I’ve never met this girl Sloane who Kaiakeeps talking about hanging out with, but the moment she walks intothe St. Catalina Resort, I’m certain it’s her. She’s already in abikini with a towel around her waist. Kaia said this girl was areal life mermaid with a dash of unicorn and a hint of rainbow, andseeing her now, that description – as crazy as it was – makessense.
She rushes over to Kaia and hugs her. I’venever understood how girls can go from strangers to best friends ina matter of hours, but it’s just weird to see them hug like they’veknown each other forever. Sloane looks at me next.
“You must be the surfer guy,” she assumes,even though I’d bet money that she knows my name and has alreadyseen my picture.
I may not be fluent in girl speak or girlcode, but there’s no way she doesn’t know who I am. Even if Kaiahas lowered her pitchfork, there was a moment when she wanted toram it through me, and I’m pretty sure she told Sloane all abouthow I’d ruined her summer.
“Dominic,” I clarify before reaching out toshake her hand. “But yeah, I’m the surfer guy.”
She introduces herself and the linebacker ofa guy behind her, her brother Will. I almost ask him if he playsfootball, but I don’t know if they even have football here. Tothem, ‘football’ may be soccer, like other places around the world.I decide not to ask about sports to keep from embarrassing eitherof us.
“I’m not sure if Kaia told you,” Sloanesays, tugging at her beach bag. “But we’re going to Serenity Fallstoday. It’s about thirty minutes from here. It used to be prettypopular with tourists, but most people don’t want to leave theresort area now. Don’t wanna be away from their phones toolong.”
I don’t throw Kaia under the bus, eventhough the thought crosses my mind. She probably wouldn’tappreciate it if I mentioned how she huffed around the bungalow allmorning, waving her arms in the air because she couldn’t get asignal. I’m used to spending time away from my phone. I’d rather beliterally surfing than web surfing anyway.
“So, this whole waterfall jumping thing –I’m guessing you guys have done it before?” I ask.
“Oh yeah,” Will says, his voice as deep as Iexpected it to be. “I go out there all the time with my friends.Sloane’s only been doing it for about a year, but she’s pretty mucha pro now.”
Kaia heaves her bag onto her shoulder androlls her eyes. “Don’t worry,” she says, annoyance in her voice.“You won’t break your face. You’ll still be able to pose for surfmagazines.”
“I’m not worried about my face,” I snapback. “I’d prefer not to break my legs. Can’t exactly surf withoutthose.”
So much for warming up to me. I wish I couldconvince myself that she only said it to look like a badass infront of her new friends, but I think deep down, she probably meantit. Sloane and Will head through the lobby, leaving Kaia and me tofollow.
Kaia looks back at me once they’re out ofearshot. “Hey, if you’re scared, I’ll hold your hand,” sheteases.
She smiles when she says it – a real smilerather than the fake one she gave me when we met in the airport.And honestly, I’m only more confused now than I was before.
For the last thirtyminutes, Kaia and Sloane have been texting in the backseat,sometimes even passing their phones back and forth when cellservice drops. Will has talked about sports (footballis soccer here), how hedidn’t realize surfing was a popular thing, and then he asked meabout multiple places in the USA that I’ve never visited. Untilrecently, I rarely left California. I thought Hawaii was anadventure. I didn’t know I’d be jetting across the globeeventually.
Even though he’s done his part to keep theconversation moving along, I’m much more interested in what’s beingsaid behind my back. I’m sure I’m oblivious to a lot of things, butI’m not naïve enough to believe that they’re not talking about me.Then again, if they’re genuinely talking about something else, I’dfeel like a pretentious asshole for assuming they were talkingabout me. This is probably why Kaia still doesn’t like me.
“Here we are,” Will says, steering off ofthe road onto a dirt path.
A sign on the road readsSerenity Falls with a painted waterfall behind the words, but Idon’t think this is the path that’s meant for tourists. Once thetree limbs begin to slap his truck, I know this isn’t where we’re supposedto be.
“You come this way often?” I ask, cringingas another limb snaps outside of the truck.
Will laughs. “I’m not walking a mile downthe trails to get there when we’re jumping in the water anyway.This is a shortcut. It’s worth it if you don’t mind the treedamage.”
Sloane huffs in the backseat, so I turn backto look at her and Kaia. Neither says a word, but Sloane isdefinitely not happy with her brother.
“There are other places you could’veparked,” she says. “You know I don’t like it when you do this.”
“The trees are fine!” Will yells, looking upat her in the rearview mirror. “If anything is damaged, it’s mytruck, but I can live with the scratch marks. Storms do worsedamage to trees than I do. They’re made to weather through thesethings.”
He pulls into a clearing, and I bet there’sone hell of a story behind how he and his friends discovered it.Tire marks slice through dirt and grass. He warns us that he’sleaving his truck unlocked, so anything that’s left behind is nothis liability. I really doubt we’ll get robbed out here, so I takemy chances. I pull my shirt off and leave it in the passenger seat.I throw my towel over my shoulder and exchange a glance with Kaiawho seems all too unimpressed.
We trudge through the trees down a path thatWill has probably traveled more times than even his sister knows.The sound of rushing water grows louder as we step over a fewfallen limbs. My heart races as we draw nearer. I’ve jumped offpiers before, but this is much more extreme. The more I think aboutit, the more I realize that Kaia was
