Chapter 13: Bad Day

Angel's POV:

As we approached the beach, I got more and more giddy. Rachel and agreed to let me and the girls go surfing today. Rose got word from a friend that there was a surf contest today. I was so excited. I needed to relax. Even though, two days ago, I went to a party and I relaxed WAY too hard. I got belligerently drunk and I didn't remember a thing I did. I did wake up up with a sore vagina. I didn't know what I did.

None of us remembers what happened. Ace didn't remember much but he didn't remember getting into a really heated argument with Douglas. He didn't say why though. I wanted to know but he didn't want to say. When we pulled up to the beach, we all got out and ran out towards the beach. I was immediately greeted by dozens and dozens of people. Me and the girls signed up at the board. The announcer yelled out my presence.

That made people come from the waves and come out to greet me. I smiled and sighed autographs and took pictures. I was so happy to be back on out surfing again. I wanted to try out my new board. It held up great. It was very sturdy. Even better than my last one. I looked back over to the shore. Ace, Rose, Kyle, Bailey, and Mike stared at me. I looked back over towards the sea.

I saw a gigantic wave coming towards me. I began to paddle towards it. "No way. Angel Starlight is chasing that humongous wave!!" The announcer said. I heard people are murmuring. I heard my Apple Watch beep. "Angel!! No way. Don't do this wave. Wait for a more calmer wave."Rose said. I shook my head. "No bitch. I want this wave." I said. "Angel!!" She pleaded. "You know I'm stubborn Rose." I said. "You really are." She said.

I looked down at her. "Man I know I can take that." I said. "Dude no way you can take on that big ass wave. It will knock you out." Bailey said. "Gotta go." I said, then I hung up. I waited for the wave then paddled Aimee more. Then the wave hit me. I stood up on my board and surfed. I looked at the wave was it was really rough. Okay. I can do this. I've took on a lot of waves in my life. I can do this.

I surfed up and down the wave, hoping to take it down. I could feel the vibrations of the wave, as it roared in my ear. I looked up and saw an opening. I got this. Suddenly, the wave got tougher. Oh no. No no no!! I tried my best to keep steady. I looked over at the shore. I saw Bailey staring at me intently. Then I thought back to when I first saw her surfing. She did that flip and landed on her board.

Okay. I can do that. I went up to the top of the wave and did a flip. Then my board went underwater. I got this. Come on Angel!! Then my board surfaced and I landed on it. I heard everyone cheering. "Whoa!! That was awesome!! Angel Starlight totally owned that wave!! I hope we got that on tape." The announcer said. I smiled as the wave started to settle. I sat down on my board as I looked back.

The waves became calmer. I paddled to shore. Everyone ran over to me. "Wow Angel. That was amazing." Mike said. "That was incredible." Kyle said.  "Well I can't take all the credit. It was Rose and Bailey. I seen them do that before and it was dope." I said, smiling at her. "Whoa. Bailey you taught Angel how to do that?" Mike asked. She nodded. "Yeah. My Dad taught me." She said.

Just then, a bunch camera crews came over to me. "Angel, are you gonna compete in this year's surf tournament?" A reporter asked. "What was that move you just did? What's it called?" Another asked. "Angel do you think you are the next legendary surfer this town has ever seen?" Another asked. "Okay everyone back up off her!! She doesn't have time off questions." Rachel said. She pulled me away.

Everyone followed us. We walked back to the parking lot and into the vans. Rachel looked at me. "Angel what were you thinking? A wave that big? You could've gotten yourself killed." She said. "Rachel relax. I've been surfing since I was eight years old. I'm a pro at this." I said. "Yeah. We've seen Angel carve more waves than that one. But still." Bailey said. "Hey! I'm alive aren't I?" I said. "Angel." Rachel said.

"But still, Angel, that wave was way too big. I thought that was a tsunami at first." Bailey said. "Look I handled it and I'm safe and still alive." I said. I looked over at Ace. He was staring at me. "I'm fine guys. I can handle big waves. I always like taking on new challenges." I said. "A wave that big though? Still seems kind of dangerous Angel. My Dad always told me no matter how pro you are at something, know your limits." Rose said.

I grabbed her hands. "Babygirl, I'm good. I'm probably not gonna ever go for a wave that big again because it was pretty rough." I said. "Well I'm glad you realize that now. We're going to go eat then we're gonna go home." Rachel said. Then she started the van. She drove off towards town. We pulled up to a restaurant. I quickly dried off and changed into my clothes.

We walked into a fancy restaurant. I was immediately applauded. "There's Angel Starlight!! She carved up that wave." A man said. Everyone cheered for me. I grinned as I got my props. We were seated at booths. Our meals was free because of me. I smiled sheepishly as people came over off autographs. "Wow Angel. You've certainly made a big name for yourself here." Mike said. I smiled.

"I know. I'm so proud of myself." I said. Suddenly, Ace stood up abruptly and stormed off. I stared at him. "Excuse me guys. I need to go see what's bothering my friend." I said, as I ran after Ace. He went outside and sat down on the curb. I sat down beside him. He looked over at me then slid away. "Don't sit next to me." He said. "What's your problem Ace? What did I do to you?" I asked.

"You are this big star now. Just because you surfed a tsunami like wave and beat it, you all of a sudden this new hot shot." He said, angrily. "Oh. I get it. You're jealous of me." I said. He looked at me. "Jealous? Of you? Please." He said. "Well you are most definitely giving me jealous vibes." I said. He scoffed. "Don't get a swelled head Angel. You getting autographs and pictures taken of you." He said.

He shook his head. "You've made a big name for yourself just by surfing. I mean anybody can fucking surf. What makes you so damn special?" He said. My feelings were actually hurt. "Do you think you can do better than me?" I asked. "Definitely." He said. "Okay fine. I'll teach you how to surf." I said. "What? No way. Me and water don't get along." He said. "Come on. Do it. Unless you're a pussy." I said.

He looked at me. "Oh wait. You are a pussy. I forgot you've been that way since we were kids." I said, standing up. He stood up and got in my face. "I'm never a pussy. I take on any challenge." He said. "Okay then. Let me teach you how to surf and you will see it's not as easy as I make it look. I've been doing this for years. I know what I'm doing." I said. "So you teaching me your tricks is gonna make me a better surfer?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll teach you how to surf then you go out into the water and show me that you can do better than me." I said. "Fine. I'll surf. Then you'll see that I can be just as a great of a surfer as you." He said. We walked back into the restaurant. We ate our food when I noticed Mike was fidgeting in his seat. "Man what's up with you?" Ace asked. "Rachel can we go back to the beach? Watching Angel surf made me wanna surf now." He said.

"Me too. I wanna surf too." Kyle said. Everyone all agreed. "Yeah come on Rachel." I said. "No. I'm tired." She said. We all pleased with her. "Why do y'all wanna surf so badly? I don't see all the excitement." She said. "It's fun and relaxing." Rose said. "You feel like a whole new person when you're surfing. It's like you're going out into another dimension." Bailey said.

"Please Rachel. One more surf." Rose pleaded. "Fine." Rachel said. I smiled and looked at Rose and Bailey. The three of us ran out to the water and began to paddle. I looked around. Other surfers got into the water. We all hopped on our boards and surfed. It was about twenty minutes before someone screamed. "Shark!!" She cried. I turned around and sure enough, there was a shark swimming nearby. It came up to me and knocked me into the water.

"ANGEL!!" Ace cried. I surfaced then looked around. "Angel get back on the board!!" Bailey cried. I looked around but I didn't see it. "Angel hurry!!" Mike yelled. "Angel get on the board!!" Rose yelled. "It's coming right at you Angel!!" Kyle yelled. I looked around, panicking because I didn't see we the shark or my board. Then I felt something bite down on my side.

Then it dragged me underwater. I opened my eyes and came face to face with the shark. I let out a scream. Suddenly, the shark was kicked in the face. Then punched in the eye. Then its gills was grabbed. That seem to agitate it. Then it let me go then swam away. I felt arms around me. Then breached the surface. I looked around and saw Ace holding me. "Somebody go get them!!" Rachel cried.

Me and Ace swam to the boat as it approached us. I tried to climb up the ladder but my side was hurting. Me and Ace climbed on the boat. "She needs medical attention." The lifeguard said. I looked down at my side. Blood was pouring out. I got lightheaded. Ace held onto me. "Angel stay awake!!" He cried. "Ace I..." I trailed off. Everything started spinning. "Keep pressure on her side." Someone said.

I looked around and saw that I was in the hospital. Wasn't we just at the beach? I tried to sit up but they held me down. "Ace?" I called. "Angel just hold on." Rose said. I looked at her. "Ace....where is..." I trailed off. Then everything went dark. I opened my eyes and saw bright lights. I sat up and looked around. Everything was white. "Oh God I'm dead." I said. "No you're not." A doctor said, as he came out the bathroom.

"What happened?" I asked. "A shark attacked you." He said. "I survived a shark attack?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes Angel. You were bitten on your side." He said. I looked down. "But don't worry. You're completely fine But you should rest for the next few weeks." He said. "No. No no I can't. I have a surf tournament coming up next weekend." I said.

He stared at me before sitting down in front of me. "Angel, I'm a huge fan of yours but I urge you to stay home and rest. Your side was bleeding profusely. You really should rest. If you surf and go in the water, the salt water could damage your wound." He said. I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sorry Angel but you need to rest. I'm gonna call your caretakers." He said.

"Please. There's gotta be something I can do." I said. "I'm afraid not. I'll get your list of pain medication then you can go home." He said. Then he left out the room. I sat back and stared up at the ceiling. "This cannot be happening." I muttered. After I was discharged from the hospital, I went home. I walked in the house and everyone looked at me. "Angel are you okay?" Rose asked.

"No. I can't surf in the tournament." I said. "It's probably for the best." Ace said. "What?" I said. "Angel you nearly died. I think you should give up surfing." He said. "No Ace. Surfing is my passion." I said. "Angel-" I cut him off. "No Ace. I'm not gonna quit because of one injury. That's the first time I've ever been attacked by a shark. I never missed a surf tournament and I'm not going to today." I said.

"Angel think about it." Rachel said. "I have thought about it but I'm still going. If saltwater gets in my wound, who cares? There's medication. I'll just take it then get back on my board." I said. "You are such a fucking hot head." Ace yelled. "Ace!!" Douglas yelled. "Fuck you Ace!! Sorry I'm not following directions, something you do every single day." I said.

"But we're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you." He said. "I'm going to that surf tournament next weekend. I don't care what the doctor said. I wanna surf." I said. He shook his head. "I should've never saved you from that stupid. I should've just let it kill you." He said. "Ace!!" Christina yelled. He stormed off out the back door.

He transformed into a wolf and ran away. I balled up my fists and ran upstairs to my room. I slammed the door and sat down on the bed. I stared at the empty space. Then tears streamed down my face. I shook my head and broke down crying. He doesn't understand that this is me. Surfing is all me. I'm a fucking surfer. This is my passion. So what a shark attacked me? It's the first and the last time.

Next time, I'll be ready. I laid down on the bed and cried. I ended up crying myself to sleep. I woke up to my phone lighting up. I looked at it. It was the calendar reminding me to plan for my Mama's birthday. I rolled my eyes and deleted the event. Since I'm no longer living with her or Kya, I don't have to do anything with them anymore. I stood up and walked out the door.

I looked around and saw it was nighttime. I walked up and down the halls. I didn't see anyone in their rooms. I searched the house for everyone. I came to what looked like a movie theater. I walked inside and seen everyone. Rose turned around and gasped. "Angel!" She said. She ran up and hugged me. So did Bailey. "How you feel?" Bailey asked. "I guess I needed a nap." I said.

"You sure? Because you and Ace were pretty heated with one another." Kyle said. "We just had a bad day." I said. I looked around. "So where is Ace?" I asked. "He's in his theater." Mike said. "There's two theaters?" I asked. "Yeah but Ace likes the other one better because it's underground." Kyle said. "Where is it?" I asked. Kyle took me down the aisle and to a hatch. He opened it and I went down.

"Just follow the sound. You'll find him." He said. I nodded and walked down the steps. I walked down a long hallway til I came do a door. I heard water rushing. The hell? I opened the door and walked inside. I gasped as I looked around. It was like a mini waterfall down here. There was a TV mounted out on the wall. Lit lanterns on the floor. There was steps that led into a water pool.

I smiled as I took off my shoes. I dipped my toes in. I shivered as the water was cold. "This is amazing." I said. I leaned over to see where the water was coming from. It appeared to come from outside. But where outside? I wanted to go out and get a better look but I needed to talk to Ace. "Ace?" I called. Then I a heard a door open. Was that the latch?

"What are you doing down here?" Someone asked. I jumped, nearly falling in the water. "Jesus Ace you scared me." I said. I saw he was shirtless. Lord forgive me for I have sinned. "What are you doing down here?" He repeated. "Looking for you." I said. "Well you found me so you can leave." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Ace why are you such an asshole to me? What have I done to you?" I asked.

He scoffed. "Do you really need to ask? You abandoned me Angel." He said. "Ace don't start with this shit again." I said. "Why not? Angel you have gotten everything you've ever wanted in life." He said. "Now I see why you hate m so much. My life has turned out awesome while you had to live in a shithole." I said. He stared at me. His eyes became slanted like a cat's.

Then they turned red. He dropped the bucket of popcorn he made then stalked towards me. No cap, I was really scared. "Let me tell you something. We both came from a shithole. You just got lucky because some bitch wanted another kid but didn't wanna wait years for them to grow up. You lived and grew up in a happy go lucky luxury house while I had to sleep on a fucking dirty ass, smelly ass mattress that laid on the floor." He began.

On the floor? "I got the short end of the stick when it came to my life. You made that very clear the day you left me." He said, angrily. I gaped at him. "I'm the worthless orphan nobody wanted. My own parents didn't love me. Nobody loves me. I had to bounce from foster home to foster home all to end up back at that shithole of an orphanage. But I'm sure you've had quite the life. Even since you showed up here." He said.

I opened my mouth but he cut me off. "Don't do it Angel. All the nightmares I've had in this house. You've been here how long? I've been here for six years. Do you have any idea what kind of hell I've endured all my life Angel?" He asked. I kept my mouth closed. "Do you have any idea what's it like to wake up every single day, knowing that I'm just repeating the same shitty cycle every day?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I wake up, I get into trouble, I go to sleep. I wake up, I get in trouble, I go to sleep. Every day it's the same fucking routine!! But for you, it's fantastic. Surfing whenever you want, getting bombarded by fans who love you so much. You're a fucking surfer!! Since when is surfing the next best thing?!" He cried. He shook his head. "I don't understand it." He said.

"Understand what?" I asked, softly. "We came from the same fucking shithole yet we grew up having different lives. Your life is fantastic while mine is the complete and utter crap. And you wonder why I'm so bitter and such an asshole!" He finished. I stared at him. I felt something wet hit me cheek. I didn't even realize I was crying. I looked at Ace. "Ace I'm sorry." I said, my voice shaking.

"Save your fucking apology Angel. It's eleven years too late." He said, then he turned around and walked away towards another room. He slammed the door. It echoed through the room. I didn't know what to do or say. I started crying. I ran back to the hatch and climbed out. "Hey Angel. How'd it go?" Kyle asked. I looked at him. Everyone saw my face. "Oh damn." Mike said.

"We'll talk to him." Kyle said, as he and Mika went down the hatch. I ran out the room and back to my room. I slammed the door and crawled in bed. I covered my face with my pillow. The door opened and Rose and Bailey walked in. I cried in their arms.