Riding The Waves

"Nikki, d'you want to go surfing?" Hallie asked me. I shook my head politely, even though my heart was hammering inside. I had always had this thing for oceans. I stay away from the ocean, it stays away from me. But apparently that wasn't the case when I was 16, two years ago. I used to love the ocean, surfing every weekend. But then…..well I can never forget that terrifying moment.

My feet were safely strapped to the board. I was surfing in the huge waves, zigzagging this way and that. That's when something lunged at me. At first, I couldn't tell what it was. Its enormous jaws snapped at my foot, in vain. I yanked my foot away, terrified. But it kept lunging at me. The surfboard carried me with the waves, closer and closer to it. And at that moment, I saw what it was.

A shark.

I tried screaming for help. The lifeguard perked up, and seeing me, I could see that he panicked. Anybody else who was surfing immediately cleared off, leaving me alone. The lifeguard was making his way to me, but I could see that he couldn't save me in time. I could only do the humanly thing possible. I left my surfboard. I used all my swimming skills, thanking God that I had won all those medals and trophies for swimming. But the shark was much faster. It caught up to me and tried biting me again. Unfortunately, my foot got caught between his gargantuan teeth, and-well the next part still hurts, but he pulled on my toe. I completely passed out.

I woke up in a hospital room. The lifeguard had arrived and killed the shark. How? He stuck a spear in it, and it took quite a lot of jabbing and use of arm muscle, but he had saved me. I was alive, except for my missing toe. At first, I was shocked. How could I go to the beach with my sandals? It would be disgusting! But slowly, I gained courage. I began walking, going to school, basically being normal again. But the flashbacks still sting me. And I haven’t touched the ocean ever since.

And here I am, with my two best friends, Hallie and Debbie. It was all too sad that I had to reject their offer. But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, right? So wrong. "Come on, Nikki! Just because-"

Now I was really livid. "I'm missing a toe for God's sakes! Please don't tell me that it's something small. You don't know anything!"

Debbie shook her head and cocked her head. "Nikki, don't you see? That was one time. You seriously can't accept all your life to be a mistake, can you? Don't you just want to enjoy college life?"

I thought about it for awhile, but I wanted to enjoy college life-with all nine toes of mine. "Look, guys. You just go there and have fun. I'll have fun….reading Wuthering Heights."

Hallie rolled her eyes. "God, Nikki. You seriously can't want to read an assigned book. That's so-so-weird of you!"

I smiled pitifully-for them. "Weird is my middle name."

Debbie grabbed one hand, Hallie the other. They pulled me up and didn't allow me to utter a protest. "Go." They said, pushing me to the shallow waters. To be honest, I was more scared than death itself. "Please, guys! I'll do anything you want! Just don't make me go there." Hallie shook her head firmly. Were they trying to kill me? Looked like it. “Just try it, Nikki. Nothing will happen to you. Trust me.” Debbie said, touching my arm.

Trust me. I had heard that you should never believed in that false, pretend line. Trust me. But I did trust Hallie and Debbie. Because they were my best friends. “Okay. But if I…..you know, you are so dead.” I said, finally. I inhaled deeply, forgetting to exhale, so I was coughing all over the place. I strapped the surfboard to my foot, and waded into the waves. I waited for a big one to hit, and when it did, I stood up. Hallie started clapping, while Debbie just gawked. Slowly, I started gaining speed, and I swerved in and out of the waves, the fresh water splattering against my face.

I could feel the cool wind brush my hair, slapping my face. And you wouldn’t guess it! My fist unraveled to become free and normal. I raised my arms up-and fell. I panicked, of course. My head swiveled around, looking for sharks. But there were none. My board was yanking at my foot, and I acquainted with it once again. I held myself steady as I got back on the board and began surfing. Debbie seemed to have recovered from her shocked expression, but Hallie didn’t seem surprised at all. I continued with enjoying myself, just having the best timed I could ever have.

And I did.

“Wow! See, I told you! You had fun!” Debbie was boasting to me, patting my back. Hallie kept quiet, but I knew that she felt like boasting as well. “So, are you coming surfing tomorrow?” Hallie asked, finally, as we rounded to my street. I smirked and tilted my head to the ocean. “You’ll see me riding the waves, with all nine toes on my feet.” Debbie, Hallie, and I all giggled together, heading inside my house.

After having dinner with my best friends, they had left. I was alone now, well, except for my mom and dad. I strolled to my attic, which I had not visited for eons. I smiled as I saw my dusty surfboard, lying in the corner, by itself. Nothing but collecting dust. I picked it up, blew off the dust, and tucked it under my arm. I walked to my bathroom and dumped the surfboard in the basin. I had a feeling that this baby would be very clean from now on.