Emerald Eyes

My eyes were closed. I sighed and smiled to myself. It felt good slowly spinning around in slow motions. The blue chlorine water brushed against my foot. I dipped my hand into the water. I was floating in my pool with my best friend Chase. You mind think “floating” in a pool sounds a bit awkward, but when you have an inflatable floater with an infinity pool, nothing beats a day after school with your best friend circulating around steaming water. I took my hand away from the water and opened my eyes.

“Hey Ash?” Chase asked.

“Yeah?” I replied looking over at him. He was wearing sunglasses while his hands were by his side. His black swimming shorts were different from my blue one. I chuckled as his appearance.

“So what do you think of sophomore year so far?” He asked. “If you ask me, this year has been pretty boring compared to last year, there’s nothing to do anymore,” Chase said. “What’s happening to you Eastwood!?” He exaggerated.

I chuckled. “What’s so funny Mr. Laid-back?” Chase joked. He splashed some warm water with his hand. It landed on my body. I smirked and did the same.

Chase took off his sunglasses and shook her black hair dry. “Very funny,” he muttered.

“Okay boys, time to get out of the pool,” My Dad called from above. He was holding a barbecue I could smell the smoke already.

“Okay Mr. Peterson,” Chase cried. Then Chase eyed the blue water beneath his red floater and then at me. He grinned, I knew what he wanted to do. “On the count of one…” He began. “Two…” We said in unison. “Three!” Chase exclaimed. We simultaneously jumped into the pool water, splashing water everywhere. My vision turned blue as I swam back up to surface. Chase was already treading water by the time I was up for air. He grinned. His hair was matted to his face.

By the time we got out of the pool, my thirteen year old sister, Ashley came walking out of the pool house in a black bikini and a white miniskirt. “Dad!” she cried.

“What is it Ashley?” My Dad replied placing a burger on Chase’s plate.

“Have you seen Cinnamon? Mandy wants to say goodbye before she leaves.”

Cinnamon was our golden retriever. She was still a puppy, but Ashley had more appeal to her than I did. Sometimes she dressed her up, I always scoffed at her childishness. I could see she Mandy from the pool house. She was nodding her head to music. She had an iPod in her hands.

“No I haven’t seen her Ashley,” My Dad said putting a burger on my plate. I sat down with Chase and poured lemonade into my glass. “Boys, have you seen Cinnamon?” he asked. Ashley turned to us.

“No,” we said in unison.

Ashley sighed, “Whatever,” she said.

Just then Cinnamon appeared out of one of our orange shrubs. Chase peered at the shrub, “I think you may have found your canine,” he said.

Ashley turned around and gasped, “Cinnamon!” She went over to the shrub and took Cinnamon in her arms, subsequently walking back to pool house.

After eating, Chase and I went inside and played video games in the family room. Ashley went over to Mandy’s house, and my Dad was outside polishing his surfboards.

My life was pretty okay and good to me. My parents were extreme workaholics. My Dad was a neurosurgeon, he was only at the hospital during night hours, and spent the entire day relaxing. My Mom was beauty consultant and a cosmetologist. My little sister, Ashley always spent time with my Mom, mostly to learn beauty care methods and makeup techniques. If you ask me, she was obsessed with her looks.

I’ve been living in Newport Beach my entire life, I found it really hard imagining myself living somewhere else in the United States. I did travel often though. Most summers, my family would go to Miami, Florida to visit my cousins. Every Christmas, we either flew to the East Coast or Hawaii. I also had a strong liking for surfing. My Dad took me surfing for the first time in Newport when I was twelve-years-old. I was scared at first because I had never done it before, but by the time I was gliding through the water, I smiled to myself and knew surfing would be one of my many hobbies. I loved the water, I liked being wet. My whole family had a flair for swimming. During some weekends, my whole family would go to the beach together. My Dad and I would surf while my Mom and sister were busy sun-tanning themselves on lawn chairs. School was great for me too.

I had a lot of friends, everyone always asked me how I could be so popular, I modestly told them I didn’t know what they were talking about. My best friend, since the second grade, was Chase Anderson. Chase was the smartest person I knew. He always had great grades and was so good in drawing. His room had dozens of posters containing anime. He told me whenever his family goes to Japan, he always makes sure he brings tons of manga and anime back to California. He was of a Japanese descent. Chase was an only child which differed from my little sister.