a face. “Rose has grandchildren? I didn’t even know she had
children.”
The tall blonde ignores her friend and asks me
pointedly. “So how long are you in town?”
Again – an awkward silence fills the air. I
sigh finally. “Until I’m 18 I guess.”
I watch as her expression changes from uncaring to
annoyance. Her stance grows so she’s no longer leaning on Alec, but standing
tall and answers. “So you live here?”
What
is up with this girl? “I
do.”
The taller blonde finally lets out a smile that
closely resembles a smirk. “Well, then welcome to Apollo Beach. I’m Iris. This
is Ava. We’ve lived here our whole lives so forgive my surprise.”
Ava smiles now, mimicking Iris. “That’s right, we
rule this place.”
Iris shoots her a glare and turns back to me. “What
Ava means to say is that since we’ve lived in this small town so long, it’s
natural that we think we know everything about the community.”
I spy a glimpse at Alec as Iris speaks to me. His
feet are shifty and his eyes wandering. He manages to take a step or two away
from Iris. Maybe they aren’t together. His eyes catch mine and he gives me a
sympathetic smile.
Iris is still talking about herself. “I’m the
captain of the cheerleading squad and head of the Events committee at school.”
I raise my eyes, knowing that I should be
impressed. “That’s great. What about you Ava?”
Ava darts a worried glance in Iris’s direction and
then puts on a half-smile. “My dad’s a cop.”
Iris lets out a laugh. “Ava is on the cheerleading
squad too. You should try out this year.” The offer is a blatant challenge.
I shake my head. “Probably not, but thanks.”
Iris smiles with mock sympathy. “Yeah, it’s not for
everyone.” She turns to Alec now. “You ready to eat babe?”
Alec nods, rolls his eyes and looks directly at me.
“See you around? Or, you could join us, if you aren’t headed somewhere.”
“Thanks but I’m meeting up with Charlotte. Thank
you though.” Despite my disappointment at the interruption of the two fiery
blondes, I return his smile before he turns away.
As I watch the three of them walk off there’s a
sinking in my chest. Before the girls arrived I was beginning to warm up to
Apollo Beach. But Iris and Ava reminded me why attending a new school is harder
than it should be. They have claimed their territory and I’m a threat.
A vibration in my
purse causes me to pull out my phone and look at the screen.
Meet me at the car.
Char
Once we’re back in Apollo Beach, Charlotte takes a
turn before our neighborhood’s main gate. A storybook land opens up in front of
us, as tall green towering trees shield what comes next.
We pass over a short one-lane bridge with
cement-sculptured rails and end posts. The bottom looks as if it’s made of
cement and wood blocks. The large overhead sign reads Summer Island
Community Center.
So
this is Summer Island . We
drive in a short distance and Charlotte approaches a guard gate. She’s barely
flashed her magical smile before the wrought iron gate opens ahead. The letter
S stands within a circle above the gate.
The tree cover fades past us as we arrive in an
entirely new community, filled with historically structured townhomes that look
as if they are used for office buildings. There seem to be tennis courts and
swimming pools and – that’s all I can make out.
Charlotte turns left and enters the parking lot of
a Bay front restaurant, The Island Bar and Grill.
As we exit the car and enter the large circular
tiki-syle restaurant that’s both indoor and outdoor I notice beer brands and
tattered nautical items scattered over all supporting wood pillars. The bar
sits in the middle of the room with TV screens circling the upper frame of the
bar. I see pool tables, darts, a Ping-Pong table, and even a stack of board
games on the opposite side of the room. The outer tables, facing the Bay front
are decorated with white and navy
children.”
The tall blonde ignores her friend and asks me
pointedly. “So how long are you in town?”
Again – an awkward silence fills the air. I
sigh finally. “Until I’m 18 I guess.”
I watch as her expression changes from uncaring to
annoyance. Her stance grows so she’s no longer leaning on Alec, but standing
tall and answers. “So you live here?”
What
is up with this girl? “I
do.”
The taller blonde finally lets out a smile that
closely resembles a smirk. “Well, then welcome to Apollo Beach. I’m Iris. This
is Ava. We’ve lived here our whole lives so forgive my surprise.”
Ava smiles now, mimicking Iris. “That’s right, we
rule this place.”
Iris shoots her a glare and turns back to me. “What
Ava means to say is that since we’ve lived in this small town so long, it’s
natural that we think we know everything about the community.”
I spy a glimpse at Alec as Iris speaks to me. His
feet are shifty and his eyes wandering. He manages to take a step or two away
from Iris. Maybe they aren’t together. His eyes catch mine and he gives me a
sympathetic smile.
Iris is still talking about herself. “I’m the
captain of the cheerleading squad and head of the Events committee at school.”
I raise my eyes, knowing that I should be
impressed. “That’s great. What about you Ava?”
Ava darts a worried glance in Iris’s direction and
then puts on a half-smile. “My dad’s a cop.”
Iris lets out a laugh. “Ava is on the cheerleading
squad too. You should try out this year.” The offer is a blatant challenge.
I shake my head. “Probably not, but thanks.”
Iris smiles with mock sympathy. “Yeah, it’s not for
everyone.” She turns to Alec now. “You ready to eat babe?”
Alec nods, rolls his eyes and looks directly at me.
“See you around? Or, you could join us, if you aren’t headed somewhere.”
“Thanks but I’m meeting up with Charlotte. Thank
you though.” Despite my disappointment at the interruption of the two fiery
blondes, I return his smile before he turns away.
As I watch the three of them walk off there’s a
sinking in my chest. Before the girls arrived I was beginning to warm up to
Apollo Beach. But Iris and Ava reminded me why attending a new school is harder
than it should be. They have claimed their territory and I’m a threat.
A vibration in my
purse causes me to pull out my phone and look at the screen.
Meet me at the car.
Char
Once we’re back in Apollo Beach, Charlotte takes a
turn before our neighborhood’s main gate. A storybook land opens up in front of
us, as tall green towering trees shield what comes next.
We pass over a short one-lane bridge with
cement-sculptured rails and end posts. The bottom looks as if it’s made of
cement and wood blocks. The large overhead sign reads Summer Island
Community Center.
So
this is Summer Island . We
drive in a short distance and Charlotte approaches a guard gate. She’s barely
flashed her magical smile before the wrought iron gate opens ahead. The letter
S stands within a circle above the gate.
The tree cover fades past us as we arrive in an
entirely new community, filled with historically structured townhomes that look
as if they are used for office buildings. There seem to be tennis courts and
swimming pools and – that’s all I can make out.
Charlotte turns left and enters the parking lot of
a Bay front restaurant, The Island Bar and Grill.
As we exit the car and enter the large circular
tiki-syle restaurant that’s both indoor and outdoor I notice beer brands and
tattered nautical items scattered over all supporting wood pillars. The bar
sits in the middle of the room with TV screens circling the upper frame of the
bar. I see pool tables, darts, a Ping-Pong table, and even a stack of board
games on the opposite side of the room. The outer tables, facing the Bay front
are decorated with white and navy
Similar Books
