Flo

Three

Like any other teenager during summer, I slept in way past midday until the sun was at its peak, shining through my window and heating up my room like a sauna. Waking up drenched in sticky sweat was one of the most unwanted feelings of summer, along with the declaration that there was a power cut, two of which I was unfortunate enough to experience that morning.

The only way to cool off was to shower in nothing but cold water. Usually there'd be that millisecond of god-that's-way­-too-cold-and-there's-no-way-in-hell-I'm-putting-my-ass-in-that but it was so hot that I welcomed the droplets of icy water. And once I was completely numb, I got out.

However, by the time I had gotten downstairs, I was already starting to sweat again. Dad was awkwardly sprawled out on the lounge, red-faced as he weakly fanned himself with a magazine. I found Beth in the kitchen, trying to read a book but her brow crinkled in concentration; the heat distracting her from comprehending the words. She occasionally dabbed her forehead with the corner of a small patch of towel and would blow irritably on the stray bits of hair that were falling across her face.

"Who's the dick that put grass in the Nutella?" Jace said from the counter as he peered into the jar. He shot a condemning look at me.

"Jason," Beth warned, although she sounded tired.

"Where's Tess?" I ignored his accusation.

"Probably in the shower," Beth answered, folding the corner of her book and placing it on the table. "The heat is terrible. I think I'm getting a headache."

"Doesn't make it any better that the power's out," I added, heading to the fridge but realising it had no use since the drinks were probably warm.

Beth frowned and rubbed her temples. "I think I'll go out," she announced, standing and shoving some things into her purse. "Maybe the electricity is running on the other side of town. Might even treat myself to one of those mango sorbets and sit under one of the air conditioner vents."

Dad picked up on the conversation from the living room because a few seconds later, he was leaning against the wall with the keys in his hands, agreeing that a trip to the shopping centre was a great idea. Jace, despite his complaints of finding grass in the Nutella had disappeared upstairs with it so wasn't there to witness this moment in parenthood where they were planning to leave us here in the smouldering heat.

"I guess we'll just sit around here and casually die then," I said.

Beth looked guilty for a moment, until she was enlightened by an idea. "How about you kids spend the afternoon at the pool?" she suggested.

Before I had time to answer, Tess came hurdling into the room, clumps of wet hair flying wildly around her face. "Yes! God, yes!"

So it was decided that we were to go to the public pool. Jace was originally invited so that he could drive us, but then his girlfriend, Lacey, called and he thankfully ditched. Lacey was this girl who worked at the chemist who had her bellybutton pierced and bleached blonde hair. She was nice, I guess, but the fact that her name reminded me of underwear was kind of distracting.