?”
