61. Jasper Ridge

61

Jasper Ridge

I spent half of my life trying to solve the complex equation of Poppy Wells, and the other half falling unconditionally and infinitely in love with her.

Wiping away a bead of sweat from my brow, I picked up my bottle to grab a sip of water. We’d finished training for the day and coach left, muttering something about a family emergency, leaving us like usual to clean and pack up the equipment.

Normally, our practice sessions didn’t run over so late into the afternoon but with the way our scores have been looking these past few competitions, it had given coach even more of a reason to work the absolute hell out of us. Especially me.

I’d taken the brunt of his wrath to protect my teammates.

And honestly? I kinda deserved it.

With trembling fingers, I chucked the bottle back down onto the sand before walking over to where Jakson stood a few meters away to help him with the rest of the equipment, his golden blond hair glimmering in the fading light of the sunset behind him.

Every part of me had been itching to get home to Poppy since I started training this morning. I shouldn’t have left her at home, not after what happened last night. I should’ve been there with her, not picking up the slack from our coach who delighted in abandoning us, once again.

“I’m all done, Cap,” Lachlan grinned.

I nodded in response, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my palm. “Alright, Kidd, you’re good.”

“Cap, come on—” Kai groaned. “That is not fair.”

I shrugged, holding back a grin. “I said whoever finished cleaning their load first gets to go home early. He beat you, Foster. Stop being such a sore loser.”

“Yeah, Foster ,” Lachlan echoed. “Stop being such a loser.”

Kai looked entirely unamused. “You wound me.”

Lachlan grinned devilishly. “Meh. You’ll get over it, Mali.”

“So you’re not going to come and help me, love?” Kai mused, clicking his tongue.

“And take away all your fun? Nah . You got this,” Lachlan grinned, shooting him two thumbs up. “I believe in you!”

Kai rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”

“You love me really!” Lachlan hollered back.

“You two make me sick,” Xander added to the conversation.

“How come you never call me love , Cap?” Jakson pouted, throwing his sweat-covered towel at my face. “Don’t you love me?”

“Course I love you, you big idiot,” I grumbled, throwing the towel back at him. “Now get back to work before coach comes back and kicks all our asses.”

That was a lie. I’d make sure coach would give me the brunt of it.

“AW,” Jakson placed his hand over his heart dramatically. “You do love me!”

“See, why can’t you be like that, Lachy? You used to write me love songs all the time.”

“For the last time, Mali , they weren’t for you! I was just experimenting with some lyrics—”

Lachlan was so wound up defending himself that he couldn’t even hear the laughter trickling from Kai’s lips. Or the pinch of an amused smile tugging at Xander’s.

“Get back to cleaning before I bench all of your asses,” I groaned, shaking my head. Children . The lot of them. “Kidd, with me.”

Walking a few feet away from everyone else, I turned to Lachlan, my arms crossed against my chest. “How’s Hanna?”

Lachlan froze. “What?”

I’d been meaning to catch up with him about what happened at Jakson’s party. About how he’d cradled Hanna against his chest and how she’d relaxed into his touch. I didn’t know what their relationship was but I knew it couldn’t be anymore than friends. Hanna had been involved with Nate’s best friend, Damien, since we were in middle school. I wasn’t sure if they were dating per se, but I knew that he thought of her as his.

I just…I didn’t want to see Lachlan get his heart broken.

“After the party, I mean. She seemed…”

“I know,” Lachlan sighed. “She’s doing better. What Miya said…what she did …I know you can’t hit girls and all, Cap, but she’s just so —” His fists clenched as he took a breath. “I just want to protect Hanna from all that. From her . Miya…she’s like an intoxicating virus and my Han, she’s infected by her. You know, everyone thinks of her as just some emo, dark haired minion who follows Miya around doing her every bidding, but Cap…she’s so much more than that. I can see it as clear as day. I’ve seen it since day one, for Christ sake. Why can’t everyone else?”

“You love her,” I stated. He’d deny it. I knew him well enough. But there was no mistaking the way he held her when she crumbled in his arms. No mistaking the look in his eyes as he cradled her almost limp body. I didn’t know their story, though. Only that she was swept up in something dark and dangerous and he was trying everything he could to pull her out of it.

But in the end, she wasn’t his to love.

She was a wildfire and he was going to get burned.

“I—” Lachlan shook his head. “It’s not that. She just gets me, you know? In a way that no one ever has before and it’s terrifying.”

“I know, Kidd.” And I did .

Poppy was my someone.

My heart was young and naive but it beat for her.

It had chosen her.

Since that very first competition, it had known.

All along. There was never going to be anyone else.

“Yeah?” There was a hopeful tone to his voice.

“Yeah.” I patted him on the shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Lachlan. She’s lucky to have someone like you to look out for her.”

He sighed as he shrugged. “Someone has to keep her heart beating, Cap.”

I nodded, knowing exactly how that felt. I was sure Jakson knew too.

Ruffling his hair, I pushed him away gently. “Go home, Kidd. You earned it.”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. “But you gotta give me immunity against Mali, you know he’s gonna come after me when you set him free.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I held back a grin. “You two are like a married couple.”

“We learnt it from the best!” He laughed, saluting goodbye as he walked back up the beach towards the surf school.

Shaking my head, I chuckled as I walked back over to my teammates, who were still cleaning their respected equipment. Kai and Jakson were in the heat of discussing something, whilst Xander looked up at them occasionally toeing a line between curious and bored. Koa, however, kept to himself on the edge of the group, rarely saying anything to anyone. To be honest, I kind of forgot he was there. He rarely ever showed up to help with team chores. I had a whole notepad full of his favorite excuses.

“I’m done, Cap,” Kai said after a while. “Can I go now too?”

“Not if you’re going to go and kick Lachlan’s ass, Foster.” I looked over to him.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “You gave him immunity, didn’t you?”

I shrugged, just as I heard Jakson snicker beside me. Even Xander looked slightly amused.

“Fine, fine , I’ll leave Lachy alone,” Kai grumbled, shaking his head as he picked up his equipment. A hint of a smile appeared on Xander’s lips.

“Hey,” Jakson nudged my side. “How’s Poppy doing?”

I paused before putting down my equipment. “I don’t know, Sonny. I think she’s okay, but I just get this feeling deep down in my gut that screams at me that she’s in danger.”

“I get that too with Lia,” he admitted. “I just want her to be safe. Someone’s got to look out for them, you know?”

I sighed. “I know, Sonny. I know.”

“I really don’t know why you bother with her,” Koa piped up, overhearing our conversation.

I almost choked. “I’m sorry?”

“There is no Lia and Jakson situation here for you, Cap,” Koa snickered, walking towards me before pushing my shoulder. What did he even mean? “I don’t know what you see in that girl of yours. She is as broken as they come.”

“Jesus Christ!” I shoved him off me, sending him tumbling backwards into Kai and Xander who looked equally as pissed as I felt. “You don’t know her like I do! She isn’t broken , asshole. She’s Wellsy. My fucking Wellsy, so stop chatting shit about her and get back to practice before I put my fist straight through your fucking face!”

“Go suck a dick, Ridge. Your performance has been so shit for these past few years. I don’t even know why you’re our captain at this point.”

“Because he’s got more fucking integrity and determination than you will ever have you silver spooned asshole,” Kai growled, knocking Koa backwards off his feet until he fell onto his hands and knees on the sand. Xander was immediately at his six, and together they looked unstoppable; a merciless duo that even the Gods feared.

I knew why his words were bothering me so much because they were true . Even though I knew that my performance hadn’t been the best these last few years, but still…hearing it from coach was one thing. Hearing it from my teammate, who was supposed to have my back, was a whole other thing.

“Don’t listen to him, Cap. He’s talking shit and we all know it,” Jakson grinned, looking at where the three of them looked like a pack of wolves circling a helpless bunny.

“He’s not wrong though, Sonny,” I sighed, running my palm through my hair as I let out a deep exhale. Shaking my head, I cursed under my breath.

“Hey,” Jakson gripped my shoulders, shaking me until I looked at him. “Block him out. He doesn’t know shit, okay? I know how hard you’ve been trying—we all do, Jasper. Koa couldn’t tell his ass from the waves, so why do we care about what that little fucker says, mm?”

“Because he’s still my teammate and I’m supposed to be his c aptain ?” I countered, to which he just gave me a disappointed glare. “No, because I’m supposed to be his mentor, Sonny. Someone who guides him and who he can turn to help for. So far all I’ve done is make us both miserable. Hell ,” I exclaimed defeatedly, “everyone on this stupid team is miserable.”

“Not me,” he smiled, but I could see through him. I knew how exhausted he was. I also knew that he would rather drag himself to his own grave than ask someone for help. “Listen, Jasper, I know you take every hit this team receives from coach so we don’t have to feel the disappointment. I know you do everything for us so that we all have an equal shot at getting to the Pros. If you think about it, all the opportunities we’ve been given are all because of you, because you care about each and every one of us and want us to succeed to the best of our abilities. That, right there, is what makes you the best captain this team has ever had, and if Koa can’t recognize all the shit you’ve gone through for him and this team, then that just shows how ignorant of a fucker he is. Not you. Don’t ever doubt your ability to lead us, Jasper, because you’ve done a fucking brilliant job ever since you stepped up for us. Not only for us, though, for everything you’ve done for Poppy, and for Lia, and especially for Belle. You have no idea how much that girl looks up to you, mate. You, Jasper Ridge, are one fucking hell of a person. And if you ever forget that, I’ll shove my lightsaber so far up your—”

“Okay buddy, I get it—” I chuckled, patting him on the back in the same way a brother would.

“Go home, Jas. Oh, and make sure to say hi to mamma Vie for me when you get back! I’m pretty sure she still has my washing from last week.”

“Dude–”

“I’m kidding . No, not really. Your mom’s the best,” he winked at me, “and I really do need that washing back, man. ”

“Stop hitting on my mom, you’re grossing me out. And why are you even getting her to do that? You can do your own washing, you idiot.”

Jakson chuckled before shaking his head and pushing me away. “ Seriously . Go back home to Poppy and your mom, Jasper. I can pack up the equipment from here. There’s hardly anything left to tidy up anyway.”

“But I’m the captain, I should be the one—”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Cap, respectfully , shut the fuck up. I’ve got this. I promise.”

I glanced at him. “You sure?”

Jakson Calloway just grinned at me.

“Go get your girl, stupid.”