You’re not sorry at all snarls Ash wiping sand off her legs I roll my eyes and try to focus on my sketchpad My drawing of Wraith a wicked looking masked super villain of my own creation is only halfway done It’s for my graphic novel My dad convinced me to start one over Spring Break Said it would be good to try and make a story out of all these characters I’m always coming up with I want to finish it before the vacation is over so I can show him when I get home But with Ash and Karl around all the time it’s hard to focus I said I was sorry Karl snaps Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it Because you’re still doing it Ash shrieks pointing at the sand Karl keeps flicking out of his little hole Ridge make him stop it I don’t know why you think I have that power I tell her He listens to you 2
I look over at Karl sitting in the sand We’ve been at Juneberry Beach two whole days and the kid still hasn’t put on a bathing suit Just the same designer khakis and various colors of identical golf shirts I didn’t know they were designer but Ash did Ash is a label girl She loves labels Especially the kind that seem to be plastered all over Karl and his family She knows what kind of sunglasses Karl’s dad wears and what kind of purse Karl’s dad’s girlfriend Gina carries around She’s impressed by their shoes watches even their luggage And she talks to me about it All Day Long I don’t know why she thinks I care None of it means much to me But I do know that labels like those mean Karl’s dad is rich Filthy rich How a guy like Karl’s dad became friends with my mom and Ash’s mom I’ll never understand Karl stares at me as if expecting orders Knock it off Karl I say I’m sick of listening to Ash whine 3
With a horrified guh noise Ash kicks the sand sending it flying into my face It’s in my eyes my nose my mouth I taste the hard salty grains grinding on my tongue I spit Beside me Karl laughs By the time I blink away all the grit Ash is storming back to the house Her house The one she lives in with her mom Jes I can see her sitting on the deck with my mom and Karl’s dad and his girlfriend She waves to Ash and Ash’s arms flail wildly I don’t know what she’s saying but I know she’s not telling them anything good All four of them turn and look in my direction Mom frowns Great I mutter As soon as Mom gets ahold of me I know she is going to lecture me about being nicer to Ash Jes is Mom’s friend from university She invited me and Mom to come visit her for Spring Break Sounded all right to me a week in the Florida Keys with lots of time to draw and maybe even some 4
time on a jet ski And I heard that Jes had a teenage daughter Cool I thought Spring Break with a high school girl But then that high school girl turned out to be Ash whiny boring mean old Ash She hates me says Karl Yeah I nod spitting out more sand She hates me too At least you get to leave soon Karl’s face goes kind of funny His mouth twists to one side like he isn’t so happy about that either What I ask I’d sure rather be out on your fancy boat than stuck here with Ash Karl shrugs and looks down at the sand hole You can have my spot I laugh Don’t tease me Karl I’d take your place in a second I mean it Like I said Karl’s dad is filthy rich The only reason he’s even in Florida is because the private yacht he chartered for Spring Break launches from here Then they’re off to sail the Caribbean in luxury Chartered I learned that word recently too 5
