EGO AND ENMITY
It's pretty well known that when a guy is hot, single, and rich, he spends his time looking for equally hot, single, and rich girls. And if anyone would know that, it would be me. You get pretty familiar with these things when your mother is the property manager of one of the biggest summer resorts in California. Yeah... I know.
It's not all bad once you get past the disgusting pools, clogged toilets, and dirty bedsheets. My life's not exactly a daydream filled with rainbows and ponies, but I survive.
First things first, I take crap from no one. Not my two baby sisters, Nudge and Ella, not any of the Goutte de Soliel guests. Nuh uh, no way.
Secondly, rule number one does not apply to my mother. She's special. If she tells me to do something I'll do it with minimum grumbling, mostly. Which is how I found myself scrubbing out guest room showers on a sunny Saturday afternoon, when I could have been doing anything else.
Scrubbing showers is pretty much the worst. Just the thought of being in the same place as all those naked people, and who knows what else goes down in these showers. I prefer to not think about it, and instead drown out any thoughts of potential naked people in music. That makes the whole process much easier.
It's also easier when your two youngest sisters don't come bouncing into the hotel room talking and giggling shrilly. Nudge and Ella kept Mom on her toes that's for sure, and very quickly my ability to stay on my toes was going to be tested.
"OMG!" Started Nudge, her brown curls bouncing. "You are never ever going to guess what Mom just told us! Guess Max! Guess! Ohh you are never gonna get it!"
At this point the middle sister chimed in. "That's okay Max, because I am going to tell you! Iggy Walker is coming to Goutte de Soliel! Iggy Walker! Can you even believe it?! Famous people never come to our resort!" Ella's little speech trailed off in a burst of giggles and an expectant look at me.
My lack of reaction turned their expectant looks to ones of exasperation. But honestly, what do they expect? I don't spend my time reading through the latest gossip magazine, as if I had time or interest in all that mamsy-pansy stuff.
"Oh honestly, Max," declared Nudge, "you don't even know who Iggy Walker is do you?"
"Sorry to disappoint." I replied dryly, pushing a strand of dirty blonde hair out of my face.
"He's only the biggest fashion photographer, since... Since, fashion photography was invented" Ella's eyes were open wide, and her dark hair had frizzed out around her head in the heat. Combined it gave her the effect of a madman, no, madwoman.
"And he's coming here for a whole month!" Finished Nudge, looking equally crazy in the pink mashup that was her outfit. But hey, who was I to judge?
"That's... Nice?" I managed.
They tossed their heads, dark hair, and frizzy curls flying simultaneously. "If you're not going to be interested, then we're not going to tell you the best bit!" Taunted Ella.
"Fine by me." I grinned up at them from my position on the bathroom floor.
"Maaaxxxx, can't you act like a girl this once? This isn't even about makeup or anything" I worked to suppress my shudder at the mention of makeup, then schooled my expression into something vaguely apologetic.
"You don't even look sorry!" Cried Ella. Oops. "Fine then," she fumed, "if you don't want to know, then we won't tell you." Arm in arm my little sisters flounced out of the bathroom into the afternoon sun.
Later, as afternoon bent into evening I finished with the showers, and hopped into my golf cart to drop off the cleaning supplies before dinner at home. Perks of being the property manager's daughter, you get your own golf cart. I know! It's pretty cool.
As I bumped along the cobblestone path that ran the center of the resort, a voice came at me.
"Hey Max! Hold up!"
I slowed down and turned towards the voice, and immediately grinned. It was JJ, my best friend in the world. She was short but her personality still packed a punch.
"Hey! I've been looking for you all afternoon Max! Where did you disappear to? The whole crew was there and it felt... empty without you." Her green eyes pouted with her words.
I groaned. "Oh JJ, I'm so sorry! My mom roped me into cleaning the showers. Joybells."
She looked back at me with sympathy, "Aw Max! Gee, if I'd known I would've come to help you!" I began to accept the apology, but JJ raced on. "But you'll never guess what the talk was all afternoon!"
I wanted to bury my head in my hands a groan. I settled for parking the cart without even glancing at JJ.
"Iggy Walker is coming to the resort! But that's not even the best part. His cousin Nick Walker is coming with him…" She paused obviously hoping for a reaction.
But I'd never heard of these two people, so how did they expect me to respond? I'm not the type to fake excitement.
"Maximum Ride, what am I going to do with you?" JJ sighed. I gave her a cheeky grin.
"You're gonna have to stay for dinner. You know Mom will like it, and you can educate me on all of the things I'm 'supposed' to know. Like our soon-to-be guests Iggy, and Nick Walker. Then maybe I'll whoop your ass at Mario Kart." I felt the cheeky grin become devilish. JJ just rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you choose to believe Max."
"I do believe it!" I said, and carrying my bucket of cleaning supplies I ran the rest of the way to my front door, eager to get some peace and quiet before JJ was joined by Ella and Nudge. My education on the Walker boys was about to begin.