[ððððððð ððð : ðððððððð ððððððð]
" ð'ððð ðð ððð ððð, ððð ððððð. "
â¯â¯â¯
ððððð ðððð ððð ððððð that hot August afternoon as she watched her two friends play tennis. The three had retreated to the Pembrooke Country Club to go for a swim in the pool, but as always, Camila and Bethany had gotten distracted.
"Can we go now?" Meili patted her sweating forehead with a napkin, "You know I don't like to sweat in designer."
"Oh calm down, princess, just a few more serves." Camila shouted from the court as she hit the ball back at Beth.
"Where's Ella?" Meili stirred her pink lemonade, biting her lip.
"I think she's tutoring Theo. He told me something about it yesterday." Beth replied.
"Theo? Tutoring? Please." She scoffed then pushed her lemonade out away from her, "Have fun, losers, I'm going to change into my bathing suit."
Mei stood up and began walking inside. She smiled when she heard her friends quickly following after her.
"Well, don't just leave us." Camila set a hand on Mei's shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
"Don't touch me when you're all sweaty." Mei narrowed her eyes at her, and kept walking.
The girls knew Meili was handful, but they were still her friends because they knew she meant well. Her mother had died when she was only 13, and when she moved from China she was bullied in school for her accent. They had stuck with her then, so they stuck with her now.
"I can't wait to get out of this shirt. The sun's too hot today." Beth groaned, taking her shirt off once they got to the woman's locker room.
"You'd think New York would be cooler." Mei rolled her eyes, also stripping herself free from her clothes.
The girls all changed into their bathing suits. Mei in a navy blue textured one with hike-style bottoms, Camila in a yellow high waisted one, and Bethany in a pink bikini that exposed most of her body.
Camila swore the way they exited that locker room could be a scene in a movie. Every head turned toward the girls as they sashayed to the pool. Bethany hoped that cute lifeguard from last week was working today. She was sure he had been staring at her the whole time, and he was cute enough for her to have some fun.
"Wait," Mei stopped walking once they reached the pool deck, "Who the hell is that?"
The other girls followed her gaze to two guys who were chilling at one of the pool tables. They each had a beer in hand and were looking out with squinted eyes around the pool. One of them the girls recognized, their friend Ezra, but the other wasn't a face they'd seen around here.
He had piercing brown eyes, tan sun kissed skin, sharp, chiseled features, and brown curls. The moment Meili saw him she knew he was going to be trouble. Especially for her.
"I-I don't know." Bethany gulped, "Should we go over there?"
"Too late to decide that, they've seen us." Camila threw her hands up, and surely enough the boys were looking in their direction. Mei took a deep breath before walking over to them.
"G'day to you too, Ice Queen." Ezra called Mei by the silly nickname he had come up with years ago. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Hello Ezra." She replied and couldn't help but sneak a glance at his new friend.
"What's up, Mila? Beth?" He nodded towards the girls behind her, and Mei swore she saw Bethany blush.
"Who's this?" Mei asked, getting impatient. Her eyes caught another her glance at the bronze colored boy.
"Who're these girls, Ez?" He asked instead, a spanish accent to his voice, and Mei narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well, Sebby, these are my good friends from school." Ezra pointed his beer at the girls before taking a sip, "Me and you are especially good friends, aren't we Mei?"
"No." She gave him a look, but he just grinned.
"Fine, be like that, Queenie." Ezra chuckled.
"You still didn't answer my question."
"Just leave him, Mei, he's obviously not in the mood to chat." Camila rolled her eyes, grabbing her friends arm.
"Whatever, Ezra, you better sleep with one eye open tonight." Mei fake smiled at him before turning around and leaving.
"Did you really think he was going to tell you?" Camila asked once they were safely tanning on the poolside chairs.
"I like to think people can change, Mila, it's one of my positive traits."