Model Ricans

Water Skiing

Marga doesn't talk to me for the rest of the first summer session of band camp. When I walk up to her and her saxophone case, she starts taking to someone else and makes believe I am not there.

At first I feel sad about this but then Sky Bowman peeks into the band room and winks at me or makes kissy faces at me and I can't help but smile and blush. He calls me every night and we talk about his soccer team and my attempts to find a new sport after moving.

"Maybe you'll be an amazing water skier," he says, the night before the big bash.

This makes me laugh hysterically because it just doesn't seem possible but soon I am leaving the last day of band camp early and skiing on a lake with rich kids. I am on a boat, without adults, having the most amazing time of my life. Sky Bowman is driving. His best friend Bobby and Stacey Quinn are cheering me on. I didn't know how to water ski this morning when I woke up, but after falling about eight times, I am basically Belinda Carlisle now because Sky Bowman and his friends taught me how to pull myself up and glide through the water like a beautiful time traveling shooting star.

And the fun doesn't stop.

Bobby has a pool behind his massive mansion with massive oak trees and hanging Spanish moss, so after water skiing, Sky Bowman says, "Let's go swimming!"

Even though I'm a little bit tired from falling eight times, I don't want Sky Bowman to think I'm lame and can't keep up, so I cannon ball into the rectangular pool and swim like a wild woman doing flips and turns like I always do. Sky Bowman watches me from the deck with a smile and doesn't jump in. He starts heading toward the sliding glass doors back into the air conditioned house and says, "Be right back, I gotta pee" to which Bobby says, "when has that ever stopped you from jumping in the pool?" Sky Bowman smiles with a guilty shrug before looking at me and disappears.

Apparently all my movement in the pool has been splashing Bobby, who looks annoyed, so I splash him on purpose. His face looks shocked at first but then he smiles and splashes back. Soon we are in a water park style splashing frenzy, something I know I'm really good at after many summers in the pool with my cousins in New York.

When we finally stop, I look to the side of the pool and Sky Bowman is smiling the smile he usually smiles at me before kissing me...but he's looking at Stacey, who is laying on a sun chair and smiling back. Whatttt?

I can't believe it, so I swim toward him and try to distract him.

He ignores me.

I pull myself out of the pool and wrap myself in a towel, tired and pissed off. Sky Bowman finally looks beyond Stacey's head at me. I don't want him to know I am annoyed so I look toward the pool and say out loud, "Hey Bobby, do you have anything to drink?"

That's when Sky Bowman stands and says, "I got it, come with me, let's make some drinks."

Relieved, I follow him, but as soon as we are in the kitchen, away from the others, I say, "Why are you flirting with Stacey?"

He smiles. "You were flirting with Bobby."

My mouth drops open. Sky Bowman is jealous. It's amazing. I made Sky Bowman jealous. "I'm not flirting with Bobby, I'm just splashing him with water, you don't have to be so jealous."

Squinting in the sunlight and shifting his feet, Sky Bowman isn't smiling and he's not bantering with me like he normally does. "You're in love with Bobby, I can tell."