Parfait

4: Vanilla

Okay, maybe hanging out with Sofia's friends isn't as easy as I thought it would be. 

Alex really thought Olivia and I were having fun at the beach, so he kept inviting us to go with him and...we did. While he swam and collected seashells with Sofia, Foteini wouldn't stop telling us all about her lash extensions and Angel  wouldn't stop analyzing the outfits she wore in all of her 1,324 Instagram posts. Kate wasn't annoying at all, but she didn't do anything to help the situation.

That's how it was for three days. Olivia and I would swim as far away from Alex and Sofia as possible and then go back to the shore and sip on the world's most watered-down slushies, all the while wishing our parents would call us and demand we go home immediately. I never thought being grounded could be a blessing.

It's seven in the afternoon now. I'm sitting on my porch steps, playing with Lucky. Dad got her a new plastic toy that lights up when it hits the ground. She goes crazy every time I drop it and she runs after it. I'm waiting for Olivia to pick me up so we can all meet at -where else?- Parfait. Tonight, Mrs. May should announce who got the job. Alice and Jess leave in three days, according to Olivia. 

Lucky runs towards the street, and I run after her when I listen to a car approaching. Turns out it's Olivia, who rolls down her window and says, "Get in, loser, we're going shopping".

My lips curl. Olivia isn't alone in the car. I have to try hard to not tell her a loser is already in there. And if that's not enough, Lucky hops on said loser as soon as he opens his door, wagging her tail at a 100 Hz rate.

"Oh, hi, Kallisthenis," I say with the biggest fake smile I can muster. 

The smile on his lips drops, causing mine to grow bigger. 

"C'mon, Summer, you know I hate being called that," he says as if he believes we're friends before shifting his attention back to my dog. "How are you, sweetie? Aren't you a little doll? Yes, you are, yes you are! Do you want to go out for a walk tomorrow?"

I ball my fists. There's nothing I can do to keep him from playing with her. Our parents are best friends. The one time I took Lucky from Kal's arms Dad gave me the longest lecture ever. Well, after the one when he found out I kissed a boy when I was six.

"We should get going," I say and reach for Lucky.

Kal hands her to me reluctantly and doesn't let go of her front paws. "We'll meet again, you sweet little bastard."

I roll my eyes as I take her to her house and connect the leash with her collar. She tends to go on little adventures whenever I leave the house and I go through a thousand heart attacks waiting for her to come back.

I get in the backseat of the car and rest my shoulders on the front seats. "So, how was the countryside, Kal?" I ask, knowing full well he absolutely loathes being there. Even though our town isn't far from it either.

He turns around in his seat and looks at me in the eyes when he answers as he does with every person he talks to. "You know, as always. My grandma made me eat around five thousand calories every day, my uncle was asking me why I don't have a girlfriend and my aunt was making me make a study plan for John. At least Thomas was there too and I hang out with him."

I nod and shift my gaze towards the road. It's not like I can't stand looking at his decently sharp jawline or his dark brown eyes or his thick dark hair. I have gotten used to his stupid face over the years. However, I prefer not to look at it if I have the option.