Ocean Pearl by J.C. Burke

opening my toiletry bag to use the
scissors so the bad thoughts would go away. No. Not
me. I simply fell asleep like a normal, regular person.
    Each time my foot hit the ground my heart went thump
in time. My back was so straight I felt centimetres
taller. My eyes burned as I kept them focused ahead,
although I really wanted to glance around to see who
was watching us – because the Starfish Sisters were
heading down to the beach, boards under our arms
and wetsuits on.
    The little grommets didn't notice us but they
weren't the audience I was interested in. Two of the
hottest guys from year eleven just about tripped over
their leg ropes as we walked past them – or rather, as
Ace walked past them in a wettie so tight she may as
well have been naked.
    'Hey, Kia!' The uglier one (if you had to pick) waved
at me. 'Good luck at camp.'
    I smiled back, careful not to open my mouth too
much in case my heart shot out of it. It was the first time
that guy had ever acknowledged my existence. And he
knew my name! And he knew I was going to camp!
    Georgie gave me a wink. 'Close your mouth, Kia!'
    'But did you hear that, Georgie?'
    Thousands of times I had walked this path to the
surf. Some days I'd be nervous, like if I was on my way
to a contest. Other times I'd be peaking 'cause the
waves were pumping. But never, ever had I felt as
awesome as I did today.
    Just as predicted, the swell had picked up overnight.
The ocean was a steely blue colour that made me shiver
just looking at it. Waves crashed and swallowed the
rails of the sea pool, churning it up into a washing
machine.
    'This is our break,' I announced on behalf of me and
Georgie. 'Good, eh?'
    'Pumping,' Micki said. 'Not crowded either.'
    'So are we meeting this photographer first?' Ace
asked. 'Or going for a surf?'
    'Hey, I reckon that's him, over there.' Micki pointed
to a guy sitting on the fence that lined the carpark.
    'Go on, Kia.' Ace's fist pushed against my back.
'You're the contact. You arranged it. Up you go.'
    'I'll go with you,' Georgie offered.
    'No need to,' Micki said. 'He's seen us.'
    Ace groaned. I know it was her even though she
looked at me and smiled.
    'Hey, which one of you's Kia? I know it's not you,'
he said, laughing and pointing to Ace. 'I know who
you are.'
    'Oh?' Ace stepped forward and shook his hand.
'Courtney McFarlane. Lovely to meet you.'
    'I didn't know you were going to be here at Lennox
with the others.'
    Ace laughed. Well, sort of laughed, then pushed me
forwards. 'This is Kia.'
    'Hey Kia, I'm Kent Doherty,' he said, shaking my hand
and really grinning. 'Great to meet you. Now, what I had
in mind was a shot of you girls holding your boards and
looking out to sea with an expression on your face that
says something like, "My dream is out there,"' he told us.
'I'm thinking the caption's going to read something like
"Is this the Dream Tour of tomorrow?"'
    I looked at Georgie. 'Wow!' we said together.
    The Dream Tour was the ultimate international
circuit that only seventeen women could qualify for.
    'Now, let me work this out,' Kent said and chuckled.
'You must be Georgie Elwood Ross because you,' he
said, turning to Micki, 'you must be Micki, the baby of
the Oz training team. Am I right?'
    'Yep.'
    'I heard you were coming down to Lennox,' he said
to Micki. 'You're from up the Sunshine Coast, aren't
you?' As he fiddled with the buttons on the camera he
said, 'They say you girls are really going to be the ones
to watch in the next few years.'
    Micki was blushing, which didn't make me feel like
such a dork. I could feel my cheeks burning up, which
must've been making me look pathetic. I was a sponsored
surfer now and I had to look it too.
    Ace was right at home. Her chest was sticking out,
one hand was on her hip and she looked like she was
sucking in her cheeks and raising an eyebrow. I
couldn't possibly do all of that at once.
    Georgie seemed comfortable. She was chatting to Kent
about the camera and how it worked and stuff. But then
Georgie would