12 Hours In Paradise (10 page)

“It sounds like they punished themselves instead of you.”

“In a way. They stopped pressuring me when it came to grades after that. Even though that had absolutely nothing to do with it. I push
myself
when it comes to grades. I tried to explain that to them, but I wasn’t really clear about my motives myself, and after a while I was too humiliated to bring it up anymore. I just wanted to put the whole thing behind me.”

“But you didn’t, did you? Put the whole thing behind you?”

“No. I’m still obsessing about it after all this time.”

“What are you obsessing about, the deed itself or something else?”

“Not the deed. Like I told you, I’ve done enough thinking about that to understand my motives. And I’ve come to terms with it, and in that way I’m a better person. I’ll never allow other people’s opinions about me to drive me to behave in a way that’s inconsistent to what I know is right. But even that sounds a little like a cop-out. Like poor me, I only did this because I needed to improve my self-image, and that’s not the way it is. I did it of my own free will, and that’s on me.”

“Impressive.” Arash raised his eyebrows. “Most people probably don’t learn that lesson in a lifetime. You’re fortunate to learn it so young.”

“I guess that’s the silver lining in the whole thing.”

“So what is it? What’s the obsession? Why hasn’t this been put to rest for you? The crystal ball is demanding to know.”

“All this time I’ve been wondering. Who turned us in? In my heart I think it was either Sharene or Talia.”

“You suspect your friends and not someone outside your group?”

“Nobody else could have known.”

“Why would they do it?”

“Talia…maybe because she knew we were going to be caught. The teacher made a comment on her test that got her worried because she wasn’t such a great student and she got one hundred percent. It was something like ‘Amazing turnaround in such a short time.’ She’d gotten a D on the prior test. So maybe she panicked and wanted to place the blame on me before anyone accused her of taking the test from the teacher’s desk.”

“Then why Sharene?”

“I think Sharene was really worried about me and maybe trying to save me from myself.”

“You mentioned earlier that you didn’t speak to two of your friends for an entire month at one point. Was this the reason?”

“Yep. We were all kind of mad at each other. Naturally, everyone was mad at me because I was the one who did it. But I was mad at Talia because she was the one who used the test and wouldn’t let me get rid of it. And Sharene was really mad at me period. Jessica and I stayed close during that time.”

“But you all got together again?”

“Yes. We got over it and got back to our foursome, but it was never really the same with me and Talia. Sharene forgave me and things are really good between us now. But Talia and I never do anything just the two of us anymore. Only when there’s somebody else around.”

“So you want the crystal ball to point the finger at the informer?”

“I guess so. Yeah, I’d like to know.”

“What purpose would it serve at this point?”

“It would just be good for me to know.”

“Would you feel closer to Talia if she was innocent? Would you turn your back on Sharene if she was the culprit?”

“No and no. If Sharene did it, I know it was just because she cared about me in her own way. She wanted to save me from myself probably. And if Talia didn’t do it, well, things have just changed between us and I don’t think I can ever recapture the way we used to be. Maybe we would have grown apart anyway. We’re not all that much alike, just our history. Other than that, we really don’t have a lot in common.”

“The crystal ball says to let it go. Knowing won’t change anything. You’ve already figured out the important part.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“The crystal ball, you mean.”

I laughed, and it was just a way of releasing pent-up stress from reliving that awful time in front of a boy whose opinion mattered to me more than anyone on the planet at that moment.

“The crystal ball, I mean. And what about you? What do you think of me now that you know all of this? Do you hate me?”

“Ha-ha, Dorothy.” He put his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned against him. “It only confirms who I thought you were to begin with. You’re real and loyal to your friends and honest. And brave too. I like you even more, if that’s possible.”

A sense of peace stilled my anxious heart. Something I hadn’t felt for the past two years.

***

“Have you ever noticed how the waves sound all fierce during the day and then sound kind of sleepy at night?” I asked.

“I have noticed that, actually.”

“I wonder why.”

“I think it has to do with wind patterns and the gravitational pull of the moon and lowering temperatures. Or maybe the waves just get sleepy at night, the same as us.”

“Are you sleepy?”

“No. You?”

“Not at all. Anyway, I can sleep on the plane tomorrow.”

“Ah yes, the plane. I’d kind of forgotten about that. I guess I purposely put it out of my mind. It’ll be lonely here without you, Dorothy.”

“Oh, I’m sure. With Harrison and all your other friends. Seems like you guys will have plenty to keep you occupied.”

“But there won’t be any Dorothy to keep me occupied.”

“How much longer before you go home?”

“Four more days. Four long, lonely days in paradise.”

“Poor baby.” I reached over and tousled his hair. It was still damp but regaining its curl. I combed my fingers through it to fluff it back in place.

“Mmm…feels good. Can you do that forever, please?”

Running my fingers through Arash’s hair forever? I could imagine that.

And then I couldn’t.

What was the point of this night when we’d most likely never see each other again after a few more hours? But I couldn’t tear myself away. Not until the last minute.

“Dorothy, let’s go swimming. Right here. Right now.”

“In the ocean?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

“Uh-uh. I saw that movie
Jaws
. I know the girl gets eaten by a shark when she’s swimming at night.”

“That was a movie, Dorothy. And I don’t believe it was at night. I think it was still light.”

“Nope. Definitely at night. And it was based on a true story.”

“At night the sharks are sleeping.”

“Arash, you might be really smart. But obviously you don’t watch Shark Week. Sharks love to come out at night. That’s the worst time. That’s when they like to hunt.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

“Okay, then I’ll have to take your word for it because you seem so passionate, which is usually a good indication of confidence. So let’s just go in up to our knees. Surely a shark can’t swim in two feet of water?”

“All right. But only because you’re so
passionate
about wanting to do it,” I teased him.

We stood to walk down to the water, when out of the side of my vision I caught a blur of rapid movement. Coming straight at us. I turned to see a pit bull—off leash—traveling at supersonic speed. In one swift movement, Arash pulled me behind him, putting his body between me and the oncoming dog, who, within seconds, was at our side wagging his tail, in fact his entire body. Smiling up at us like a goofy little kid.

“Hey, boy.” I reached down to scratch him behind the ears.

“Boy?” Arash was pale with fear. “Is there a human around who controls this beast?”

“He’s fine.” I kneeled down and continued to pet him. “You don’t have any pets, do you?”

“No, I don’t. Does this qualify as someone’s pet? If so, where are they and when will they be here to remove him?”

The dog licked my face, and Arash squeezed his eyes shut.

“That was cute, Arash. How you were trying to save me and all.”

“Think nothing of it,” he mumbled. “When you have reflexes as fast as mine, it’s sometimes hard not to be a hero.”

He was trying to joke his way out of it, but I could sense he was nervous. He looked down at the dog and tapped its head lightly a few times in an odd version of petting. The dog licked his hand, and Arash pulled it away and wiped it on his shorts.

“Are you certain he won’t bite us?”

“I’m sure. Look, you can tell. He’s giving all the signals of submission and friendliness.”

Arash leaned over and pet him again, this time a little more enthusiastically. “I suppose he does have a certain amount of charm. The smile on his face is somewhat endearing. But then again, sharks have that same smile, don’t they?”

“Buster, get over here!”

A scraggly-looking couple came sauntering down the beach.

“Are they talking to me?” Arash asked.

“I think the dog’s name is Buster.”

“Of course. What else would it be?”

The man wore a torn wife-beater t-shirt with stained khaki pants that he held up with one hand. The woman, whose sex was identifiable only by the fact that she wore a skirt, was barefoot and also sporting a filthy tank top. They headed straight toward us.

“Buster, I see you made some new friends,” the guy said. “Buster’s always making new friends.”

So these were the crazies the guy warned us about. I hoped they weren’t too crazy. Arash put his arm around me protectively, and it felt hard and tense, not like it had earlier when he pulled me close to him.

“He’s a friendly chap,” Arash said. “Beautiful animal.”

The stench that came from the couple made me force back a gag. The woman was missing all of her front teeth, and the man wasn’t too far behind. The teeth he did have were brown and rotting. Their matted hair might have been gray in color, or possibly it just hadn’t been washed for months. Their age was impossible to determine. They could be twenty or they could be sixty.

“Got any smokes?” the man asked, looking us up and down. The woman’s eyes skipped back and forth from Arash to me. Buster nuzzled my hand to remind me he was still there. I stroked the top of his head.

“Personally, I don’t smoke,” Arash said. “Never have. Sorry. My friend doesn’t smoke, either.”

“Got any smokes?” the woman asked me as though Arash hadn’t just answered her.

I shook my head no.

“You talk funny,” the guy said to Arash.

Poor Arash. How many times did he hear that in a week?

“Funny ha-ha, or funny peculiar?”

The guy burst out laughing, which sounded kind of like a cross between a wheeze and a pant.

“Both,” he said once he caught his breath. His hand kept clutching at the beltless waistband of his pants.

“Got a belt, man? I need a belt,” the man asked Arash.

“He needs a belt.” The woman looked at me. “You sure are pretty.” She picked at a scabby patch on her arm until it started to bleed. Small beads of perspiration dotted her forehead.

“I don’t have a spare belt on me. Or any belt for that matter.” Arash lifted his shirt to reveal the waistband of his shorts.

The man pulled the butt of a cigarette and a rumpled matchbook from his pocket. “Help me out, would ya?” he implored the woman. She took over the job of holding up his pants.

Arash’s grip tightened around my waist, and he took a step in front of me, nudging me a little to the back.

With badly shaking hands, the guy attempted to strike the paper match against the matchbook cover. Not even a spark.

“Let me help you with that.” Arash took the matches from him and lit one on his first try. He held it out while the guy leaned forward to suck its flame into the butt.

“I know why you’re here. You come to see the ghost surfer. You know about him?” the man asked after slowly exhaling a stream of smoke followed by a long, loose, rattling cough.

I was grateful to be upwind from him.

“Ghost surfer?” Arash seemed genuinely interested. “Tell us more.” 

I pinched his arm, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“But now at rest—though haunted / By the death-scenting shark,”
the woman growled in an otherworldly voice.
“Whose prey no more undaunted / Slips from it, spent and stark.”

“She used to be a teacher,” the man said. “A real English teacher with a real college dee…gree.” He cackled as though he had just told a hilarious joke.

“When did you see the ghost surfer?” Arash asked.

“When did we see him? When did we see him?” The woman looked anxiously from her friend to Arash to me, then back again to the man.

“We saw him yesterday, the night of the full moon,” the man said. “The ghost surfer…the zombie surfer. That’s what he was—a zombie surfer.”

He laughed, exposing the inside of his putrid mouth. “C’mon, Buster. Let’s go.”

“Bye, Buster,” I said meekly, realizing it was the first thing I’d said since they arrived on the scene.

They strolled away, Buster in the lead running joyously ahead of them, dipping into and out of the waves as they slid onto the shore.

“That just happened,” I said once they were far enough away not to hear.

“Interesting.” Arash looked out at the ocean. “Ghost surfer. Do you suppose there really is one?”

“I think they’re on drugs,” I said. “That’s what I think.”

“But maybe…” Arash sounded wistful, like he almost was hoping for a zombie surfer. To me, those two had been zombies enough for one night.

“Now you’re starting to worry me,” I said. “We’re more likely to run into a shark crawling on its belly in two feet of water.”

We waded into the water, calf deep. Even at night it was warm and silky. The hem of my dress, suddenly heavy with moisture, pulled against my shoulders and swirled around my legs. Arash reached down and splashed me.

“Hey!” I kicked my foot up to splash him back. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and then removed his glasses to dry them with his shirt.

“Listen here, missy. Maybe I missed Shark Week, but from the sound of it you most certainly missed Zombie Week,” he said.

“Arash.” I turned to face him and took his hands in mine. “I’m beginning to think I’ve finally discovered your weakness. You’re actually scared of zombies, aren’t you?”

“Who me?” He gave a short, guttural laugh. “Well, maybe just the fast-moving ones. The slow ones are easy enough to outrun.”

“Here I’ve been thinking that nothing fazes you. Zombies. Who would have thought?”

“Just don’t let the word get out,” he said. “It would be bad for my image. Especially with the girls. Please don’t tell the girls.”

“You’re so silly,” I said. “C’mon, let’s go back. We need to answer some more questions.”

“Look, there he is!”

I snapped my head around to see what he was looking at. For a second I expected to see the druggie guy swimming in the ocean.

“Oh, too bad,” Arash said. “You just missed him. The zombie surfer. He wiped out.”

I removed his glasses and dipped them into the water. He watched, passively accepting his punishment. Without them he had a slightly unfocused gaze that was exceptionally sexy. I handed them back, and, once again, he wiped them off on his shirt.

“That’s what you get for scaring me,” I said.

“And what do I get for saving you from the belly-crawling, shallow-water-loving sharks?”

I kissed the tip of my finger and then lightly touched my finger to his bottom lip.

“That’s what you get.”

“That’s all?”

It was the closest we’d come to sharing a kiss. A perfect invitation. He was looking down at me. Ready. Waiting. His hands were on either side of my waist.

“Question number fourteen,” I said instead.

Idiot.

“Question number fourteen,” he repeated. Was he as disappointed with me as I was with myself? “Let me check. ‘Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?’”

“Should we sit or walk?”

“You know I think better while I’m walking. Let’s walk toward Diamond Head. I can hear it calling out to us.”

And the truth was it really did seem like it was calling us. Like it was the master of our adventure. But it so dominated the landscape, was so absolutely imposing, I’m sure everyone who saw it fell under its spell in the same way. I’d gone there with my family. Climbed all the way to the top, where we had the most amazing view of the ocean and the city. Even my father submitted to silence while he took it all in.

“Wouldn’t it be crazy to climb to the top at night?” I said.

“If only we could. But they close the trail at night.”

“Have you been to the top?”

“That was something we were planning to do tomorrow.”

“I wish I could go with you,” I said, reminded once again of the brief span of time left for Arash and me to share. Each minute it decreased, my longing for him seemed to increase. “Text me when you get to the top.”

“I’ll do that,” he said. “But you’ll probably still be on the plane.”

“Text me anyway. Do you know that the Hawaiian name for Diamond Head is
Lē‘ahi
? Because the summit looks like the forehead—
lea
—of the ahi fish.”

“I did not know that. But now that you’ve told me, I don’t think I’ll ever look at it the same way again. Before this minute, I only saw the massive diamond shape jutting out of the ocean.”

“But that’s not even why they called it Diamond Head. There’s a type of crystal that forms on the volcanic rock of the crater. The first Westerners to explore it thought the crystals were diamonds.”

Arash pushed his hair back from his forehead and adjusted his glasses that were slipping down his nose.

“It’s funny how a person can take a thing or an event and fit it to conform to their preconceived notions,” he said thoughtfully. “I heard the name Diamond Head and assumed one thing. And so I saw a giant diamond shape. Now all I can see is a huge tuna.”

“I guess it’s that way with people too. I mean the preconceived notions.”

“Meaning?”

The muscles of my thighs ached from walking, but Arash didn’t seem the least bit tired, so I wasn’t going to wimp out and suggest sitting again. If he could do it, I could too.

“Meaning, when I first saw you in the cookie store…”

“Did you even see me? Truthfully.”

“Honestly, I did see you. But I thought of you in a different way. I thought you were like part of Harrison’s posse. And now I can’t imagine that. In fact, I can’t even imagine you being friends with a guy like him. You seem so different.”

“We
are
different. But he’s a good guy. You and I are different too. Differences are what make life interesting.”

“I know. I guess I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I’m just thinking out loud and that came out sounding stupid.”

“Nothing comes out of your mouth sounding stupid, Dorothy. Nothing I’ve heard tonight.”

“Should I answer the question? Question fourteen.”

“I’d be grateful if you did.”