Shampoo (47 page)

Then Matt just suddenly stops, and
anchors, in the middle of the fucking ocean. Apparently, we were to
paddle across this ‘bar’

(I see no drinks, so disappointing
term)

of water, to surf closer to
Straddie.

“
Is that…a SHARK??” I
asked, watching as a boat near us pulled in a giant
shark.

Lachie laughed. “Sure
is.”

“
There’s sharks here!”
I near screamed. Melinda looked worried.

“
It’s an ocean,
Karina,” Matt laughed. “There’s sharks everywhere.”

That really helps, thank
you!

“
Sharks love surfers,
too,” Lach added. Evilly.

(he’s so evil. Like Seinfeld
evil)

“
We look like big seals
to them.” He clapped his hands like a seal and made seal noises,
then fell about laughing his head off.

I cursed for a bit, but jumped
overboard, and climbed on my board.

We had to paddle all the way
across. It took two fucking hours!!

(Barbie is waterproof)

I was feeling it in my arms! But
I’m an expert paddler now. Can paddle myself out of
anything.

(that’s about all I can do
though)

So we arrive at the ‘barrels,’ and
it was seriously above my retarded surfing level. Only hardcore
surfers were out there, and one almost surfed straight over my
face, then screamed abuse at me.

“
I’M SO-REEEE!” I
screamed back at him. “I’m sorry you’re such an
asshole!!!”

I gave up after that. Paddled the
two hours back to Matt, with Melinda faithfully by my
side.

(Lachie was in his mad surfer
element)

I was so fatigued by the time we
got back to the boat, I had trouble climbing back in.

“
Here, let me get in
first, then pull you up,” Melinda declared. Matt was fishing up the
other end of the boat, and took his sweet time coming to help the
pink seal get back in.

First I tried to just haul myself
into the boat by my arms, but was too fatigued, and kept falling
back into the water. Then Melin climbed in and leaned over to try
to pull me up, but I still had no strength.

Then I tried to stand on the board
and jump across to the boat, but fell multiple times.

Finally, Matt, laughing, saw my
struggle and put down his reel (hmmm), and joined Melinda in
pulling me out of the water.

My surfboard was still attached to
my ankle, but I was so puffed I laid on the deck of the boat, my
leg trailing into the water, surfboard floating happily in the
ocean.

“
Damn, that’s sexy,”
Matt announced, standing over me.

The funniest thing is, he meant
it!!

Lachie eventually arrived back at
the boat, looking like some surf god, and Matt motored us to this
tiny, secluded, uninhabited island that Matt said is called Wave
Break Island. It was beautiful, and all for us!!!!

(Dad always calls me Gilligan. Now
I actually really felt like Gilligan)

We all jumped in the water this
time, and swam to shore, and mucked around on the island. Was
seriously the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. Like our own
deserted island.

“
This is the life!!” I
declared. “Let’s get shipwrecked here.”

Melinda and I buried Lachie up to
his head, which was so fucking funny and satisfying for some
reason. I think cause Lach has such an evil, cheeky side, it’s just
so damn satisfying to get one over on him for once.

Was like something out of a movie
– the boys

(once Lach dug his way out – Melin
and I refused to help him, we just fell about laughing madly at him
trying to escape)

chasing Melin and I up the beach,
all of us frolicking in the water, tumbling with each
other.

I think it was the most fun I’ve
ever had in my life.

I didn’t know days like this
existed! I didn’t know friends like this existed! I didn’t know
guys like Matt existed!

I’m so happy.

Eventually, we headed back, and
ended up next to the Versace Hotel, eating fish and
chips.

As I had to leave, Lachie got it
into his head he wanted to do burnouts with my hire car.

“
Okay!” I replied,
excited. “And I’ll take photos!!” I rummaged in my bag to get my
always present camera out.

They all cracked up
laughing.

“
You’re such a bad
influence, Karina!” Melinda laughed.

“
You are,” Lachlan
said, laughing so hard. “First the Flaming Sambucca. Now, I ask you
to do burnouts, AND MOST GIRLS WOULD SAY NO. You’re all, ‘yeah!!
And I’ll take photos!’”

I got some great pics of Lach
doing some amazing burnouts. He is the best driver!!

I’d arranged to stay
with Joy and Pheebs at John Cash’s apartment at Currumbin, so I had
to leave them all.

(and really didn’t want to.
Especially Matt)

I hugged Lach and Melin goodbye,
them still laughing

(they’re always laughing, I love
those two),

then did the same to Matt. He
seemed a bit awkward and upset.

I kind of felt upset, too. I
didn’t want our day together to end. I had been with him since the
day before…I just wanted to permanently stay with him. Such an odd
feeling for me to have.

I’ve never had that feeling
before.

Hmm.

I continued on to Currumbin in the
GORGEOUS Gold Coast sun, arriving at John Cash’s unit

(slash half a mansion)

at 3.30pm.

Daryl and Colleen Young, Jessica
Jenkins, Joy and her kids and one of Issac’s friends were all
there, on the balcony overlooking the water.

Joy laughingly introduced Isaac’s
friend as Issack, with a K, and told me not only do they have the
same name, but they were born together, on the same day, in the
same hospital, and have been best friends ever since.

I love stories like
that.

“
Pinky!” DY yelled, as
I arrived in my bikini and board shorts. I hugged them all,
secretly delighted to see Jessica Jenkins, as I love her and want
to BE her one day.

Pheebs demanded I rescue her from
family torture

(funny how Phoebe’s family is her
duty or bore, whereas her family – John Cash, his bestie DY, their
family, the shampoo reps – are all my idols and who I wish to
be)

and take her shopping, so I did,
driving to some Pine Something mall in Pine Something suburb with
instructions on how to get there by Jess, which were extremely
complicated and well-written

(meaning elaborate and
confusing)

for a shampoo rep.

I got us so lost, much to Phoebe’s
hysterics.

The shops were practically closing
by the time we arrived.

And all Pheebs wanted was a
Lipsmackers lip balm after all that.

(ugh. 14 year old girls. They’re
kind of exhausting)

To cut a very long story
short

(cause this is taking me forever
to write),

when we returned, the DY’s and
Jess were gone and it was just Joy and the boys.

We swam in the pool till dark,
then sat around drinking and talking.

Then the boys were heading out to
go clubbing, and they asked me to come. But I was there to see Joy
and Pheebs, so I was all, “No, no. You guys go. You don’t need me
there.”

But Joy

(of course!! The mad
woman)

thought it was a great idea, and
practically pushed me out the door with them.

Winking at me as she
went!!

So the boys took me CAGE DANCING
at The Drink.

Seriously!! Cage
dancing!!

I must admit, I’ve never felt as
cool as I did in that moment – both Isaac/ks over six feet tall,
muscles bulging, skin brown and glistening, Isaac already a model
traveling the world, dancing with me.

I think that was my one cool
moment in life. Up high, in that club, cage dancing with these two
guys.

The non-Joy related Isaack, at one
stage in The Drink

(across the road from Cocktails
and Dreams in Surfers…I felt a huge pang for Evvy as I spotted the
lights of Cocktails from across the street),

we were standing in this darkened
hallway, and he leaned his palms on either side of the wall above
my head, leaning in and dwarfing me…just to whisper something I
couldn’t even make out anyway in my ear!

I THINK he was cracking onto
me.

Sometimes I wonder if just any guy
will do. I will just react to any guy that pays me the slightest
bit of attention.

I’m boy crazy!!!

I had to mentally remind myself of
Matt, OH CRAP!!! and Ever, in that moment.

(remember when I was all alone in
bed, for like a year?? With no one in my life?? No, neither do
I)

The boys looked after
me all night, didn’t let me out of their sight, Issack especially
kept his eye trained on me all night. Any guy that came up to me,
he stood there, watching, threatening just by standing there and
staring, scaring all the boys off each time.

(was hot!!)

Eventually we returned to the
penthouse, and stayed up with Joy and Pheebs till four in the
morning.

Joy’s a cool parent. She really
is. She enjoys her kids and their company, just hangs out with
them.

I really admire everything about
Joy. Others may condemn her for her ‘failings,’ but I think she’s
one of the few in life who have got it right!

Sunday morning I was awakened by
Pheebs, and all of us went to the beach, then the pool. Then just
us girls went for milkshakes and shopping at The Oasis at
Broadbeach.

Another swim.

Then goodbyes from me.

Four o’clock I stumbled in the
door, to find my bed rumpled, and I just knew: Ever had been
sleeping in my bed.

That breaks my heart.

I grilled Dan

(habitually playing Playstation -
he greeted me as I walked in the door with my pink fairy suitcase,
“Oh, Kerry! I’d forgotten you live here, you’ve been gone so
long!”)

about my bed and who’d been
sleeping in it

(was more like, “Dan!! Who the
FUCK’S been in my bed??”)

and he replied Evvy, cause they’d
gone clubbing.

At first I was annoyed. Now I’m
just sad about it. Picturing Ever crashing in my bed, cause he
misses me.

There’s a spare bedroom with a
queen sized bed in it, plus the two couches in the lounge that turn
into double futons…he had plenty of spots to sleep!

Makes my heart hurt he wanted to
be in my bed. Like he wanted to be closer to me.

Was he sad as he slept in my bed?
Did he think of me? Did he miss me? Did he want me and long for
me?

Did his heart hurt for
me?

Monday 11 December
2000

7.20pm

Sick. AGAIN. I should’ve known by
how I felt Saturday morning, when Matt was trying to wake me, that
I was brewing something.

Right before my holidays
too!!

Why, cruel world, why?? I want a
great holiday, filled with frolicking and flirting and fun and
friends!! All those great f things!!

The other f word would be great,
too.

I’ve not heard from Ever. I’ve
heard from Matt though.

I’m determined not to fall for
Matt, then I lay eyes on him and (worse) he lays those sexy eyes on
me, and I’m powerless to resist.

Am still thinking about Ever way
too much though.

Tuesday 12 December
2000

5.45pm

Oh, just make it holidays
already!!

I star ten hashed. Ever had
called.

What does he want?? Does he want
me??

6.38pm

And now Matt calls. Damn him and
his perfect ways. How’s a girl supposed to resist when he keeps
acting like this??

Wednesday 13 December
2000

7.17pm

Sick. Survived the work day
somehow.

I’m reading Karen Robards at the
moment. Quite like her.

Matt rang. Ever didn’t.

Do you think Matt is passionate?
Do you think the sex would rock??