CHAPTER II: Santa Cruz

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"Carol! Watch the wave that's coming!"

"Yeah Nico! I see it! Who finishes first, pays for today's lunch!"

We were waiting for some movement in the crystal and calm sea, on our surfboards. It was a sunny day, extremely hot, so we decided to have some fun. I hated those kids of my age who spent their entire summer days getting high and drunk, going to, at least, five parties per week, fucking each other senseless. We were teenagers for fuck's sake! Why did people have the necessity of living as an adult? They weren't enjoying their lives, and the difference was that I was enjoying it.

"That's not fair Carol! You're always the last one!"

I laughed at Talia, one of my closest friends, then I turned to nod at my three friends. We always went to Hawaii during the holidays- I know, pretty far -because it was our little paradise, we loved to surf and it was the most indicated place to go.

"C'mon! It's coming!"

Few seconds later I started to swim out and when I was ready I stood up and started surfing the wave on my personalized board: in the background there was a red Chinese dragon holding a crystal sphere, the object was the principal theme of the work of art, because inside of it there was a fantastic world, made of floating islands and around them a river, connecting them. It was pretty big, since the unrealistic land was in the foreground, the first thing your eye could catch.

While keeping my balance, with a soft breeze caressing my face, I turned around and I saw Talia behind me, Jeff on my left and-where was Nico? When the wave broke completely I sat on the surfboard but I didn't see the missing boy.

"Nico! Where are you?" Jeff started shouting followed by Talia and me. He was with us a moment ago and it started to scaring me the fact the wave got him and for some reason he couldn't emerge anymore, and the worst thing was his surfboard beside us.

"Nico! C'mon! You have to pay for our lunch!"

"Costa Rican boy! I'm hungry! You're late paying my food!"

There was no response, until I felt something bitting my leg. I scream and then fell from the board. When I emerged my eyes glared at the missing boy, who was laughing his ass off. For a moment I thought it was a shark or something, everyone knew it was quite dangerous surfing in open sea.

"Do you think it's funny, you asshole?" I splashed him while he looked amused. Swimming to my surfboard, I took a hold of it and helped myself getting into it again. Nico did the same and now I was sending him a dirty look of mines, trying to catch my breath back.

"Muy divertido, mi amor."
(Very funny, my love.)

I stuck out my tongue and then the four of us went back to the beach again, between laughs and complaints for how hungry we felt.

We were at Waikiki beach surf spot and wanted to relax a bit as the previous days we went to the big spots for surfing. Every summer the four of us spent all the holidays in Hawaii plus Dillan who, this time, had to left two weeks before. So we were five friends who went to Oahu, to June until the end of August and stayed at my home. Before my family and I moved to Santa Cruz we lived here, so we rented our house to September to May and all the summer was ours.

"Okay, where today?" Asked Jeff, with the hope we could change our daily idea.

"Isn't it obviously? To Ekewaka's." Nico's answer sounded almost foolish, if not, where to?

"We go every single day there, can we change? Please." I giggled at the pouted face of Jeff. It was true, we went there every single day and it was just because he was like family, ohana. He knew my parents before I was born, and he helped my family a lot, so, I grew up with him always in my memory: birthdays, surfing competitions, when I bought new surfboards... He was a special guy for me, a really good man.

"No mister, we're going to Ekewaka's, it's cheap and also good." Jeff sighed in exasperation for Nico's last word, while Talia and me shared a laugh. The boys were really funny, but when it also was Dillan, you could cry from laugh.

Getting out of the crystal water, we took our things and headed to the food stand. When we arrived we sat on the picnic table, with our boards under it, and when I saw a huge Hawaiian guy approaching our table a bright and huge smile appeared on my face.

"Aloha,Carol and haoles! How are you?"
(Hi,Carol and foreigners/white persons!)

While my friends shared a tiny laugh, he took the opportunity to hug me and kiss my head. He was my 'big sea lion'. Now I used big because, when I was little, I was so intelligent to call the poor man 'fat sea lion', you could imagine my parent's face, but thankfully Ekewaka loved it, but if I thought about it, the name really suited him. Physically, he was really tall, maybe around 6'5'', typical Hawaiian dark skin and features and an enormous stomach, he said it was a family thing, but damn. Instead, about his character, he was a softie, a really good man but when you made him angry, it was better to be as far as you could. That was why I kept calling him sea lion, he was a cutie but when you pissed him off, you had to run to save your ass.

"Fine, as always we went surfing." I smiled at him, and he grinned back, his hand squeezing my shoulder lightly. His long black hair was put into a braid, while his brown eyes shined when his lips reached its peak.

"So, what are you gonna eat?"

"The same, with five cokes."

Once he was back with our orders, he sat too. He was the boss so he could do that, and we drank a toast to us, since it was our tradition every year, obviously we did the same the previous night Dillan was leaving the island, we couldn't keep him outside of this.

"For our last five days in Hawaii! Cheers!"

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Two days passed by since my lost. After the police asked me some questions about my father, and ruling that the cause of the death was suicide, obviously, they let me go with Gabriela. She was really nice and let me sleep in the apartment she was staying when she came to Detroit. During those days I couldn't go home, the officials only allowed me to pack my own belongings. With the help of Luke and Ms. Wyatt I collected all my things in a few ours, not that I had to much to pick, so we were relatively fast.

When I told the guys about my current situation they seemed pretty nervous about what could happen to me, but I wasn't because few hours earlier I spoke with the boss and he agreed with the idea of me leaving, since he was afraid the police could investigate more than a simple suicide. Once I explained the whole situation they were calmer, almost breathing in tranquility. We all knew what the bloody bastard could do to one of us if we left without permission, and we all were scared shitless for that, not for nothing he was the boss.

Only Lucas was the one who kept visiting and helping me with everything, I wasn't surprised the others decided to wash their fucking hands and turn their back to me, in the end it was a normal reaction, they considered me family just because of the fact I was in the gang, not like my friend.

Night came pretty fast and it was my turn to say my goodbyes to Lucas, since we had to be in the airport in the early morning. He was already at the door frame, smiling at Gabriela who just finished and left so we could have a moment alone, at least she was considered.

"Hey dude, take care. Call me when you arrive, we will keep in touch."

"Sure thing, man. Beware." I gave him a 'man's hug' which he returned with the same intensity, if not more. We embraced the other for few seconds more, exchanging some hard pats on our shoulders. Too many things we lived together, and I was just hoping someday we could meet again, because someone like him, who saved my goddamn ass so many times, deserved the best. 

Lucas being Lucas, before we parted away he whispered one last thing, in case Gabriela was around. "Fuck as many girls as you can. I heard there are a lot of hot chicks in bikini, you will be in paradise." Laughing at his advice, I nodded. When we unlaced from the other, he winked, followed by his foolish smile, that guy. Even so, he was bloody right, for once, I was really going to enjoy myself.

"Sure thing dude, sure thing."

Before he left I saw the sadness in his eyes, I was feeling the same way. Where were we going to find someone as the other? Not that we wanted to be replaced, but it was a fucking thing called brotherhood, not just friends in the end, someone who was there to save our damn ass.

"I'll miss you Drake."

"Me too, if something gets wrong call me. Okay?"

"Okay." With that, I saw my best friend closing the door behind him giving me a last sad smile. Not long later I felt a hand on my shoulder, thankfully Gabriela gave me space and time, because since Lucas left, I was still staring at the door like an idiot.

"Drake, everything it's already packed and arranged for tomorrow, it's better if we go to sleep now. We have to be in the airport at 5:00 am." I nodded and turned around to meet her. A tiny smile was all she had, with her brown hair put into a ponytail, with some locks falling over her face. Taking few deep breaths I did as she said, following her until our beds, obviously they were in separated rooms.

"Goodnight, Drake."

"Goodnight, Ms. Wyatt."

"What I told you?" Even when I was about going to sleep the woman still had the energy to 'scold'me. She was casually leaning on the wooden door frame, with a playful smile on her face, sometimes she reminded me of my mother, they weren't similar, but they both had their comical side.

"Goodnight Gabby. Better now?"

"Yeah much better, now go kid."

Next day came quickly and we were already on the plane heading to California, exactly almost reaching the airport of San Jose. During the fly Gabriela explained me a lot of things about her two children, not letting me sleep at all.

Caroline was what she described as a 'difficult' and rebel girl to handle with, well she was speaking to someone like her own daughter. I found out she loved to skateboard and surf, also she was two years younger than me, so seventeen.

Theo was her little brother, he was twelve and he was too witty for the age he had, so occasionally he got into troubles. Her mother said he would be very happy to have an 'older brother' but I hadn't the intention to behave like one because I never had a sibling, plus I didn't want to get too affectionate with him. Also, what if he asked about my life? Would I tell him about drugs and alcohol? Nah, it was something I didn't need to share with him.

After we took our baggage, we head to a white Chevrolet Malibu parked in the parking of the airport and start driving to home.

"I thought you lived in San Jose or San Francisco."

"Oh no Drake, we live in Santa Cruz. You see, my husband is a surf lover so when we moved from Hawaii, we wanted a house in a surf city."

"Hawaii? Wow, that's pretty awesome." She giggled, followed by a nod. When she was speaking about her man you could see how bright her eyes were, they were happy. It was a look so unfamiliar to me, used to the cold and tired one of my father, who lost all the energy, happiness and desire to live.

We kept speaking about random things, but something important caught my attention when she warned me about their sons not knowing anything about my past or not knowing the reason to why I'd be living with them, just her husband knew all the story and their little son knew I was going to be a new family member, her sister didn't know a shit about me.

Gabriela just told me it was my decision to tell them or not, and I respected it.

"Well, we are almost here."

Not longer than ten minutes later we reached a light cream colored build with brown roof. The house was at the end of the Almar Ave street in front of Mitchell's Cove Beach so there were directly views of the sea. It was a luxury to live in.

"Better than your old house?"

"Yeah, sure as fuck."

"Drake!" I muttered a sorry, looking down a bit ashamed, it was the effect she had on me. She giggled and shook her head amused, she knew I was nervous, but at the same time fascinated from the landscape around their house, believe it or not, I had never been to the beach before, so I was pretty exited.

"You will have to talk better, my husband is sick of the bad mouthing of our daughter."

"Oh, okay. I'll try."

She gave me a warm smile before stepping outside her car and directly went to ring the door, few seconds later a man in his forties with a red T-shirt and white short pants opened it and kissed his wife. Then I saw a little boy, probably Theo, hugging his mother and then running directly to me.

"Hi! You have to be Drake! I'm Coby but everyone calls me Theo." Not wanting to give a bad first impression I turned around, since I was already out of the car, and answered to his smile with another, but he was waiting for my answer. I had no experience with kids, so I had no fucking clue on how treat him.

"Yeah, I'm Drake. Um, then I'll call you Coby, is that good?"

"Oh, yes! You'll be the first one calling me by my second name!" He was already getting on my nerves, even if the damn kid didn't do anything wrong, oh yeah, just one thing, he had too much energy, and I seemed a bloody grandpa compared to him. In my head the few neurons I still had didn't want to help me out with the situation I was in. In that precise moment imaginary joints laughed inside my head, the hell with them!

"So-"

"You're my new brother! You can teach me an amount of things!" The kid's high pitch voice was enough to make me nervous, I had hopes he wasn't going to say those words, but he did.

"I-"

Suddenly Gabriela's husband appeared, fuck, my knight in shining armor! During their little argument I saw how Coby was the exact same of his father, they shared the same eyes and hair, but their personalities were really different. I was so deep into studying them I just caught the end of their conversation.

"Theo! Leave Drake alone!"

"But dad-!"

"C'mon take one of Drake's baggage and leave it at home, and that's final." His father's authority put his son in place, looking a bit pissed, but it didn't last long.

He then turned to me and offered his hand to shake, obviously I accepted it. The man at least had the guts my father didn't have and was respected by his children, something I didn't saw from ages.

"Welcome home Drake, I'm Nigel Wyatt. The man of the house." He chuckled and my eyes studied his features, probably tall 6'3''(1,90m) without beard and with brown hair and green eyes. He seemed to workout, but not in a gym, it was a different type of musculature, maybe because of surf and swimming in open sea.

"Thank you sir, for everything."

"Call me Nigel. C'mon boy, get in the house already." I smiled and nodded in response.

After we took all my bags inside we had lunch, since we arrived at midday, and then relaxed on the backyard. The house was pretty awesome, when you entered, at the left was the metal garage door and the stairs leading to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. At the right was the hallway leading to the living room connecting with the dinning room and the kitchen, and at the end there was, on the left, the Wyatt's bedroom and a bathroom and, in front, a sliding crystal door that connected the house with the backyard. Outside, there was a green garden umbrella with two exterior sofas and an exterior coffee table, and on the left there was a medium pool.

"Drake! Come with me! We can see a movie in my room!"

Coby was tugging on my black T-shirt. I didn't want to! But how I was supposed to tell him? I sighed in defeat and gave him an opportunity, so I let him to take me upstairs. On the second floor there was the hallway, at the end of this, there was my bedroom with a medium terrace and on the other end was Caroline's bedroom on the right and Coby's on the left. While he was choosing the movie he rambled about a lot of stuff, he never shut up but probably it was me who only spoke when I had to. He explained an amount of things, I couldn't remember half of them, just that he loved to prank people, threatening and pissing her sister off and had a best friend called William.

It was hard to believe how three days passed smoothly, Gabriela and Nigel showed me around and I spent a lot of time with Coby who I started to like, he had nice ideas to prank and piss people off, he was a little demon, and I liked it. That afternoon I was with the little guy again when the doorbell rang, opening the door I saw a girl with the sexiest body I had ever seen before, Caroline.

"Who the fuck are you?"

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Hey guys! I'm sorry it took me too long to write, but the I was extra busy!
I had to do a lot of covers also so now I decided to take a break of it so I'll have more time to write ^^

Hope you liked the chapter! If you did remember to vote! I'd highly appreciate it!! :3

↟ Coby

07/03/2017

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Erotic Waves
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