Calypso High
Episode 7: SurfinÕ!
Disclaimer: I forgot to actually put anything substantial about surfing in this one... oops. But itÕs part of a mini-series thatÕs going to have titles all from Beach Boys songs. Mwahahahaha!
Brrrrringgggg!
Students poured out of Layla:) Public High School, towards buses, cars and bikes. On the second floor, Marianna Trench waited impatiently for her friends to finish packing their things into backpacks and tote bags.
ÒYou must be the only people in the universe who donÕt rip out of school on a day like today,Ó Mari said, tapping her foot and craning her neck in the general direction of the stairwell.
Dream Driad, kneeling in front of her locker, stuffed another heavy text into her bookbag. ÒSome people have homework to do after school. ItÕs not exactly the sort of thing you rush home to do.Ó
Mari stared. ÒSheesh, I never should have explained sarcasm to you. You caught on waaaay too quickly.Ó
Nearby, Tianne fiddled with water bottle attached to her bag. ÒI think this is leaking again,Ó she said. ÒAnd if I have to ask for another replacement algebra book, I think the school is going to start charging me.Ó
ÒHello, ladies, Marianna,Ó slimed Frogman.
ÒSuck bugs, Frog-dork,Ó Mari muttered, but only loudly enough for Frogman to catch it. Her friends wouldnÕt leave her alone about it later if they heard. For some reason, they liked the bottom-feeder.
ÒHi, Frogman!Ó Tianne said perkily.
She does not wear perk well, Marianna thought. ÒWill you two please get a move on? IÕve got a date today.Ó
ÒDate?Ó Frogman asked, raising the part of his face that would have been eyebrows if he had any.
ÒYeah, where one boy and one girl get together to do something fun and possibly romantic,Ó Mari defined, Òand age-appropriate.Ó Frogman missed the emphases, of course; Mari had put them in for his benefit, as he had recently asked both Dream and Tianne to the same dance, then asked them to engage in things that neither blonde was mature enough for (holding hands).
ÒMari, if youÕre in such a rush, why donÕt you just go, and weÕll meet you at the beach?Ó Dream suggested.
ÒBecause IÕm driving?Ó
ÒOh, yeah.Ó
Mari shrugged. ÒBut if you want me to go and leave you two to become pasty, non-Calypsoan persons, thatÕs fine with me. ItÕs not like you ever do anything at the beach besides soak up rays and bore the people around you with homework talk.Ó
ÒReady!Ó Dream cheered, slinging her bag onto her back, hefting her French horn in one hand, and grabbing a second bag with the other. ÒBy the way, is there enough room in your car for all this stuff?Ó
ÒJa, weÕll put it in the boot,Ó Mari said, leading the way to the stairwell.
ÒYouÕll put it in the boot, eh?Ó Frogman asked in a really bad British accent.
ÒThatÕs what I just said,Ó Mari said testily. ÒThe Queen would have you executed for that mockery of an accent, by the by.Ó
Frogman spotted an unescorted freshman girl and took off.
ÒWhat a waste of space... So! Let me tell you all about the guy IÕm meeting!Ó Mari grinned.
ÒAnother guy?Ó Tianne said, rolling her eyes.
ÒYeah, but this oneÕs cute and he sings to me.Ó
ÒHe... sings to you...Ó Dream repeated faintly.
Mari sighed. Yeah, sheÕd been through an inordinate number of guys this year, her junior year at LPHS, but for good reason. She was so freakinÕ bored! Guys gave her something to do. Besides, it was nearly May, and sheÕd need a date for the Junior Prom soon. Hopefully, this one would stick around long enough for her to see him in a tux!
ÒHereÕs the car!Ó Mari started grabbing her friendsÕ bags (and French horn) and stuffing them into the front of the Volkswagen Beetle. It was a beautiful bright red, with a yellow smiley face on the front and a convertible top, which was currently down. MariÕs coordinating surfboard was sticking out of the back seat, into which Tianne was now climbing. ÒTianne! Open the damn door, wouldja?Ó
Tianne looked up, confused, from her perch atop the door. ÒHuh?Ó
ÒNever mind,Ó Marianna sighed, slamming the boot closed and pulling her keys out of her purse. ÒEverybody buckle down, IÕm gonna have to push it to get there in time.Ó
ÒIn time for what?Ó Dream asked. ÒThe beach will still be there if youÕre five minutes late.Ó
Mari ignored her and sped out of the parking lot.
* * *
ÒMmm, salt,Ó Mari breathed, hopping out of the car and shedding clothing down to her black tank-style one-piece suit. ÒNow, where is he?Ó she asked as she scanned the beach for her singing surfer.
ÒYes, where is he? We must meet this one,Ó Dream said, pulling a blanket and a couple books out of the boot.
Mari grabbed a towel and her surfboard out of the back of the Beetle, narrowly missing TianneÕs head, and followed Dream to the sand. Tianne followed, fumbling in her shirt pocket for her sunglasses. ÒLook, over there!Ó Mari pointed, dropping towel and board next to DreamÕs textbooks. ÒIÕll be back if we end up surfing, but heÕs got his guitar with him today, so maybe not.Ó
ÒOkay, whatev, just remember you have to drive us home,Ó Tianne said, flopping down on her towel and grabbing a water-warped algebra book.
ÒYep. Hasta.Ó Mari headed for the lifeguard chair, a place she usually avoided out of a general distaste for authority figures. Lifeguards were the closest thing to authority the beach had on a daily basis, hot bods or not. Her goal was not the lifeguard, however, but a guy talking to the lifeguard.
She tried to sneak up behind him, but the sun was not in her favor and her shadow tipped him off.
ÒHey.Ó
ÒHey yourself,Ó she said, grinning up at the slightly taller guy in cutoffs and a black t-shirt. ÒHey,Ó she said again, glancing up at the lifeguard.
ÒThis is my kid brother,Ó MariÕs date explained.
ÒCool. Nice to meet you.Ó
The brother nodded in return, keeping his eyes on the water.
ÒWhatÕs the plan for today?Ó Mari asked.
ÒI want to play you something,Ó he said, smiling shyly and holding up the guitar. ÒI couldnÕt sleep last night, so I wrote it.Ó
He led the way across the sand. Looking down, Mari laughed when she saw they were wearing the same chunky rubber sandals. SheÕd have to stop buying menÕs shoes some day.
They passed by Dream, settled into her homework, and Tianne, flirting with some geek, and Mari waved. They were oblivious, of course.
ÒFriends of yours?Ó
ÒUm, sure,Ó she said shrugging. ÒIÕll introduce you later, maybe.Ó
ÒOkay.Ó They reached his car, a convertible Corvette, which had a collection of surfboards and a guitar in the back seat. ÒWelcome to the storage bin,Ó he said. ÒI guess my friends decided to bother girls instead of surfing today.Ó He lifted out a checkered picnic-type blanket, then took MariÕs hand and started walking north along the beach.
ÒOh, really?Ó she said, eyebrow arched.
ÒWeÕre just going to get away from all the competing boom boxes.Ó He paused. ÒPlus I donÕt want anyone else to hear the song.Ó
ÒWorks for me,Ó Mari shrugged. ÒIÕm just teasing, Blaine. So after the song, you want to race out to Windward Rock?Ó This was a lava-formed outcropping in Sphere Bay, haven to seagulls and a popular target for swimming races.
ÒMaybe.Ó
ÒI like maybe. It has so many possibilities.Ó
***
ÒYes, I really like the song!Ó Mari said. She was playing the guitar now, trying to figure out the chords Blaine had used. SheÕd been watching his fingers the entire time, and it didnÕt make a difference. ÒWhat comes after--Ó
ÒB-flat minor seventh.Ó
ÒWhy?Ó Mari gaped. ÒThat makes no sense.Ó She played it. ÒAnd yet, it works. ThatÕs modal... how do you know this stuff?Ó
ÒDunno, it sounds good.Ó
ÒDamn you.Ó
ÒThanks.Ó
Mari kept working through chords, humming the melody. ÒFascinating,Ó she muttered every once in a while.
ÒSo howÕs school going?Ó
ÒHave I mentioned youÕre lucky youÕre in college?Ó
ÒI went through high school.Ó
ÒWell, you didnÕt have to take Pre-Calc.Ó
ÒTrue that. Hey, put the guitar down a minute,Ó he said, pulling it out of her hands and putting it down on the blanket.
ÒWhat for?Ó
ÒBecause I want to kiss you and the guitar gets in the way.Ó
ÒOka-mmm...Ó
***
ÒI win!Ó Mari shouted breathlessly, hanging onto a chunk of Windward Rock.
ÒI let you win,Ó Blaine said, flipping over and back-stroking the last few yards to the rock.
ÒYeah, right,Ó Mari snorted. ÒAnd you can surf, too.Ó
Blaine started treading water. ÒLove you, too.Ó
She glared at him and let herself drop under water. The next thing she knew, there was a hand on top of her head, and there was no way he was going to let her back up. So she did the only thing she could think of, down there under the surface, rapidly losing the ability to hold her breath.
Five seconds later Mari came up gasping for air. ÒDonÕt you ever, ever do that again!Ó she yelled.
ÒYeah, what about you?!Ó Blaine cried. ÒYou have no business--Ó
ÒI could have actually hurt you if I wanted to! Most guys wouldnÕt have thought to complain--Ó
ÒWell, IÕm not most guys.Ó Blaine turned and swam off.
ÒHey, get back here when IÕm... trying to...Ó Mari trailed off. ÒStrip you,Ó she shrugged, then swam after him. This would take a lot of talking to fix. It was too bad. SheÕd actually liked this one. A lot. Enough to keep him. Forever.
***
ÒYou really donÕt mind? YouÕre really accepting my apology?Ó
ÒPretty good apology. I could practically turn it into a song.Ó
ÒNo thanks.Ó At least everything had turned out okay between them, for now!
ÒYouÕre bright red.Ó
ÒYes, yes I am. YouÕre supposed to remind me to put sunscreen on.Ó
ÒYou smelled like coconut. I thought you were okay,Ó Blaine said, pulling a tube of aloe out of MariÕs bag. She was laying on the blanket, in rather a bit of pain.
ÒBut we went swimming, it washes off.Ó
ÒSorry.Ó He started to cautiously apply aloe to MariÕs crispy shoulders and back. ÒDo you still want to go to the LU bonfire tonight?Ó
ÒYeah, but I have to drive my friends home first. And wash the salt out of my hair.Ó
ÒWant me to pick you up at seven?Ó
ÒAre you driving that cousin of yours?Ó
ÒYeah.Ó
ÒMeet you there, quarter after, same spot as usual.Ó
ÒYes, maÕam!Ó
ÒNow, finish aloe-ing me.Ó
ÒWith pleasure.Ó
***
Mari tossed her bag into her car, carefully added the surfboard to the pile of stuff, and pulled her shorts and shirt back on over her bathing suit. ÒEverybody ready to go?Ó
ÒYou got really burned today, Mari,Ó Dream said, glancing at Mari as she eased into the driverÕs seat. ÒDo you want Tianne to drive?Ó
ÒThis car? No way in Hell. No offense, Tianne, but this car isnÕt meant for race-car-style driving.Ó She carefully started up the car-- still not sure about the whole standard transmission thing. ÒBesides, Tianne never learned stick shift, right?Ó
ÒRight,Ó Tianne said, Òand I probably shouldnÕt learn on a friendÕs car.Ó
ÒBingo. For once Tianne and I are in perfect agreement. Hey Dream, when you gonna get your license?Ó
ÒNever,Ó Dream said, shuddering. ÒWeÕre still trying to get everything except the electric-powered monorail banned from Le Foret.Ó
ÒOh yeah, right... sorry, I tend to not pay attention to politics unless it has to do with the beach commissioner,Ó Mari said, whipping around a corner on her way out to Le Foret des Reves.
ÒAnd I tend not to pay attention to politics unless it has to do with religious freedom,Ó Tianne said, nodding. ÒItÕs a dirty, sinful thing.Ó
ÒIÕm trying to save Le Foret from pollution. ThatÕs the opposite of dirty,Ó Dream said, getting defensive.
ÒWell... um... okay, some politics is okay,Ó Tianne amended. ÒThe kind that helps GodÕs creatures.Ó
ÒWe are not getting into a political debate in the most fun car in Layla:),Ó Mari said firmly. ÒJust not allowed.Ó
ÒOkay, so tell us about this guy and how you got all sunburned,Ó Tianne said.
ÒI got sunburned because my sunscreen washed off when Blaine and I were racing out to Windward Rock.Ó
ÒOh, he has a name now,Ó Dream grinned.
ÒBlaaaaaine,Ó Tianne drawled. ÒWhat kind of name is that?Ó
ÒProbably Celtic,Ó Mari shrugged. ÒOr Anglo of some kind.Ó
ÒAnd he sings to you, eh?Ó Dream asked.
ÒHe wrote a new song last night. So, yes, he sang that to me. He trusts my opinion of his music.Ó Mari braked smoothly and pulled up in front of the small grove in Le Foret that was DreamÕs ancestral property.
DreamÕs own tree, Shirley, was surrounded protectively by the other family trees. Within a certain area owned by the familyÕs humanoid (dryad) forms, the trees could uproot and reroot themselves freely. They usually protected the young ones until they grew large enough to take care of themselves. It was a weird dryad thing that Mari didnÕt entirely understand, but dryad families tended to be rather small and close-knit, which was a nice concept. They looked out for their own.
ÒHasta manana!Ó Mari called as Dream hopped out and started lugging her stuff up to the cluster of trees.
ÒBye,Ó Dream called over her shoulder.
ÒBye!Ó Tianne waved, climbing over the seat into the front.
Mari rolled her eyes. This was why she had to keep cleaning the seat covers.
ÒSo, whatÕs plans tonight?Ó Tianne asked.
ÒIÕm dropping you off, then heading home to take a shower, and then IÕm going to the Layla:) University bonfire with Blaine,Ó Mari said.
ÒCan I come? I know Dream doesnÕt like that kind of thing, but--Ó
ÒSure,Ó Mari sighed. ÒBe ready at seven. And youÕve got the back seat again, DanielaÕs coming with so she can meet BlaineÕs little brother... I think heÕs got two, actually. You know the guy who was lifeguarding today--Ó
ÒWow, really? ThatÕs his brother? What a hottie!Ó
ÒUm, yeah. And another one whoÕs a senior this year.Ó
ÒWhatÕs his name?Ó
ÒDunno, never asked. We donÕt talk about family much. Blaine only knows about Daniela because he saw her in that dance contest a couple months ago. ThatÕs where we met. His fraternity sponsored it.Ó
ÒHeÕs a frat boy?Ó
ÒItÕs not a social fraternity, Tianne, itÕs a career-type one. For musicians with good grades that go to LU.Ó
ÒOh. Borrrrring!Ó
ÒHereÕs your house, Tianne. If youÕre not out here waiting for me at seven, weÕre going without you. That counts as fair warning.Ó
ÒYep,Ó Tianne said, clambering out of the car (oh, the paint job!) and trotting up to her front door. ÒLaters!Ó
ÒYahoo,Ó Mari muttered, cranking up the oldies station on the car stereo and tearing off down the street.
***
Next time, what happens at the bonfire! (Yep, BlaineÕs gonna last a couple episodes! I need to get all my fantasies about surfer-singers out of my system!)