The Ghost of the Lake

Chapter 22

As we walk out the door from the ice cream shop, I notice what a beautiful day it is. The sky was as blue as the color on a blue jay. Almost no clouds could be seen. The weather was hot with a cool breeze coming from the ocean. These type of days are very rare. Whenever you get the privilege to have a day like this, you have to go outside and enjoy yourself. Like go out with your friends and enjoy ice cream at the park.

That's what Leo, Meadow, and I were doing. Enjoying the great outdoors eating ice cream and sitting on a bench, when Myra and Gabby come walking by.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Myra asks.

Hmph! as if she really cares about what we are doing. I bet she just said that to make it look like she's not there to talk to Leo.

"Oh you know, enjoying our ice cream on a great day," replies Leo nonchalantly. The way he said it made it seem like he hadn't really acknowledge that Myra was even there.

He takes a bite out of his ice cream. He had chosen vanilla and cookie dough on his ice cream cone. Meadow chose blueberry and strawberry. I being the most peculiar and queer out of the three, chose vanilla, cookie dough, mint, lemon, pecan, and blueberry.

"Does that combination even taste great," Meadow had asked me after the ice cream man handed the cone to me.

"If you eat one flavor at a time, it doesn't taste as bad," I had replied.

"Well do you mind if we join you?" Gabby says.

I was going to say, no you can't. We do not want to hang around with snob trash, but Meadow got to me first.

"Sure I don't mind," she says. Then she looks at me. "Of course only if Opal and Leo don't mind."

Well of course I mind. Myra hates my guts. She wouldn't want to hang out with me, anyway. Of course, I also saw the look on my cousin's face. It showed pure desire to be with them. I guess she just wants to be like Myra and Gabby. I know girls like that, and why wouldn't anyone want to. I mean, Myra and Gabby will probably become models when they grow up.

"Sure. I don't mind." I practically force the words out.

Leo looks at me and gives me a weird look. Almost as if he was saying, are you sure?

I nod. "Sure you can sit with us," I say more friendly like.

"Thank you, Opal," Gabby says. She takes a seat next to Meadow; Myra sits in between Leo and Meadow. I sit on the outside. If it weren't for the bar on the end of the bench, I would probably had fallen out.

"So, Meadow, this is Myra and Gabby," says Leo. I forgot that Meadow has never met Myra and Gabby.

"Hello Gabby and Myra," Meadow responds.

"Hello. Your name is..." Myra asks sweetly.

"Oh my name is Meadow," she replies.

"Meadow is such a pretty name," Gabby says.

"Yes it is," adds Myra. "So are you also new here?" Myra asks.

"Yes. I mean no. Well I have never been here, but I will not be living here anytime soon. I'm just on vacation," Meadow replies.

"Oh how fabulous," Gabby says.

"Yes how splendid. We should give you a tour of the town," Myra says excitedly.

Meadow looks at me. I give her a look of approval. Which is weird. Why would she be asking me for permission?

"Sure why not," Meadow replies.