Chasing Xaris Read Online Free Page B

too.
    “ The Adelle ’s never been found, you know,” Mr. Whit said. I turned around to see my teacher’s brown eyes twinkling.
    “Perha ps one day she’ll be seen again,” he added.
    Other students gave their presentations after Winnie, and I vaguely listened. It was hard to concentrate when all I could think about was the shark slayer legend. I considered texting Winnie, but Mr. Whit was sitting right behind me.
    When class finally came to a close, I waited a whole five seconds before jumping up from my desk.
    “How do you think my report went?” Winnie asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.
    “You did awesome,” I said. “Really. It was perfect.”
    “I agree,” Jordan said, on his way out the door. “Really stupendous.”
    I hid a smile as Winnie’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t say anything, but she waited until Jordan left before walking down the rows of desks into the hallway.
    I followed her. “You really did do an awesome job.”
    “Thanks,” Winnie replied. “Mr. Whit was definitely into it. Did you see his face?”
    “He sits behind me.”
    “He was enraptured.”
    Winnie had been doing that lately, using words like “equivocal” and “circumvent.” My guess? She had bought a thesaurus to intensify her stories.
    “Winnie, have you ever heard of shark slayers?” I asked, hurrying to keep up. This pace was fast even for her.
    “Shark slayers?” she asked.
    “It’s an old Florida legend,” I said, “a story about guys who could kill sharks. Sound familiar?”
    Winnie pursed her lips in thought. “It’s new to me. Sounds fascinating, though. What do you know about it?”
    “Not much.”
    “Have you searched online?”
     
    ~~~
     
    It wasn’t fair to be annoyed with Winnie. But as I pulled out of the parking lot that afternoon, I couldn’t resist feeling frustrated. She was my only lead, and she didn’t know anything about the legend. The rain didn’t help my mood either, but Gran would be happy it had precipitated as scheduled.
    As I passed the Pizza Shack on Sunrise Boulevard, I thought of the countless family dinners my parents and I had shared there. Dad had been obsessed with their meatball pizza. Mom had always ordered their fish of the day.
    The memories made my chest ache . Of course. But I had the urge to roll down my windows like Mom and Dad had done on this road. It was raining, though, as scheduled by Gran.
    At my grandparents’ house, I decided to forgo surfing and search online again. That’s how badly I needed answers. A few hours later, I had learned way more about sharks than I had ever wanted to know and nothing about my legend. I finally gave up and rested my hopes on Ari surfing at Laney Pier the next day.
    I hurried through my homework and then texted Jordan about bringing my board to the pier in the morning. After I’d showered and changed my band-aid, I sank into bed. My thoughts instantly turned to Ari and what he’d said on the beach. I still can’t believe they were murdered.
     
    ~~~
     
    As I jogged under the dark morning sky, I tried to clear my mind. I’d had a rough night’s sleep again. Nightmares of faceless men chasing me through my grandparents’ neighborhood.
    I shoved those thoughts aside and concentrated on the pounding of my feet. The steady sound calmed my mind’s whirl into a hum. Ari had better show up today. I hardly knew anything about him , so it would be crazy hard to track the guy down otherwise.
    I ran faster against the cement, and then sand. Jordan was waiting for me by the pier.
    “I took good care of her,” he said, handing me my board.
    “Knew you would,” I said.
    I searched for Ari in the lineup. Farther down shore, only a couple surfers speckled the waters. Considering Ari’s loner tendencies, I guessed he was there.
    Jordan attached the leash to his ankle. “Ready?”
    “I’m going to head down shore,” I said.
    Jordan’s eyes flickered. He shrugged and tucked his board under his arm.
    “See you