Yeah, I live in a small town called Upton, but I lived in Dummerston, VT for a year or so when I was little. I went in Western MA. Where do you live?

Reni

Just as I start to listen to the song, I hear a voice saying ‘hi’. Probably not to me, I think, but I look around anyways. Hillie is on her laptop with her earbuds in, and she’s talking to herself, like always. Dad’s on his phone, and across the aisle, rainbow girl is looking at me. I pop out one earbud and turn to her.

“Hi!” I reply, and turn to look at her. Her dark-chocolate-colored hair is in a messy bun, and her hazel eyes are peeking out of latte-colored skin. She looks about my height, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be my age. My cousin, Tara, is only 10 and she’s taller than me. Then again, Tara’s tall, so-

“I’m Lyra. What’s your name?” She asks me, happily. I get the feeling she’s a very optimistic and bouncy person.

“Reni. It’s short for Renaissance. I’m 13, how old are you?” She smiles and sits up straighter, obviously liking that we’re talking.

“15. Almost 16.” I nod, and she smiles again, which makes me smile so big I have to stop myself from laughing. Don’t ask me why; I have no idea.

Suddenly, the Star Wars girl leans forward. I look back, her sister is sleeping. She doesn’t have her headphones on, which surprises me, but I smile at her anyways.

“Hey.” She says, pushing her short hair back out of her eyes. “I’m kinda, like, bored, and you, like, tried to talk to me earlier,” She glances at Lyra. “So. What are you guys doing?”

“We just introduced ourselves,” I reply. “I’m Reni, and I’m 13.” Lyra tells me that she and Star Wars girl already met, and gives our new friend a smile as the cool-haired girl speaks up.

“I’m Sadie. Age 14.” The way she says it, so, like, professionally, sends me into laughter, and soon all of us are cracking up.

“Awesomesauce.” Lyra grins. I smile back, opening my compact mirror to check my high ponytail. Sadie raises her eyebrows at me. I yawn, flicking off my phone.

“So what do you guys want to do?” I ask. “I know a few games. Like “Going on vacation” and- Ooh, we could do never-tells! Like “4 is the Magic….” I keep on talking, thinking that maybe this vacation isn’t so bad after all.

----------

The plane lands really quickly, and I manage to get Lyra and Sadie’s cell numbers. I gasp at the perfect paradise outside as I get my luggage back and I walk outside with my sister and father. We get a taxi pretty quickly, and I wave goodbye to Sadie and Lyra. We get to the resort soon enough, and as we wait in line to check in, I notice a familiar person getting out of a taxi. ALone, and dressed in bright colors, I have to blink a few times to process what I’m seeing. Lyra? I smile at her, and she waves back, obviously as surprised as I am. I make a “call me” sign with my hand, and she nods as a man, probably her father, lifts her of the ground in a hug. I smile for her, then head to the room with Hillie and Dad. I get settled in quickly and unpack all of my stuff with record speed. Once Mel is lying on my bed, snuggling with Tibbles, and my dresser and bathroom cabinet are full of my stuff, I unpack my tote into my dresser and set my guitar leaning against the bed. Finished, I look across the room at Hillie reading on the patio, her unpacked things next to her bed, and Dad in the kitchen making himself a sandwich, his suitcase on the fold-out couch, and grab Mel’s sparkly pink leash.

“I’m going for a walk!” I call to my father. He nods, and heads out to the sandy patio with Hillie.

“Be back by six! We’re going to one of the resort-raunt’s.” I smile at our name for the all-inclusive restaurants as I head out the door, Mel trotting along by my side. I make a group chat for me, Lyra, and Sadie. I send out a chat saying that I’m staying at the Divi Resort, Room number 56, and asking where they’re staying. Quickly, Sadie gets back to me.

“No way.” Her text says. I shoot a “what” back at her. “I’m staying there 2! Room #57! OMG!”

I “OMG” back to her, smiling, and almost after I send that, Lyra sends a “srsly?!!!!! I’m number 50 at that resort!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I grin. I grab a virgin Pina Colada from the bar and ask if they’re free to meet me at the beach by the stage at 3rd pool. I’m waiting with my toes in the water for the to show up, feeling as happy as I possibly can. Oh yeah! Summer of awesomeness, here I come!”

Lyra~

“Dad! I missed you so much!” I say as he scoops me up in his arms. I’m small enough that he can still pick me. Then again, he’s like 6’3”and fairly broad-shouldered. I definitely didn’t get his size.

“Lyra! My baby! How are you?” he gushes. “How was yourflight? Make any friends on the plane?”

“C-can’t breathe,” I squeeze out, my voice choked by thelack of air. He releases me and sets me down on the ground.

“Sorry. I just missed you, sweetheart. Tell me everythingthat’s happened since April,” he says.

“Well, Ms. Laurel, who’s my favorite teacher, got a job teaching at UVM, so for the rest of the year we had a horrible substitute. And the French teacher had a baby in May, and she took the rest of the year off, and there were a bajillion subs, none of whom actually spoke French. Also, Missy broke up with Luke and said she was swearing off boys, and so all of our group swore off them too (which isn’t hard for me), in solidarity, except for Hannah, because she’s dating Wyatt, but I think they broke up on the last day of school, and now she’s sworn off dating, too.”

“Woah, slow down,” Dad says, looking very confused. “Which one is Missy again?”

“She’s Japanese, and she has the most gorgeous long hair,and the last time you Skyped me, she was there, too, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Her. She was nice. I liked her. She only swore off boys, right? Because I would be fine if you dated her, you know.”

“Da-ad!” I moan. “I don’t like her like that. She’s just a friend. Anyways, I don’t need your approval to date someone; I’m fifteen!”

Bwa-doop! My phonebings with a text from Reni. Can u meetme @ the third pool by the stage? it says.

Yeah, sure.

Yay! she replies.

Be there in five,I write back.

I’m coming too, Sadie chimes in.

“Hey, Dad,” I call, “I’m going to meet the girls from the plane, okay?”

“Have fun! Don’t get lost!” he tells me.

I step outside, with headphones around my neck and my phone in my pocket, when I realize I forgot a room key. I spin on my heel, lunging to grab the before it closes. I miss, but Dad must have noticed, because a few seconds later, he sticks his head out the door.

“Forget something?” he teases, holding the key card just out of my reach.

I cross my arms and give him a hard stare. He submits, and hands me the card, looking sheepish. “When did my baby girl get all scary?” he ponders aloud. I give him a kiss on the cheek and am on my way. I make it all the way to the lobby before I realize I have absolutely no idea where the pool Reni mentioned is.

I pull out my phone and text her, Can you give me directions? I’ve never been here before.

Sure, she replies. Where are you?

The main lobby.

OK, do you see that behind the check-in desk is a big wide hallway with a sign above it saying “theater, pools, rooms 120-140”?

Yep.

Okay, you’re going to go down that hall until room 127, where there’s another wide corridor on the left. Go down that, take the first right, and through some doors until you’re outside. Then follow the path along the side of the building until you see a big pool shaped like a mickey mouse head.

I follow her instructions to the pool, where I spot her. I start to run, because it’s faster than walking, but a lifeguard tweets his whistle at me and I slow to a purposeful walk.

“Reni! Sadie!” Sarcastically, I say, “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“It’s barely been two hours,” Reni says.

“Sarcasm, daarrlink,” Sadie says in an accent that us all laugh.

“Ves, she is vight. I vas being sarcastic,” I tell Reni, ina very bad, very thick, German accent.

She giggles.

“Vat do vou guys vant-“ I manage before I burst into giggles. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” Reni says. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I asked you what you want to do.”

“Okay. How about I choose what we do, since you to won’t be assertive. I want to go check out the arcade, sound good? I heard they have these really cool coin-operated retrogames like Pac-man and Frogger,” says Sadie.

Hey, Agent Winter, are you still following the story? Do you want to write at all, or is it OK that we (artisticbirdie and I) have taken over your charrie?

Fun fact- the reason I chose my charries and her sister's names was because of hotels and resorts in Aruba. The only one I've been to was the Divi-Tamarjin and it DID have like 7 pools. I went last year with like 10 of my cousins and it was so fun!

Sorry this is a short one! I'll post more later.

Reni-

Mel barks, liking the sound of that. I smile. “I guess that’s settled, then.” I say, laughing. I head off to the arcade, and I spend the next twenty minutes trying to succeed at “Donkey Kong” and “Tetris” and getting to know my new friends better.

“What’s your favorite… subject in school?” Sadie questions from where she stands at a “Space Invaders” game. “Mine’s math.”

“Hmm.” I shrug. “Nothing.” Sadie smirks, and then lets out a victory whoop. Lyra answers her question with “language arts” and then turns from the claw machine to poke me.

“C’mon, you have to have a favorite subject!” She says, attempting to get a snake plushie from the machine. I walk over and win an elephant on my first try. She laughs and raises her eyebrows. I giggle, then finally answer the question with an explanation.

“Nah, I don’t really have a favorite subject. I’m, like, really, like, well. Don’t tell anyone, but I have to repeat seventh grade. I’m, like, super, like, dumb, and now everyone is going to make fun of me, and I have to make all new friends, and I’m older than everyone, and-” I stop and gasp to try and stop myself from bursting into tears. “Sorry.” I half whisper, and before I can look up, both of my friends have their arms around me.

“Hey, calm down. It’s gonna be okay.” Sadie tries to reassure me, but I only feel better once Lyra bursts into an off-key version of a song I’ve never heard of. It’s some sort of rock song, and Sadie starts air-guitaring along. I crack up.

“You guys wanna hang out tomorrow?” Lyra asks as we head toward the rooms. One of the best things about this resort, is that everything’s open, so it’s more like a large community thing than a hotel. Mel tugs on the leash and growls at a trash can. I laugh.

“Definitely! But today’s not over yet! It’s karaoke night.” I point to the stage across from the pool. “You guys gonna go? I LOVE to sing.” I raise my eyebrows at them in a wacky way.

Sadie raises her eyebrows back. “I don’t sing, sistah. I dance!” She mocks an accent and breaks into a funky break-dance that makes us burst out into gales of laughter.

“See you guys later!” I call to my new friends.

I'll try to write tomorrow, but I'm painting my room and it's very busy.

COME ON PEOPLE HELP ME TOP THIS THING BEFORE IT DRIFTS TO THE THIRD PAGE!!!!!

OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!!!! I'VE BEEN SO BUSY!!!! TOP!!!!!!