Page 13 of Save Me
“Hey, bestie,” Kaiden beams at me in a pair of board shorts and a white v neck. “Shit me, look at your hot legs and hair! You look like Daryl Hannah from Splash!”
“Not looking bad yourself, my gorgeous Black Panther,” I reply, still blushing from his compliment. “Let’s get out of here!”
“Hey, hey, hey, my little water baby!” Bodhi shouts, looking smashed already as he scoops me up into his arms. I yelp with shocked happiness as he hauls me over his shoulder so that I’m now staring at his soggy board shorts that are stuck firmly to his bottom. I guess I should be thankful he’s wearing them at all, seeing as he likes to strut around nude half the time. In fact, I don’t think there’s one single person who has stepped foot upon this beach without having seen his wing wang hanging out at least once before.
“Who’s your friend?” he asks when I finally see Kaiden frowning over my vibrant captor, all the while I hang upside down.
“Kaiden. He’s from my school,” I reply, prompting him to throw up his hand to slap against Kaiden’s awkward one.
“Welcome to the fold, my man,” he grins, looking completely sincere. “Any friend of my Beth’s is a friend of ours. Guys say hello to Kaiden!” he shouts out like a nightclub DJ telling the crowd to ‘make some noise’ over to a large group gathering of other surfies and the like.
A bonfire is already roaring with flames dancing and crackling in the dusky background. The water is calm, and the sound of waves takes me right back to summer evenings at home when I was a child. I am instantly relaxed with all thoughts of my father’s words washing away into the surf.
The others all wave back at us, with Annie trying to toast a few marshmallows against the heat of the fire. I can tell from Kaiden’s soft smile that he already agrees with this being so much better than some black-tie event at school.
“Bodhi, can you put me down? The blood is rushing to my head!” I giggle.
“Yeah, will do in a minute,” he answers but continues to hold me there as he descends the beach towards the bonfire. “So, Kai, you thinking about sleeping with my girl here?”
“Bodhi!” I shriek with embarrassment and smack at his backside. Meanwhile, Kaiden scoffs and laughs at the same time, looking deeply uncomfortable and ready to vomit. I guess it serves him right for throwing that question out to me only a few days ago. Perhaps there’s something in the water that makes it ok to ask highly inappropriate questions of people you’ve only just met around here.
“No! No, man, she’s, well, if I were, but I’m not…”
“You gay, Kai?” Bodhi bluntly asks, proving once again, my theory of contaminated, must-say-whatever-enters-my-head, water in the area.
“Kind of,” he replies. I think Kaiden expects him to make some derogatory comment like the ones he receives at school. He begins to scratch the back of his neck in anticipation of it.
“That’s cool,” Bodhi says as he bobs his head. “Max over there, swings both ways but he’s currently on a sex ban for reasons he refuses to share with the group,” he mutters with suspicion, and with a devious smile across his face. “But anyway, my lil’ water baby is off-limits.”
He laughs and eventually swings me down onto my feet where the blood slowly drains from my head and has me feeling both dizzy and nauseated
“Haha,” I fake laugh as I try to push at his inked chest. I end up missing spectacularly seeing as I am still trying to reorientate myself after being held upside down for so long.
“Hey, I am your guardian,” he whispers with a wink.
“Shh!” I hiss, giving him daggers at the same time.
“Kai, mi casa es tu casa! Come and get a drink and enjoy yourself.”
“Thanks,” Kaiden replies, looking a little relieved when Bodhi literally skips off like a ridiculous-looking kangaroo all the way to the bonfire to mix with some of the others.
As we saunter down the beach, chatting about random crap, but mostly enjoying the soothing sounds of the bonfire, waves, and laughter, I point out some of the people I’ve made friends with over the summer months. A few of them wave hello, while others stop and chat so I can introduce Kaiden, now known as Kai, properly.
“I never knew this was here,” Kai admits, “I was always told it was ‘Stoner Beach’ and to stay clear, but-”
“I know, they’re pretty cool, aren’t they?”
At that moment, a woman, with a grin I know all too well, runs over to hug me, and then swings me around on the spot.
“Hey, chickadee,” she laughs, before kissing me on the cheek, “we’ve missed you. Daddy still being an assface?”
“Pretty much,” I reply with a sigh, “better than being ‘dick faced’ though, right?”
“Oh my God, I laughed about that for days! Only you, Beth!” She taps my arm as she falls into fits of laughter again.
“Yes, well, can’t say it was funny at the time. Anyway, Annie this is Kai, Kai this is Annie; Bodhi’s long-suffering girlfriend, of sorts.” They smile as they shake each other’s hands, and in a much more dignified way than Bodhi just did. Also, without the blunt questioning over Kai’s sexuality, much to his relief.
“Listen, drink a few bevvies, have a little high, then come dance with us!”