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"Yes, that would be great. Thank you sooo much, Ani. Please let me pay you?"

Ani shook her head. "No, I already told you. I'm not doing this for the money. I love surfing, so it feels like a rite of passage, you know? Sharing the surf-love. Helping a new surfer learn the ropes. Or the rails, I should say. Someday you'll help someone and pass on the good karma."

"I will," said Lena. She climbed out of the Jeep, and Kai leaped out of the back seat.

"Call me later," he said, enfolding Lena in his arms again. He was deep in the middle of a goodbye kiss when Ani honked, making them both jump.

Lena laughed. "Bye."

Ani drove away, Kai waving from the front seat.

Lena knocked, and Pem threw open the door.

"I am a surfer now," said Lena.

Pem squealed and hugged her. "I know! I can't wait to surf with you. Come on in. Mama Mia's fixing dinner. You can stay, right?" One of Pem's moms was named Mia, so Pem had grown up calling her Mama Mia. Her other mom was just "Mom."

"Sure," said Lena. "Can I take a shower first, though? I'm all salty."

"Yeah, yeah."

"But first I want to hear your big news!"

"Come to my room," said Pem. From the glow on her face, Lena knew it had to be about Max. Once they were inside, Pem burst out, "Guess who called me?"

"Hmm, let me see," said Lena. "The president?"

"Stop!" said Pem, pushing her shoulder. "You know it was Max."

"I'm stunned."

"I was so nervous I could hardly breathe! We talked for, like, half an hour."

"Really? What did you talk about?"

"Oh, you know. We were just talking. Nothing special. About school, and music, and surfing. He said we should hang out sometime."

"Hang out? He actually said 'hang out'? He's in college! Shouldn't he be a little smoother with the ladies by now?"

Pem cracked up. "Probably. But I like that he's not smooth. He even said that college is totally intense, and he kind of misses high school."

Lena reached for a comb, trying not to feel annoyed that they were talking about Max, as usual. She had wanted to tell Pem all about her first time surfing, but clearly Pem's conversation with Max was far more thrilling to her than anything else. "So ... are you going out with him?" She worked the comb through her salt- sticky hair.

"I don't know. It was just a phone call."

"Today it's a phone call, tomorrow you're cruising around in that muscle car of his."

Pem giggled. "Can you just see my moms' faces when he drives up in that thing, all loud and kicking out blue exhaust?" Pem made engine-revving sounds. "'Uh, yeah, see you later, Mrs. Er ... Pem's mom and Mrs. Pem's other mom. I'll have your daughter home early.'" She imitated the sound of tires peeling out.

"Yes," continued Lena, imitating Max. "I'm here to take out your fifteen-year-old daughter in my luuuuv machine."

"I think having two moms is going to make it even harder to date than having the usual parent-combo," said Pem. She fiddled with the braided anklet on her leg. She and Lena had made yarn anklets a couple of years ago. Pem's was three different colors of pink, in keeping with her penchant for all things Jeannie- esque.

Lena didn't answer for a minute, just combed her hair, then she said, "Maybe. They don't want you to date until you're sixteen, I know, but that's pretty standard."

Pem frowned. "I don't want to wait that long, though! I won't be sixteen for four more months. You're lucky."

"I am?"

"That your parents let you start going out with Kai."

"Well, that was different. Kai was already there. They knew him. In fact, they didn't even know we were together until my mom saw us kissing on the beach one day, and the cat was out of the bag. Now they're always trying to make us hang out with them in the family room, instead of in my room."

"Still," said Pem. "How can I make my moms let me go out with Max?" She blushed. "If he asks, of course."

"Pem. He's going to ask. He's just too lame to come right out and do it."

"He's not lame!" Pem gave Lena a playful punch on the shoulder. "He's reticent."

"Reticent?" Lena laughed. "Vocabulary