New school year. New cover. New update.

I really hope everyone who reads still likes the story! Thank you so much for the votes and thanks all who read!

Only about four more chapters left. The next one will have the final competition.

~

Hannah's POV

I couldn't believe I had lost and Miranda beat me. ANS was at my fingertips only to be smacked away by a bully. I felt so ashamed. I was our only hope of getting our spot back and I had blown it. I didn't want to see anyone and remain sad alone. My mind had been doing this for the last few hours since I had gotten home. I was just going over and over everything.

I wasn't sure how long I had been in my bed. The sky was gray instead of blue so I had been there for a while, but what did I care? I wasn't moving onto the next round and might as well have lived in my room forever. I also didn't want to step foot near the ocean. It had always been my friend and this time it was me who had let myself down out there today.

I was about to go back to sleep where I kept dreaming about the waves and surfing when I heard my door creak open. I glanced up quickly to see that it was Blake and pretended to be asleep. I heard him bring my swivel chair around the piles of clothes on the floor next to my bed and sit before saying, "I know you're awake."

"Blake, leave me alone," I said, trying to muster as much edge to my voice as I could.

"Not going to work, Hannah. Why are you so depressed?" Blake asked in confusion. "You made it to the finals. Dude, you're going to surf at the North Shore."

I had made it? I was sure I hadn't and Miranda had won after I let my emotions cloud over me while I was surfing. A spark of hope inside me lit up like a fire that I thought had burned out but there were still a few embers alive. Then I thought about how Ryan wasn't there today. Did that mean he wasn't going to watch me compete in the competition I had always dreamed of?

"It's time to fess up," Blake said in a brotherly tone. "What's really got you down? Was it because Ryan wasn't there?"

That's when I started ugly crying. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I did not cry, especially not in front of my older brother who would make fun of me for an eternity. I had been crying an awful lot this past couple of days. I guess that's what Ryan did, made me cry.

"I knew he was the problem," Blake said, sounding like he had just solved the aha moment in a mystery.

"H-How?" I stuttered through my tears.

"I may perpetually torture you with Spencer but I know you better than you think. I know how much he means to you and how much he likes you. I was just waiting for it to all unfold and I guess that was now," Blake said, sounding sincere.

It almost made me cry again at how thoughtful Blake was on the inside and how much he noticed when I thought he hadn't been looking at all. I hugged him in response, which he returned. I was not used to having compassionate brothers and I could get used to it.

"Now, will you get out of bed and do something like I don't know, train?" Blake said with his chin resting on my head.

I was about to disagree when Blake cut me off by snapping his fingers. I was confused if he was calling our dog or something but in came Spencer. I thought he was going to tickle me so I started to squirm away but he was too fast. He picked me up in his arms and started walking down the hall.

I kept kicking and screaming for him to put me down but he refused. So much for my sweet brothers I could get used to. I was too focused on getting out of Spencer's grasp that I hadn't noticed all of my friends standing in our family room until he plopped me down on the couch. My mouth dropped. There were all of them: Sam, Brody, Bethany, Alana, and Johnny. Blake and Spencer went to join them. I was almost happy to see Sam until I realized what was going on.

"Do you guys need some kind of sign above you all that says 'intervention' to make this any clearer?" I asked, the sarcasm evident in my voice.

Sam uncrossed her arms and clicked something on the TV remote she was holding. Lo and behold a blank white screen with the words intervention appeared on the screen.

I stood up and said, "Samantha Jensen, I do not need an intervention. What I need right now is for you guys to leave me alone."

I started to get up when I heard Johnny cough not so quietly, "Who said this wasn't going to work?"

Sam turned around and he looked around for who just said that. She glared at him and pushed me back down on the couch.

"I do realize that my little brother's being a tool right now but that doesn't give you any reason to be one too. Let's make my job easier and cooperate," she said like she was talking to a child.

I crossed my arms and decided not to put up a fight. I nodded for her to continue. She clicked the remote again and something else came up but this time it was a shaky video of trees.

'So, it's the middle of May right now and we have Friday off because of a professional development day. We decided to steal Spencer's waterproof camera and go to this lame place,' a voice I knew all too well said enthusiastically from behind the camera.

He turned the camera upward and the familiar sight of ANS appeared; the gorgeous blue water, soft sand, puffy white clouds, birds flying above, and the perfect waves rolling in. I missed it so much. Why were they showing me this? To make me feel worse that we might not get it back?

'Look how nicely Brody just carved that wave,' he said to the camera like an announcer.

He started walking along the beach and all you could see was the sand when he jerked the camera up and my face came into view. I was sitting on my dry surfboard looking at my phone, about to join everyone in the water.

'Hannah!' Ryan yelled. I looked up and smiled widely when I saw him. I wished we were back in those days when all he had to do was be near me for an automatic smile to appear.

'Are you serious?' Ryan asked, directing the camera toward my phone.

'Just checking if we had any extra homework,' I shrugged.

'You're such a nerd,' he scoffed.

'Hey!' I said flicking some sand at him with my foot.

'Look at how nice a day it is and you've succumbed to technology,' he pointed out.

'Okay. Fine,' I said putting my hands up like I was arrested and I showed him that I was putting my phone in my bag. 'Race you there.'

I was already a couple of feet ahead.

'Cheater!' he said before dropping the camera in the sand but you could still see what was happening from a slight angle. He beat me and we were both laughing as we got on our boards in the water.

I missed him and I hated that he was making me feel this way. The past two days all I felt was sadness and confusion. I tried to get on with my life because as he had pointed out we were never in a romantic relationship but I missed being around him.

"Hannah, we miss you," Alana said.

"We want you to win," Bethany continued.

"But we want you to win for yourself," Brody added.

"And we want you to teach Miranda a lesson," Johnny said. Everyone looked at him like that wasn't part of the script.

"And since you've been gone, I've had to be the leader with all of these dorks. Do you not realize how hard that is?" Sam asked in mock annoyance.

"Even though you don't show it, we know that you want to keep going but can't get your feet to move so we'll do it for you," Blake said.

"Be the Hannah we know and sometimes love," Spencer added. Everyone laughed at the last part.

"You guys are willing to do this for me?" I asked starting to get all teary. It was so sweet.

"Stop being so—" Spencer started to say. I kind of needed that because I had been way too emotional the last few days and I had shed enough tears for the rest of my teenage life.

"Of course," Sam interjected. "Ready to make my job easier?"

"Yes," I said firmly. I was ready to get my life back on track and if that meant with or without Ryan, so be it.

I guessed my brothers had convinced my friends to take the "emotional" parts and they got to do the training. So, that's how I ended up on the beach sitting in front of a very confused Johnny and Brody.

Brody was about to end our awkward silence and likely say something insightful when Johnny beat him to it, "Do you still want to be friends with him?"

"If you don't remember, he's the one who ended our friendship," I answered.

"You told Ryan you wanted time to think. Well, this is the time," Brody suggested.

They wanted me to go back to my normal self. Honestly, I wanted to go back to that because my emotions were what almost ruined my chances in the last competition. I never realized how much I actually needed him because he was always there. I wanted to save our friendship, but what stopped me was the fact that he was the one who had ended it.

Maybe in like 15 years, we'd both be in relationships and see each other again in a coffee shop and make awkward small talk about the time we were once best friends. A part of me wanted that but another part wanted him in my future and I didn't know exactly what I pictured him as.

Why did I have to talk to Brody and Johnny about this? I looked up from the sand I was making into a pile and saw them on the porch talking to Sam.

~

Johnny's POV

"I don't think it worked," Brody told Sam.

"Are you sure about that?" Sam asked, motioning her arm to where Hannah was still looking out at the water. She seemed emotionless when Brody and I were down there.

Why were girls so freaking confusing? And people always asked why I didn't want a girlfriend.

"Do we have to deal with all of the emotions? It's weird because Ryan's our friend. Why don't we talk to him?" I suggested. It was probably a better idea anyway and we could hand Hannah off to Sam.

I tried to hint to Brody with my eyes that if we went over there, we'd play Xbox the entire time instead of "talk about our feelings." Sam didn't understand that we didn't sit around in a circle with our coffees and talk about our feelings. We all had different methods of coping and mine was playing video games.

Sam put her hands on her hips and tried to intimidate me by getting up in my face. She was about as frightening as a chihuahua because she was so much shorter than I was. I had to admit this angle was hot but she had a scary boyfriend. Evan would have killed me if I ever tried anything even something harmless like brushing her arm accidentally.

"Do you always have to be such an asshole?" she asked sharply, jabbing her finger into my chest which actually hurt.

"I'm really liking this angle Sam," I said, raising my eyebrow and looking down at her low-cut top. It was purely entertaining to get her all riled up.

"You're such a—" Sam started to say angrily.

"Johnny, stop being a complete ass and let her finish!" Brody cut her off.

Sam let herself cool down for a couple of seconds and looked at me.

"Continue," I said.

She mumbled something along the lines of "my brother has such douchey friends" before she said audibly, "She's losing her way. They had an important friendship and now he's gone. If we don't set her back on her normal slightly controlling and determined path, it's all over."

"How exactly do you expect us to fix this?" I asked. There was some truth to that statement but I really wanted her to take over.

"You guys are no help," she huffed annoyed.

"Thanks, Sam!" I called to her.

"Sam, you still like me right?" Brody asked.

"Sure thing!" she called over her shoulder, going down the stairs and heading in Hannah's direction. I cracked up as Brody shoved me back into the house.

~

Hannah's POV

It seemed like the conversation was taking a while. From their facial expressions, I could see Sam was getting frustrated with Johnny like most people did when they were around him for more than a couple of minutes. We were somehow friends with him, but he could really get going if he set his mind to it. I watched Sam get fed up with them and stomp down the stairs. I was happy she would be here instead of the boys.

I felt Sam plop down in the sand next to me and ask, "Do you like him?"

"Yes?" I said but it came out more like a question. I wanted to be friends with him and I wasn't sure if he still did because he's the one who gave up.

"Do you love him?" she asked bluntly.

"Sam—" I started to say. She wasn't going to let me ease into this.

At the time I was so overwhelmed to even answer Ryan, how did she think I would answer now?

"Hannah, I get that love is confusing and it makes you feel overwhelmed, confused, and rethink things but I need you to try here," she said in a friendlier tone. "I told Evan I loved him at your previous competition."

I smiled and was about to say congrats but she stopped me. Right, I had to "think."

After a minute of not thinking, I said, "Sam, it's different, he wasn't my boyfriend."

"Well now's the time to clear your mind. What do you think of when you think of him?" she asked.

I thought of his gorgeous blue eyes, brown hair that fell into his eyes, his tan skin, his big smile, his nice arms. I wasn't that superficial and didn't only think about his body. I thought about how he was always there, how he always believed in me, how he was my rock, how he was so caring, how he was willing to deal with the mess that was me. If I actually thought about it and stopped letting my emotions rule my head and confuse me, I did love Ryan. I had loved him this entire time, I just hadn't realized it until now. Too bad it was too late, but at least I knew that the old fearless Hannah was coming back.

I smiled and looked at Sam.

"So, I see that you're thinking?" she asked, smiling yet unsure of what I would say.

"I'm ready to be Hannah Gold, the surfer, again," I said confidently looking out at the waves. There were a lot of clouds still in the sky but there were hints of blue that gave me hope it may turn into a nice day.

~

I walked back into my house feeling much more optimistic. Blake, Spencer, Johnny, and Brody all looked up from where they were standing or sitting in the kitchen but I passed them with my hair swishing behind me. My next stop was my room.

I opened the door slowly, trying not to make any noise. It worked because Alana and Bethany were still laughing as I walked in. They both looked at me and their laughter died down. Bethany was sitting on the floor between my piles of clothes while Alana was sitting in my desk chair. She looked better than she had at the party but still not the same. I felt bad because Alana probably felt horrible from my reaction to her announcement and she didn't deserve it.

"So, Sam said you guys were next," I said softly.

"Yes," Bethany answered. "We'll always be there for you and you can tell us anything. We are your best friends you know. You did pick us over the other billions of people in this world."

I laughed. Only Bethany would say that because it was outrageous but true and proved her point.

"Hannah, I'm sorry," Alana said looking at me. Her green-blue eyes looked sad. I hated being the one who caused her sadness because she was always so sweet and upbeat.

"How long have you known?" I asked simply.

"A little over a month. I'm so sorry I hadn't said anything before. It was just right in the middle of finals and the end of school stuff. Then everything with Miranda started and I thought it would disrupt the peace even more. I felt horrible for keeping it from everyone," she said looking down at her hands.

"I guess everyone just has bad timing," I said looking out the window.

"Are you still mad?" Alana asked, bringing her head up to look at me.

"I'll be honest, I was when you first told us but I shouldn't have stomped off and left you there. I was sad about Ryan and I couldn't bear the fact of losing you too. What would be the point of staying mad at you when we could spend all that time having fun instead?"

Alana smiled. I guessed we all had something to apologize for and now it was finally all cleared up. My emotions were finally starting to pile themselves back into the neat stack I had always kept them in.

"I love you guys," Bethany said, pulling us both in for a group hug. "So, are you ready to win this thing once and for all?"

"Definitely," I said looking out at the waves that were ready for me to ride them again. Once I set my mind to something, I was going to get it.

~

We regrouped on the beach with our boards and our swimsuits on. It felt wrong because Ryan wasn't there but my mind was clear and I could only hope that he wanted to be my friend again. I was surprisingly calm. The old Hannah would've overanalyzed this and gone crazy. I was finally able to get my priorities straight and let things play out.

Blake and Spencer stood with their arms crossed and looked at Sam with serious expressions on their faces, "We ready?"

Sam nodded and they both turned to me. I pressed my lips together trying not to laugh at their mock seriousness. They were my silly brothers who could not intimidate me at all. I had seen them make fools of themselves too many times.

Spencer's mouth began to twitch because he was going to laugh but Blake kept his face straight and said, "Three miles, let's go."

They were both off running down the beach in the opposite direction of the Jensen's house. I didn't complain. I finally had my mind set and was ready to win this competition.

~

Spencer's POV

For the past two days, we got Hannah's surfing legs back and she was doing really well. I wished we could spy on Miranda but I had faith that Hannah was going to do great. She was completely determined to let nothing stop her or get in her way of winning. That was the sister I knew.

It was the day before the competition and as I said, she was focused on not letting anything stop her. We had to basically drag her out of the water or otherwise she would've been too tired to perform her best the next day. I had to even force her to get pizza! She put up a fit but once we got to her favorite pizza place, she was scarfing it down. It probably tasted a lot better than the protein shakes she had been forcing herself to drink.

I smirked to myself. Blake and I had fulfilled our mission: we had raised a little brother or at least a little sister who eats like one.

Hannah looked up and noticed me smirking. She asked in confusion, "What?"

"I'm happy I got somewhat of a little brother out of you," I said smugly. If Blake were here, he would've shoved my arm and said that was mean. Then he would tell me when she wasn't around that I was right. But Blake wasn't here right now so that left me to do what I wanted.

Earlier this conversation had occurred between the two of us.

Me: "I'm going to take you to pizza for lunch."

Hannah: "No."

Me: "I want to treat my favorite little sister to lunch."

Hannah: "No way."

Truthfully, I had taken her here to soften her up a bit before I talked to her about something that needed to be done just between the two of us.

"Shut up," she said, her voice partially muffled by pizza in her mouth. "This is the best pizza in town and you know it."

That is exactly why I took you here, I thought to myself.

"You're lucky lover boy's not here to see this," I joked while grabbing a napkin.

"Trust me, we've been here like a billion times," she replied.

I dramatically let my mouth gape open, "And he still likes you?"

That was pretty mean and a very "Johnny move" but I was only teasing her. That was the point of having older brothers, right? To make your sister's life annoying and embarrassing her in front of guys?

I knew exactly what happened with Ryan from Sam and Blake and I couldn't help but laugh at Hannah's reaction. When my laughter died down, I said, "I'm just kidding. Do you think he'll still laugh at this one?"

I whipped my phone out and took a picture of her. Her mouth was open and there was a blob of sauce on her cheek. Another older brother obligation, well my obligation, was to take horrendous photos of her and show them to people occasionally.

I turned the phone to her so she could see it.

"Such a beauty," I commented sarcastically.

"You know I'll get you back. Whatever you throw at me is coming right back like a boomerang," she said, trying to threaten me.

"You will never live up to this standard," I fired back like the hotshot I was not. Hannah rolled her eyes but knew it was true. None of her pranks had been as good as ours. Bethany was still a nice shade of blonde but I thought brown hair suited her and her attitude better.

"Get a grip."

"Speaking of, I didn't just take you to your favorite pizza restaurant so I could watch you inhale it," I began. I was about to drop the bomb.

"Hey—" she started to object.

"Banana, I need to actually talk to you," I said seriously but still slipped the banana comment in there seamlessly.

She dipped a fry in some ketchup and said, "Ooh, looks like you want a heart to heart talk. Who are you, Blake?"

"Can you put the sarcasm aside for one second?" I asked slightly annoyed. Could she not be an irritating little sister for one minute?

"Okay fine. What do you want to talk about, older brother? Girl advice?" she joked.

"Actually, yeah," I responded. She looked up from her fries. "I have feelings for Bethany."

Hannah just stared at me.

"So..." I started to say awkwardly. I couldn't take the silence. Rage, I could deal with but not this.

"What?" she asked calmly, her brown eyes piercing into mine unintentionally.

"What do you think?" I said. "This is not the reaction I was expecting."

"I sort of called it and you don't have faith in me, do you?" she asked, seeming genuinely offended.

What happened to my sister? Did aliens abduct her and take her back to the mothership?

"Forgive me, it's just that when I even commented Miranda had nice legs jokingly you almost strangled me." I had that on video if she wanted to deny it.

"She's a rival. That's different," she brushed off like it was nothing.

"I thought you would have the same reaction because Bethany is your best friend," I was waiting for the tick in Hannah's head to go off to hurt me.

"Spencer, you're seventeen years old. I can't tell you what to do nor can I tell you how to feel. I already made that mistake with Ryan—"

"Seriously?" I asked, trying not to laugh. That was a Hannah reaction.

"Yes and even though you guys bug me to no end, I care about my older brothers. I want you to be happy and besides the last girlfriend you had was that Tammy girl. At least everyone would approve of Bethany."

"Tiffany," I corrected her.

"Whatever. No one really cared."

I shrugged. It was kind of true. She was my girlfriend for an entire month and they didn't even know her name. It was in the past but still, I thought my family was better than that. I must've been absorbed with her to not notice my family's dislike.

"Thanks, Hannah." She smiled. My sister was full of surprises. Maybe Ryan had finally toned her down. Ha, yeah right. Hannah's subconscious would never let that happen.