Cleo has always had a love for the ocean since she was little. 

She started off every morning by grabbing her surfboard and hitting the warm Huntington Beach waves.

Cleo is in the middle of training for the 12U girls' surf invitational despite being 11.

She has dedicated herself and worked very hard to train. 

One day she paddled out farther than she ever had. After a few moments out, she saw a shark fin coming closer to her, making her stomach drop.

That's when she yelled...

SHARK!!!

Cleo began to paddle back to shore as fast as she could.

She noticed the shark surfaced from the water shyly with a soft and nice smile

She stopped in her tracks, looked at the shark, and said 

"Are you...friendly?" Cleo asked.

The shark began to happily swim around her.

Cleo laughed. "I guess I was wrong about you," Cleo said

The shark thought she needed help back to shore and was trying to help.

Cleo was then reminded of a lesson her parents taught her to always remember.

You can't always tell what something is just by the way it looks and seems. Always get to know first.

Every morning since, the shark has met her at the beach and watched her train.

She smiled and waved, and enjoyed her new friend's company. 

The End.