Unexpected Bliss

3| Shit's Gettin Real

Friday. Today's the day of my competition... and I haven't surfed in 4 days. The competition starts at 11 am and it is currently 8 am. Aaaand I don't have a board.

Well I'm fucked.

I arranged it so Damon would convince dad that he'd be taking me on college visits all day, so I could miss school and dad would think its for academic reasons, but Damon left the part about finding a surfboard up to me. What sucked was that my dad had also gone to all my favorite board shops and specifically told them not to let me buy anything, which there was no way out of, considering I'm a regular. So I've been trying to get my surfer friends to help me out.  Unfortunately, Zac only has one- his own, which he's convinced is so sacred he can only use that specific one and never let anyone else ride it, and Tommy and Noah are in the competition and know my skill so they wouldn't do anything to help me...

Well might as well show up to the competition and see what happens.

"Bye dad see you later- with full knowledge on college- wow that rhymed! I'm so skillful." Damon says as we walk out of the house.

"Make sure you don't take her anywhere near the ocean!"

"Kinda hard to do that when you live on an island dad!" I say with a forced smile.

"Bye!" Damon says quickly then slams the door. "Nice one Sav." He says then fist bumps me. "Got your wetsuit?"

"Yeah. Are you sure people won't be able to tell it's me in the competition just by not wearing my usual bikini and putting my hair up?"

"You'll be fine. I called them up and told them that Savannah Violet is having cold feet about becoming a professional and doesn't want to continue under the name she has now. Basically long story short your surfer name is Peyton Russ. They are introducing you as a new surfer but your credentials are still valid and in the system."

"Are you serious? Wait how'd you even come up with that name?"

"Oh I once dated a girl named Peyton and she was just amaaazing in-"

"Ookkkay you don't need to continue. But are you sure people still won't recognize me?"

"Nobody will know a thing. But we're going to need to do something about your hair."

"What."

"C'mon Savannah do you want this or not?"

"Yes... Okay fine I'll do it. But not too much of anything okay?"

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I'm now sitting in a salon chair on the North Shore, near where my competition is, looking in the mirror with Damon standing next to me at my right, and the stylist on my left.
"Damon this isn't going to work. Even if I dye my hair or cut it dad will be able to tell later on and people at school will know too. We need something temporary."

"We can do wig!" The young Chinese hair stylist says to me. I look up at Damon.

"Brilliant!" He says and kisses her on the cheek. She gets flustered and starts playing with her hair. I roll my eyes.

"Yes that would actually be perfect! But what color."

"Red." Damon says with a smirk.

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"You have an hour to find a surfboard sis. I'll be back at 10 and we need to be at the beach at 10:30 so make it snappy." Before I get out of the car I look in the overhead mirror. My wig looks extremely real- it's scary. It's about the same length of my actual hair length- but it's wavy unlike my stick straight hair. I actually kind of like it. "Remember- your name is Peyton Russ."

"Got it- oh and, thank you Damon."

He drives away and I turn around to face the strip mall in front of me. The first place I see is a shop that I've heard a lot of pros have bought boards from. Inside its full of beautiful boards of all shapes and sizes. After about 45 minutes of looking through numerous boards I find my old board that I'm used to, but in a different color, Teal. The cost is reasonable, and I decide to go ahead and buy it.

When I get up to the register I'm greeted by a kind looking old Hawaiian man with a huge smile on his face. "Great choice. Are you  competitive surfer?" He says as he scans the tag on my board, then removing it.

"Yeah, I'm actually competing today." I say with a smile.

"Buying a board day of competition! Are you crazy in da head?"

"Yea well let's just say my board got stolen a couple days ago."

"How come you didn't get one soonah ?"

"It's complicated."

"Ok den... Cash o credit?"

"Credit." I say and hand over my credit card.

"Can I see some ID?" Wait shit I look completely different on my ID then I do right now. Hopefully I'll have enough cash... I look inside my wallet and come up with $322... But I need 128. Fuck.

"Umm I just remembered that I actually can't use that card. It's maxed out. I can pay in cash but I'm out $128 and I'm desperate... Is there any way I could somehow pay you the rest later on?" The man looks at me with a sad face.

"Sorry, no loans."

"I can pay the rest." A voice says behind me. I slowly turn around to face him.

Nate. He's bound to recognize me. That's just peachy.

"How lovely of you sir! Dats the island way!" The Hawaiian man says with a smile.

"No, no that's very nice but I can't accept that."

"It's nothing at all." He says with a smile. It's a heart melting smile that makes my heart beat so fast that I'm actually scared he'll hear it. "Consider it a favor from surfer to surfer... You'll owe me something some day...and I'm happy to do this for you right now." He says as he hands over exactly $128.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm always happy to do nice things for beautiful girls." I blush and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Besides I know you'll have to return the favor at some point." He says with a wink as we walk out of the store. "Maybe we could go out surfing sometime." Immediately I think back to the day I met him, sitting so close together in the water on our boards, his laugh, his eight pack...

"Maybe."

"What's your name?"

"Sav-" I stop myself, "Peyton, Peyton Russ."

"Well Peyton I hope to see you again soon." He says then taking off in the other direction.

What just happened. I can't believe he didn't recognize me.

"HEY PEYTON!?" I snap back to reality and look to see Damon waiting next to the car looking at me annoyed.

"Coming!" I say as I run over to the car, putting my new teal board in the back and hopping in the passenger seat.

Damon starts driving and then laughs a little.

"What?" I say giving a confused smile.

"Nice choice."

"Thanks, I mean I'm used to that kind of a board so I-"

"I meant the guy." He says then starts cracking up and I then proceed shoot him my death glare and slap him in the usual spot on his arm.
"I mean I always thought you had a soft spot for blondes but I guess you're branching out." That gets him another slap. "Ok ok I'll stop. Here we are. Quick get your wetsuit on."
I slip on the wetsuit over my bikini and Damon zips it up in the back for me. "Go get em sis. I'll be watching from over there." He points to a far off spot away from the crowds of people. He then drives off to go park and I run down the beach to the registration table.

"Name?" A woman with blonde hair with a billabong hat and an orange sundress says smiling at me.

"Peyton!" I hear another voice next to me say.

Nate. Again.

So that's why he's in the North Shore. He's here to compete.

Well that's just lovely.