“Get hit in the head with your board, poser?” The stringy blond wearing a red bikini two sizes too small shoved herself into the way, jutting her chin out over the top of Arena’s head. “You’re not from around here.” A group of girls gathered around her; most of them were likely still in high school.

“I’m from LA; it’s only a few hours away,” Arena planted her surfboard in the sand and tried to hide the fact she needed to lean on it.

“This is a small-time competition.” The smaller girl had a shrill voice and a bright pink board. “A local circuit. We know you haven’t surfed here before.” She inched toward Arena, but used her board as a shield. The group likely competed in the junior division, since she was at least five years older than the oldest in the group.

“I thought it would be fun. The swell here isn’t bad.” Arena picked up her board. “Besides, I’ve already competed. It’s a bit too late now,” she said, and pushed past the girls, going forward instead of backward. Their standoff didn’t offer any real threat, but it blackened her mood.

After about a hundred feet, Arena slammed the board down into the sand. She peeled the wet suit to her waist, exposing her black bikini top. The early March breeze left goose bumps on her skin, and her left shoulder ached from where she slammed into the board on her practice run. Half a mind to collapse, she hiked across the beach, ready for the day to be over so she could go back and take a shower.

She found Sophia talking to two tan boys by the snack tent, flipping her hair over one shoulder. Her roommate was all California girl, tall, blond, and blue-eyed. The taller one puffed out his chest more than the other, but his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel. Arena wondered if he was holding his breath. The other tried to lean against the sign in front of the other and missed, stumbling backward. He caught himself, but recovered and spun around, winking and grinning at them both. Why did she always encourage complete idiots?

“Oh, Ari!” Sophia gushed to her, patting Arena’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you only placed third! What was that? A gift certificate?” Sophia batted her eyelashes to each boy in turn.

Pushing back the urge to retaliate with a snide comment, Arena sank down into the sand, every muscle protesting the weight of her body in an upright position. “Yes, a gift certificate for a surf shop,” she muttered. “So much for a quick way to $1000,” she mused. The boon would offset a little of the loss of her secondary scholarship, but she couldn’t force her mind to concentrate on the waves. Financial worries caused her to make several small but crucial errors. She needed money to finish out the school year, and it kept her from doing well.

“Boys? Would you mind grabbing my roommate a drink? I’m sure she would really appreciate it after swallowing all that salt water.” Sophia turned and smiled at the men, which caused them both to collide into one another, then scramble to be the first in line.

The clumsy one returned with a soda, and she accepted gratefully. Ice weighed down the foam cup, leaving little room for cola. She stood up, still exhausted, but determined to get out of this place and back to the motel.

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“Sophia, I’m going to head back. If you want to stay, that’s fine, but I just want a shower.”

“No, no. I’ll come, too,” Sophia responded brightly. “Somebody should be taking care of you. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head on that fall?”

“I’m fine. Just tired. And sandy.” They began walking off the beach in the direction of the motel, which was about three blocks away. Sophia had chosen it for its reputation as a party motel, but Arena was still surprised they were not staying in something fancier.

“Didn’t you forget something?” Sophia tilted her head toward the judging booth.

“They’re emailing it.” $50 would maybe cover a couple of cans of wax, but it was better than nothing.

Casting her head over her shoulder, Arena looked at the beach one last time. It seemed like an ordinary California beach, although it was quieter than some. A narrow strip of sand and larger swells meant that its popularity depended more on surfing than a family fun sort of location. The salt and sea air didn’t seem as fresh here as in Hawaii though, and Arena felt a pang of homesickness for her island.

They walked in silence for a block before Sophia burst out into chatter. “Ari, is this what Hawaii was like all the time? All these boys on the beach? Of course, my family went to Hawaii once, but it was when I was a child. You should take me back with you!”

Arena hated when Sophia called her “Ari”, but every protest earned a perky “But it’s cute!” Her middle name was Noelani, since her dad insisted she have a traditional Hawaiian name. Schmidt was an ordinary, practical American last name.

“I kinda had bigger things on my mind than boys.” Sophia was a passable roommate. Arena had worse roommates in the past, though she wasn’t quite sure why Sophia was living on campus in a dorm, since she probably had enough money to rent an apartment. Their dorm was one of the nicer ones on campus, and more than acceptable in Arena’s mind, but seemed below Sophia’s comfort zone.

“You really need to get out more! We should get dressed and go out to a bar tonight! C’mon, it would be fun!” Sophia continued.

“Fine.” Sophia wouldn’t stop until she agreed, and she wasn’t planning to go anywhere until she had slept for a few hours. The bright pink and yellow motel threatened to make her headache worse, so she kept her head down and her eyes focused on Sophia’s feet, trying to shut out her chatter.

She succumbed to the bed shortly after her shower.