March 17
Tonight my mom had a catering job at a St. Patrick's Day costume party. It was for adults, which sounds mega lame. She met this guy there, who followed her around all night and wouldn't take the hint. Oh, and here's the really sad part - he kept telling her that he was there to protect and serve her (he was dressed as a cop). Gag. As if Mom would ever date a loser like that.
April 10
Today, my dad called and said that he was sorry, but I wouldn't be able to spend April vacation with him this year. Apparently, he's serious about the woman he's been seeing and they are going on some trip together. At least, I can definitely see him this summer once school lets out.
Oh, and the loser that my mom met at that catering party in March? He's still trying to get her to go out with him. Can you believe it? It's only because my mom's too nice to really give him the brush off that he's still hanging around.
May 19
You are not going to believe this. Last night, Trent - that guy who keeps hitting on Mom - asked her out, and she said yes. She said she thinks he deserves a chance. She hasn't been out on a date since the divorce, so she was really nervous getting ready. She sprung this on me at the last moment so I didn't have time to think of an excuse to go out and avoid meeting him. All I can say is what a loser. He put on this big fake friendly act, pretending that he was really interested in me. He asked a bunch of questions when Mom was getting ready. He even asked if I had a girlfriend. I hate when adults do that. It's none of their business.
Oh, and he kept calling me buddy. Newsflash: I am not your buddy. I will never be your buddy. Not even if a meteor crashed, and we were the last two people on earth.
June 14
I think Mom is getting serious about Trent. Why? No idea. She's started talking about maybe going out and spending a few weeks at Trent's beach house this summer. At least, I have an excuse for not going. Pretty soon, I will be out at my dad's and won't have to worry about this for an entire summer. Maybe when I get back, Trent will be gone, too. Maybe spending a few weeks in the same house with him will be enough for Mom to come to her senses.
June 19
My life is ruined. First, Dad called and said that I can't come out to see him, at least not until he and his girlfriend get settled into their new place. Then, Trent invited both Mom and me to his beach house for the entire summer.
What did I do to deserve this? I know life is unfair (every adult I've ever met loves to remind me of that), but why does it have to be this unfair?
June 30
Riptide: A strong surface current flowing away from shore
Riptide: The name of the hellhole where I have to spend the rest of the summer.
We arrived here this afternoon, and it is just as bad as I expected. No, worse. The moment we pulled in, this woman from next door comes over and starts talking a mile a minute. If you looked up "overshare" in the dictionary, her name would be right by it. She told us her entire life story in about ten minutes. She has an eleven-year-old son, who is into Star Wars, and a daughter who's about Steff's age, who's pretty hot but moody. She just stared at us for a bit and then went back inside. Not that I could blame her. The girls here are all pretty big snobs, at least the ones I've seen so far. No surprise there.
Oh, and get this? When we were in the car on the way there, and Mom and Steff were asleep, Trent decided to have a heart-to-heart chat with me. He started out by asking me to rate myself on a scale of one to ten. He said that according to his superior judgment, I was a three because I don't "put myself out there." Whatever. Who says that to someone?
If I'm a three, then he's a negative three.
July 1
Yesterday, we met Trent's friends, Kip and Joan. They came over for dinner and didn't leave for hours. I don't know what they did after dinner, but I'm sure it involved drinking. My mom doesn't drink at home, but here, it's like she's a teenager again. Everyone acts that way. Fortunately, I found an old bike in the garage, so I have a way to escape. OK, I didn't go far, just to the local pizza place, but I met a guy there who was playing Pac Man. He seems cool, but he's a lot older than me and has some kind of job (he was on his lunch break). Why can't I just make friends with someone my age? Maybe Trent is right, and I really am a loser. No, wait. He's the loser. After I got back, I had to go out on Kip's boat with everyone, and Trent made me wear this lame life jacket. No one else had to wear one, not even Peter and he's eleven! When we were out there, Mom made me promise to "try harder." Right. Why can't she see through his two-faced behavior?
Next time, I am definitely staying out longer. It's not like there's anything here worth sticking around for. Maybe I'll go and check out that water park. It sounds lame, but then what isn't around here?
July 4
Awesome news. I got a job! I was hanging around Water Wizz - that's the name of the place. I stuck out like a sore thumb because 1) I was the only one in jeans and 2) I was the only one not having a fabulous time. I was sitting on a picnic table watching everyone have a blast - and Owen came over and asked me to leave. I thought he was serious, but it turns out he was joking. He took me up to the Tunnel, which is the biggest ride there, and we went down the tube. I didn't realize how much fun it was until I tried it. I didn't realize what I'd been missing.
After I got back, I had to go to a cookout. Susanna's older brother, Charlie, sold pot to all the adults. Um, Mom, weren't you the one who told me to always "just say no"? But it wasn't a total loss because Susanna and I went for a walk on the beach, and we saw the fireworks. Her parents are divorced, too, and her mom freaks out when her dad calls because she thinks it means she's going to go live with him. Just like my mom.
Maybe this place isn't so bad after all.
July 5
Today was my first day of work. My first day of work ever, actually. The first thing I did as an official Water Wizz employee was confiscate the cardboard from a bunch of guys dancing. At first I was sure I was going to get my ass kicked, but they just wanted me to dance, too, so I did, and it was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened - at least until I realized they were clapping. For me.
Now they call me Pop n' Lock. I have to say, it sure beats "buddy."
July 9
Work has been going pretty well until today when three kids tried going down the tube at the same time and got stuck. Owen came up with the idea of having this other, bigger kid go down and dislodge them. From the noise they made, I got the impression that it probably hurt, but only a little, and they all seemed to think it was cool when it was done. But then Owen's supervisor got mad at him and asked him when he was going to grow up. I can tell that he likes her, and she likes him, but there's a part of her who thinks he's just an overgrown kid himself. I hate to say it, but she does have a point.
July 12
Today, it was pouring out, so I couldn't go to work. I had to stay home. Talk about an entire waste of a day. None of us wanted to be in the same room with each other, except maybe Mom. Trent suggested seeing Kip and Joan, but Mom nixed the plan. Instead we played Candyland. You know, the kids' game. Trent got all pissed when Mom landed on a shortcut, and she blew up at him. I'm not going to get my hopes up, though. Still, maybe she's beginning to realize what a dick he is.
July 17
Trent is cheating on Mom. I just know it.
Last night he didn't come home until super late, and they were arguing, and he told her that he was with Kip on the boat and, I quote, "time got away from them." Right. The next morning, Mom acted like nothing had happened. I will never be like that.
The good news is that Susanna came to Water Wizz yesterday, and we spent the entire day hanging out. I wonder if she likes me - that way. I hope so. I certainly feel that way about her.
July 20
Last night, I confronted Mom and told her that Trent was cheating on her. (We heard Kip say that his boat's been out of commission for a week.) She got all teary but didn't do anything, just looked at me like it was my fault. I left and wound up getting roped into taking Peter with me. We went to Water Wizz, where they were holding a goodbye party for Lewis. We wound up staying all night, and when we got back, Peter's mother freaked out, but Mom just looked at me and told me to get packed. I asked her why we couldn't stay and stay someplace else, but she said no.
Luckily, we stopped for gas right across the street from Water Wizz, so I got out and went running over so I could say goodbye to Owen. And I have no idea why, but I decided I was going to see if I could pass him in the Tube. And I did! At least, I didn't leave without saying goodbye.
Oh, and I had my first kiss, too. With Susanna. She said that I "surprised her," but I think she means in a good way. Too bad I'll never see her again. Still...
Aug. 8
Guess what? My dad called and said I could come stay with him for the last two weeks of school vacation.
Oh, and Mom told Trent that she needed "space." Translation: The spell is finally starting to wear off. At least I hope so anyway. Wouldn't it be awesome if he was gone for good by the time I came back home? You never know, maybe my luck's finally starting to change...
No wait. I think my luck started to change when I went into that pizza place and saw Owen playing Pac Man. Yeah. What started out as the worse summer of my life turned into one of the best. Definitely.