Silvia stood outside her apartment, hands clenched together, thinking about her summer. Many things had happened, many of them involving her friends. Cool summer nights. And then there were some with other people, specific people.

People like Olivia.

What was she supposed to do about what happened? Olivia hadn’t mentioned anything. Nothing had changed about their friendship. And yet, everything had changed.

Something inside her wiggled to get free. It tingled whenever Olivia smiled at her, making her toes curl together. But what was she supposed to do about that? What could she do?

Everything from that night was a bright haze. Blake’s parents had been out of town, so he and his sisters had thrown a party, complete with alcohol, snacks, and music. She had had a little too much to drink and smoked some of Cyrus’s pot, but it hadn’t been that much, not much more than anyone else. But she remembered Olivia. She remembered the taste of her cotton candy lip gloss, how the glitter had stained Silvia’s face, and the grin on Olivia’s face as she had pulled away, swaying left to right, just a little tipsy. Silvia remembered how her cheeks had burned.

“Yo Vee!”

Silvia spun around, looking down at Blake, Jason, Luci, and Olivia, standing below and waiting for her.

“Get your head out of the clouds, girlie, and get down here!” yelled Lucita, waving her down with one hand while the other held her notebook. Silvia smiled. That girl never went anywhere without a pen and a book. If she wasn’t reading, she was writing, not just her book but her book reviews. Lucita was always busy with something.

She smiled, though, looking down at her friends, this group of people she could rely on.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” she called to them.

It was a wonderful day to just be lazy, sitting by the pool and relaxing. But there were a couple of people missing.

“Where’s Cyrus and Matt?” she asked when she reached them.

Luci scrunched up her face. “Running late would be my guess. Cyrus hasn’t canceled yet, so there’s that.” It was something Cyrus had done a lot this summer; every three times they all hung out, he canceled at least once. And usually, last minute, leaving Luci dejected.

“You know I’m still iffy about that Matt dude,” muttered Blake.

Silvia grinned, sharing a look with Luci. “Well, he’s not fond of you either.”

“It’s cause Matt and Blake are too alike,” teased Olivia, red hair shining.

“We’re not alike.”

“Totally alike.” Luci poked his side, smiling up at him in her charming and disarming way. Sometimes, her smile could light up the room, thought Silvia. Especially when she quirked up the side of her lips and winked.

But Olivia’s smile caught her off guard, small and warm, filling her stomach with butterflies.

“Anyway,” started Luci, looking at her cell, “Cyrus says they’ll be here soon. He had to run some errands for his parents. Matt’s with him, apparently being a lazy bum.”

“Those guys are lucky, already having their licenses. Ugh, I can’t wait to take the course at school and get it over with,” said Blake, leading the way to the pool.

“Yay, super driving course.” Lucita rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I think Lu here is the only one not excited to drive.” Jason grinned at her, opening the pool gate.

“What is a license going to do? I can’t afford a car, and my mom will never lend me one. I mean, really, have you guys met my mother?”

“She’s not that bad,” said Jason. “At least not anymore.” Luci just rolled her eyes at him, a small smile on her lips. Silvia wondered what was going on between them, if Luci knew the depth of his feelings for her, even if he never voiced them out loud.

Silvia wondered if Luci knew she had feelings for him, feelings she was constantly pushing aside for Cyrus.

“Hey guys.”

Speak of the devil. Silvia turned around, and Cyrus and Matthew walked toward them, their smiles bright. They could be brothers, she thought, watching them, their hazel eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Childhood friends, it was no wonder their mannerisms were the same. Two sides of the same coin.

“You guys took forever,” said Luci, giving each of them a hug, lingering a little too long on Cyrus, whose arm lingered around her waist.

“How’s it feel to finally have your license, dude?” Blake gave each of them a pat on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

Cyrus just shrugged, finally pulling himself away from Lucita and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I mean, I’ve been driving on the track for years, so it’s really nothing for me. Just a card that says I can legally drive on the road.”

“Anyway, we bring snacks.” Matthew took some bags from behind his bag and presented them with chips, salsa, and soda.

Everyone set themselves up. Lucita was at one of the poolside tables, underneath an umbrella, hidden in the shade, Cyrus and Jason on either side of her. Blake dove into the pool alongside Matt. Silvia set down one of the pool towels, elated when Olivia set her pool down next to her. She lowered her sunglasses over her face, gave Silvia a big grin, and lay there like it was nothing when, in fact, it felt like something.

Rebecca could hear them all out there laughing from her room. At one time, she used to love living right above the pool area. Not now, though. Everyone was so loud that the silence in her home echoed through her bones.

While they were all out there having fun, she was locked away in her room, listening to her parents argue. This was her new norm all summer,  and she had no one to talk to.

Liz and Evie didn’t care or listen. They just chatted away about their own shit. And Liz, she had changed. The new group of people she hung out with, Becca, didn’t like them. She didn’t fit in with them, and she didn’t want to. She had tried to make small talk about the beach, surfing, and the latest song by Kesha or Alan Walker. But they didn’t want to listen, and they didn’t care to listen, so she just stopped.

Evie, though, was the worst. Everything she said was coupled with a sneer as if Becca were a lower lifeform on which she was taking pity. Sometimes, she couldn’t decide who was worse, Evie or Tiffany. Tiffany had been mean, shallow, and petty, but Evie seemed delighted in being cruel. And it was rubbing off on Liz.

But as bad as Liz was getting, she wasn’t that bad. She was still her friend.

Wasn’t she?

Becca grabbed her laptop and headphones. She needed to block out the arguing. It was all they did anymore. Her brother had a suspicion that they would probably get a divorce. Once upon a time, they used to try. Or rather, they tried whenever her brother was home. But now? Now, everything was different, snowballing out of control. Her father’s patience had run its course to the point that he snapped at Becca, something he had never done before, always advocating for her mother to treat her better.

And then there were the nights when she woke up to grab a glass of water, only to find her father asleep on the sofa.

Becca pulled up Facebook and scrolled through her feed. Of course, Liz and Evie were at the beach. Of course, they hadn’t invited her. Why would they? Liz never used to go to the beach, but hanging out with Evie had changed that. Now she was in a black bikini, her arms draped over Evie, smiling and full of attitude.

Sometimes, looking at her felt like looking at a completely different person.

Honestly, she was glad she hadn’t been invited. All Evie did was poke fun at Becca’s appearance. And Liz, she never defended her. Not that she ever had before; that had always been Silvia. But Liz had never been complacent in it, not like she was now.

Yes, Evie was worse than Tiffany, corrupting everything.

Shutting her laptop, she turned up the music on her phone, blasting it to drown out her parents’ arguing and her friends’ laughter.

 

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