"Hi." Ashley said. She had dark red hair but was plain-looking except for her nearly Kelly-green eyes. She, too, was in her bathing suit, a one-piece that revealed her heavy legs and wide hips.
"Her sister Posy and Randy Walker who is in your
grade."
Posy smiled at me. She looked about twelve with red hair a shade lighter than her sister's. She was prettier, with the same beautiful green eyes.
"Hi." I said. "My name isn't Grassy. though. It's Grace." I told them.
"We decided to call you Grassy," Phoebe declared, as if that was that and there was nothing more to be said about it. "Let her in. Wally, and keep your hands to yourself," she ordered.
He smiled, opened the door, and pulled back the seat. Ashley and Posy moved to their right to make a place for me next to Randy, who looked as if he was trying to push the other side of the car farther out I squeezed in beside him, and the moment
Wally closed the door. Roger gunned the engine and made the tires squeal. They all screamed. He spun the car around, backed up, and shot forward.
As we headed for the front entrance of our complex. I caught sight of Augustus standing by his home. He had his hands behind his head as if he was lying back on the grass and looking up at the sky. His face was expressionless.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We were planning on going to the beach." Phoebe shouted. The wind was whipping us all because of the speed we were traveling. It was hard to hear. "But hicks us. Roger's parents are off to Bermuda with some friends for a couple of days, so we have the house. There's no beach, but it's on Singer Island in Sugar Sands. We have the boat, and we can water-ski, and there is a pool."
"Do you water-ski?" Posy asked me.
"No. I've never really done much boating at all."
"I thought your father was in the Navy," Ashley said. "Didn't you go in boats all the time?"
"No. He was a pilot." I said.
"I didn't know the Navy had planes." she replied.
I smiled to myself, remembering how proud Daddy was of the naval air command.
"You're so dumb. Ashley. Didn't you see Tom Cruise in that movie?" Wally asked her.
"I did. but I didn't know they were in the Navy."
"The Navy air command goes back to the Second World War." I said.
"See. Ashley, you shouldn't have failed history last year," Phoebe teased.
"I didn't fail. I almost failed."
"Your teacher gave you two points just to get rid of you." Wally told her.
"So? At least I passed." Ashley retorted. "Which is more than some people in this car can say."
The three in the front seat laughed. Who had failed? I wondered. Had all three? How could they laugh about that?
"How do you like living in Florida?" Posy asked me. Randy turned quickly to listen to my response.
"I haven't lived here very long." I said. "It's hotter than I expected...
"You get used to it." Ashley said. "I did." "Like you have a choice," Wally told her.
She twisted her mouth and shook her head at him.
"Be nice, or I won't let you lick my face later." he threatened.