
✧ Chapter 15 ✧
(Y/n) = Your name
(S/n) = Surname / last name
(E/c) = Eye colour
(S/c) = Skin colour / skin tone
(H/c) = Hair colour
(H/l) = Hair length
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As summer was slowly coming to an end, our final year of school was just around the corner. The sun was losing its striking heat, waves intensifying with the cooler winds that always accompanied the beginning of Autumn. I decided that if I wanted to teach Jotaro how to surf as we had agreed, now was the best time to start.
Shuffling towards the beach with my crutches was becoming more of a pain than I had expected. Especially considering the fact that I wasn't allowed to go near the water again for another few weeks. But thanks to Jotaro's skilful stitching, my wound was healing fairly quickly. And what better way to repay him than teaching him to surf as promised, right? Plus it's as close to surfing as I'll get for the time being.
"So.. are you still up for learning to surf?"
Jotaro closed his notebook that rest atop his lap, just so he could turn his full attention to me. "I don't have a wetsuit." Was the excuse that he decided to choose since he clearly didn't want to try just yet. But if we didn't start now, I knew that he would find a million other excuses not to before school started up again, and by that time the winds would pick up too strong for a beginner to even set foot near a surfboard. If he really didn't want to learn, he would have flat out refused.
"I'll get you one in return for you stitching up my injury." I tilted my head towards the nearby beach shack that stood a few yards away. "No, I'll get it.." He quickly dismissed the idea, standing to his feet reluctantly, but hidden behind his lazed actions I could see a hint of excitement lingering in his expressive eyes.
After picking out a black and blue set along with a rented surfboard, he seemed pretty content. His eyes gleamed with pure anticipation as he was handed the largest board of the lot, and he soon disappeared into the changing rooms without missing a beat.
All my pleading and wagering had paid off the moment he stepped out of the stall in his gear. The wetsuit revealed much more than I had imagined, outlining each sculpted muscle in his body. His abs protruded proudly by the front, defined arms barely able to contain themselves in the constrictive cloth. But even though it seemed a little out of his comfort zone, he still wore his signature hat to top it all off, giving his entire getup his most well-known signature piece.
"Ready?" I beamed as I gestured to the door. He simply nodded, surfboard in hand as we began to leave. This is going to be fun...!
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"See! Now you've got it down to a T!" I coached as Jotaro kept his hands cupped together and worked his powerful arms to propel himself forward in the water. He practiced at the most shallow area of the beach, almost intruding on some children's games as they swam past us with ease, all so that I could critique him from the shoreline. But Jotaro seemed unfazed by everybody else, his stoic expression showing nothing but pure determination to get this stance and stride right.
It didn't take long for him to get a grasp of balancing atop the surfboard, capable of standing on it without toppling over the relatively calm surface of the water. "And now comes the hard part." I mused as I sat down on the sand next to him, head tilted back quite far so that I could meet his gaze that towered above me. "Balancing on a wave."
His eyes flickered with excitement as his focus averted to the horizon. I could almost hear him questioning himself, trying to gauge if he was ready for such a large task after only an hour of training. But he was a naturally fast learner, and I had no doubts in my mind that he was more than capable of doing it.
"Practice makes perfect. You're probably going to fall a million times, but as long as you get up and try again, you'll be flying it." I turned my head to catch a glance at him, noticing that his hat was soaked through after falling so many times, but it still remained completely intact and in perfect placement on his head. If I wasn't so caught up in my miniature speech, I would have been questioning how his hat so easily defied the most basic logics..
"If Kakyoin can do it, anyone can." I encouraged lightheartedly, followed by a confident smile, trying my best to amp him up even more. He let out an inaudible chuckle and nodded before swimming straight towards the waves that seemed manageable for his starting level.
And before I knew it, Jotaro was on his way to becoming an excellent surfer.
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Days had passed, which taught me routinely how dedicated he can be once he puts his mind to something. He worked meticulously, and at such a staggering pace that it took me by surprise. Kakyoin couldn't believe I had motivated him enough to set foot in the water at his own free will, nevermind getting him to surf this well so early into our training. But we powered through until he had a grasp of everything. All that remained was for him to work on his balance.
"He looks so happy. I've never seen him this happy before!" Kakyoin exclaimed both playfully and sarcastically, seeing as Jotaro's face was slightly scrunched up with frustration after his most recent tumble from the board.
But he was overlooking the most important key to understanding Jotaro's hidden emotions - his eyes. His steadfast demeanor was nothing compared to the empowerment glowing in his eyes, visible from as far as where we stood on the shore. He was beyond content to be able to surf so well and even more so at the thought of joining us in the water rather than watching from afar.
"And you said you're free to surf again next week, right?" His tone suddenly dropped into something cheeky, a mischievous chuckle escaping his lips without him even realizing. "Just what are you planning?" I placed a hand on my hip, staring at him expectantly with the lightest of smirks.
"I signed us all up for a surfing competition!" He finally announced, arms waving about in the air excitedly. My jaw dropped instantly. "Are you serious?" I grinned, returning my attention to Jotaro as he stood up atop his board and balanced almost seamlessly on the next wave that came his way. He was competition-ready alright!
"That's such a good idea." I laughed, noticing him cup his hand to his ear as if he didn't hear me. "What was that? Did I hear you call me a genius?" He leaned in even closer for dramatic effect. "And you think that all my ideas are great? Wow, (Y/n), you are the best friend a guy could ask for." He laughed at my grimace, suddenly deciding to pick me up and jump around with me dangling surprisedly in his arms. "Kakyoin!" I shrieked as I was swooped off the ground before I had a chance to even blink.
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"Welcome, welcome! Thank you to everybody that could join us for this year's surfing competition!"
I smirked, hopping lightly from one foot to the other to double, triple, quadruple check that my foot was good to go. And sure enough, it had been pretty much healed over, enough for me to be able to sprint towards the water at the sound of the air horns. Because this was a widespread event in the city, contestants were to race to the water and wait their turn to surf at the signal of the lifeguard. This meant that the crowds could get involved, and it made things that bit more fun to watch and participate in.
"We have a record-breaking 10 contestants this year! Small town, big ambition!" The announcer laughed as he approached Jotaro, slapping him on the back to gauge a reaction out of the unflinching male. But he was instead met with an incredibly sore hand. "Jeez, that was like slapping a boulder." He muttered away from the microphone, hiding his reddened hand in the pocket of his swimming shorts.
"..aaaand not to mention our well-known champion is here to compete; (Y/n)! She has won every year that she competed in, without fail! It's been a while, but I'm sure she'll still be at peak performance!" He praised, sending a platonic wink my way. I grinned in return, bashful but grateful for the generous opening. "Let's see if this year's competitors can break that winning streak!"
An uproar of cheers broke out throughout the beach, crowds upon crowds of people lining the sand around the coast to watch this yearly attraction to raise money for the local charities. It was twice as big of an event as the summer carnival, and not to mention the yearly trash collection that would bring people together to clean up the beach and give some money towards the locality. It was truly a heartfelt town.
"Okay, I'll stop stalling. I can practically feel everyone's anticipation from here!" He jokingly panted, gripping the hem of his shirt collar to dramatically fan himself. With another excited holler of the crowd, he straightened himself up and quietened everybody down for the countdown. "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for.." He signaled the lifeguard in charge of stationing everybody. With a double check of everybody's role being fulfilled, he nodded. They were ready to begin.
"Three.." The surfers clutched their boards tightly, aiming them towards the sea to slice through the main obstacle; the wind. "Two.." We crouched slightly, eyes on the prize as we were ready to dart towards the water at any second. "....one!" Flags were waved, horns blared, confetti strewn everywhere. The miles of audiences went wild, screaming with delight as they cheered for their favourite surfers to do their best.
"Go Jotaro!~" It was a given that his fans were there, bathing suits and bikinis at the ready. They held up signs of their heartfelt confessions, loving praise, all sorts. But he didn't even glance their way, no matter how much they begged him to pay at least some notice to them.
My feet carried me on their own, propelling me forward at lightning speed. I took the lead, with Jotaro not too far behind. Running like this had never been Kakyoin's forte, but he made up for it with his surfing skills. Thankfully for him, the race doesn't count.
"Now, let me explain how this competition works." The announcer lay back in his deck chair, microphone held lazily in his free hand while a cool iced drink clattered in his other, the perfect view of the show from where he sat at the sidelines. "We have three judges to mark the scores. Each contestant will be judged based on their surfing skills, styles, performance, etc, and that alone. The race is just for show, so keep that in mind!"
As we reached the water, each of the surfers dived onto their boards and began to frantically swing their arms forwards into the water, cupping their hands to work as oars. And Jotaro was no exception, using every move I'd taught him to get himself into the lead, his muscular arms giving him the clear advantage.
"He won! He won!" Crazed fans cheered as they watched him reach the competition-level waves first, turning his board to the side to watch the rest of us catch up. "What did I just say? The race part doesn't count!" The announcer facepalmed.
'Then they shouldn't have added it in..' Was all I could think to myself as I neared Jotaro, Kakyoin not too far behind with the others in tow. Our town never took this sport too seriously, but they've gotten better over the years. One tradition they refused to give up was the race. Even if it put the surfers at a slight disadvantage of getting tired out versus having a break before the others were up.
"First up, we have..." And so a handful of names were listed before Kakyoin's turn was given to him. "And now we have Noriaki Kakyoin!" He grinned at the sound of his name, looking behind him to wait for the next oncoming wave so he could catch it. And he was up and gone in a matter of seconds.
"You nervous?" I teased Jotaro as we watched Kakyoin balancing atop his wave, performing a few wobbled tricks for fun. Showing off. Typical.
"No." He averted his eyes to look at me, showing off a luminous glow in them that I was beyond familiar with lately. He was happy. "Are you?" His question was asked even lighter than his reply had been, which made me smile lightly to myself. "A little. But I know we'll ace it!"
I held out my fist towards him enthusiastically, meant for him to return the gesture as a fistbump. He eyed my closed fist curiously, at first mistaking it for a light playful punch. But upon realizing that I had left it mid-air and that he was leaving me hanging, he decided to cooperate; something he would have never done for anybody else. My smile grew even wider as his knuckles timidly pressed against mine, sending a small spark that felt like a small electric current coursing through my hand and straight to my heart, only adding to my excitement for the competition.
"The camaraderie!" Wailed the onlooking announcer through the mic, snapping us back to our situation as Jotaro was about to be called up. I blushed lightly, giggling at Jotaro shyly backing his hand away to ready himself. "Get ready! I see the lifeguard about to wave the flag!" I pointed out, earning a nod from the brute as he swam a little ahead, ready to catch his next wave. "Up next is.. Jotaro Kujo!"
Unsurprisingly, he did great. He managed to stay landed on his board longer than Kakyoin did, and even performed a trick or two that he had been practicing for days. Amazing for a first-timer. I clapped as loud as I could, praising him from where I sat waiting for my turn to be next.
"And last, but certainly not least - (Y/n) (L/n)!"
That was my cue. The flags were waved, the crowds cheered me on, and suddenly the world went completely silent and still as I awaited the next wave. It was like I was on my own, just like any other day, with the loud thumping of my heart beating in my chest being the only sound I could hear. I stood to my feet once the wave had reached the perfect distance, and balanced myself out flawlessly, performing my favourite moves for the crowd to gawk at.
All eyes were on me. (I usually hate it, but I felt so alive at that moment/I have anxiety, but it melted away as soon as I began to surf/I loved every second of it/etc).
Kakyoin and Jotaro stood soaked by the beach, towels around their necks and swarms of women crowded behind them. "Amazing, isn't she." Kakyoin nudged his friend who had already been staring in awe. "Yeah." He replied without hesitation, a faint smile creeping onto his face as he watched her jump from her board into the water, happy with her performance and ready to rejoin her friends at the shore.
"And the results are in." A playfully drawn-out drumroll using two straws and an empty coconut shell cup ensued. "Aaaaand wouldn't ya know it, in third place is Noriaki Kakyoin!" He jumped surprisedly, not having expected to win anything since he usually doesn't make it to the top three. "You got a medal!" I cheered for him, playfully slapping his back so that his tense body would move to go collect his reward.
He stumbled forward slightly, but recollected himself to jog over. "Thank you." He bowed, allowing the first judge to place the bronze medal over his head. He turned to the audience and waved, thanking everybody. "I can't believe this." He laughed, beaming at me in particular with a strong sense of pride in his surfing abilities. "Good job!" I clapped, fighting back the urge to tear up at seeing him so happy.
"The next runner up.. Is Jotaro Kujo!" The second announcement soon followed. "Jotaro! You too!" I beamed, patting his shoulder with a congratulatory thumbs up. He smiled down at me softly, and left to retrieve his reward from the second judge. A silver medal was placed around his neck, and he stood earnestly next to Kakyoin.
"And the winner, time and time again, is (Y/n)! What a surprise this is!" The announcer laughed heartily as I trotted over, thanking everybody just as Kakyoin did before accepting my gold medal, along with a small trophy of a surfer riding a wave. "Wow, this is.. amazing! Thank you so much!"
I quickly jogged over to the two boys and hugged them, one arm dedicated to each of them. Kakyoin was quick to return the gesture, but Jotaro froze, unsure of what to respond with at first. He eventually placed a hand on my back as a halfhearted hug, but I didn't expect too much from him considering the amount of people present.
"Stand in for a picture! This one's going to the press!" A cheery girl held up a camera that had previously been dangling around her neck, ready to snap a picture of us together for the town's paper. "Hold on." Kakyoin stopped her, causing us all to turn our attention to him quizzically.
"Let's make this one to remember." He chuckled as he lifted me off my feet and onto the edge of his shoulder. "Kakyoin! I'm gonna fall!" I laughed as I tried to keep a tighter grip on his other arm to prevent myself from sliding off. "Not if Jotaro stands in." He took a step closer to Jotaro, closing in the gap for me to sit comfortably on the two of them. This didn't seem to bother him, in fact, he placed a hand across my back so that I wouldn't fall backward.
"Smile!" I grinned widely, holding up my trophy to showcase it as well as my medal while Kakyoin simply held his up triumphantly. Jotaro flashed his medal subtly towards the camera but his gaze was slightly averted to the side, seeming uninterested at first glance when he was really just embarrassed.
"That's a keeper! Keep an eye out in the papers!" And with that, the girl sped off with the same picture that would end up appearing in the family's yearly scrapbook, Kakyoin's prized framed picture, and the only other picture to be stored in Jotaro's wallet other than his childhood family portrait...
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