C H A P T E R   S I X T E E N
euphoria

hang ten:
to surf with all ten toes on the nose of the board.

I woke up in my room tangled up in a heap of my blue blankets. I hid my face back into my pillow as the rays of sunlight danced over my face.

A loud groan came from the floor as I leaned over my bed to be greeted with a mop of long brown hair sprawled out around Jessas face.

"For fucks sake, who left the blinds open." She mumbles into her pillow which had drool spots on it.

"Jessa please shut up." Miranda says from the other side of my bed. "I have a killer headache and you're only making it worse."

Laughing at my friends, I stumble out of my bed and make my way over to the bathroom as I pop two of the Tylenol tablets into my mouth.

I grab some for both Miranda and Jessa as well as a glass of water for them. They both take the tablets and quickly throw them into their mouths before throwing themselves back down onto the floor.

As I lay back down on my bed, I grab my phone as three unread messages flash across my bright screen.

If you are reading this I assume your awake.

I didn't exactly know what to do with Jessa and Miranda so I just gave them blankets and placed them on the floor.

Text me when you can :)

They all came from Dawson and were sent earlier on this morning. I glanced down at my beside clock and read the time of 11:18.

I send back a quick reply of good morning before heading downstairs and into the kitchen. Since Miranda and Jessa are still sleeping, I decided that I'd be a good friend a make us all pancakes.

Gathering all of the ingredients, I spread them out upon the marble countertop before turning my music on from my phone.

After a few minutes I had my wet and dry ingredients separated as I mixed the two together in one large bowl.

My phone lets out a ding from the counter as the song I was jamming to had been interrupted. I placed the spoon I was using to mix against the bowl as I grabbed my phone.

Wanna catch some waves? -D

I read the message and smiled.

Sure. I just have to kick Miranda and Jessa out first. -A

I went back to making the pancakes as I placed spoonfuls of the batter on the burning hot griddle.

The batter bubble and sizzled as it came in contact with the pan. I waited a few moments before i took the spatula and attempted to flip the pancakes over to the other side.

Once I was finished with all of the batter, I was left with a plate full of deformed and torn apart pancakes.

I grabbed the plate as well as three cans of orange juice before making my way back upstairs into my bedroom.

I went ahead and woke both Miranda and Jessa up. Jessa woke up no problem as soon as she smelt the pancakes. Miranda on the other hand put up a fight before finally giving in after a few minutes.

We were all now seated on the floor of my room, munching on pancakes as we ate in silence.

"I have to take you guys home after this. I have some errands to run for my mother." I lie not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing i'm hanging out around Dawson again. Besides I haven't fully explained to Jessa how i've started surfing again.

I quickly changed into my red bikini as I threw a pair of shorts and a tank top on over top of it. I gathered my sunglasses and towel as well as I placed them into my backpack before heading downstairs.

I laugh and point to the door "you guys ready to go?" I ask as I slip on a pair of black flip flops.

I swing my backpack over my shoulder as the both of them follow me outside and over to my car.

---

It was mid afternoon when Dawson and I finally made it over to Chancier Cove. I met him at the surf shack after dropping Jessa and Miranda off, and then we took his truck over to the beach.

The waters were quiet. A steady rain had started a while ago causing majority of the people enjoying the beach to pack up and head home.

Dawson had waxed the boards earlier on when he was in the shop since we were falling behind schedule.

I took off my clothes in Dawson truck and stepped foot into the rain. I shivered as I felt each individual drop splashing against my skin on impact.

Dawson got out of the truck shortly after in his swim trunks as he made his way to the back of the truck to grab our boards.

"So are you going to get up today?" He asks taking my surfboard down before handing it to me.

"I sure hope so." I replied with a smile on my face. "It's been way to long, I forget how it feels to ride the wave, carving and cutting into the crystal clear waters. I've missed it."

He hops down from his truck with his board in one hand as the other wraps around my shoulders. "I have a feeling that today's the day."

"If my mother were to see me with a surfboard in my hand I'm pretty sure she'd have a heart attack. She never though that I'd get back onto the board."

"Is that so?" Dawson said leading me towards the shoreline. "I think that she'd be pretty proud of you."

I nod as the water slowly creeps over my toes. I throw my board down into the water as Dawson mimics my moves.

Unlike last time, I slide on top of the board with ease as we start making our way away from shore.

The once steady rain has slowed down to just a drizzle as we continue paddling out. Dawson then stops and looks back at shore before giving me a small nod.

"Right here should be good. Do you need me to call out a good wave for you?" He asks as I nod.

"Ains you know what to do, just remember to work with the wave."

The small waves roll underneath us causing us to rise and fall. I keep laying down on my board as I watch Dawson's scanning the water.

"This next one should be good." He says as I spot the wave rolling towards us at a steady pace. "Paddle now!" He says as I follow his words.

My hands glide through the water propelling myself forwards as I feel the wave start to gently lift me up. Once I feel as though I am on top of the wave I force the heels of my hands down onto the board as I push my self up and place my feet down underneath me so that I am crouching down.

I then attempt to stand up fully but I loose my balance and go crashing down into the cool water.

I look back trying to find Dawson as I find him siting on top of his board a ways back.

Bobbing up and down with the waves I slowly start to make my way towards my surfboard with is floating in front of me.

It takes a good couple of minutes for me to get on top of the board as I can hear Dawson's laughs in the distance.

Once I finally make my way onto my board I start paddling back over to where Dawson has been waiting.

"You know what you did wrong?" He asked as I approached him.

I shake my head and brush a piece of hair out of my face. "I thought that I had it." I groaned.

"You came up to late, at the point you decided to stand, the wave has already moved past you."

"How do I know when to stand?"

"As soon as the wave is under you, you waited about two seconds to long. You're close, it's just the minor adjustments."

"Okay. Tell me when." I say giving him a small smile as he returns it before turning his gaze towards the waters.

I wait for what seems like minutes until finally, he tells me to go. I repeat the same motions as last time but push my self up to my feet sooner. I stand on top of the board for a moment before being submerged under the water.

"Fuck." I scream as I throw my fist down against the water.

I reach for my board and rest my arms on top of it as my legs kick in the water.

Dawson rides the next wave over to where I am. He bails to the side of me as his body disappears beneath the water.

He pops up a moment later on the other side of my board in the same position as me. I drop my gaze down towards the board as I feel him staring at me.

"Ains." He says softly wrapping his hand around mine. "You need to let go of whatever is holding you back. I know that you're more than capable of getting up on the board. It appears as though when your getting ready for the wave, your mind is elsewhere. It's like your having a battle against yourself."

I glance down our hands as a small smile makes its way onto my face. My bracelet from crystal is wrapped around my wrist as Dawson's gaze lands upon it.

He takes the small charm in his hand. "I won't let you end up like her." Dawson says placing a finger underneath my chin forcing me to look into his eyes. "I don't know what pain you've been through, or what thoughts are clouding your mind right now. But what I do know, is that she'd be proud of you Ains. I'm so proud of you." He says looking at my lips before pulling away and paddling out a little ways in front of me.

We paddle a little further into the ocean side by side. My mind wanders off as I am imagining crystal and I years ago.

"Ainsley." Crystal says as she lays down on her board out of breath. "You'd think that after all of these years of surfing you'd be a little quicker in getting out here."

I let out a small laugh. "Shut up." I keep paddling until I'm out in front of her. "You must have forgot that I haven't been training all off season."

"It's called dedication. You don't get anywhere in life without it."

"I'm dedicated." I retort. "But the truth is, you don't get anywhere without passion and a love for the sport."

"Ains."Dawson says snapping me out of my trance as he grabs my wrist. "You're thinking to much again."

"Sorry." I murmur as we stop a ways aways out from the shore.

"You all set?" He asks as I take a deep breath.

Focus Ainsley. You can do this.

"Now!" He says as I start paddling away from where he is sitting. I move the water past me effortlessly as I glide forwards.

I feel the wave slowly lifting me up as I throw my palms down against the board and place my feet underneath of my body and drive my heels into the board propelling my body upwards.

The wave was rolling underneath me as my mind was in a state of disbelief. I regained focus and everything started coming back to me piece by piece.

I then started shifting my weight on the board causing it to cut into the wave spraying up a fine mist. I rode down the wave and went to carve back up but I sunk the nose of my board causing me to tumble down into the water.

I let out a scream of success as the waves slowly pushed me towards the shore. I see Dawson riding the wave towards me as he bailed off and ran over to where laying on the shore.

He came over to me and pushed his body against me as his lips found their way to mine with such force and desire.

He pulled away and looked at me with a huge smile on his face. "Why are you crying?" He asking wiping at a tears I never noticed.

I had no words. I was ecstatic. I was in a state of euphoria and the only person I could thank for that would be Dawson. All I could do in that moment was smile and place my lips back against his.

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Wc: 2143