Summer With the Bertram Brothers

Winnie and I step into Travis Carney’s backyard. The music vibrates my tympanic membranes. Winnie screams in excitement and drags me to the middle of the dancing. My face stretches infinitely as we dance in circles together. Once the track finishes, I laugh with Winnie till my belly could drop. She composes and turns her head around, looking intensively.
“What?” I ask, looking too.
“I’m looking for Rico. I wonder where he could be,” she giggles. I guess the thought of him somewhat excites her solely. I wiggle my brows at her, considering her immense crush.
“Of course you are.”
She laughs more and nuges me on my my arm, “You know what I mean.”
“I kno-ow what you mean,” I say, giving her an exaggerated wink.
“I just want to say hi.”
Just as she speaks, I spot Rico by the fence with some guys. We make eye contact. I turn my eyes away quickly to Winnie.
“Look, he’s there by the fence!” I say. She looks past me.
“I don’t see him…”
I slowly look back and see that he’s disappeared.
“Oh, he must have gone someplace else.”
“I’ll go check inside,” she says, “I’ll be right back.”
I smile and she trots along up the steps into the sliding glass doors.

I admire how big Travis’s summer house is. Compared to mine, I seem like a cardboard box. I sigh in envy, but soon shake it off and bob my head to the next song. I see behind a crowd a table with fruit punch and other beverages. I’m thirsty now, I thought, I might as well get over there before somebody spikes the punch bowl. Just as I pull up a plastic cup, someone taps me on the shoulder. I swift around and see the familiar freckle face. He’s wearing a different red shirt. I lift my eyes to his.
“Hey how’s it going?” he asks.
“Fine.”
He takes my cup away and hands me a Poppers Wild Ice.
“You drink, right?”
“Sure, let’s go with that…” I mumble. I doubt he hears me over the loud music because he just stares at me. I move around, feeling weird.
“My friends looking for you,” I say. He still doesn’t hear me. Some beach boys pass by, greeting us… more him. I’m not close with anyone here mostly. He looks at me again. I don’t know if he feels the awkwardness that I do. But then we start to talk and make fun of people around dancing. Staying by the drink table was a bad idea, I knew. I’m starting to feel the buzz of my second can. Rico says something funny. I laugh.
“That’s so funny,” I cry out, holding my stomach. My sister comes to us and stared me down with an intimidating smile.
“Ambi,” she says slowly and takes my can away, “What are you doing here?”
I spin to face her and give her a similar demeaning smile.
“Having fun,” I answer. I figure she hates the fact that I am having fun for once.
I can see the creases stress on her lips. Then, she opens her mouth again.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the house… with mom?”
I slump my shoulders back and shake my head, “Don’t worry.”
I walk away from her and Rico, planning on how to find Winnie. She’s been gone forever, I think to myself. I walk up the wooded patio and slide past the glass doors into the house. There is just more people lounging around. I can’t find Winnie among them, so drift upstairs. The air-conditioning seems to be on high because it’s freezing inside.
“Winnie?” I call over, “Winnie?”
I almost trip on someone’s foot.
“I’m so sorry,” I say slobbery. I smell my after taste alcohol breath. I frown at it.
“Are you already drunk?” I hear someone behind me chuckle. I don’t even turn around. I just open the nearest door that becomes the bathroom. I shut it and sit on the rim of the bathtub. Gosh, I want to go home now. This party is too long, I thought. The door squeezes open. I look up and see Trim’s lop sided grin.
“You’re already drunk aren’t you?”
“No-o. I’m not,” I spit. He comes in and sits on the grey tiles next to me, “I’m just… Have you seen Winnie anywhere?”
“Who?”
“Winnie. She’s, like, my best friend.”
“Sorry, I can’t see imaginary friends,” he mocks me.
I hit his shoulders as hard as I can.
“Shut up! I have friends, okay!” I say, “She’s gone M.I.A on me…”
“Maybe she’s getting laid,” he comments.
“Why are you so… ugh?” I frown at him in disgust, “I actually thought you were nice.”
“I am the nice one.”
“Rico’s way nicer…” I mutter.
“You’ve met Rico?”
“Rico’s met everyone.”
He nods in agreement. I watch his curly hair shake in the process. I touch his shady brown locks.
“You’re like… a dog. You’re like a puppy.”
It falls quiet.
Suddenly, he barks like a dog that catches me off guards and I fall in the tub. He starts laughing hysterically, pointing his finger at me.
“Ow!” I whine and rub my butt. I catch his contagious laugh and giggle. Thinking quick, I grab the shower head and twist the faucet on and squirt cold water all over Trim. He screams like a girl, trying to dodge my attack. I laugh harder until he lunges towards me stealing the shower head from my hands. Water flies everywhere and I manage to get wet also.
My sandals slip in the tub, making Trim and I to fall down, tearing the shower curtain down.
“Oh-ho, shit!” Trim exclaims. Water gets in my eyes and I close them.
“Ow, my ribs!” I laugh out loud, “I can’t breathe! I’m crying! I’m drowning!”
Trim quickly lifts himself from me and turns off the faucet. I open my eyes and everything is tinted blue underneath the curtains. Cold water runs down our bodies.
“This is all your fault, you know,” he grins, showing me his deep dimples. I try to stop laughing.
“You started it.”