Page 82 of Tailwhip

I just shake my head. “I won’t see him until we get to the competition. However, that won’t be until tomorrow. Tonight, we are meeting Neha and hanging out at the beach. They should have a couple big bonfires going. It should be fun to just chill.”

“Yes, I love the beach and ocean. I really should have been a surfer,” Cora says.

I look back at Cora, “You have never even tried surfing!”

Cora just shrugs, “How hard could it honestly be? It seems like snowboarding; you steer with your back leg. I think I can do it!”

Heath interjects, “I am pretty sure surfing is nothing like snowboarding. Though I don’t know how to do either one!”

We make it to the beach and park at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Neha still hasn’t shown up yet, so we decide to hit as many of the rides as we possibly can. I let Cora and Heath hit the roller coaster without me. I am not a roller coaster rider! As I am waiting for them to finish up, I move toward the rail and look out at the ocean; it’s then I notice the giant dirt jumps on the street for the competition. There are three sets of jumps; right as I am looking a rider appears and does a clean double back flip, then a tailwhip, and a tuck no hander for the last set. I am lost in watching the rider. I don’t notice Cora and Heath come up next to me.

“Oh my gosh, that was so awesome looking!” Cora says, pulling me out of my daydreaming.

I look over to her with a smile. “Wait until you see what Anthony and the Overbear team are made of. They blow these competitions away!”

Cora giggles like a schoolgirl. “I can’t wait!”

Once we finish watching the few riders, we head down to the beach and find a spot to sit and wait for Neha.

About an hour later, we hear Neha being as loud as she can be. “I am here bitches and Heath!”

Heath puts his face in his hand and just shakes his head. How he has dealt with us girls the last few years on his own is beyond me, but Heath has been with us through thick and thin. “Sorry, I am late, you guys! I interviewed a few skaters; that way, I can watch all the competition.”

It is on the tip of my tongue to ask if she has talked to or seen Anthony, but Neha reads me like no one. “I talked to him, and when I told him I was coming to meet you, his eyes lit up, Ashlynn. I also brought the team with me!”

I look around because no one from the team is here with her. “Where are they?”

Right as I say that, I hear them all and turn to see Mateo and Noah heading straight toward me. I stand up right as they reach me and both give me a big hug! I pull back and smile at them. “Hi you guys!”

Right as I say this, the rest of the team makes it to the fire we are sitting by. I say hi to everyone and notice Clay and Grady are still gone. We introduce all of them to Cora, Noah and Mateo start to tell her about their brief try at snowboarding and how hard of a time they had.

“Come on, it's not that hard!” Cora jokes with them.

I keep glancing back to where everyone came from and there is no sign of Anthony or Chase. “He’s not coming tonight, Ashlynn.” I hear Nash say.

I smile at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am not looking for anyone in particular!”

Throwing his arm around my shoulder, he says, “Yeah, sure you’re not!”

We all stay at the beach until around midnight and finally, we start heading our separate ways.

“Don’t forget it starts at two tomorrow.” Mateo reminds me.

“I wouldn’t miss it, Mateo. We will be there, and be the loudest like last time!”

It’s time to head to the competition finally! I feel like this one has been talked about forever and now it is finally here! As we make it into the venue, they have tents everywhere for food, drinks, and clothing companies.

“Where should we go first?” Cora asks me.

I look around and don’t see the Overbear tent. “Let’s go look for the guys. More than likely, they will be by the tent for Overbear.”

We walk around for a while and finally spot the Overbear tent and sure enough, the team is there with all their bikes. We start to walk over to say hi to everyone, when Heath leans in. “Are you ok? You look a little nervous.”

I take a deep breath and stop walking. I turn my back to the tent, and Heath and Cora stand in front of me. “I don’t know why, but I am beyond nervous right now. What am I going to say to Anthony? Do I say ‘Hi, sorry I never responded to your text?’ I think I am freaking out a little here.”

Heath and Cora look at each other and start laughing at me. “Ash, you will know what to say and do once you see him. You guys are each other’s person.” Heath tells me. “Stay here and come over when you are ready.” Heath tells me this and walks by me to go say hi to the team.

I stand there for a while, trying to calm my nerves when I feel Cora tug on my tank top. “Oh, my goodness! Look at that guy over there. He is…I don’t even know how to describe him!”

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