Summer with the Bertram Brothers

t w e l v e - b o y s

Next day, I wake up in gloom. The rain draw rivers against my window. 

I purse my lips as I stare at the grey light coming through. I try to clear my mind. I still feel overwhelmed from the past two days. 

My kiss with Rico keeps re-running in my memory. I need to forget about that guy! It's almost impossible to stop thinking about him. Or Trim. Maybe I should just stop seeing them. Stop seeing boys altogether. I've never been with boys like this summer. Boys never paid attention to me. Winnie is usually the one guys would look at. She's perfect and pretty. It makes no sense that a popular guy like Rico wants anything to do with me. 

I try to excuse his behaviour. Maybe he was experimenting. Maybe he was just teasing me. It seems to be a big joke to him. It's a big deal for me because it's creating mixed feelings. If I had to choose, it would be Trim all the way. But, there's something about Rico that bothers my brain. Argh! Stop thinking about Rico, I tell myself. 

I stop in my tracks as suddenly as I keep in mind where the problem lies. Rico and Trim are brothers. They live under the same roof. They surely have a better relationship than Eva and me and share more than twenty words to each other. What if he tells Trim what happen between us those past days? Trim will hate me! Maybe he has a terrible brotherhood with Trim and wants him to suffer forever. Trim probably told Rico about me and Rico then planned to tear us apart by swaying me into a kiss! Siblings are the worst. Makes me wish I were the only child. Or not born at all. I would avoid all this stress. 

I brush the thought away from my frontal cortex. Trim and I are... I don't know what we are. We haven't pinpointed what exactly it is we have. Maybe, like his brother, I'm just a play thing. A short amusement. I shouldn't let myself go so easily. I need self discipline, I thought. These guys have been with more girls before they've made friends of me. Up until now, I've been pretty naive.

It's still early and the house sounds inhabitant. I turn on my radio and hit the shower in the bathroom. I turn up the hot water and let it steam my body. I scrub all over and quickly get out. I jump in the kitchen and pour some cereal. Eva appears.

"I'm spending the day at Winnie's," I say out loud, "So, if Doyle asks..."

"He was really worried yesterday," Eva speaks.

"I don't really care," I reply, "Especially how he treated me last night. How everyone's been treating me. I'm not babysitting mom while you guys get to do what you want."

"We're all looking after mom," she says as a matter of fact. 

I give her a weird look.

"No."

"Whatever, I don't care what you do. I don't care about anything. This family's messed up and I don't want to have anything to do with it."

Eva picks up her purse and takes mom's car keys. I assume she's going by one of her friend's cottage or something.

"If you're taking the car, you might as well give me a ride," I say, following behind her through the door.

By the time I get to Winnie's place, the rain dies down. All we do is watch movie until nightfall. I never brought up my trip with Rico. No.

She tells me, "Yesterday, I was so lonely. I just sat on the beach like a fried fish."

I choke my popcorn in laughter and try to steer away from 24 hours ago.

"So, um, I was thinking, we should go shopping tomorrow if the sun comes out—"

"I need some way to get closer to Rico. We talked a few times, but it's not getting anywhere. What should I do?"

I don't answer.

"Ambi?"

"What?"

"Answer me! Any ideas?"

"You should ask him to give you surf lessons. He likes surfing."

I watch Winnie gasp in excitement. I remember when Rico offered to teach me sometime and I declined. I think it's a great gateway for Winnie and Rico. Maybe then he'll leave me alone once he finds some other girl to pay attention to.

"You're a genius!"

"So," I change subject, "What movie should we watch now? Sharks II?"

I see Winnie's not listening to me. She's contemplating about what I said and running with it.

"Winnie, with all honesty," I speak up. She looks at me when she finishes being all giddy, "It's summer. The guy is going to forget about you by the end of August. Don't get all your hopes up. Rico's a player, and everyone knows that. You don't want a guy like that. Summer flings are all they are."

She stares at me with a nonchalant face, ignoring my heartfelt speech about Rico and his species. 

"Yeah, says the girl with the boyfriend."

I gasp, "Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

"Trim."

"No..." I laugh off nervously. My thoughts from this morning haunts me back again, "No, we're not official or anything!"

She looks at me in disbelief.

"People say Rico's a bad guy because he's been with lots of girls. I don't see it that way. He's just looking for the right girl."

Poor Winnie...

"And you think you're the right girl?" I ask.

She eyes me, "You don't think I'm the right girl?"

"I think you're the perfect girl. It's the wrong guy you're going after here." I sink in the couch, "You deserve a perfect guy."

"Rico is the perfect guy! You don't get it Ambi. When I see him, my world is perfect," she dramatically says.

"He's a heartbreaker. Plus, there are every single girl on L'Acadie pursuing him."

I realize that I'm talking to myself.

"It would only be normal to be close to him since I'm planning to go to Royal next year."

My eyes pop out of my head.

"Royal Vale College? You're going to go to Royal Vale? Just because Rico goes to Royal Vale doesn't mean you have to go!" I pause and lower my voice, "I thought you said we were going to go to the same college next year."

"You can come to Royal too," she responds.

"Uh, sorry, but my grades don't come close to their minimum requirements," I say sheepishly. 

Winnie rolls her eyes at my pessimistic attitude.

"Just work harder this year. I know I will!" she winks.

"Winnie," I shake my head and then rethink what I should say. I don't want to talk about Rico anymore. "Anyway, I hope Rico will love you as much as you do. Any guy would do pirouettes to have you."