Summer with the Bertram Brothers

f o u r - p a r t y

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 and we dance in circles together. Once the track finishes, I laugh with Winnie until my belly drops. 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 whisper. 

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 decides, "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 to live in 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 think, 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. In a close up, I watch him slide his fingers through his hair and beam a smile my way. The way his short sleeve droops to flash me his biceps, triceps, and all that.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asks.

Okay, why is he asking me? He should be talking to other girls... girls who are really girls. Not plain old me. 

"Fine."

He takes my cup away and hands me a Poppers Wild Ice instead. 

"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. I try hard to look away, but nothing can compete with Rico's good looks. I hate it.

"My friend's looking for you," I say to compensate. 

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 know. 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 stares me down with an intimidating smile.

"Ambi," she says slowly and takes my can away, "What are you doing here?"