Mr. Brightside || João Félix

F I F T Y - S I X

Saturday, December 17, 2022 1:34PM

"The game is at 5 today, so we're out of here in 2 hours," I say as everyone jumps in the pool.

Two hands grab my hips and throw me in the pool, "stop wasting pool time."

"Okay, you seriously have to stop throwing me in the pool," I complain as I reach the surface.

João looks over at me, shrugs and cannonballs into the pool. I hear Gio call me from inside the house so I get out of the pool wrapping myself in a towel and walking over to check on her. I help her get the babies in their little floaties so we can all enjoy a day at the pool. As I help her get the twins in the pool, I feel two arms grab me again and chuck me into the pool.

"Count your days, Félix," I groan as I reach the surface again, "stop throwing me into the pool."

"It wasn't me," he says behind me.

I look around to see which of our friends decided it'd be hilarious to throw me into the pool, but they're all inside. I hear a loud splash next to me and my dad comes out of the water shaking his head like a wet dog.

"It was you," I say glaring at him.

"Race you to the other side of the pool," he tells me.

"You're on," I say as he begins to swim.

We race to the other end of the pool and surprise surprise, I won. "You let me win," I groan.

"Did not," he says, "you won fair and square."

"Liar," I roll my eyes.

"I'll race you," João says.

"You'll let me win too," I groan.

"I won't let you win," Cooper says, 'please help,' he mouths.

"You're slow though," I roll my eyes. I look around to see why he's asking for help and I see my little sister Alana forcing him, Hugo and Cris to play mermaids with her and Eva. I laugh swimming over to João and getting on his back.

"You wanna play mermaids with them ?" I whisper in his ear. He looks over to them, silently laughs and shakes his head swimming away.

"Absolutely not," he whispers.

We quiet down to hear Alana and Hugo arguing.

"We're not playing mermaids again," Hugo tries to reason with her.

"I say we play mermaids so we play mermaids," Alana says.

"How about we play sharks instead," Hugo proposes, "we played mermaids last time."

"I don't wanna play sharks, I wanna play mermaids," Alana argues.

"Then I won't play," Hugo says turning his back on her.

"Please," she says swimming to him and giving him her big pleading eyes.

"Your daughters aren't used to hearing no often, are they ?" João asks my dad.

"They are," my dad laughs, "just not from me," he says looking over to Gio.

"That's actually not true because Alana gets everything she wants from both of you, that's why she is the way she is," I tell my dad. "Plus you tell me no all the time."

"Yeah, and then you come back with those big pleading eyes, 'daddy please'" he says mocking me.

"I do not," I argue.

"Yes, yes you do," João says, "dangerous, those eyes."

"They get you every time," my dad agrees, "good luck with that," he tells João. "How'd the Harry Potter marathon go ?"