flamingo pink | baxter radic

i

last year my cousin was sent to australia for the summer. when she came back all she could talk about was how amazing this little town called shorehaven was and her new friends- her boyfriend- and surfing. when she told me she wanted to go back this year and compete in nationals and invited me to join her it felt like an easy choice to make.

so here i am getting off a plane in a different country with my cousin. my aunt- her mom- driving us to the gibson's house. summer would not shut up about seeing everyone again and now my anxiety is kicking in. any excitement about this trip is far in the rearview as if i left it back at the airport. all i can think about now is how margot and summer have lives here and i'll just be on the outside.

i must have been stuck in my head for longer than i thought because i didn't realize that we were now parked and summer has ran into the house, excited to see ari. margot asks if i'm alright in which i lie to her and say i'm just tired and she nods while getting out to follow summer. i took a few deep breaths and as i was just about to walk into the house summer had collided into me running out. confused i stood up and she was already in the car talking about how the date had changed. what date as i was about to ask for any confirmation she keeps talking...oh the surf competition i thought to myself.

"sums how did you not realize they changed the date?" i asked

"bex i was just so focused on training and my exams i didn't even think they would change the DATE" she exclaimed.

i made the smart choice to stay quiet while summer was listening to rap music to help herself mentally prepare for what she has been calling the most important day of her life.

pulling up to a complex i was shocked to see the competition wasn't being held at an actual beach, but i make the conscious decision not to ask my cousin who is just now starting to settle a bit seeing as we made it on time. when margot parks in seconds summer is already halfway to the entrance. it's already starting, her leaving me behind, i thought to myself. as i head in with margot i can hear summers confident voices booming through the speakers.

"attention poppy tetanui and bohdi mercer. your pizza is ready, i repeat, your pizza is ready. and, marlon sousa, could you please put a shirt on for once"

i giggled as i see her reunite with who i can figure out are friends. i stay back giving the group that is interacting just like a family the much needed space it seems they need to reconnect. but as im watching from a far a girl bumps into me running towards the group so i redirect my attention to her. thats when i notice a blonde boy coming our of the wave pool as the rude girl kisses him. i look to my cousin as i can see her face drop for a second and my heart breaks for her. i decide to approach the group of teens and hopefully get the rude blonde to take a few steps back.

"hey sums you gonna introduce me" i smile wide at most the group till i get to two particular blondes and make it quite apparent through my face what my impression of the couple is. like seriously if i didn't know i would ask siblings or dating with how alike they looked.

"guys this is bex and bex this is poppy, bohdi, marlon, ari, wren, and manu"

they all exchanged a few courtesies of hi's and nice to meet you's"

the speaker calls out for a 15 minute warning as i wish sums and the girls luck while deciding to stay with manu.

"you know summer has mentioned you're an athlete how come you're not wanting to compete" he asks. you can tell he's trying to break the silence we were just sitting in waiting for the competition to start.

"i guess you could say something like that" i begin trying not to think about what my life was like in the states, "but i never learned how to surf. water sports weren't my forte" i jokingly nod. thankfully the rest of the group approaches as one of the girls i have just met is in the pool to compete. i take this as a chance to sneak away. i keep thinking why i made the decision to come here. is it because i always wanted to see this country, because i never get to travel, or simply because i really couldn't always say no to my cousin.

as i'm walking trying to find a place for quiet i bump into someone. i don't pull my gaze off of the ground as i mumble a quick apology. i try to keep walking but the voice, although soft, cuts through the air like a knife.

"leaving before you get the chance to watch me"

"watch you. i don't even know you" i turn back replying to the overconfident boy with flamingo pink hair.

"oh but you're going to" he says with a wink heading to the wave pool for his heat. as i'm left there in shock.