Chapter 12
Vince stood next to his bunk, busily stuffing clothes into a backpack when Peter entered their room. He had just come from the showers after the Saturday chores were done. The hallway was bustling as many of the boarders had plans to head out for some free time away from the school for a change. The weather was perfect as usual and it was a good weekend for some fun.
Peter noticed his roommate packing all sorts of things into his backpack. “What’s all that crap you are bringing? I thought you were going paddleboarding?”
Vince kept stuffing clothes into his backpack and casually said, “We are. Just clothes and whatever.” He threw a glance over at Peter. “You still coming with us, right?”
“Looks like you’re packing for a week,” Peter laughed. “And what is that, a flashlight?”
Vince winked at him. “You didn’t see nothin.’”
“Yeah right. What do you need a flashlight for? Sun not bright enough for ya?” Peter kidded him.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Vince deflected him. “You still coming right?”
Peter could tell he was hiding something. He decided just to drop it, though. “Yeah,” he answered nervously. “Just doing this thing first with Kaila. Then we’ll meet you there.” He tried to deflect any curious questions about where he and Kaila might be going. “What’s the name of the beach park you are going to?”
“Papalaua. No tourists. Just locals go there. Last one before you get to the pali. Kaila knows where it is.”
“OK cool,” Peter said as he was heading for the door.
But Peter wasn’t getting away that easily. “Hey,” Vince called out. “What ‘thing’ you got with her?”
Slowly turning around, Peter shrugged. “Just this thing down at the mall with her little sister.”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding. The keiki hula? Ha ha! Been talkin’ to her a few weeks and already whipped!”
“Whatever man,” Peter laughed. “You should talk. You’re in love with Taney.”
“Oh bite me. I don’t like her,” Vince deadpanned.
Peter kept on. “Yes you do. You drool every time when you’re next to her in the serving line. Even at the mention of her name, ha ha.”
“Oh whatever.”
“Here, you need a towel? Got a little on the side of your chin there,” Peter teased him. Vince slapped his hand away. “We’ll see you down there.”
Vince got in one last dig at him. “Have fun at the kiddy hula.”
Peter walked down the school’s main road to the entrance just past the football field. The sun was bright overhead and the sky was clear over the channel and islands in the distance. Both were clearly visible with no cloud cover. A large cruise ship was anchored a great distance from the shore and Peter noticed the small tenders bouncing across the waves towards the Lahaina pier. They carried tourists from the cruise ship for a day on Maui.
It was “Boat Day” as the locals called it. Once or sometimes two or three times a week, depending on the season, the cruise ships touring the islands would drop anchor off Lahaina. On top of the usual crowds of tourists in Lahaina, there would be hundreds more canvassing the small streets of the quaint little town. The local shopkeepers embraced the cruise business from the tourists whole-heartedly as well. And the good thing about it, as far as Mauians were concerned, was that when the sun went down, all the tourists from the ship went back onboard and things would go back to normal.
Kaila had told him to wait by the entrance while she retrieved her scooter from her aunt and uncle’s house. A few minutes passed when he finally heard the sound of a small scooter motor come puttering up the hill. Kaila came bouncing along on her baby blue scooter, with sunglasses and a white helmet on. Her ponytail was fluttering in the breeze out from underneath her helmet. A big smile crept over Peter’s face as he watched her approach. He held out his thumb as if he were hitchhiking.
Kaila smiled back as she came to a stop right next to him. “Need a lift, mister?” She whistled at him. “I wasn’t gonna stop ‘til you flashed that skin at me, ha ha! Nice shorts!” It was true, the boarders rarely got to wear shorts while working at school or attending classes. Although he still had to wear a collared shirt as it was required for boarders if they were going into town. She had never actually seen him in casual wear. And for that matter, he had never seen her in shorts either. He had to admit, she looked pretty darn good in them too.
“You’re looking good in yours too,” he laughed.
Sitting down behind her, he grabbed the spare helmet off the backrest and put it on. He flung his backpack over his shoulders and then swung onto the scooter.
“All set?” she asked.
“Yep. Let’s see what this hog can do.” They set off down the hill towards Lahaina. He placed his hands above her hips and she grinned as she felt his warm touch on her waist.
“Hey, watch those hands, buddy,” she yelled out over the engine hum in a teasing manner.
“I’ll be good,” Peter said. “At least for now.” Kaila laughed out loud.
Like most things in West Maui, the Cannery Mall was not far away once they reached Honoapiilani Highway. The usual bustle of traffic was going up and down the busy road in the late morning. There were shops and businesses all along the palm tree-lined main road and people and cars were everywhere as usual. Within a few short minutes they were pulling into the crowded parking lot of the mall.
All kinds of people were milling about inside the mall and soon they found the small stage in the center where the hula performances were held. Several rows of folding chairs were set out in front of the stage and were nearly filled. Other onlookers were standing behind the chairs waiting for the show to begin. An announcer on stage was about to introduce the first dancers.
Pointing towards the stage, Kaila said to Peter, “Look up front. See all the kids on the floor?” Peter craned his neck and spotted the small group of kids sitting on the floor between the stage and the chairs. He chuckled to himself.
“My little sister was like that too,” he said. “But mom could never get her to dance hula. She was chicken.”
Then Kaila spotted her older sister standing behind the chairs. “Hey, there she is.”
“Who?”
Kaila skipped over to the group of onlookers and happily slid next to her unsuspecting sister. “Leilani!” she called out.
Leilani hugged her sisters neck, saying, “Hey there, girl. You made it. What’s up?”
“Yeah, made it just in time.”
Peter came and stood with them. Kaila had forgotten already to introduce him.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said casually. He got a quick glance of her sister. She was definitely beautiful. He could see why she was the Tahitian princess at a luau. Her hair was long and dark and her face had an endearing glow with a body to match. He could tell she worked out a lot to keep in great condition.
“Hi,” Leilani said. “Who’s this?”
Embarrassed for forgetting Peter for just a second, Kaila blurted, “Oh, I’m sorry Peter. This is my sister, Leilani. Leilani, Peter.”
Peter reached over to shake her hand. “How’s it going?”
“So where’s Koni Boy?” Kaila asked. “Did he come?” Peter was wondering who Koni Boy was. It was the first time she had mentioned his name.
Leilani didn’t answer though. Instead she gestured toward the stage. “There she is!”
All three of them looked up to the stage and saw the group of keiki come out, all dressed in traditional hula skirts. The crowd of parents and tourists all oohed and aahed and applauded as the children lined up to start the dance. Cameras came out and people started taking photos all over the place and some even used the smartphones to video the dance.
“Oh my gosh, they are so adorable,” Kaila said. She smiled proudly at her little sister as they began to dance.
“Which one is she?” Peter asked.
??
?Third from the right,” Leilani answered. “Dammit, they gave her a skirt that’s too long for her. Morons.”
Kaila scowled. “Oh it’s OK. Just watch. Look at her, she’s doing so well!”
Peter could not tell one way or the other if her skirt was too long or not. But he did think she was doing well with the dance. He could tell that Kari was their sister. Her face looked very much like Kaila’s. She had a broad smile on her face as she danced and twirled and slowly moved her hands in the air.
“Yeah, she’s doing great,” Peter agreed. “My mom would love this.”
Leilani glanced over at Peter. Her radar went up once she heard that. Not too many boys his age comment on what their mothers love or don’t love. Unless of course he is around a girl he likes and is trying to get in good with her. Her curiosity of him began to peak. She wondered why Kaila had not mentioned him before.
“So, you are a boarder too?” she asked him. “Where you from?”
Peter nodded casually as they continued to watch Kari dance. “Yeah. I just transferred over from the Big Island.”
“You a senior?”
“Yeah.”
Leilani thought for a moment. She knew that was not too common to become a boarder just for the last year. “Oh really? That’s pretty rare at Lahainaluna.”
“Shh!” Kaila scolded them. “Watch her, this is the best part.”
“Sorry,” Peter whispered.
The first dance ended and the crowd applauded enthusiastically. Kari was eating it up and so were the other kids. But they all stayed in character and the instructor quickly got them lined up for the next routine. Kaila and Leilani looked on proudly. The next number was more up-tempo and the girls danced the hula in the traditional manner to the Hawaiian music. The crowd applauded again as the familiar music played and the young girls swayed in sync to the rhythmic sounds.
“Oh! She’s doing so good!” Kaila beamed once more. She noticed Leilani looking past the crowd as if she were looking for someone. She knew who her sister was looking for, though. And she was not all too surprised he was not there. “You looking for Koni?” she asked, as if she didn’t know.
“I’m pretty sure I know where he is,” Leilani said with a frown. “Probably talking to some chick at the food court.” Peter looked in that direction. He just assumed this Koni character was her boyfriend. But he already got the impression he was not the best boyfriend in the world.
“What?” Kaila asked. She seemed surprised.
Leilani shrugged her shoulders. “That would be my guess. Go figure.”
Peter thought Koni Boy must be blind. Why would he be off talking to some other girl if he were dating a good-looking girl like Leilani? He got the feeling he did not really care to meet him. He sounded like too many guys he had known before.
“He better not be,” Kaila remarked. “He’s crazy if he is. You should go drag his ass over here.”
“Ah, forget him,” Leilani insisted.
The third and final dance had begun and they all watched intently. Kari did her routine flawlessly and was still smiling from ear to ear. Soon the dance ended and all who were not standing already stood and cheered for the young hula dancers. Peter was impressed to say the least at how well she had done.
While they were clapping, Leilani noticed a tall sender boy coming their way. She immediately broke away from the group and approached him. Kaila watched where she was going and knew it could only be Koni Boy. Leilani was saying something to him intently but she could not hear over the clapping noise. Moments later, Kari came running up to Kaila and Peter. She had spotted them in the crowd from the very beginning.
“Kaila!” she screamed as she came running up, still dressed in her hula skirt. “Did you see me?”
“Hey Kari, yes!” she answered back. “You did an awesome job! We saw the whole thing.”
Peter chimed in as well, “Yeah, you did great up there. Everyone did. I’m Peter, by the way.”
“Oh thank you! I’m Kari!” she beamed. “Are you Kaila’s boyfriend?” Peter blushed a bit and Kaila rolled her eyes. “I think I messed up in the last one, but I hope nobody noticed.”
“No, you did great!” Kaila repeated.
“Where’s Lani?” Kari blurted out.
Before Kaila could give her an answer, Leilani came walking up behind them with Koni Boy. He had a smug look on his face and his arm around her shoulder. He was dressed in a leather jacket and his hair fixed just right. One could tell he thought very highly of himself. Peter kind of shook his head. We’re in the tropics and this guy’s wearing a leather jacket, Peter thought to himself. He did not like him already.
“Right here, kiddo,” Leilani answered. “Nice job up there!”
“Yeah, great job,” Koni Boy said coolly. Peter and Kaila both looked at him like he was very obviously full of it. He did not even see the dance. Leilani just glared at him. “What?” he said innocently.
“Thanks Koni!” Kari gushed. She had no clue he did not see her dance. But she loved flirting with him. She loved Leilani’s boyfriend and thought he was cute. She just was not old enough to know better. Kaila did though, and for that matter, Leilani did too.
Koni Boy noticed Peter standing next to Kaila. “Hey what’s up, dude?”
“Hey.”
“Hey Koni, you going to take me paddleboarding?” Kari asked with a broad smile.
He answered in a very suave manner, “You bet, little lady. Anything for my favorite hula girl.” Kari giggled with delight.
Peter wanted to barf right then and there. He could tell Koni Boy was a snow job artist from the second he met him. Koni Boy just stood there with a silly grin on his face.
Leilani glanced over at Kaila. “You guys gonna meet us there?”
“Yeah, we’ll see you down there,” Kaila answered.
“Who wants to stop for a shaved ice first?” Koni Boy asked slyly. Peter rolled his eyes. He knew exactly what Koni Boy was up to.
Kari squealed in delight, “Me! I want fruit punch and grape!”
Kaila and Peter both shook their heads, “We’ll pass.”
“All right, let me go treat my two favorite hula girls to some shaved ice!” Koni Boy was truly a smooth character. Leilani forced a fake smile on her face. She was still upset with him and figured he only wanted to go back to the food court area to see whoever it was he was talking to earlier.
Leilani glanced back at Peter and Kaila. “OK, we’ll see you guys. We’ll be down there in a bit.”
Peter and Kaila walked outside towards her scooter. Peter couldn’t help but state the obvious. “Man, that guy is the phoniest thing I’ve seen since I got here.”
Kaila laughed. “You noticed, huh? Yeah, I thought he was cute when I first met him. But all he does his flirt with every girl he sees. He thinks he’s Mr. Wonderful. I wish she’d just dump him.”
“What is he rich or something? And what’s with the leather jacket? This is freakin’ Maui.”
“I know right,” Kaila laughed. “Yeah, he’s always had money. His dad is VP or something of some tech firm in Wailuku. It’s based out of Oahu, but he pretty much runs this branch. And Koni Boy got his job there because of his dad. So he has this great salary and he didn’t even earn it.”
“Figures,” Peter said. “What does he do there?”
“I don’t know, he’s some kind of software developer. I don’t even think he does anything there. He always just brags about being this great hacker though. Like he’s so hot. Whatever.” They hopped on the scooter and she started it up. “All set back there?”
“All set. Let’s ride.”
“All passengers keep your hands inside at all times,” Kaila quipped.
“Oh, my hands are in a great place,” Peter laughed.
Kaila giggled, “Shut up.”
They headed south on Honoapiilani towards the beach park. It was the first time Peter had gone back this way since he had arrived w
ith his parents from the airport. There were all kinds of beach parks along the way, each with their own name in Hawaiian. Many had picnic tables and pavilions with nice paved parking lots. The larger ones had enough grassy areas for kids to play in bounce houses for birthday parties. Other parks were no more than a stretch of sand with barely enough room to pull a car over to stop there. They passed another beach park with lots of kids running around and what appeared to be yet another birthday party. Out on the water were people playing in the surf and even a few paddelboarders. Peter loved the sea air in his face. He breathed a heavy sigh of contentment and also felt relieved to be away from school for a while.
Soon they reached Papalaua even though it wasn’t marked with a sign. Kaila knew where to turn. Several cars and jeeps and trucks were pulled just off the road onto the sand and as close as they could park under the palm trees as possible. It was quite a ways from Lahaina and the bustle of tourists at the larger parks. This was one that only the locals came to. It was quiet and peaceful and although the beach was narrow it was very long. And the water was serene and perfect for paddleboarding. Only gentle waves lapped the shoreline under the glistening sun.
Kaila parked her scooter under a tree. They immediately saw friends of theirs from school and a few other locals who were older. Several kids were already out on the water standing on boards as they slowly paddled around. One yelled out from well off the shore.
“Peter! You made it. Woohoo!” the voice cried out.
He finally noticed it was Vince. “Hey man!” he called out.
They took off their clothes and had their suits on underneath. Peter started to look around and finally realized something. They did not have boards of their own.
“Hey,” Peter motioned to Kaila, “I think we forgot something.”
Kaila was on top of it though. “No worries, we got that covered too. Follow me. Yaseo will have some for us.”
Sitting under a small canopy was an older Asian boy who was well-tanned and wore an old ratty straw hat. He sat reclined on a beach chair in the sand with his shades on and hat pulled over his eyes. He appeared to be in his late twenties, but his dark tan made him look older.
Kaila called out to him as she tromped through the sand. “Hey Seo! How’s it goin?”
“Kaila! Hey girl, what’s going on?” Yaseo said very coolly. He had the appearance of the quintessential beach bum, the iconic surfer dude of the islands. He looked as if he never left the beach. However, he was the best equipped beach bum any of the locals had known. He was always prepared with at least seven or eight surfboards and several paddleboards as well. He drove an old beat up van and pulled an old trailer behind it for his equipment.
“Hey, not much. This is Peter from school,” she said.
Peter waved a hand to him. “Hey, what’s up man?”
“Just hangin’ loose man. Hangin’ loose,” Yaseo drawled.
Nodding in as cool a manner as he could, Peter answered, “That’s cool. That’s cool.”
“Can you hook us up with some boards?” Kaila asked him. But she already knew the answer. She knew he would let them.
Yaseo stretched his arms in the air and yawned. “Sure man, go for it. See any fins on the surface, give me a holler. I might hear ya or I might not. But either way you’re screwed.” Yaseo chuckled at his own wit.
Kaila laughed too. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks Seo.”
They both dragged a board and a long paddle over to the water and pushed past the small waves and then stood upright and began paddling out towards the others. It had been a while since Peter had been on a board but it felt good to be back out again. Kaila was a pro and she effortlessly paddled all around the water. The kids whooped and hollered and acted silly as they played around. They were having a great time. Soon they noticed Koni Boy pull his Jeep over and he, Leilani and Kari jumped out. He had his own paddleboards in the back of his Jeep and they began to paddle out as well. Kari sat on the front of Koni Boy’s board as he chauffeured her around the water. Kari had a broad smile on her face as she loved every minute of it. Leilani was not far behind on her own board.
“It feels so good out here,” Leilani said as she caught up with the group.
“Yes, I could get used to this,” Kari laughed.
“Yeah, not having to work at all. I’m sure you could, kiddo,” Kaila said. Peter and Leilani both laughed.
Peter motioned to Koni Boy, “Nice Jeep you got over there.”
Koni ignored the compliment like a complete idiot. Instead, he casually commented, “Eh, I couldn’t carry the boards in my convertible so I had to bring that old crappy thing.”
Peter was really not liking him by now. He didn’t care for the smug attitude that Koni Boy had.
Kaila just rolled her eyes. “Oh sure, not enough room in the Jaguar either, huh?” Kari began to laugh. But Leilani gave her a crooked look.
“Ha. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Koni Boy answered slyly. Then Leilani began to glare at him instead. “Come on, little lady,” he said to Kari. “Let’s go for another ride!”
“Woohoo!” Kari yelled.
Kaila waited until they were out of earshot and then she finally blurted out, “I can’t believe you’re still with that creep. Lupe and Nani don’t like him either.”
Leilani just brushed her comments aside though. “Well, it’s none of their business what I do or who I am seeing, right? What do you care anyway?”
“Nothing. I just think he’s a jerk.”
“Well so what?” Leilani charged. She tried to change the subject as she paddled around in a semi-circle. “Hey, you gonna come see me dance tonight? You can bring your friend here. I gotta table for Kari and Koni Boy, you can sit with them.”
Kaila looked over at Peter. “Wanta go?”
“Yeah sure,” Peter answered. “We get back before curfew?”
“Yeah, just barely, but yeah. We can leave after her dance is over.”
Leilani spoke up, “I can probably hook you guys up with some free food too. Poi and pulled pork.”
“Hell yeah, that sounds good,” Peter said. It had been a long time since he had some good poi and Kalua pork. Not to mention a luau. “Beats the heck out of the cafeteria.”
“Great,” Leilani said. “I’ll leave some passes for you at the employee entrance. They’ll show you where to sit.”
Kaila liked the idea of the luau and getting to spend more time with her little sister and getting to show Peter around some more. But she did not really like the idea of having to sit with Koni Boy. If it meant some free food at a luau, then maybe it would be worth it.
She and Peter paddled around some more out on the placid water. She watched him as he paddled in front of her. She had never seen him without a shirt. There was no doubt she liked the way he looked. Every now and then he would look back at her and smile and she would almost blush in knowing he caught her catching a nice long glimpse of him. He has to like how I look in my swimsuit too, she imagined to herself. She was beginning to feel quite smitten with him just as he was with her. She was really looking forward to going to the luau with him.
Suddenly, Peter froze on his paddleboard and stared at the shore. They were a good hundred yards off shore but could still easily see people on the beach.
Kaila noticed his reaction immediately. “What is it?” she asked.
But Peter didn’t answer her right away. Koni Boy had already brought Kari back to the beach. She was playing in the sand, but it was who Koni Boy was talking to that made Peter freeze. The young man looked eerily familiar from a distance and it sent a chill down his spine. A sense of anger began to come over him. He watched as Koni Boy talked to the other man for what seemed only a minute or less. Then the man jumped into a small sedan and sped away towards the pali. It was then that Peter was really not liking Koni Boy.
“What are you looking at?” Kaila asked again.
Peter shook his head. “I thought for a
moment I knew that guy Koni Boy was talking to.” Kaila looked over to the beach again, but the man was already gone.
“Oh? I didn’t see him. What about him?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell if it was him or not.” But Peter was almost certain he knew who it was. He just did not want to say right away. “For a moment I thought it was somebody from back home. I don’t know.”
“Oh neat,” Kaila answered. “Wonder how he knows Koni.”
“I thought the same thing,” Peter replied. He decided to forget about it though. “Eh, may have been somebody else. Who knows?”
They continued having fun out on the water and on the beach. Eventually they all sat on the sand in the shade and had some lunch. They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and joking around and went back out on the water a few more times until it started to get late. They were all getting tired and Leilani needed to get back in time so she could get ready for the luau.
Peter had a lot of fun meeting Kaila’s two sisters and getting a chance to spend more time with her too. He was finally feeling comfortable in his new home and was glad he was meeting new friends. But most of all he was certainly happy he had found Kaila. She was one of a kind.