The date was set. Our flight would leave at 9:45 p.m. on January 4 from the Honolulu International Airport. It was the secret I had been keeping from my friends for exactly 18 days and it was killing me. I was moving to New York City and would only be at Kailua High for half of our junior year.

Our parents broke the news on the first day of the month and from then on, everything changed. Earlier that day, I was even thinking about the year ahead and looking forward to my junior year. It looked so fun; more parties, more friends, more surfing. It was an ordinary day and I had come back from surfing when I walked through the door and saw my family sitting on the couches in our living room. I sat by Jackson whose eyes were glazed over and shot my parents a glare. He never cried unless something huge happened and I had to be the protective older sister because my parents weren't there to have our backs. Then they broke the news to me.

I jumped up and paced around the room in denial. It finally sunk in that I would be torn away from all my friends who I had known since preschool and my life that was deeply rooted in Hawaii. Of course, we had to move to freaking New York because of my dad's job. Of all places, why did it have to be New York? First, the time difference was eight hours. Second, no one even surfed there. Third, it snowed! I was not a snow person. I was a beach person.

When the whole predicament completely soaked in, I wanted to cry but more so I was mad. I grabbed my mom's favorite vase from Italy off the table and was about to slam it right into the wall when Jackson grabbed me. I shook him off and ran straight up to my room. There was a stack of papers sitting on my desk that I had been using to study for finals with, but I just sent them all flying across the floor. My knees weakened and I collapsed on the ground and I wept as I had never wept before. My world was dying.

I started to rebel for about a week like skipping class, drinking, shutting my friends out, etcetera but Jackson, although he was in eighth grade, had a moment of maturity and made me realize that I couldn't let my parents get the best of me. I wouldn't completely accept and be fine with things, but I got my act together. I stopped being my mom's perfect little daughter and rebelling in minor ways yet nothing too drastic like before.

I hadn't told my friends because I was scared of how they would react and I would probably burst out crying. I didn't want their pity and hearing them say that everything would still be the same. I had seen the movies and things would never stay completely the same. My parents hadn't made our move public yet and only told a few people. They agreed not to tell everyone, which knowing my mother would probably be the whole town until I told my friends.

However, I was having a hard time finding the perfect moment to tell them. This summer was supposed to be the best summer yet with the competition but with the Miranda deal happening, I didn't want to bring it up. "Yeah guys, we might lose our favorite surfing spot and, oh yeah, I'm moving too" wouldn't sit too well. I told one person, though. Brody had stopped by my house when I was crying and wanted to know what happened. I hadn't told him just because he was my boyfriend, but I trusted him and he never told anyone's secrets.

I was finally dealing with the whole move reasonably well, so I didn't want to make anything worse than it already was and Miranda was just ruining my summer. Sometimes rebelling against my mom made my day a whole lot sunnier because now I had a better excuse to rebel other than being a teenager. My mom's annoyed face flashed in my mind and I laughed. She was so dramatic sometimes.

Once I heard the door leading to the porch shut, I swept my legs back into my room and closed the window. I went to my closet and grabbed all the things I needed for tonight and shoved them into a bag. I couldn't stand being at my house anymore, even though I was never there anyway because I practically lived at Hannah or Bethany's.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed downstairs. I looked at the table where I had placed my keys earlier, but they were gone.

"Looking for these?" my mom asked, dangling my car keys in her perfectly manicured hands.

She would do anything to get her "perfect daughter" back. Well, she was long gone, I thought. I held out my extra pair of keys and shot her a smug smile. Her mouth practically hung open, wondering where I had gotten them. She didn't realize that someone could be one step ahead of a woman who was already two steps ahead. The look on her face was even more priceless than the other one. I smiled smugly while walking out the door, leaving her standing there in the foyer.

I jumped into my blue convertible and sang along to an annoying Justin Bieber song as I waited for my car to start up. Down the street, I recognized the back of someone.

"Get in dweeb," I offered, slowing down the car to keep pace with him.

I could tell he was thinking carefully about his response, what an annoying brother. What happened to being the mature one?

"Fine," he answered while opening the door. I grabbed all the junk I had on the passenger seat and threw it in the back.

"Your car is a mess," he said with disdain.

"Don't insult Kimberly," I said, pretending to be offended while rubbing the dashboard.

"God, since when did you name it?"

"When I got the car. You're so out of it," I said while driving off. "Jeez, you're a slow walker."

We were only like two houses away from ours.

"You actually thought I was walking all the way to Carson's? I could hear you singing, so I slowed down a bit. Speaking of that, turn this garbage off," he said turning my stereo volume off.

"Hey!" I said while swatting his hand away and turning the volume up to something reasonable.

"Turn right then it's up here on the left," he directed.

"I know where Carson lives. I did date Parker for a while if you don't remember," I said for a matter-of-fact. He made a disgusted face and shivered dramatically.

Parker was one year older than me and looked exactly like Carson. They both had nice brown eyes and dirty-blonde hair. I dated Parker for a couple of months and I always liked to tease Carson that I could be his future sister-in-law. It just kind of grossed out Jackson that he accidentally walked in on me making out with his best friend's hot older brother.

"I know you'd just like to forget," I said, driving up to Carson's house. Of course, Parker just happened to be there working out on their front lawn. He waved and I wryly waved back. Jackson looked at me and I shrugged.

"Have fun!" I said while he got out of the car. He gave me a sympathetic have fun with Parker look.

Parker and I broke up on good terms, but he still went out of his way to make it awkward whenever I was around Brody. He greeted Jackson on his way over to my car. He was all sweaty and he still looked incredibly hot. He flipped his hair out of his brown eyes and grinned his perfect white smile at me. His six-pack looked even better and more defined than it had last year.

I was in a daze when I remembered I had a boyfriend that I was fully committed to and I immediately snapped out of it. Parker had this effect on almost every girl he looked at or talked to. He made you forget everything going on around you, but that also led him to be good at playing with the hearts of innocent girls. He knew he had this effect with his body and charm and I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction. I liked Brody very much.

I flashed Parker a fake smile.

"Looking good, Huntington."

"Stop playing this game, Parker. It's not going to work, let me think, ever," I said trying to keep a neutral face.

"Ooh, Alana's trying to be tough now," he laughed while crossing his very toned arms and resting them against my car. "So, how is the boyfriend?"

"He's good. That's exactly where I'm going next."

"Decided to stalk me on the way?"

"You wish. Why were you even working out on your front lawn?"

"I've gotta maintain all of this," he said with a sweeping hand down his abs.

"See that house?" he asked, pointing to the large blue-paneled house across the street. I nodded. "That's Julie Kristen's house."

I remembered her. She graduated the previous year and was by far the prettiest girl in the entire school, but now Sam had taken that place. I was surprised that Parker hadn't gone out with her yet and they were neighbors, but I guessed that would be hard when she was off at some party school on the East Coast.

I heard my phone vibrate in the cupholder and glanced at the screen. It was from Brody and I was about to unlock my phone to text him back when Parker grabbed my phone faster.

"Look who it is," Parker gasped. "Should I text him a picture of my abs? I think he'd like that."

I tried to reach across the seat to grab my phone from him, but he moved it even further from my reach. After a few seconds of me struggling to grab it and threatening him, he gave it back to me.

"I'm not that much of a dick, Alana, and I'm liking the view," he said, smirking.

"Ew," I said, pulling up my tank top.

I started my car up again. I could only handle so much of an annoying ex-boyfriend for one day.

"Told him you're moving yet?" Ugh, of course, Jackson had blabbed.

"Yes."

"What about the other surfer juniors?"

"Not yet."

"Have fun with that. Catch ya later, Huntington," he said as I drove off.

I was not going to have fun telling my best friends, who I never in a million years ever wanted to see sad and definitely not because of me, that I was moving.

~

Hannah's POV

It was 9:55 p.m. and I was laying in bed under the covers, waiting for Bethany and Alana's plan to take action. My parents assumed that I was really tired from training and decided to watch a movie on my computer before I fell asleep, but in reality, I was hoping my friends were coming to take me to a party. I even had my blue bikini on underneath my shirt.

I was watching Paranormal Activity 2, which my brothers had given it to me as a birthday present. I wanted to tell Ryan that I wasn't such a baby and I could actually watch it without him there with me. This was the first time I had opened it since they had given it to me. It was so creepy and it wasn't the best decision to watch it at night, alone, and in the dark. I was subsequently holding onto one of my pillows so tightly. I tried not to scream when something popped out because then it would blow my cover of pretending to be asleep, but it was just too creepy at times.

After the latest jump scare, I slammed my computer shut. I was not going to tell Ryan about that part. I was trying to calm down when I heard a tap on the window. I screamed and turned on my bedside lamp. I was relieved once I saw that it was only Bethany and Alana. I opened the window.

"You scared me half to death!" I whispered yelled.

"I could tell. Watching Paranormal Activity?" Bethany smirked, poking her head through the window.

"The second one actually," I corrected. "Don't tell Ryan that I couldn't finish it."

"Fine, now let's go."

I rested my brother's old CPR dummy on my pillow and put an old blonde Hannah Montana wig over it. I put my pillows under my covers so it looked like I was sleeping if my parents came in and checked on me.

I hopped out the window and was careful not to hit the bushes below. My parents' bedroom light was still on so Bethany and I carefully ducked under it. I grabbed my board, which was leaning against the side of the house, and walked to Bethany's car parked two houses away.

There was a car parked in front of her caar and I saw two muscular bodies walk into the car. I knew exactly who it was. I thought they said any party I went to it would automatically be lame and I thought our parents made them stay home, too.

I quietly leaned my board against Bethany's car and I walked over to the other car. I could hear them inside laughing at something dumb and boy-related, so they didn't notice me until I tapped on the driver's window.

"Ah!" they both yelled.

I had to bite my lip from laughing and giving away my identity.

I could hear Spencer ask, "What should we do?"

"I don't know," Blake replied before rolling down the window while I ducked. Such dumb asses, what if I was a masked murderer?

"You're such an idiot!" Spencer said, trying to roll it back up.

"There's nothing th—"

"Boo!" I screamed.

"Ah!" they both screamed. Blake grabbed onto Spencer, but once he saw it was me he let go embarrassed and I fell onto the ground in a fit of laughter next to the car. For once, Little Hannah finally got back at them for all the years of teasing and pranks they had pulled on me.

After my laughter had died down completely, I questioned them, "I thought mom and dad made you guys stay home?"

"I thought mom and dad made you stay at home?" Blake asked, throwing it right back at me.

"I asked you first," I pointed out, my hands on my hips.

"We can't miss this party since Shane's back in town. Now, we won't tell mom and dad about you if you don't tell them about us. Deal or we all go down," Spencer offered.

"Fine."

"Seriously, you're encouraging her?" Blake asked, trying to be the responsible eldest sibling. We both looked at him with pleading puppy eyes. I hadn't been night surfing in so long.

"Fine, I'm not encouraging this but I want to go to that party. Let's go now, though. Hannah's obnoxious laughing probably woke up the entire neighborhood."

"Yay!" I squealed as I ran back over to Bethany's car and tied my board to her roof. I got in and turned up the radio. We sang along as we drove to Johnny's house on the other side of town.

We parked the car and grabbed our boards. I saw a bunch of string lights coming from the beach and could hear faint music. Everyone looked like they were having a blast either drinking, dancing, talking, or surfing. Someone offered me a drink but I declined. Drinking and surfing did not mix, and I was there to surf.

The night was so pretty with the moon shining brightly over the water. I started walking where a bunch of people were when I saw Johnny picking up empty cups from the ground.

"Hey, nice party," I said hugging him with one arm. "But why are you cleaning up?"

"I'm trying to limit the mess that Shane is obviously going to create," he said, his voice drifting a little. He was looking at something behind me.

Shane was Johnny's hot older brother and as far as I knew, Johnny didn't like him. I could see why because there was a lot to live up to. Shane was the school's quarterback, super popular, a great surfer, had good grades, and not to mention he was great looking.

"I need to take care of this," Johnny said, still preoccupied looking at the person behind me. I turned around to see a girl from our school barfing in the grass. I felt bad for Johnny having to be on patrol at his own house.

I made a quick round of the party, saying hi to everyone before grabbing my board and walking to the beach. I left my shirt and shorts in a pile by everyone else's and walked to the shore. The water hit my toes and I started paddling. My muscles were still a little sore from training, but I wanted to surf. I even snuck out, so there was no way I was going to miss out on night surfing.

I paddled to the side of the crowd where I could still see people in the distance, but I was practically alone. I regretted not going over there because it was kind of creepy and I had just watched the majority of a creepy movie. I heard someone in the water coming up behind me and automatically held my breath in fear.

Please don't let me die. Please don't let me die tonight, I begged.

"Hey," Ryan's familiar voice said. I was relieved and let out all the air I was holding.

It was weird seeing him again since I hadn't seen him all day. I was so used to being with him every day. I saw him at least 350 days of the year and I had missed him already. I had separation issues when I didn't see people that I usually saw at least once a day during the summer.

"Couldn't handle watching it alone?" he teased. Wow, Bethany must've ratted me out. I splashed him and watched my glow stick sink into the water.

"Aw," I said pointing to it.

"I'll grab it," he said in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Ryan, you don't—" I said, but was cut off by his splashing.

It must've been pretty far down because he was under the water for a good 20 seconds. I thought he had drowned or got caught on something so I began to look around. I looked down into the water and right as I did, he resurfaced close to my face almost hitting me if I hadn't moved.

He crossed his arms on my board and rested his head on them, my glow stick bracelet in hand. I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them like I was cold when it was pretty warm out.

We sat in silence for a while, staring out at the ocean in different directions and listening to the waves rock my board until I ended it by asking, "Whatcha thinking about?"

"You," he said, not looking at me. My heart immediately sped up not getting good ideas.

"What about?" I asked, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.

"How you're going to win the competition," he said looking up at me and smiling. I splashed him.

"What was that for?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You scared me. I thought you were going to say something like you secretly hate me." Or something worse like he liked me then things would get a whole lot more horrible.

It was already bad enough that I liked him and I just needed to get over it. I shouldn't have even thought there was a remote possibility that Ryan would have liked me because he definitely did not see me in any other way than a best friend. I was just the stupid one for ever thinking there could be more. I had nothing to worry about and just needed to play it cool like I had before and I had been doing a pretty good job of it.

"Hannah, who would hate you?"

"Who would like me?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Me and don't even talk." I was about to say something when he continued and what he said was unexpected, "Guys flirt with you all the time, but I think you just choose to ignore it."

"What? Do explain," I said crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows at him.

It was the first time I had ever heard of this. I wondered how long this had been going on and why Ryan decided not to tell me. Guys never flirted with me so Ryan must've gotten my hopes up and been lying because the only time a guy had clearly flirted with me was Will or a couple of the guys Sam had mentioned during our training session. Even if they had, why would I "choose to ignore it?"

"Uh well..." Ryan began to answer awkwardly, but he trailed off. I looked at him to proceed.

"Well—" he was about to continue saying, but he was cut off by a popping noise.

We both looked up and colors exploded in the sky. The fireworks were perfect timing for him because I wanted to know his answer. I looked down at him and he smiled mischievously while swimming back over to his board. I watched the fireworks and thought about what had just happened while numerous colors exploded onto the night sky.

I swore I could hear a hint of jealousy in Ryan's voice when he said that guys flirted with me, which I still think he was lying about. I remembered I couldn't think like that because Ryan was off-limits even until death and he'd never feel the same way about me, but a part of me wanted him more since he was so unattainable. Then I snapped myself back into reality and out of my dream world because my friendship with Ryan was more important than just a silly crush that would go away.