Free Catching Waves by Stephanie Peters Page B

“After you madefun of him by saying he had a big ego? Good luck!”
    Kai grinned broadly. “Aha! So I was right! He
is
here to recruit surfers for a movie!” He turned his board. “Well, I’m going to show him my stuff! Then I’m going to ask for
     a part in the movie.”
    Vaughn caught hold of Kai’s leash. “Kai, wait! You’ve got it all wrong! Roger isn’t here to look for extras. He just wants
     to get in some surfing—
without
being recognized!”
    Kai looked at him in disbelief. “Without being recognized?” he echoed. “Oh, come on, Vaughn! The guy’s in the
movies
. I bet he loves all the attention!” He gave a hard tug on his leash and pulled it free of Vaughn’s grasp. “Listen, don’t
     worry. I’ll be discreet!”
    He spun his board toward shore and signaledthat he was going to take the approaching wave. He paddled hard, but he was so busy thinking about Roger that he mistimed
     his takeoff. Instead of catching the wave’s sweet spot, he was bowled over by the curl. His board shot out behind him, and
     he turned a somersault under the water. He surfaced as quickly as possible and pulled his surfboard beneath him.
    Well
, that
was impressive
, he thought as he rode the next swell in to shore on his stomach. He looked around quickly to see if Roger had seen him get
     axed. The movie star was halfway out to sea again. Relieved, Kai lay down and began paddling back to the lineup for another
     ride.
    On his way out he saw Vaughn taking a wave. He paused to watch him. Vaughn was riding goofy foot, with his right foot forward
     rather than his left. When the ridewas over, he floundered to find his footing in the gentle undertow. Vaughn was an okay surfer, Kai decided, but nowhere near
     as good as his cousin.
Or me
, he thought.
    Kai had drifted sideways while watching Vaughn. Now he paddled his board around until the nose was facing back out to sea.
     He met a big wave head on, duck-diving his board right through it.
    When he reached the lineup, he searched for Roger. But Roger had already taken another wave in to shore.
    Kai decided to wait for him to return. As he bobbed in the water, he thought about what he’d say to the actor.
I’ll be totally cool, of course
, he told himself. A
fan, but not crazy like some over-the-top groupie
.
    “Hey, kid, you gonna surf or you just gonna sit there like a duck on a pond?” An impatient surfer interrupted Kai’s thoughts.
    “I’m going to hang here for a bit longer,” Kai shouted back.
    “You could have said so sooner,” the other surfer grumbled. He spun his board and took the next wave.
    Meanwhile, Roger and Vaughn were rejoining the lineup. Kai called out to his idol.
    “R. William, over here!” he yelled. His voice echoed over the waves. A few other surfers glanced their way. Vaughn shot him
     a warning look. Kai ignored it. “I am so stoked to meet you. I want you to know that I
totally
love your movies.
Surfer Dude
is my favorite.”
    “Kai, keep it down,” Vaughn pleaded.
    Kai continued as if Vaughn hadn’t spoken. “So listen, sorry about that crack about you having a big ego. I didn’t know you
     were R. William Masters, star of the silver screen, when I said it, you know? Honest mistake. So about your next movie—”
    By now, more surfers were staring at the three boys. Suddenly, one of them pointed at Roger and gave a small cry of recognition.
     Then she began talking excitedly to the other surfers, gesturing at Roger the whole time.
    Roger glared at Kai as if he were a disgusting bug he’d just found floating in his cereal bowl. “Thanks for nothing! I am
     so out of here!” He grabbed the next wave and blasted his way to shore.
    Kai sat hunched on his board, openmouthed with dismay. Meanwhile, the other surfers gave a shout and hurried to follow the
     movie star. Kai cringed when two of them nearly collided in their haste to catch up.
    Kai turned to find Vaughn glaring at him with even more anger than his cousin