Her father joined her at the island. He started in on his burger and fries while she chewed her saladdutifully.
“How was your day at work?” she asked, wanting to break theconversation.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Typicalduties.”
Being a Navy Admiral, her father couldn’t talk much about what he did. Isamaria knew it wasn’t his fault, but sometimes, it just made her feel like he didn’t want to talktoher.
“I saw someone today,” she blurted out. She wanted to say something to get her father’s attention, even if it was dumb. “There was someone in thewater.”
“Not unusual. It is Florida. Lots of people in the water,” he saidnoncommittally.
“No, I mean, it was a boy. He was different.Hehad…”
Her father briefly looked up to her, and she lost her courage. She shook her head. “Nevermind.”
“You know, the Seaside Ball is coming up,” her father mentioned for the hundredth time in a row, and her stomach dropped. “Have you gotten your dress yet? You’ll need a pretty one when they crown you CoralQueen.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to win, Dad,” Isa mumbled. “Can wedropit?”
“I don’t see why you wouldn’t win.” He wiped his mouth. “You’re the most beautiful girl in town. The obviouschoice.”
Isa was careful, thinking of what she should say. Being crowned Coral Queen at the annual Seaside Ball was every girl’s dream in Coral Bay. Many dreamed about it from the time they were three years old. Girls had fought over the position before, even sabotaged each other for it, but whoever won the crown was determined bypopularvote.
Isamaria knew she was a shoe-in for the crown. Despite being shy, and a bit of an introvert, she’d been elected homecoming queen and prom queen in high school. For some unknown reason, she’d been popular, and everyone at school loved her. She couldn’t figure out why, except that she knew people thought her pretty, and also her dad was one of the richest and most powerful people in town, so everyone tried to suck up to her and get on hergoodside.
Yep. She played the part of the queen bee well. But it was all a distraction… a mask… a role she took as an actress that wasn’t her. Isamaria didn’t want to be Coral Queen any more than she wanted to claw her eyes out (though she’d do it over taking the title). Isa wanted the crown to go to a girl who actually wanted it… someone who deserved it and who wasn’tafake.
In other words, not her. For that shell-shaped crown to be placed on her head would be the cherry on top of her ice-cream sundae of shitty lies and poorcover-ups.
If people knew the real her… well, they wouldn’t even come near her. Forget about being CoralQueen.
It wasn’t just about her peers. Her dad hadveryspecific roles and rules for women. Isamaria didn’t fit into any of them, and as such, was a big disappointmenttohim.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I… uh… don’t want to get myhopesup.”
“Your mother won the Coral Queen crown,” Colson said. “It would be great for you to follow in herfootsteps.”
Isamaria didn’t know why her dad cared so much about what her mother had done. She’d left, after all. He was still in love with a ghost, a ghost who was living several states away with a much younger (and most likely moreaffectionate)man.
“Maybe.” She played with her fork. Though she’d been starving when her father got here, she was no longerhungry.
“I’ll leave money on the table tomorrow. You can go shopping for your dress then,” her dad said. He finished eating and cleaned up the wrappings. He threw away the empty bag and went up to his suite to take a shower without so much as agoodnight.
Isa bit her lip and tried to shove the feelings down. She hated whenever her father used her mother against her in a conversation, which was too often. Lupe had been around far longer and been far more of a mother than Bella ever had, but her father never acknowledged that. Lupe had helped her learn to walk, changed her diapers, and put together all of Isa’s birthday parties, but for Colson it wasn’t enough. To him, Lupe was just “thehelp.”
What her dad had said tonight only cemented the fact in her head that if she wasn’t chosen for Coral Queen, she’d fail to measure up to her mother, which would be unforgivable in herfather’seyes.
She simultaneously could and could not handle that. Half of her wanted to skip the stupid Seaside Ball altogether and take a stand on who she really was to her father. The other half wanted to win the crown, and make her dad proud of her, just once. He wasn’t proud of her when she’d graduated as valedictorian, or when she’d gotten into the Marine Biology program. Maybe winning some sexist crown and pretending to be a real princess for a day would finally winhimover.
Isamaria threw her half-eaten salad away and kicked the trash can. Screw this. She was going out. She needed her board. She needed to ride the waves. She needed tobefree.
In her bedroom, Isa texted both Harbor and Shelly and told them to meet her down by the beach, the usual spot. She zipped up her wetsuit and grabbed her surfboard, careful not to turn on the automatic lights so her dad wouldn’t catch hersneakingout.
Like he’d giveadamn.
Isa skated down the street. A few raindrops sprinkled down from the clouds that had covered the area, and the sky gave an ominous rumble, but Isaignoredboth.
She was goingsurfing.
