The Party Scene

The summer before 10th grade is a little different than the one’s before.
Normally it’d be a week or so away somewhere with my Mum, and then the rest would be spent juggling time with Jack and school work.

This time, I wasn’t sure where Jack was going to fit in.

Grandma Lolo had organised a trip to Florida for two weeks, to pull the family together a little more, even though in the end it’s just her, myself, my Mom and a few of the distant cousins that can actually make it. The Barakat wing of the family were already travelling around New England to kick of their summer so Jack was moaning at me everyday until I left that it wasn’t fair that I got to go sit on beaches while he was looking at ‘cities steeped in ancient shit or something.’

Either way, spending two weeks in Florida, was yes, gorgeous, but it was a little on the boring side without someone around my own age to talk to and go places with, having instead to be in charge of keeping the slightly younger cousins amused all day.

The two weeks following I cram all my work into, including the summer reading that was required, and I only see Jack once; when I go over to see if he has his books from 10th grade so I can make sure what I’m doing for my English class is the right thing.

Then my Mother takes me to California, Los Angeles, to be exact and we sightsee for my last week of freedom. I surprise myself, with how little I miss being around the boys. Sure, there are moments where my brain wants me to say something they’d howl in laughter at, and I see so many inappropriate things on my weeks away that we’d normally spend months reminding each other of.

On the first day back, Jack is at my door before I’m even ready, screeching on about how much I’ve missed while I’ve been away and that the next school break, I was being locked in his basement because it ‘kind of sucks’ when I’m not around.

“You looking forward to being a Sophomore?” Jack grins as we start the 20 minute walk, catching the bus just too much effort for a walk that went by pretty quickly, “So much better than 9th grade.”

“Doesn’t that Mr Salvador guy take 10th grade Chemistry, though? He hates my guts already.” I pout, hip checking him as we walk.

“That was your own fault.”

“No! You’re the one who said that we wouldn’t get caught.”

“But you’re the one who ran inside with the fucking water bomb! It was bound to end badly.”

“Shut up. It was Alex’s fault then! He ran inside like the a pansy!”

“He really doesn’t like getting his hair wet.”

“We talking about Alex?” Rian asks as he reaches us, we having paused outside his house so he could join us for the rest of the walk, “Looking good, Poppy.”

“Oh yeah, your hair looks good, by the way.” Jack adds on, “When did you do that?”

“Before I went to LA. It’s been getting darker anyway, so I just went ahead and dyed it.”

I’d been a dirty blonde colour since I’d hit my teens, having been practically peroxide blonde before that and now I’d taken the leap and dyed my hair some complicated named colour that was just basically brown, in my unprofessional opinion.

“How’s your Summer been then, Ri?” I ask, silence having for some reason taken over our group - maybe no one had anything to say.

“Oh fuck, I forgot! I saw that girl in the mall again, but she was in the food court and she like, stalked me for the rest of the day!”

-------

“Who’s the hottie?” I quirk an eyebrow even though my face is buried in my locker, hands trying to stack the books I didn’t need for my next class. Alex had found us apparently.

“Dude, that’s my cousin.”

I wrenched backwards by my bag and shoved forward a step and before I greet Alex or even rip him to shreds over the fact he just called me ‘hot’, I turn to Jack and start slapping his arms until he’s screeching at me to be restrained.

“So, Gaskarth.” I turn back to him and smile, “Were you appreciating the view?”

“You, uh, look good?” He stutters, the faintest blush rising on his cheeks, “How was your, um, summer?”

“Sunny.”

“Well, you did go to Florida and Cali - I’m surprised you’re not burnt to a crisp.” Rian butts in, Alex still looking gob smacked.

“Zack is going to flip his shit when he see’s you, Pop.” Alex snorts, Rian agreeing “You took out your spider bites too.”

“I got bored of having holes in my face.” I shrug, touching the spot where I used to have two piercings, “Did you get your timetable? You with Bateman for Math?”

Alex and I had a track record with being in the same math class, minus the year we were in different schools, so when he nods, it’s no surprise, “4th period on a Monday and stuff?”

“Yep. See you this afternoon then, Lex. Guys.”

The first day back isn’t too bad to deal with - I don’t have gym and the majority of the work I’d done over the break isn’t asked to be handed in so I have a few extra hours to go over it again now my brain hasn’t been melted by all the sun.
Rian and I automatically have the same lunch but I know by the end of the week Jack and Alex will have rearranged their schedules and be sitting by us again, throwing whatever disgusting food the cafeteria people were serving that day.

The summer away from them doesn’t seem to have changed anything, Jack still calling me after last class to make sure I’ll be turning up at Rian’s to hang with them some more while they practice - they having left two classes earlier than me as they’ve been doing since they hit High School and persuaded the councillor that it was beneficial, when really that time was usually spent pigging out in Rian’s kitchen and not actually touching an instrument, but whatever.