"Do you want some help?" I watched as she started to lift two giant silver trays of meat and fruit.
"Oh, no. Go and have fun. We're not going to get these nice summer days for long."
"Hi, Sam!" Becky waved from a small pool in her backyard. The raft slipped from underneath her and she screamed as she fell into the water.
Adam shook his head and came over with a can of soda. He had a lopsided grin on and sunglasses in place, dressed in only red swim trunks. "She can never stay on those things on a sober day."
I took the can from him. "She's drinking?"
"Wine coolers, nothing hard."
"But." I saw Laura at a picnic table where the food had been compiled. Another older lady was with her. She had blonde hair and wore a similar dress like my mother's. Something told me this was Adam's mother. "Her parents are here."
He shrugged and gestured to two recliners by the pool. "They're pretty lax about it. My folks aren't. If my mom saw a beer in my hand, I'd be running killers at five in the morning for a month."
"She doesn't say anything to Becky's parents?"
"They have different parenting styles, but they're old friends. They respect each other."
"Oh." For some reason I felt weird as I sat beside him. Becky came over a moment later with a towel wrapped around her. She perched on the end of my seat and water dripped off of her.
"Did you hear about the Roussou players last night?"
Everything snapped to attention in me, but I drawled out, "What do you mean?"
She leaned forward with an eager grin. "I heard the Kades went there with their friends. They wrecked your dad's car at the Roussou's coach's house and slashed a bunch of their football players' tires. Can you believe that?"
Adam frowned.
"Did your dad say anything?"
I felt Adam watching me, but gave her a casual look. "Oh, no. He didn't say anything about it."
"That's probably cause he won't press charges. Your dad's nice like that, but I would if it were my car. I can't believe they did that. I wish they played for our team. We'd go to state for sure."
Laura called out, "Rebecca, go and get your brothers from the basement."
She frowned and stood up. "My stupid little brothers." And off she went, muttering under her breath.
"You haven't told her?"
I shot him a look and remembered he knew about my situation. My shoulders stiffened and the chair became uncomfortable to sit on. "It's no one's business."
"She's your friend."
"She's been someone I talk to for the last week. That's all."
"Really?" His eyes mocked me.
"It's none of your business either."
"Except that Coach Strattan's my coach and he's the best coach I've ever met."
"You've only been on his team."
"I do football camps in the summer, Sam. He's the best coach I've met and that's including FC Public's coaches. They got lucky that the Kades didn't go to our school. They didn't develop their talent at all."
I studied him underneath my eyelashes. "You sound a little jealous?"
He grimaced and stood up. "The Kades are some talented sons of bitches, that's all I'm saying. Your dad would've made them better than they are, they might be more respectful too. All they are is rich a-holes right now."
"Sam, Adam." Becky waved us over to the food table. "We need to grab our food first before my little brothers and all their friends get out here. They're like bugs; their saliva will be crawling all over the food."
And after we sat at a far table with our plates; eight boys who looked like they were in seventh grade burst through the back door. They swarmed around the table. Becky was right. As the afternoon passed, the guys never left the food for long. They were different heights, but all were skinny except for one that looked on the pudgy side. When Becky got up and got us some more beverages, her brothers and their friends took over the pool too.
She sighed as she popped open a beer. "There goes my tanning today. Little rodents."
Adam laughed and stole the water she had nabbed. "Come off it. You love your brothers and you know it. You dote on Jake and Greg."
She scowled. "I'm going to make their lives hell. JAKE!"
A boy popped his head out of the water. "What?"
"If you don't get your little friends out of the pool, I'm going to tell mom and dad what's under your tv."
He froze and his eyes got wide.
Then Adam laughed and stood up. "Don't worry about her, Jake. She won't do that to you. Come on, Becks." He tugged her from the table. "Let's you and me take Sam to the movies."
A pink flush came over her cheeks, but she pretended to pull against his hold on her. "I wanted to tan today, Adam."
He laughed again and swatted her butt. "Go get cute. We can make a matinee and it'll be my treat."
I watched as she tried not to make it look like she was hurrying inside. Then I frowned when he sat back down. "You're not being nice again."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. "I thought I was being really nice."
"You're not and you know it. What's your game?"
He let out a deep breath and glanced at his lap. A moment later he peeked over and I followed his gaze. Two older men were in a heated conversation. Their hands were in the air and each had a can of beer. "I don't feel like being here. My dad just got here."
"Which one?"
"The tall guy. He got here from a meeting ten minutes ago."
From the way he said that and how he was scowling at him, I figured Adam knew something I couldn't discern. His dad was handsome. He was an older version of Adam and he was dressed in custom fitted shorts with a white shirt. He could've been a model for a summer GQ edition.
Becky's dad was the opposite. His white wife beater had stains from the grill and his beer belly hung over his board shorts. He had a slight worshipful look on his face as he debated something with Adam's dad.
"Did he really have a meeting?"
Adam's mother had grown silent next to Laura where they sat underneath a patio umbrella.
He sighed. "What do you think?"
"Oh, no. Go and have fun. We're not going to get these nice summer days for long."
"Hi, Sam!" Becky waved from a small pool in her backyard. The raft slipped from underneath her and she screamed as she fell into the water.
Adam shook his head and came over with a can of soda. He had a lopsided grin on and sunglasses in place, dressed in only red swim trunks. "She can never stay on those things on a sober day."
I took the can from him. "She's drinking?"
"Wine coolers, nothing hard."
"But." I saw Laura at a picnic table where the food had been compiled. Another older lady was with her. She had blonde hair and wore a similar dress like my mother's. Something told me this was Adam's mother. "Her parents are here."
He shrugged and gestured to two recliners by the pool. "They're pretty lax about it. My folks aren't. If my mom saw a beer in my hand, I'd be running killers at five in the morning for a month."
"She doesn't say anything to Becky's parents?"
"They have different parenting styles, but they're old friends. They respect each other."
"Oh." For some reason I felt weird as I sat beside him. Becky came over a moment later with a towel wrapped around her. She perched on the end of my seat and water dripped off of her.
"Did you hear about the Roussou players last night?"
Everything snapped to attention in me, but I drawled out, "What do you mean?"
She leaned forward with an eager grin. "I heard the Kades went there with their friends. They wrecked your dad's car at the Roussou's coach's house and slashed a bunch of their football players' tires. Can you believe that?"
Adam frowned.
"Did your dad say anything?"
I felt Adam watching me, but gave her a casual look. "Oh, no. He didn't say anything about it."
"That's probably cause he won't press charges. Your dad's nice like that, but I would if it were my car. I can't believe they did that. I wish they played for our team. We'd go to state for sure."
Laura called out, "Rebecca, go and get your brothers from the basement."
She frowned and stood up. "My stupid little brothers." And off she went, muttering under her breath.
"You haven't told her?"
I shot him a look and remembered he knew about my situation. My shoulders stiffened and the chair became uncomfortable to sit on. "It's no one's business."
"She's your friend."
"She's been someone I talk to for the last week. That's all."
"Really?" His eyes mocked me.
"It's none of your business either."
"Except that Coach Strattan's my coach and he's the best coach I've ever met."
"You've only been on his team."
"I do football camps in the summer, Sam. He's the best coach I've met and that's including FC Public's coaches. They got lucky that the Kades didn't go to our school. They didn't develop their talent at all."
I studied him underneath my eyelashes. "You sound a little jealous?"
He grimaced and stood up. "The Kades are some talented sons of bitches, that's all I'm saying. Your dad would've made them better than they are, they might be more respectful too. All they are is rich a-holes right now."
"Sam, Adam." Becky waved us over to the food table. "We need to grab our food first before my little brothers and all their friends get out here. They're like bugs; their saliva will be crawling all over the food."
And after we sat at a far table with our plates; eight boys who looked like they were in seventh grade burst through the back door. They swarmed around the table. Becky was right. As the afternoon passed, the guys never left the food for long. They were different heights, but all were skinny except for one that looked on the pudgy side. When Becky got up and got us some more beverages, her brothers and their friends took over the pool too.
She sighed as she popped open a beer. "There goes my tanning today. Little rodents."
Adam laughed and stole the water she had nabbed. "Come off it. You love your brothers and you know it. You dote on Jake and Greg."
She scowled. "I'm going to make their lives hell. JAKE!"
A boy popped his head out of the water. "What?"
"If you don't get your little friends out of the pool, I'm going to tell mom and dad what's under your tv."
He froze and his eyes got wide.
Then Adam laughed and stood up. "Don't worry about her, Jake. She won't do that to you. Come on, Becks." He tugged her from the table. "Let's you and me take Sam to the movies."
A pink flush came over her cheeks, but she pretended to pull against his hold on her. "I wanted to tan today, Adam."
He laughed again and swatted her butt. "Go get cute. We can make a matinee and it'll be my treat."
I watched as she tried not to make it look like she was hurrying inside. Then I frowned when he sat back down. "You're not being nice again."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. "I thought I was being really nice."
"You're not and you know it. What's your game?"
He let out a deep breath and glanced at his lap. A moment later he peeked over and I followed his gaze. Two older men were in a heated conversation. Their hands were in the air and each had a can of beer. "I don't feel like being here. My dad just got here."
"Which one?"
"The tall guy. He got here from a meeting ten minutes ago."
From the way he said that and how he was scowling at him, I figured Adam knew something I couldn't discern. His dad was handsome. He was an older version of Adam and he was dressed in custom fitted shorts with a white shirt. He could've been a model for a summer GQ edition.
Becky's dad was the opposite. His white wife beater had stains from the grill and his beer belly hung over his board shorts. He had a slight worshipful look on his face as he debated something with Adam's dad.
"Did he really have a meeting?"
Adam's mother had grown silent next to Laura where they sat underneath a patio umbrella.
He sighed. "What do you think?"
