Keith accepted my reasoning with no push back, which I was happy for because I totally couldn’t back up my baseless claim.
“So what’s the problem then?”
I shrugged. “I just hate the ocean.”
“You can’t hate the ocean,” he said. “You live in a beach town.”
“Through no choice of my own. My grandmother passed away two years ago and left her house to my mom. That’s how we ended up in this crap town.”
“Whoa, hold up there, Slugger. This is sonota crap town. Any place where you can wear shorts year round and surf as the sun comes up qualifies as paradise.”
“According to who?”
“According toeveryone.”His voice peaked in amusement. “The world fucking over!”
“This town is not real life, Keith. It’s a fantasy world filled with bikini-clad airheads and trips to the beach.”
“That’s exactly what I just said.” He nodded empathically. “Paradise.”
“Yeah, well, enjoy it; but I for one will be gone the minute I graduate, and I’ll never look back.”
“Seriously? What about your family?”
“They don’t care.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” he said with the confidence of a guy who’d never experienced the betrayal of his loved ones.
I didn’t argue the point because it would require explaining my living situation, and that was something I did not intend to share with the likes of Keith McKallister.
He slapped his hand on the table. “Okay, I got it.”
“Got what?”
“How I can pay you back for helping me out with my classes.”
Classes? I’d thought I was just helping him with chemistry, but apparently I was now tutoring him in a wide variety of topics. Okay, well… I had nothing better to do, so why not? So was payback even required for my services? I honestly didn’t mind doing all the giving while he did all the taking. But certainly I could hear him out.
“I’m going to teach you how to surf,” he said, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “That way you’ll never be afraid of the ocean again.”
The laugh that shot from my mouth might have sounded exaggerated and ridiculous, but it matched his absurd proposal. “Um, thanks, but I think I’ll pass. Besides, Keith, you don’t need to pay me back. I already said I’d help you – no strings attached.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t make this offer to just anyone. Surfing is a way of life, dude. You have no idea what you’re missing. The beach. The waves. It’s freedom like you’ve never experienced.”
The far-off look on his face told me he truly believed his words, and his passion might have been enough to sway someone else, but not practical Samantha Anderson. I wasn’t sure what terrified me more, the dark abyss of the unruly Pacific Ocean or the idea of standing in front of this hot surfer boy in a bathing suit. Either way, it was a hard ‘Hell, no.’
“I really appreciate the offer, Keith, but let’s just focus on getting you to graduation.”
Keith studied me for longer than I felt comfortable with. Anything I had for him to look at only took a few seconds. He needn’t linger. I squirmed in my seat until he finally diverted his eyes to the assignment in front of him.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Your loss.”
Yes, I silently agreed,my loss, but then I was used to losing. What was one more time?
7
Keith: Homemade
Mom breezed into the kitchen, a waft of perfume following her in. She smelled like home, which apart from the beach was my favorite scent. I took in her bright, billowy outfit and was struck by her beauty. Mom was a put-together woman on a daily basis, but today she’d put in the extra effort and it showed. This was the first woman I’d ever vowed to marry, and today I remembered why.
