Senior Year Box Set

“To be honest, I was feeling sorry for myself. You’re all older, and I assumed you wanted to do more adult stuff and didn’t need me tagging along.”

Ashley actually laughed at me.

“Last night, I heard everyone at one time or another say they wished you were there.”

“To pay the bar bill,” I grumbled.

That made her laugh even more.

“You really are a ‘stupid boy.’ You do know that we all like you a lot. Hell, Kevin idolizes you. He can’t stop talking about the princess and the Russian girl you hooked up with. If you ever need an entourage, he would be there so fast it wouldn’t be funny.

“Megan loves her job and thinks you’re the best boss she could ever have. You taking her on this trip and on the one to Japan is a big deal for her. Cindy is still amazed that you gave her the chance to do what she loves. And don’t get me started on Scarlet. You literally saved her,” Ashley said.

“It sounds like you all think you owe me something.”

“That’s not it at all. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but here goes. I don’t like you because of all that you’ve done for me, I like you because you’re you, if that makes any sense. Even if you didn’t have money and weren’t a big movie star, I would want to hang out with you.”

“Thanks, that means a lot,” I said.

“Why don’t you come out with us tonight?”

“I’m actually worn out. I met the family in the condo next to ours, and they have two kids my age. We’ve spent the last two days exploring the island. Why don’t we plan to do something together when we get to New York? I bet I can get some of the New York models who work with Adrienne to hang out with everyone. They can act as guides and show us a good time.”

“So, we’re okay?” Ashley asked.

“We’re good.”

I decided to stay in tonight so I could reflect on what Ashley had said. She was right about my not spending much time with her and Scarlet back home. I wasn’t sure what to do about it, and I was about to leave for nearly eight months to film movies. Then I would be in college. I would have to find a way to make sure they didn’t get left out.

◊◊◊

Chapter 10 – Sextasy Thursday March 30

This morning, it was just Alex and me because Camilla and Nat had decided they wanted haircuts. For some reason, that would take all morning. I got the impression they were going to some kind of spa to be pampered.

Our goal was to go surfing, but when we got to the beach, there were no waves. We stepped into the shop, and Kostas spotted us.

“Did you guys want to go out tubing or wakeboarding?” he asked.

“We planned to go surfing. Is there anywhere that might have some waves?” Alex asked.

“Nothing great. On the other side of the island, they’re reporting only one-footers. Because it’s so calm, we’ve been renting a lot of paddleboards,” Kostas suggested.

That wasn’t something that interested us. We’d been kayaking yesterday to explore the island and were looking to do something a little more exciting than basically the same thing, but on a surfboard.

He tilted his head to indicate we should follow him outside.

“I didn’t want to say anything where my boss might overhear me, but I know something you might want to try. A buddy of mine has a salesman in this weekend to demonstrate a new kind of surfboard that doesn’t need waves. He showed me a video, and I plan to try it out after I get off work.”

This sounded like something I would like to do if my experiences with Range Sports were any indication. A surfboard that didn’t need waves was probably dangerous.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Have you heard of hydrofoil surfboards?” Kostas asked.

“Not really,” Alex said.

“Okay, how do I explain this,” Kostas said and then had a eureka moment. “I know! Are you familiar with how a sailboat has that board that sticks down in the water called a keel? The one that keeps it from tipping over?”

We both nodded.

“Sailboat racers figured out that if they added wings, or foils, to the board sticking into the water, the sailboat would go much faster. Imagine putting a similar type of device on the bottom of a surfboard. Like an airplane, a hydrofoil also lifts your board out of the water, so you fly above it while you surf.”

This sounded promising. Faster and flying above the water were two things that piqued my interest.

“For it to work, you still need waves,” Kostas explained. “From what I’ve been told, they don’t have to be much, but the water has to be moving. To solve the need for wave energy, they added an electric motor. My buddy told me you can reach speeds up to 22 knots.”

I pulled my phone out and did a quick conversion. That translated to about 25 miles per hour. I imagined the envy of all the surfers in California on a calm day when they saw me scooting above the water on one of those gadgets.

“Give him a call and tell him we’re on the way,” I said.

◊◊◊

When we arrived at the shop down the beach, the owner took us out to the dock and turned us over to the salesman to demonstrate his product.

“I recognize you. You’re that actor.”