COLTON
“Everything alright, Kairi?”Gabriel calls from the shore.
“Sorry Coach!” She shouts, surfacing from her third fall in the last thirty minutes. She grabs her board, pushing loose, wet curls from her face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”
I steal a glance at Koa, who joined us for training today, despite his temporary hiatus from competing, and he returns the same knowing look.
We both know exactly what’s going on.
Zale is at the airport picking up his Italian friend, Alessia, before bringing her back to the Shredder House where she’ll be staying for the next month. And Kairi has been wiping out ever since he left.
“Do you need the day off?” Gabriel asks, but Kairi shakes her head and mounts her board again.
“I’m fine!” she shouts. “Let’s go again!”
We continue our session, though he barely pays attention to me—as usual.
I glance to my left where Griffin is coaching our five new team members—Josh, Bodhi, Summer, Lindsey, and Cass. Any day now, they’ll be joining the intensive team practices with therest of us, and I’d bet anything Gabriel will spend more time watching them too.
I hate to admit it, but lately I’ve started wondering if I still belong here. Griffin and Koa keep telling me the team needs me, but every day that Gabriel ignores me, it gets harder and harder to believe them.
The sound of Kairi crashing into the water again pulls my attention back to our practice. She surfaces, gasping for air, one hand pressed against her forehead as her face twists in pain. Her board—snapped free from the ankle strap—floats farther out, and within seconds blood trickles down the side of her face.
“She’s hurt!” I shout, already paddling toward her as Gabriel blows his whistle, signalling to the rest of the team to exit the waters.
My heart kicks hard against my ribs as her blood drips into the water. It’s been years since anyone’s spotted a shark out here, but I’m not taking any chances—especially not with her. I help her climb onto the front of my board and start paddling us toward the shore, Koa following close behind with the pieces of her board.
When we reach the shallows, I jump off and grab her arm to steady her. She tries to wave me away, but I keep a steady hand on her until we’re safely up the beach and she’s seated in the sand.
“Are you alright?” Gabriel asks as he rushes over and kneels in front of her with his first aid kit.
“I’m more embarrassed than anything,” Kairi mutters. “I pretty much face-planted on my board.”
She wipes at the blood running down her cheek, only managing to smear it worse.
Gabriel examines the cut before clicking his tongue. “I could be wrong, but I think you’re going to need a stitch or two for this one.”
He presses gauze to her forehead and she winces, taking over holding it there.
“I’m so sorry for ruining practice, Coach,” she mutters as she watches Griffin usher the new members out of the water.
“You didn’t ruin anything, Kairi,” he says with a frown. “Now, let me get you to the doctor to get that stitched up.”
“I can take her,” I say quickly.
He looks over at me, as if only just realizing I’m here. “Okay,” he nods. “Sure. Why not?”
I help Kairi to her feet and wrap a towel around her before grabbing one for myself. We walk to my pickup truck and I help her in, shutting her door and walking to the drivers side. I toss my towel on my seat before I hop in, trying my best not to wet anything, and take off toward the doctors office in the town square.
“Today sucks,” she mumbles, staring out the window.
Her hair is still damp, dark curls sticking to her neck.
“It’s barely started,” I say, keeping my eyes on the road.
“Well, I wish it would just end.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to hide my smile.
