Confessions of Your Friendly Neighborhood Lifeguard

Chapter Two

"So where exactly are you taking me?" I asked, as Avery pulled me through scores of tourists on the main drag.

“I'm taking you to meet the gang. I can't let you go back to your house and not meet someone who hasn't crashed your car.” Avery and I walked down the street and stopped in front of a laser tag building. We walked in and through the course, which was lit by only a black light to a fire ladder in the back. We climbed up the ladder, in an emergency hatch to a large sun room.

There was a deck beyond the screen walls, but inside was like a teenager's paradise. There were lounge chairs and exercise equipment and then there was a large flat screen, a huge video game collection, and a large comfy couch.

“Avery, what's the occasion that we may be blessed with your presence?” a boy with red hair asked. He was laying limply on the floor with a potato chip bag in his hand.

“Chip,” Avery groaned. “Must you?”

“Why hello there, gorgeous!” Chip shoved the potato bag off his chest and jumped to his feet, strolling over to me.

“Chip, keep it in your pants for five minutes,”Avery snapped. Chip turned around and sulked to the couch and plopped down. “Everyone this is Rae. Rae this is everyone.”

“Hi Rae,” the people said in unison. There were six of them all together, four boys, two girls, plus Avery and myself.

“Hi,” I smiled.

“Rae just moved here and I crashed in to her mustang,” Avery explained.

“Again?” a girl with black hair asked.

“You crash your car often?” I whispered.

“No, I do not!” Avery said, walking to a lounge chair and sitting down. “Take a seat, Rae and meet everyone.” I wasn't quite sure if these people actually had names or if they just went by 'Everyone'.

“Hi, I'm Matt,” Chip said, jumping up to me again.

“I thought it was Chip...”

“We call him Chip because he always eats chips. You can call him Matt, but it won't last very long. You'll just come to know him as Chip,” the same black haired girl said. “I'm Raven.” Appropriate. I stood there awkwardly for a few moments, swaying back and forth while Chip winked at me.

“Alright, well, it was a pleasure meeting you all. But I have to go. My mom will be wondering where I went. I opened up the emergency hatch and climbed through the laser tag arena again and started walking home.

“Hey, Rae, wait!” I stopped walking around and saw Avery running towards me. “So, it probably wasn't a good idea to take you there because most people are totally out of it up there.” I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, god, not because they're, like, high or anything, but everyone just zones out up there. There's a party at the cove tonight. You there?'

“The cove?” I asked.

“Yeah, it's just down the shore that way. It'll be fun.”

“Um, sure, maybe. See ya.” I walked home, which was a long walk. I walked past families with matching t-shirts, and Asian couples with fanny packs and cameras strapped around their necks. Walking down this street was like walking around Disney World, but without all the fun rides, the fun characters, and without the whole “Happiest Place on Earth” deal.

When I finally got home, all I wanted to do was take a nap. I walked up to my room and dropped on my bed, shutting all the blinds. Going outside of the house has not been rewarding. My car got trashed, I got hit on by a guy who loved chips, and I successfully made no friends. I'm beginning to think the dad I hated wasn't so bad after all.