Rough Waters by Nikki Godwin

Author:Nikki Godwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: coming of age, beach, young adult, teen, teen romance, surfing, surfers, summertime
Publisher: Nikki Godwin

Chapter Thirteen

“I promise you, Theo said it was straight down I-10, and then you take the Golden View exit,” Topher says, reaching for his cell phone. “Call him and make sure that’s right.”

Miles volunteers to call Theo from the backseat. Emily gripes that Topher has no sense of direction, and A.J. says that he’s sort of glad because he didn’t want to go to some board shaping seminar anyway. I’m just thankful I’m riding shotgun, but you pretty much get dibs when the entire group decides to ride in your car.

“You idiot!” Miles shouts from behind me. “It was the Fairmont exit past Golden View. You’re not even in the right town, Topher.”

Topher sighs and mumbles something about telling Theo to take notes for him. Part of me doubted that Topher really wanted to go to this convention, but then again, he was so excited over the possibility of someday surfing on a Rob Hodges surfboard. Maybe wanting to go was legit and not just a ploy to get away from Vin.

“We’ll just follow this road until we find a place to turn around,” Topher says, defeat in his voice. “I’m sorry I screwed up the directions.”

He pulls into a mall’s parking lot to get turned around and back on track toward Crescent Cove, but Emily gasps about the same time A.J. shouts for Topher to stop the car. There’s a carnival in town.

My heart sinks to the floorboard when I see the ferris wheel over the mall’s roof. I never had a chance to see A.J.’s carnival in its prime, or to see his love for it, but the thought of him facing a carnival in the midst of his sacred ground’s destruction hurts my soul. Until A.J. speaks.

“We have to fucking go,” he says, leaning over the side of the driver’s seat. “Dude, we can’t make it to the convention, and you know you don’t want to go home. Let’s do this.”

Emily slides forward on the backseat, poking her head in between Topher and me. “Plot twist!” she shouts. “I haven’t been to a carnival pretty much ever. My mom never let me go when I was a kid, and I was like the only kid at school who never got to go. I had to lie and pretend like I was there or say I was out of town so I wouldn’t look uncool.”

We park at the mall and walk around to where the carnival has set up. A live band plays some country-rock song about porch swings and sweet tea. A pharaoh ship swings in the distance, much like A.J.’s pirate ship with the giant dragon that’s painted onto his skin. His eyes light up when he sees the ride.

“Oh my God,” Emily says. Her eyes widen with amazement, like a little kid who just walked into a candy store for the first time. “This is amazing. I want to do everything. Except those rides. I’m so not a thrill seeker.”

“And you’re dating Miles Garrett?” A.J. says, his eyes still fixated on the pharaoh ship.

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