Page 23 of Britta & the Beach Boy
“Hockey and surfing aren’tthatdifferent,” I say.
Dex raises his eyebrows, unconvinced, so I continue. “One thing I loved about hockey was anticipating other players’ moves and finding a way around them while also staying in control of my balance and navigating the rough ice.”
His forehead crinkles as his eyebrows go higher, and I search for the right words. “The close-up shots of your face and your body in those videos? I saw the same thing. You’re watching the other surfers while also reading your environment. That takes a skill that’s more than learned.”
I know I’ve connected the dots when Dex’s face lights with understanding. “Yeah, when things go right, I feel a synergy out there, biding my time, waiting for my wave, but also trying to determine what my opponent is planning.”
His excitement draws me closer.
“It’s a dance, right? So many things are in motion that your steps have to come naturally. You have to let go of what you know and trust your intuition.” Our eyes lock, and I feel a connection I haven’t felt with anyone in a long time. “I would get in a zone where I couldfeelwhat to do. No matter how loud everything was around me, I heard nothing but the sound ofmy blades slicing through ice. If I followed that music, I could score.”
“Yeah.” Dex moves closer too. “I like that. I think of it as following the right energy. Being in tune with yourself and the world around you.”
We nod together, totally in sync.
And then I hear Archie’s voice behind me.
“Did you hear that announcement, Dex?” he asks.
Dex and I both look at Archie. I’m not sure if Dex heard something, but all I heard was some mumbling coming from the speaker pointed toward the beach.
“Britta…” Stella says, breathless. “Matthew McConaughey is here. At this beach. To watch Dex. Apparently, he’s a huge fan of surfing.”
“Yeah, too bad we’ll all have to wait until tomorrow. Jack’s keeping his score, and he has priority in the first heat. Judges just made it official with the announcement you missed.” Archie gives Dex a searing look that I’m sure has something to do with Dex being “distracted” by me. “Let’s clear out so you can relax before then.”
I turn to Stella. “I guess that means us, too.” Then I face Dex again. “We’ll try to make it back tomorrow, but is there TV footage we can watch if we don’t?”
Dex glances at Archie, who gives a stern, micro-shake of his head, that Dex promptly ignores, and blurts, “Or you could skip the drive tomorrow and just stay with me tonight.”
Chapter nine
Dex
What. Did. I do?
Britta is staring at me, her shoulders pulled back, both surprised and guarded. Archie looks ready to knock some sense into me, and an awkwardness hangs over us, thicker than a soft squelching noise that could be nothing or could be someone breaking wind. I want to take back all the words that just spilled out of my mouth, because I think I just asked Britta to stay the night with me.
“Us! I mean us!” My voice squeaks in my rush to walk back what I’ve said. “Archie and I are both staying down here.”
Britta’s blush covers both cheeks. I feel mine all the way down my spine and Archie’s mad as a cut snake. Stella is the only one whose face isn’t some shade of red.
“You have a house here?” she squeals.
“Not my house. The house we’re staying at.” I point between Archie and me, just to clarify, again, that I’m not inviting Britta to spend the night withme.
“It’s the Rip Tide house,” Archie says, like I’ve just offered to throw a party at his parents’ house while they’re away on vacation.
Which, to be fair, I did do once. Maybe twice. His parents are gone a lot.
“We’re the only ones there. They won’t care.” I say to him and only him, because they’remysponsor, not his and even though I’m a little nervous about the invitation I just issued, I’m not going to show it.
Britta stays quiet, and I barely breathe. She’ll either say yes or she’ll say no. But I don’t want her to think I was hitting on her.
Was I hitting on her?
“You just got back in their good graces.” Archie crosses his arms and stares me down. This isn’t his usual stern look. He’s genuinely mad. “If you don’t win and they find out you had girls over, they’ll think you got…” His eyes dart to Britta then back to me. “distracted.”
He’s used that word more than once about Britta, and I’m getting bothered by it. Judging by the annoyed look on Britta’s face, she is too.
