Catching Waves by Stephanie Peters Read Free Book Online

and fixed him with a thoughtful look.
    “This is quite good, Kai,” she said finally. “Informative and interesting.”
    “Really? Uh, thanks,” Kai said.
    “In fact,” she went on, “I think you would make a fine addition to our magazine staff. I know surfing is very popular with
     a lot of our students. What would you think about writing a regular column on the local surf scene?”
    Kai looked at her in surprise. “Me? Be a writer?” he said. “I don’t know.” He thought back to the time he had put in researching
     and writing the article. He realized that even though he had dreaded the assignment at first, once he’d gotten into it, he’d
     kind of liked doing it. “I guess I could try,” he said slowly.
    Ms. Kerns smiled. “Excellent. As it turns out, I already have your next assignment.”She handed him a piece of paper. Kai nearly choked when he saw he was holding an announcement for the surfing competition.
    “This contest is taking place on the beach tomorrow,” she said. “I’d like you to cover it for our next issue.”
    Kai knew he couldn’t refuse. How could he, when he’d just said he’d do it? Besides, she’d probably want to know why he wouldn’t
     take the assignment; even though he had his reasons, he didn’t think she’d appreciate them. In fact, she’d probably advise
     him to deal with the situation head on —grown-ups were like that. So instead, he folded up the paper and stuck it in his backpack.
    “I’ll be there,” he promised.

14
    T he next morning, Kai woke up with a knot in the pit of his stomach. The surf competition was scheduled to take place later
     in the morning. He spent the time before it wondering whether he should simply drop out, observe the contest from the shore,
     and write the article based on what he’d seen. But if he did that, he’d have to explain to his father why he was dropping
     out. Plus, if he did stay on land, he stood a good chance of witnessing something he wasn’t sure he wanted to see anymore,
     namely, the reunion of Sunny and Raymond.And what if Roger spotted him lurking in the dunes? For all he knew, the actor was still mad at him, maybe angry enough to
     have one of his bodyguards throw him off the beach!
    What a stupid mess
, he thought miserably.
And it’s all my own fault. Vaughn’s right. If I’d just minded my own business, R. William wouldn’t have been run off the beach.
     Who knows what kind of grief my e-mail could cause Sunny and Raymond
?
    Kai felt like a heel. If he could have turned back the clock, he would have. But he couldn’t, and in the end he decided that
     if he had to be at the contest he might as well surf. So by mid morning he loaded his board into his father’s truck and together
     they headed for the beach.
    A large section of the beach was roped off. Signs around the area announced thecompetition as well as the presence of R. William Masters, movie star. Spectators were invited to stay and watch but were
     asked to steer clear of the surf until the contest was through.
    Mr. Ford set up beach chairs and an umbrella while Kai joined the check-in line. The line was moving slowly, giving Kai time
     to scan the beach.
    A decent-sized crowd had gathered. Still, Kai picked out Roger right away — the movie star would have been hard to miss, surrounded
     as he was by fans clambering for his autograph. Kai could hear the actor talking loudly and laughing.
    Guess he’s okay getting attention today
, Kai thought.
    He spotted Vaughn next. His friend waved then jerked a thumb at his cousin and shrugged as if to say, “Go figure!”
    Kai continued to search the other faces on the beach. Although he’d never actually seen Raymond — the water in the photo had
     obscured his face — he thought he might be able to guess who he was by his age or his eagerness to find Sunny. But he didn’t
     see anyone who fit that description.
    Suddenly, Kai found himself at the front of the line — and face-to-face with