There are some things which I really just hate, and being on planes is one of them. “Thank god,” I thought, “that I’m sitting next to Xander, and not some morbidly obese old lady who smells like moth balls”. Xander, who had been my best friend since our mothers had bonded over their love of spandex and the 80s, had agreed to travel with me to visit my cousin, Lourdes, in Spain. Although, I suspected a hidden motive, given that Xander had a rather enormous crush on my flirtatious and notably promiscuous cousin. Personally, I also had a secret reason for escaping my home in New York. Kyle, my adorable, blue eyed boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, had broken up with me. Everywhere I went in New York, memories of the two of us came too. Moments were engraved in the pavement outside my apartment building, hidden inside the pages of a book or a board game. For me, Spain offered an escape from the reality of my life, and a chance to move on and prefect my tan. … I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA. “Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good. I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen. We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes. After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off. Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit. Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me. There are some things which I really just hate, and being on planes is one of them. “Thank god,” I thought, “that I’m sitting next to Xander, and not some morbidly obese old lady who smells like moth balls”. Xander, who had been my best friend since our mothers had bonded over their love of spandex and the 80s, had agreed to travel with me to visit my cousin, Lourdes, in Spain. Although, I suspected a hidden motive, given that Xander had a rather enormous crush on my flirtatious and notably promiscuous cousin. Personally, I also had a secret reason for escaping my home in New York. Kyle, my adorable, blue eyed boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, had broken up with me. Everywhere I went in New York, memories of the two of us came too. Moments were engraved in the pavement outside my apartment building, hidden inside the pages of a book or a board game. For me, Spain offered an escape from the reality of my life, and a chance to move on and prefect my tan. … I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA. “Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good. I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen. We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes. After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off. Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit. Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me. There are some things which I really just hate, and being on planes is one of them. “Thank god,” I thought, “that I’m sitting next to Xander, and not some morbidly obese old lady who smells like moth balls”. Xander, who had been my best friend since our mothers had bonded over their love of spandex and the 80s, had agreed to travel with me to visit my cousin, Lourdes, in Spain. Although, I suspected a hidden motive, given that Xander had a rather enormous crush on my flirtatious and notably promiscuous cousin. Personally, I also had a secret reason for escaping my home in New York. Kyle, my adorable, blue eyed boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, had broken up with me. Everywhere I went in New York, memories of the two of us came too. Moments were engraved in the pavement outside my apartment building, hidden inside the pages of a book or a board game. For me, Spain offered an escape from the reality of my life, and a chance to move on and prefect my tan. … I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA. “Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good. I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen. We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes. After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off. Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit. Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me.
…
I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA.
“Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good.
I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen.
We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes.
After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off.
Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit.
Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me.
There are some things which I really just hate, and being on planes is one of them. “Thank god,” I thought, “that I’m sitting next to Xander, and not some morbidly obese old lady who smells like moth balls”. Xander, who had been my best friend since our mothers had bonded over their love of spandex and the 80s, had agreed to travel with me to visit my cousin, Lourdes, in Spain. Although, I suspected a hidden motive, given that Xander had a rather enormous crush on my flirtatious and notably promiscuous cousin. Personally, I also had a secret reason for escaping my home in New York. Kyle, my adorable, blue eyed boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, had broken up with me. Everywhere I went in New York, memories of the two of us came too. Moments were engraved in the pavement outside my apartment building, hidden inside the pages of a book or a board game. For me, Spain offered an escape from the reality of my life, and a chance to move on and prefect my tan.
…
I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA.
“Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good.
I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen.
We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes.
After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off.
Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit.
Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me.
There are some things which I really just hate, and being on planes is one of them. “Thank god,” I thought, “that I’m sitting next to Xander, and not some morbidly obese old lady who smells like moth balls”. Xander, who had been my best friend since our mothers had bonded over their love of spandex and the 80s, had agreed to travel with me to visit my cousin, Lourdes, in Spain. Although, I suspected a hidden motive, given that Xander had a rather enormous crush on my flirtatious and notably promiscuous cousin. Personally, I also had a secret reason for escaping my home in New York. Kyle, my adorable, blue eyed boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, had broken up with me. Everywhere I went in New York, memories of the two of us came too. Moments were engraved in the pavement outside my apartment building, hidden inside the pages of a book or a board game. For me, Spain offered an escape from the reality of my life, and a chance to move on and prefect my tan.
…
I walked down the hallway, trailing behind Xander, struggling to keep my hot pink carryon bag on my shoulder. My flip flops made a monotonous clicking noise as they hit my heel and I tried to focus on that, instead of how nervous I was to see Lourdes for the first time in a year. We reached the door where all the people were waiting to catch their friends, hated mother-in-laws and children. Xander came to a sudden stop, and turned toward me. “Lila,” he said comfortingly, in his familiar deep voice, “I know that you are really nervous about seeing Lourdes and spending two months away from your family,” I started to ask how he could tell, but he kept on talking, “But, you can totally do this. We’re going to have, possibly, the most amazing summer ever. And if you are ever like really upset or anything, well, you know”. I started to thank him again, but the moment was over, and he was already preoccupied with adjusting the strap on his bag and pushing open the door. I felt something funny in my middle that I had never felt around Xander before. My insides gave a little flip and felt like they had been through the centrifuge that we used in Biology to separate DNA.
“Lila Renee, get your pale butt over here,” Lourdes shouted, distinctively the only person in the terminal speaking in English. “Lourdes!” I shouted back, searching for her in the crowds. “She’s over there, next to the sketchy looking man in the palm tree shirt,” Xander said. We pushed our way through mobs of crying and hugging people wearing enough perfume to make the boy’s locker room smell good.
I ran to Lourdes and enveloped her in a giant hug. She smelt like she always has; a mix of Miss. Dior Cherie perfume, Dove liquid body wash and chocolate chip cookies. “Lila Renee, you look amazing and I see you finally got rid of those ugly side bangs”. I smiled and laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lila?” I asked, laughing back, “And you are looking pretty good, yourself. The black dress you’re wearing is gorgeous. I might just have to steal it”. “Oh. I remember you now,” Lourdes said, pointing at Xander, “I met you at that party last year”. Xander smiled and looked slightly embarrassed. He stared at the ground and stuck his hand out to shake Lourdes’ hand. Being the usual Lourdes, she completely ignored his outstretched hand and gave him a hug. Xander’s face turned even redder, if that was possible, but he looked fairly excited. I stood, wondering how deeply he had a crush on her. I always figured it was the level at which I liked Jacob Katz. He was super gorgeous, super nice and way out of my league. As hot as he was, I knew there was zero chance I would ever go out with him. But, it did not seem like that’s how Xander felt about Lourdes. I had seen him around girls he liked and thought he had a chance with and he acted just like he was now; memorizing the seams on his shoes while his face turned florescent red. “Lourdes, let’s go grab their bags and then we got to get back to the house, I think the pool boy is supposed to come today and regulate the chemicals, and we have to be there when he arrives,” Lourdes’ mom, Tia Carmen said in her throaty, Spanish accent. Lourdes smiled and winked at me, as she ran to catch up with Xander and left me to the wrath of endless questions on New York with Tia Carmen.
We all squeezed into Tia Carmen's lipstick red VW Bug. Lourdes hopped in and cranked up some Spanish rap on the radio, while Xander and I sat awkwardly in the back. I glanced at him, trying to make eye contact and send him some telepathic message, but he seemed to be deeply involved in digging through his bag for something. The temperature in the car was ridiculously hot and an hour into the trip I figured that I could sacrifice my outfit for the sake of saving my shirt from the doom of sweat stains. I stuffed my navy blue Gilly Hicks henley into my carryon, and went back to trying to find some way to ask Xander what was going on in his mind, regarding Lourdes.
After a very long, two and a half hour trip from the busy center of Barcelona, where the airport was, to rural Andalucía, where Lourdes and Tia Carmen lived, I had determined that I was fully not telepathic and could not communicate with using a pencil and paper or my mouth. I was also still fighting back that awkward little heart flip, but I was failing. Every time I glanced at Xander, my heart beat at an unhealthy rate and could have been an Olympic gymnast with the number of flips it did. Tia Carmen navigated her car through the cobblestone paved streets, until we were driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, the coast of the ocean whizzing by. At last, when Xander and I had played an unhealthy number of games of Tick Tack Toe, heard the same song on the radio at least three times and I had deleted every picture of Kyle and me from my phone, we arrived at a large gate. Tia Carmen pushed a button and entered a password on the gate, and the metal doors opened with a slow creaking sound. She slowly drove toward her house. When it finally came into view, I was in awe and it appeared that Xander shared my feelings. The house was an enormous Spanish style house. There were a variety of colors on the various stucco walls. At the opening to the garage, there was a large arc. It was possibly the most majestic house I had ever seen. A beat up, old Mercedes sat in the garage. Lourdes shifted in her seat and started to bounce up and down. “Calm down Lourdes,” Tia Carmen said, sounding agitated. The car came to a slow stop, and Lourdes bolted out of her seat. A young man, wearing a Puma zip up sweat jacket and jeans stepped out of the Mercedes and walked toward Lourdes. They embraced, and I felt embarrassed, as if I was invading a private moment. They kissed and Tia Carmen quickly made conversation and rushed us out of the car, trying to distract us with retrieving our bags. I glanced at Xander and he looked slightly upset. “I think we missed the dinner Armando made for the rest of house hold. Lourdes and Liam, that man in the ugly blue jacket over there, are going out for dinner. So you guys are free for the rest of the evening. You can go swimming; I'm guessing we missed the pool boy though,” Tia Carmen filled us in, trailing off at the end. Xander and I grabbed our bags, and dragged them through the house, to our room. The house was amazing. In the center there was a winding stair case, and while the rooms were quite small, there were an awful lot of them. Chrystal chandeliers decorated most rooms, like some people decorate with dust bunnies. I always knew that Lourdes' family was well off, but I had no idea this well off.
Xander and I divided up the closet and beds in silence. He seemed oddly moody and something definitely seemed off. “So, Xander, what do you want to do tonight? We could wander around, go swimming, or just hang out,” I asked, trying to lift his mood, something I had never been good at. “Swimming I guess? I'm not sure,” he responded, not looking up from his iPod. I dug through my bag, trying to find where I had stashed my new Roxy bandeau bathing suit.
Twenty minutes later we walked out to the pool, feeling the soft grass form to shape of our feet. I dragged a plush towel behind me. Although the sun had set many hours ago, it was still hot outside, and the warm breeze felt good on my skin. The pool was long and narrow. An ornate mosaic of a butterfly covered the bottom and the small glass pieces glittered in the moon light. Surrounding the pool, four cushy chairs sat on the edge of the patio. Besides the chairs, and the 5 feet of brick on the pool side, there was nothing else nearby. The lights from the house sparkled through the night, and I could hear the tinkle of voices from the deck. I threw my towel onto one of the fluffiest chairs I had ever seen, and jumped into the pool. “Xander! The water feels amazing,” I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth. “I don't know Lila. I was kind of thinking I would just hang out and read Sports Illustrated or something,” Xander responded, looking dubious. I splashed water at him, trying to convince him to come in. “Fine,” Xander capitulated, and he dived in. Pitch black surrounded me, with the only light coming from the dozens of fireflies who buzzed around the water's surface. “Gotcha!” Xander shouted as he sprayed me with water. I splashed him back, and for the first time all day, not caring if I said something wrong. We dove in and out, laughing as we showered one another with the ebony water. At last, when our eyes were burning with chlorine, we pushed out of the pool, and splayed ourselves on the grass. We could hear a car pull up into the driveway, and Lourdes' charming voice was heard, distinct over the sounds of summer nights. Lourdes, charismatic as always, laughed magically, and I could hear how much she like Liam. Xander sat up, reminded of Lourdes. “She's really into him,” Xander noted aloud. “Yeah,” I said quietly back, “I think she's liked him for a while. From what she says they are perfect. He seems to be the only guy so far who she has really fallen for this hard.” Xander looked down, and then back up at me. My heart did its little dance routine as his brown eyes connected with mine. “I don't know Lila,” Xander whispered back, “I really liked her, but, I just don't know. I thought there would be something with me and her, but, I really don't see it now that I'm here.” I laughed, trying to ease up the moment. “Yeah, I could see that.” I struggled to find something to say, that would let him know how I had felt all day, but I didn't need to. As my brain sorted through things I could say, Xander leaned in and kissed me.