Not Another Vampire Story - 2
2. Stripping by the Pool - Overshadowed
PG13. Tween, humor, middle school, angst, vampires, summer. #ReadFree
Suggested Music: K-Pop AudioNetwork
. . . Those moments before Sylvia became “My usual adorable self”
Holly had some of the frills Sylvia didn't. While Sylvia's blonde hair had a reddish cast that bounced out of control unless tamed by a tight ponytail, Holly's half African-American descent gave her dark hair a texture that yielded well to the relaxer her mother used on it. Since summer had begun and Sylvia started hanging out at her mother's boyfriend's pool, her skin was nearly as dark as Holly's light brown tint.
Holly had at first stood out in their small elementary school's fifth grade in central Ohio, but after she started middle school—and Jamie Goddard had called her chocolate ice cream, 'the delicious kind'—she'd got over any stigma a girl could find. It didn't hurt that Jamie Goddard was one of the better-looking boys in sixth grade at the time, and still was last year in seventh, or that he was constantly giving her little elbow nudges in math class that brought a grin to her face and always finagled his way into being her partner in science class. The nickname stuck when she said she said it was her favorite ice cream.
Sometimes Sylvia thought no one at school wanted a vanilla ice cream cone with big reddish hair and blue eyes.
"I don't know how you don't see it," Holly said as they lounged at the pool in the backyard of Brian's house the next afternoon. Being friends with Sylvia had its perks, and one was the rich boyfriend her mom had. Pools, pizza parties, massive big screen television—all of it—and in one of the newer ranch-style houses in one of the nicer subdivisions. Every upgrade imaginable to the retro '70s style was added to Brian's house.
"I think Junno is so much sweeter. He is so underestimated." Sylvia bent her knees and sat back in the lounge chair by the crystal blue in-ground pool waters, the warm late August sun hot on her skin. To their side a CD player rested on the patio table, sheltered from the sun by a mock palm tree umbrella that covered a three-foot circle, Obachan Rock coming from its speakers. Two glasses of soda were warming in the day's heat despite the moderate palm shading.
"You weren't saying that when he was blond and had the blue contacts in." She smiled at Sylvia's frown.
"I don't want to think about those months."
Holly sighed, adjusting her yellow two-piece swimsuit bottom where a wedgie was creeping up. "Nishikido Ryo is perfect. You'll see it soon."
"Oh, he's hot, but Junno is my first choice."
"Humph. Ryo was in two bands; Kanjani8 and News. That should tell you something, girl."
Sylvia sighed. "I'm trying more Kpop. Expand my horizons."
Holly side-eyed her. "You sure you're ready for that? You gonna put Junno at risk for more boybands?"
"He can hold his own." Sylvia squinted at her under the sun. "You know there's a Jpop version of Bounce with Me? You know, Run to You by DJ DOC."
Holly's brows furrowed. "Who covered it?"
"DJ OZMA. Same song," Sylvia added. "Both good."
Holly nodded. "I think we should do an official comparison."
"Me, too."
"Anyone else?"
"I'm still looking. You should make a list, too. Super Junior, Girls Generation, some others. You'd like Block B."
"I heard of them. You surprise me, Red."
Sylvia stood up and twisted to look at the back of her legs. She groaned, running a hand over her teal blue bikini bottom. The backs of her thighs had big, sweaty red spots where she'd been sitting for half an hour in the chair. "Is there any way to sit that won't leave red marks?"
"Don't think so. You could stand on your head."
Sylvia waved her off. "I'm going in to get my CD. My turn."
Holly sighed, listening to the Kanjani8 song play out as Sylvia disappeared into the house.
Sylvia slid the glass door that led from the deck of Brian's yard into his house. The central air system wasn't on—one of Brian's few rules—and the climate inside was warm, but not uncomfortable. The kitchen was to the right, a rec room to the left. A strange layout for a house, Sylvia thought, but her mom said the rec room was probably supposed to be something else, like a dining room, but since Brian didn't really dine it was more of an informal hang-out room. Two sofas, the smaller of the big screen TVs, and a few upholstered chairs were arranged there.
In one of these now was Julia, sitting in her sleek black bikini, gold accents emphasizing all her charm points, as their mom would call them, with one heel on the chair's edge as she painted her toenails.
"Terry's coming over, so don't be your usual self." Julia blew on the muted pink nail polish. "Be a girl, okay?"
"Hi, Silly." It came from the corner, followed by a squawk and flutter of feathers.
Sylvia looked to the white cockatiel. "It's Sylvi, you bird-brain."
"I'm telling," the bird chirped. It stepped from foot to foot on its T-bar perch, tether swinging.
"Don't," Julia warned as Sylvia approached the bird with one hand raised. "Leave Blanche alone."
Sylvia scowled at the bird. One good flap of anyone's arm and Blanche would forget her tether, attempt to fly off the perch, and end up dangling by one foot until she could beak-claw her way back to the top.
"Who names a bird Blanche? She can't even say her own name. It's just vulgar." Sylvia put on her sweetest smile and stepped closer to the bird. "Say I'm a Blanche."
"Don't make her." Julia studied her toes, satisfied. "It's supposed to mean white."
Sylvia crossed the room to where her non-school book bag—i.e., go-to-Dad's-house bag—was on one of the sofas. "So, when's this really hot guy coming over?"
Julia looked at her fingernails, tilting her head and stretching her long fingers. "Any minute. Make sure Holly behaves, too."
Sylvia tossed the empty water bottles and an old math assignment from seventh grade around inside the bag until she found the CD wrapped in a pair of shorts. Her manga were in the second large pocket—she had her priorities—where there was no chance of any stray drips of water ruining their covers. She smiled at the case cover, her eyes only for the top right photo of Junnosuke Taguchi. "Yeah, you know Holly. Stealing guys twice her age. She's bad for that."
Julia shook her head. "Terry's twenty, you twit." A car door was heard from the driveway at the front of the house and she stood. "Now be nice. I think he's here."
"My usual adorable self." Sylvia fiddled with her swimsuit top, wishing there was a little more in the cups to keep it from shifting.
Julia wrapped a beach towel of brilliant reds and deep purple in a swirl pattern around herself, needlessly accentuating her small waist. "Go outside, Sylvi."
"I'm going. Don't lock us out."
"I'm not going to; now split."
Sylvia zipped her bag shut. "When do we get to meet him?"
"A little later. About half an hour, okay?" Julia smoothed her hair back in its ponytail at the back of her head, sending a waft of peach scent shampoo to her younger sister.
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Thanks to Sakurapu for sharing her story!
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