Caught Inside

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." – Luke 12:2

Alana came home from her usual surf session on Sunday morning with a smile on her face. The waves had been hard to catch (and equally hard to ride), but she always loved a good challenge.

"I call showering first!" Tammy hollered, sprinting up the stairs.

Alana frowned at the sandy footprints her sister left on the carpet as she darted away. She loved Tammy to death—especially when they surfed together, like this morning—but sometimes her sister drove her up the wall.

As Alana sighed and kneeled down to clean up Tammy's mess, a large clump of her salty hair fell in front of her eyes. She groaned and flung it back over her head. The momentary pause caused her whole body to exhale in unison. She felt the tension from the past few weeks roll over her. Had it really been over a week since she had last seen Trevor? School, church, and surfing had come and gone in a blur, but it was her new and improved schedule that caused a lot of the stress she was feeling.

For starters, while she enjoyed Coach Alvarez's training sessions, they took up huge chunks of time after school multiple days a week. Also, he had radically changed her diet, which meant cutting out cheeseburgers, fries, and soft drinks at Scottie's. Alana certainly felt fitter and healthier, but she admittedly would like to have some junk food every now and then.

Finally, her surfing career had officially taken off thanks to multiple photoshoots and added sponsors. She received hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from Roxy and Vans; she had her image posted on multiple posters, advertisements, and social media; and she had two boards shaped specifically for her by Mr. Anderson.

However, Alana found all of the attention—which only increased day by day—extremely embarrassing. She found herself turning down five modeling gigs in order to actually spend some time with her family. It seemed like Sunday mornings before church were her only free time during the entire week.

Fortunately, the gang was supportive of Alana every hour of every day. They didn't treat her like some mini-celebrity, but rather joked around and teased her like they normally did. Alana was immensely grateful for having such a tight group of friends.

As she fingered the grains of sand left by Tammy in the carpet, Alana's frown deepened. There was one friend who hadn't exactly been with her every step of the way. It wasn't Koa; he had surprisingly been happier and more lighthearted than usual. It wasn't Maya or Jake, either—they had gotten back together and were once again the model couple at Ventura High. Blaine, too, was just as kind and observant as he'd ever been.

Alana stabbed the sand deeper into the carpet. Cole. The first few days he began to act strangely, she had pinned it on a random mood swing. But now it had been two whole weeks, and Cole's attitude hadn't improved since. They had attempted one measly date with Jake and Maya, but Cole barely smiled or cracked a joke. Alana didn't know what to do. No matter how many times she asked, he always deflected her question. She figured the best thing to do was give him some space.

Of course, the thought that maybe she had made a mistake in dating him had come to mind, but she quickly pushed it away. Cole couldn't be moody because of her, could he? She hadn't done anything wrong...she hadn't acted any differently.

But multiple conversations with Blaine had yielded no other answers. Clearly, whatever Cole was upset about had to remain a mystery. All Alana could do was stand by him and try to cheer him up.