“No problem, we can take it easy and play. Late-night partying at Chelsea’s?” she joked.
Kelsey shook her head and fiddled with her beach bag strap. “No.” Rowan waited for more but the girl didn’t seem ready. Tucking the fact away for later, she decided to keep things light and follow her lead.
“Then let’s do it.”
They waxed boards and kept up a light chatter. The lesson brought out a bit of Kelsey’s playful side, and her body relaxed into the flow. But when they returned to the shop, the phone was brought back out. Rowan decided to take the leap, and back off if the girl snapped.
“Kels, what’s going on with you? Girl drama?” she asked easily, tossing her an ice pop. Rowan turned her back deliberately to give her space and refreshed Bagel’s water. “Or a boy? Or do you want me to mind my own business?”
Silence. Bagel rushed out to greet Kelsey in his usual way. When Rowan spun around again, her breath froze in her lungs.
Kelsey was holding Bagel and tears glittered in her eyes.
She walked toward the girl, leaned against the counter, and kept her tone gentle. “Bad, huh? God, sometimes it truly sucks being thirteen. I can’t promise to solve it, but I’m here for you to talk to or dump or brainstorm. Anything you need.”
The girl’s lower lip trembled and she swiped angrily at her face. Bagel made a low distressed noise and bumped against her chest, as if reminding his new favorite person it would all be okay now that he was near. A weepy half smile curved her lips, flashing blue braces. “I’m so mad, Rowan. I hate them. All of them. They’re mean and Dad thinks they’re my friends because I didn’t want to bother him but I’m over all of it. I can’t go to that school!”
The words came out in a rush, like a locked vault finally being open. Rowan held the space and didn’t try to batter her with questions. Kelsey took another breath and spilled.
“They made fun of me last year, so I tried everything to fit in and finally, I thought I had. They were being nice and even invited me to a few parties. We’re all going to this private school in the city that’s hard to get into, and Dad was all excited, and my friends and I got on this private text message to keep in touch over the summer. Except they’ve been using it to talk about me, and when I tried to defend myself, they all got involved and said they wished I wouldn’t go there with them because I think I’m better than them.” Now the tears came and her voice grew angry. “I thought it’d blow over if I kept quiet! And a few texted me privately and acted nice but now they’re all on Snap making these awful videos and making fun of me. Dad won’t let me get a TikTok account but I got screenshots of those, too, and now everyone will be laughing at me and freeze me out when I get back.”
Rowan wanted to cry with her. The tech was brutal in this world and could ruin a person with one quick swipe. “Do you have any friends outside this group that you trust?” she asked gently.
“No! No one—and they’re the popular crowd, so I’m screwed. They won’t stop.”
Rowan tried to think of the best way to respond. “Can you talk to your dad? Is another school possible? I know it’s late, but maybe if you told him all this stuff he can help?”
Kelsey shook her head hard. “No, he won’t. He doesn’t listen, Rowan. He just cares about work, and now he may get this big promotion and he’ll be gone even more. I hate my life back home! I didn’t realize how much I hated the city until I came here.”
Rowan couldn’t stop herself. She reached out and hugged Kelsey, with Bagel tucked in the middle. They stood that way for a while as the girl cried and Bagel moaned softly in shared misery. Finally, Kelsey lifted her head and sniffed. “I know what Dad will say. He’ll tell me we’re on vacation and it’s not real life. He’ll say I’ll settle in and it’s nerves but I’mbrave and can do hard things. But it’s not about running away, Rowan! The minute I saw Brie surfing, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I’m not saying professional or anything, but this place makes me feel good again. I love the ocean and the people and how everyone talks to me without being fake—I can finally breathe. I love you! I love when Dad is around you and it’s the three of us because I’ve never seen him like that.” Her voice broke. “I can’t leave, Rowan. Please.”
And then there were more tears and Rowan held her. Then she grabbed a few tissues, tipped the girl’s chin up, and blotted her face. Her heart exploded as she looked at this young girl she’d fallen for as hard as her father. But she couldn’t fix Kelsey’s problems. She could only try to help.
“I hear everything you’re saying. You have a right to be heard, Kels. But you need to talk to your dad tonight. You need to tell him the truth and figure out what to do together. Okay? Promise me.”
Kelsey hesitated. Then jerked her head. “Okay. I promise.”
She let out a breath. “Good. Now, that was a lot of emotion and we need some downtime. Come with me. But we can’t bring Bagel.”
Kelsey put him down after pressing a kiss to his furry head. His ears twitched in relief that the dramatic moment had ended. Rowan grabbed her hand.
“Where are we going?” she asked curiously.
“To Tino’s workshop. We’re going to sand boards. It’s how I get back into my body and calm my mind. We both need it today.”
Kelsey didn’t protest. They headed toward the back, where the steady sounds of board shaping filled the air. Tino took one long look at them both, standing in the doorway with tearstained faces. Then he pointed to the right wall. “Those two. Slow, even strokes, girl. Rowan will show you.”
They got to work and sanded in comfortable silence.
Everett walked into the house while he spoke into his earbuds. “No, we’ve only got a week before this opening and good isn’t acceptable. Perfect is.”
Kelsey came out from the sliding doors. Her hair was wet and she was still in her bathing suit. Good, she’d been out surfing, which meant maybe she felt better today. The shit show yesterday would hopefully be put in the rearview mirror. He lifted his hand in greeting and pointed to the phone.
She scowled.
Shit.
He gave the directives, then clicked off. “Sorry, Kels, things are heating up. But I’m home for dinner—wanna eat at the tiki bar? I may need to rush back to the hotel for another hour but then Rowan will be over and we can all watch the sunset and pig out on dessert. How does that sound?”
