Those Left Behind

Two

Later that evening Arden and Nina stripped into their togs and lazed around the pool edge, it was the peak of summer, much to ardens distaste. Nina, being a past swimmer, was doing laps up and down the pool.

"Aren't you tired? You make me dizzy just looking at you." Arden groaned

Nina bobbed with the small waves in the pool, "Then don't look at me,"

Arden gives her a look and rolls of the rock ledge and into the pool. She came up spitting and squinting, trying not to get mascara in her eyes.

"What are we having to tea?" Arden asked her nose turned up at the thought of mashed potato, which the Abbott family tended to have every night.

"Jesus we just ate, Arden" Nina said

"My bottomless pit of a stomach knows no bounds" she grinned

"Tell your bottomless pit we can order a pizza"

"The pit is fine with pizza"

Arden floated on her back, watching the clouds above form patterns, it was a very humid day, the backs of their shirts had stuck to their backs and the flies plagued them to the point where spraying themselves with fly killer was an option.

Nina stops swimming her length, "Pizza takes, like, thirty minutes to arrive so we should probably order it soon if you are hungry."

"I should probably ask what the kids want, do you think ham and cheese?" Arden asked

"I can check,"

"No it's ok, I've had enough swimming anyway," Arden dragged herself up the steps, shaking the water from her short dark hair, water droplets glisten on her skin in the outdoor lighting. She ran up the deck stairs and crouched at the window to Felicity's room.

"Fi," she tapped on the window causing both girls to jump. Felicity opened the window, "What, Arden"

"I'm going to order pizza, are you and Imogen ok with ham and cheese?"

She looks back at the stocky brunette who nods in agreement, "Yep, bye now" Ardens sister, Imogen says snootily, then giggles at Felicity. Arden rolled her eyes, biting back a remark that could potentially end up with Imogen missing out on pizza, and turns away from the window, collecting her phone from the outside table.

"What do we want?" she raises her voice so Nina could hear her,

"Something nice. With bacon." she adds with an afterthought.

Arden hummed in agreement and dials the number and orders, making sure to put extra bacon on the mushroom and bacon pizza.

"...Thanks" Arden puts the phone inside on the kitchen bench and meets Nina back on the deck as she dried her hair. "Fifteen minutes."

"Sweet, enough time to get changed then. Come put your stuff in my room."

The girl flicked the hair into pony tails and quickly dry off as they walk into the house, going through the kitchen to the hallway and down to Nina's room. Arden steps fluidly into her bedroom and jumps head first onto her bed,

"Hey! You're wet!" Nina screeched shrilly, Arden stretches languidly across the covers and smiles lazily

"God I love pizza" her face up ward to the ceiling as if it were her audience.

Nina huffs, knowing Arden was annoying her on purpose, and starts yanking her draws open. Her fingers clawing at her dress at the back of her draw, it had been pushed to the back by all her polyester microfiber sports shirts, which she had all colours of the rainbow. She held the dress up in front of her, with a look of utter distaste. Wrinkled. She watches out of the corner of her eye, Arden swung herself off the side of the bed and reached down for her bag, pulling out her own surf shop branded dress. Also wrinkled. Nina looks at her own dress, and with utter resignation she pulls it over her damp hair and clothes.