My friends were all children of someone important. There was Jace, who was the son of a football player and who was now a great coach; Lucius, who was the son of a very respected lawyer; Amanda, who was the daughter of a senator. Those were the most important and inseparable. We were all children of rich parents, but we did not follow the conventional standards of hypocritical society that some other parents liked to be a part of. Our conversations were intelligent, full of interesting content that we liked to discuss or just laugh at.
Brooke was sitting on a tree trunk when Viola approached and they started talking. By far, I watch. They seem serious for a while, then they start laughing. After a few minutes of talking, with Viola looking in my direction a few times, my cousin hugs Viola with joy and runs towards where Mike is. Smiling, I walk towards Brooke and sit beside him as I watch Viola jump into his friend's arms.
- What did you say to make her jump out so happy? - I ask with curiosity.
- Where's your friend? - she asks in an ironic way.
- She was a pain in the ass, so I let her go. - I say by making a face.
- You're so disgusting! - she says making a face. - Why do you only date brunettes?
By shaking my head, I avoid looking at Brooke. That was a particularity I didn't like to discuss.
- Will you tell me what Viola said? - I ask you changing the subject.
She sighs as she shakes her head, clearly contradicted by the change of subject.
- Looks like she wants to go to the debutante ball with her friend Mike and her mom doesn't approve. He said he'd talk to my mother and try to reverse the situation.
- Very generous!
- Ah! It's no big deal! - she says smiling. - She's charming and he's a very nice guy. What does your aunt have against him?
I sigh, looking in the direction that the blond young man was hugging my cousin. Mike was only seventeen, but he was so tall he didn't look his age. His hair was platinum, almost white.
- Mike is the son of missionary parents. He received a scholarship to study at the same school in Viola when he was still a little boy. - I say with regret. - My aunt doesn't like him because Mike...
- He's poor!
- Exactly! - I sigh. - Unlike Casey, who is his oldest cousin and heir to a fortune. My aunt likes Casey, but she ignores her and everyone around her.
Brooke frown.
- Don't worry! Casey's very nice. - I say drinking a sip of beer. - She became a cop after graduating and going to Boston. He works at the NYC police station now.
- Is that why you wanted me to file a complaint?
- Certainly! In the hands of Casey, Aron or Tiffany wouldn't escape responding to a nice lawsuit. - I'll take a break. - Casey hates that kind of rich.
- It's one of ours, then?
- So much so that my uncle and she hate each other.
- Why is that?
- I may have an idea, but it's personal! I mean shaking my head from side to side. - To sum up, they just hate each other.
Brooke laughs when I shrug my shoulders off and we start talking animatedly, until Brooke begins to mock something I say.
- All right, smart ass! - I say get up. - You know what happened to the last person who mocked me, Evans?
- No! What? - she asks amidst laughter.
- She ended up wet! - I mean with a naughty, threatening look.
Brooke's laughter disappears and she looks from me to the sea.
- You wouldn't dare, would you?
Brooke didn't have time to react when, laughing, I grab her by the waist and put her on my shoulder, at the same time, I tickle her ribs. She lets out a strangled laugh.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No... - she screamed between laughter and slaps that she was giving behind my back, as she struggled, on her way to the water. - Ryder, no! Please let me go!
Ignoring his appeal, I enter the sea with the water up to my waist and then dive with Brooke in my lap. She grabs onto my neck like I'm a good lifeguard.
- That's not funny! - ...she's gagging for it. - I can't swim, you retard!
- That's why I didn't let you
