I looked around to find that I was back on my board. "Wha- what happened?" I managed to stutter out.

"A seal knocked you overboard. Get it?" she giggled.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here anyways? If you can't swim you shouldn't be on a surfboard." she said pushing herself up and straddling the board.

"Ha ha. I'm Finn, by the way." I said sticking my hand out.

"Scout." Said Scout, ignoring my hand.

"So why are you out here?" I asked.

"I wanted to take a swim." She shrugged. "It's almost sunrise. You should get going, I don't think your uncle will appreciate you sneaking out."

"Yeah. Wait, how do you know-" I started to speak, only to turn around a see that she had disappeared beneath the waves.

I paddled myself to shore and hid my board around the side of the house. I could hear the fishermen prepare for their day as I leaned the board against the faded blue wall with its paint peeling off. Quietly as possible, I snuck into my room for a quick shower. When I finished up, I tiptoed into the country styled kitchen.

"Morning." My uncle said looking down at the newspaper.

I nodded. "So who's the girl that's going to be my homeschool buddy? And why can't she be homeschooled in, you know, her home?" I made air quotes around homeschool buddy.

"Her name is Sade Blanchards and she just turned sixteen. She lives with her widower father, and she doesn't have Wi-Fi or any TV and stuff like that. So, please be nice." Replied my uncle.

"Ugh. I bet she's some weird video game nerd." I groaned.

"Hey! That's not nice. Don't judge a book by its cover." He said harshly. "Now, go put on something presentable."

I let out a frustrated sigh and walked back upstairs to change. As I sifted through a pile of semi-clean T-shirts, I heard the doorbell ring. I peeked out the white blinds of my bedroom window and to my surprise; it was the girl from this morning, Scout. I was so shocked; I fell out of my seat on my bed and hit my left kneecap on my wooden bedside table. I let out a string of profanities.

"Finn!" my uncle yelled. "Get your butt down here!"

I ran down the stairs, tripped the last two, and went sprawling across her bare feet.

She giggled as I got up.

"Your name is Sade?" I gasped.

"My real name. I prefer Scout though." She said. "You forgot this, by the way."

She held out a worn leather-bound journal. I took it from her. As I took a closer look at Scout, I realized that she was petite. I was a full head taller than her and an oversized mint colored shirt hung around her small frame swallowing her up. She could pass for a thirteen year old. As I flipped open my journal, I realized that she had dog-eared some pages.

Ugh. You idiot! Why did you forget about your stupid journal? She probably read everything now!

As I shook off my thoughts, I realized that her father had left and my uncle was starting a conversation with Scout.

"Ok, I'm sure she doesn't want to hear about the mating patterns of starfish." I interrupted.

"Actually, I do." She said enthusiastically.

"You do?" My uncle and I gawked simultaneously.

"No. I was joking." She said. "So, Mr. Hudson, what are we going to be learning today?"

I had never heard my uncle be called Mr. Hudson before. He had been called many names, Jonathan, Johnny, but never Mr. Hudson. I could tell by his fiddling of his jean pockets that he was nervous and uncomfortable by the idea.

"Sade, you can call me John. It's completely fine." He said twiddling with a loose piece of thread.

"I'll call you John, if you call me Scout." She replied.

"Deal." He said. "So Scout, to answer your question, you guys are going to start with history. Yay! Woo hoo! Come on guys, look excited!"

"I hate history." I grumbled. "And you're not qualified to teach us anything."

"Ms. Quinn your homeschool teacher will be here at ten. So, you guys have time to chill." Said John.

"Ooh! I want to see your room!" Scout squealed.

Before I could react, her fingers were gripped around my wrist and she was yanking me up the stairs. For a small girl, she was surprisingly strong.

"Ok, ok, I'm going." I said leading her up the stairs. "Jeez. Calm down."

I lead her down the mint green walls of the hallway and stopped at the second to last room. My white wood door was covered in various sports pictures and a faded keep out sign. I turned the old brass knob and invited her in.

"Woah!" she gasped walking in.