Page 74 of We Thought We Were Invincible
Suddenly wide awake, I ran back to my room. I grabbed my phone off the bedside table, checking my alerts. Sure enough it was there. The waves were in.
I started digging through the pile of clothes on my floor, pulling free a bathing suit and wetsuit before putting them on so quickly you'd think there was an emergency. I tied my hair in the usual braid and ran out of there.
Thankfully, Colby rode to the diner with Kat, leaving his car at home. I grabbed his keys and a granola bar on my way out. I slid the board in the back, having to open a window for it to fit, then took off.
I was hardly the first one at the beach. Surfers dotted the horizon, riding the gorgeous waves. They rolled toward the beach with a steady rhythm, pounding the sand like the beat of a drum.
I can do this,I told myself. And I could. Something had changed the moment I touched that board again. I no longer felt so far away from her, my mom. A piece of me had returned.
I ran down the beach, not slowing until my feet splashed into the water. Fear gripped me, but I pushed it away. I needed this, and it was now or never.
Wading out deeper, I tightened the Velcro around my ankle, running my hand over the still visible scar. I let the water take hold of my board and breathed. In. Out. Don't think. Just do. Let the ocean wash away that which troubles you. It was a saying I used to live by and wanted to feel again.
The water was chest high by the time I pulled myself onto my board and paddled. After so many months away, my arms burned, but I kept going. I had to.
Stroke. Stroke. Push yourself to the limit. Let the feel of the water, the strain of your muscles, fill your mind.
I pushed out, breaking through a large wave, letting the water crash around me like a symphony speeding up its pace.
Once I was past the breaking waves, I sat up and kicked myself around. Looking back over my shoulder, I chose a wave and made sure the way was clear.
My body remembered what to do. It had never been scared, only held back. My arms swung, racing against the wave. They straightened, and I brought my feet under me, catching my balance.
That was it. I was home. That was me.
I turned into the wave, riding through a tunnel trying to swallow me whole. When I came out of it still standing, I pumped my fist in the air, knowing that if anything could heal me, this was it. The pieces of my soul moved back into place.
I dove off my board in one graceful movement, surfacing moments later with a smile on my face.
I only made it halfway on the next wave before tumbling off. I thought I'd be scared as the wave dragged me under, but I knew what to do, and it didn't take much effort to break the surface.
I conquered a few more before letting the water push me closer into the beach. I sat up on my board, throwing my head back with a laugh as I kicked my legs.
“Hey,” someone called from further in. “Callie, right?”
I caught the red hair and recognized her.
“That's me. You're Freya.”
“I've had an eye out for you since your accident.” She walked closer, her bright yellow board tucked under her arm.
“Yeah, well it's taken me a little while to find my way back.”
“I get that,” she said. “I didn't surf for a year after I hit some rocks out in California.”
“You've surfed in California?”
Her smile widened. “Nothing here compares.”
“Then why are you in Gulf City?”
“It's where the rest of my heart lies. The waves will always be here for you, but the people we love may not.”
Her words hit me with so much force that I stumbled backwards.
“Freya, it was good to see you. I have to go.”
She nodded and headed back out into the waves.
