Surf's Up Page 3

  She could tell that Tom felt the music too. Even though he was using most of the actions Lucy had taught him, there was something extra in the way he danced.

  Mia was pretty good, too, but everyone else looked a bit like robots compared with Tom. Lucy actually found herself copying some of his moves.

  Lucy felt proud as she watched her friends doing the dance she had made up. But it wasn’t because it looked good.

  Bonnie was a terrible dancer, but in some ways she was having the most fun because she didn’t care how she looked.

  Lucy’s face ached from all the smiling. She wished the night would go on forever, but it seemed like the shortest night in history.

  By the time the concert was over, it was really late. Everybody had to go home.

  Bonnie must have been exhausted, because she went straight to bed. Lucy chatted with Tom for a while before she went to bed.

  She was still smiling as she brushed her teeth. As she walked into the bedroom, she was thinking of all the things she wanted to say to Bonnie about their fantastic evening.

  But Bonnie wasn’t in her bed.

  Lucy looked around the room. It took her a minute to realise that Bonnie was up in her bunk, with the doona pulled over her like a tent.

  Lucy held her breath. Something was wrong – she could feel it in her bones.

  Lucy climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and peered in through the hole. Bonnie’s angry eyes looked back at her. Then Lucy noticed what she was doing.

  Bonnie was reading her diary!

  Lucy crawled inside the doona tent with Bonnie.

  ‘Are you OK?’ she asked, feeling bad.

  Bonnie shook her head. ‘No. But at least I know what you’re really thinking now. No wonder you wanted your diary to be a secret.’

  Lucy bit her lip.

  This was going to be hard.

  ‘I’m sorry, Bonnie,’ she blurted out. ‘I know I had some bad feelings about you going to the next level in surfing class. I was all mixed up. I am proud of you. You are incredible. You’re always like that. You just try something, and all of a sudden, you’re great at it. I guess I was a little jealous.’

  Bonnie threw back the doona.

  ‘Well, you’re good at some things that I’m hopeless at,’ she said. ‘What about dancing? I’ve still got a bruise on my head from when I banged into Shane!’

  Lucy didn’t say anything for a moment. She just thought about what Bonnie had said. It was true!

  ‘You’re right, Bonnie,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t fair of me to get jealous. But it wasn’t only about the surfing. It was also that you and Karen were getting on so well, and I felt kind of left out. I wanted us to be doing everything together on this holiday.’

  The anger in Bonnie’s eyes melted.

  ‘Lou, you are my best friend,’ she said. ‘Nothing would change that.’

  Lucy felt a tear slide down her cheek. Bonnie grabbed hold of her hand.

  ‘You are such a nuff nuff,’ Bonnie said gently.

  ‘I am a nuff nuff,’ Lucy agreed.

  ‘Promise you’ll tell me how you feel from now on, instead of just writing about it in your diary?’ Bonnie asked.

  Lucy hugged her friend.

  ‘I promise,’ she said.

  The holiday was almost over. Only one more sleep, and then Lucy would be back home with her family.

  She felt a bit sad – she was getting used to being part of the Preston family. She could tell that Bonnie felt a bit sad too. Even Shane and Tom were quiet. Nobody wanted to do a concert. Nobody wanted to play hide and seek, or soccer.

  They sat on the front porch. They could see a beam of light coming from the lighthouse, and travelling far out to sea.

  ‘It’s great that you went up a level in surfing today,’ Bonnie said.

  Both Lucy and Mia had finally left Luke’s class and gone into Aaron’s class.

  Lucy gave Bonnie a friendly shove. ‘Yeah, except that you and Karen went up another level as well,’ she laughed. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get to be in the same class as you.’

  ‘Next year you will,’ Bonnie replied.

  ‘Can I come again next year?’ Lucy asked, brightening.

  ‘Yes, doofus! Of course you can.’

  ‘Then I don’t care whether I’m in the same group as you or not. We can all muck around together after classes anyway.’

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ said Shane. ‘Next year it should be me or Tom who gets to bring a friend. Isn’t that right, Tom?’

  Tom was sitting next to Lucy.

  ‘Nah, I’m happy for Lou to come again,’ he said quietly, looking right at Lucy.

  Lucy felt her heart beating. It was so loud she wondered if the others could hear it. Luckily, no-one seemed to notice.

  ‘Dinner, surfie kids!’ Helen called out.

  Shane and Bonnie charged inside. They were always hungry.

  Lucy and Tom followed her a minute later, just in time to see Ross putting on his silly apron again.

  ‘Voilà,’ he said, with his best French accent. ‘For you hungry beasts, I present my famous chicken schnitzel, roast potatoes and broccoli.’

  ‘Dad, Lucy hates broccoli,’ Bonnie said. ‘It makes her want to spew. She doesn’t have to eat it, does she?’

  Lucy smiled at her friend. She was so glad things were back to normal.

  Ross shook his head. ‘Lucy, you don’t have to eat your broccoli. Although I do think you should try just a little bit.’

  Lucy found herself doing something she thought she would never do. She put a piece of potato and schnitzel on her fork. Then she squished a little bit of broccoli into it. She put the food into her mouth and chewed.

  ‘Lucy!’ Bonnie exclaimed. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m having a little try,’ Lucy said.

  ‘What do you think?’ Bonnie asked, as Lucy swallowed the mouthful.

  ‘Actually, it’s not too bad,’ she said, smiling.

  Dear Diary,

  Nothing much has changed at home. It’s funny, because it seemed a long time to be away, and I feel different. I even have a real life secret! I’m going to write about it, but I’m also going to hide the key to this diary somewhere VERY safe. Because this is PRIVATE.

  Last night, when Bonnie and Shane went

  inside for dinner, Tom reminded me about the first day of the holiday, when I got seaweed around my neck in the water. That day, he told me I looked like a sea monster. Then he went really quiet and whispered something. He said that I actually looked like a mermaid.

  I wonder what that means?

  I can’t wait to tell Bonnie.

  Anyway, I found a picture in a magazine of the wetsuit I want, and I’ve already started saving for it. It has little pink stripes down the sleeves. It’s even nicer than Bonnie’s green swirly wetsuit. And I really think it might make me surf even better next year!