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Outside the Dickson House
Riley's POV
What do I say? Who should I ask for? What am I thinking? Why am I even here?
Those were all thoughts that crossed my mind as I knocked on the door to the Dickson house. Or it least, they would have if I hadn't lost my mind already.
The Dickson house was, erm, fitting for them. It was tall (Three stories... Who even needs three stories on their house? I mean, really! According to Ana, the top floor was their parent's master suite, strictly off limits by all children but Lucas who was still a baby.), and had a wrap around porch on the first floor. It was a clean shade of white with black shutters and shingles and a big black door. Each room had a personal balcony, and you could tell who's was who's. Ana, April and Hannah's balcony was covered in bright flowers (Hannah was a gardner), and had three hammocks and had a plug in so that April could bring out her music. Ana, April and Hannah's balcony also recieved the most sunlight, so it was the best place to tan (according to April). Jake, Chad and Justin's had an outdoor couch and looked like it wasn't often used (But Ana shared that sometimes Jake took girls out on his balcony to make out, but April added that it wasn't often that Jake had a date). Gardenia, Cassandra and Mary's balcony had a table with three chairs and pink, purple and white flowers surrounding the table. They also had a butterfly tent, because they raised moarch butterflies so their balcony almost always had a butterfly of two flying around.
The big white house wasn't just perfect itself, the garden was perfect as well. Hannah and Mrs. Dickson spent a good amount of time tending the garden and there wasn't a flower out of place. Each person took a day to mow the lawn, and judging by the pattern, it had been Chad's week. Chad always cut the lawn in circles, starting around the big cherry tree in their front yard. Since it was early summer, the tree was covered in little pink flowers. Ana cut the lawn almost never, but when she did, it was in perfectly straight vertical lines. Jake cut it in a checkerboard pattern, as did his father. Hannah cut it in a diamond pattern. Oh god, and then there was April... April weasled her way out of mowing most times, by claiming that she couldn't get the mower to start, didn't know where to start it, stuff like that, but when she did, the lawn was cut in uneven horizantal lines. No not lines, nowhere near lines. I don't even know what to call them. Her parents didn't like when April mowed the lawn and no one knew if she cut the lawn badly to avoid having to ever do it.
All these thoughts ran through my head in a split second and were interrupted when Mrs. Dickson opened the door. She smiled at me, "Who are you here for sweetie?"
I mentally cringed, it was wierd to see her like this. Mrs. Dickson's day job was a surgeon so she was dressed in scrubs. Pink scrubs. "Depends, who's here?"
Mrs. Dickson laughed and ruffled my hair (I fought the urge to smooth my hair back down again, grimacing. "Let's see... Jake and Chad are at a baseball game, Ana is at her private tennis lessons at the Virginia Beach Country Club..."
"What about April?" I asked, irritated.
"Oh, April!" Mrs. Dickson nodded, "April's at her regatta over at the country club as well! It doesn't start until 11, so you have about a half an hour if you want to get over there and talk to her."
"Yeah, sure, okay, thanks," I replied hurriedly, stepping away from the house that I felt so uncomfortable in...
"Oh, I'm glad I could help! Now, are you sure that you don't want to come in before I head over to the hospital? I made cookies!" Mrs. Dickson offered.
"Oh no thanks..." I replied, darting down the sidewalk and back to my car.
Riley's POV
At the Virginia Beach Country Club
I pulled my car into the parking lot and headed over to where I saw a group of people and various sailboats. Scanning the crowd, I saw a familliar blonde standing in a boat with, go figure, April Flower written in gold on the side.
I laughed and walked silently behind her, covering her eyes with my hands.
"Guess who?" I asked.
In one swift movement, April ducked down, twisted my arms and turned around so somehow she was standing behind me and had me in a headlock.
"Oh, hi Riley! What brings you here?" She asked, still holding me in a headlock.
I tried to break free, but it didn't work, "I came to see your rescotta! Duh."
April giggled, "Regatta, Riley."
"Yeah..." I replied, "What's a regatta?"
I could hear the smirk on April's face, "A regatta is a series of boat races, this is a sailing regatta but there are also rowing regattas. I've actually been to a paddle boat regatta before."
"Are you going to let go anytime soon?" I asked, my neck was getting sore.
"Let go of what?" April asked.
I sighed, "Me..."
April immidiately let me go, "Oh, yeah, sorry about that Riley!"
I stood up straighter and glanced over at April's boat, "I like the name!"
April laughed, "Why thank you!"
We chatted for a while but then April had to go out on her boat, "You're welcome to stay and watch! I need someone to congratulate me after I win!"
**TIME BREAK**
April did win. She was amazing! But then again, she's been sailing for like, forever.
"Hey April, can I try something?" I asked.
April raised an eyebrow, "If it's anything like the last time you asked me that, then of course you can!"
"I want to sail your boat."
"You want to what?"
"Sail your boat."
"... By yourself?"
"Why not? I mean, how hard can it be?"
"You're going to turtle my boat! I'm not letting you sail it!"
"Turtle? What?"
April groaned and ran a hand through her curly blonde hair, "I'll go out with you."
I smirked, "I didn't ask, but since you're offering..."
"NO! Not like that! I meant in a boat!" She panicked.
I raised an eyebrow, "Is there something wrong with going out with me?"
April shook her head quickly, blushing, "No, I wouldn't mind."
"...Is that a yes or a no April?"
"It's a lets just go out in my boat! Wait, don't touch anything, I have to get you a lifejacket first," April ran towards a pod which was where I was guessing they kept sailing stuff, but I wasn't sure...
April wouldn't mind if I just untied this knot, would she? I don't think so...
I leaned over and untied a knot that was attached to a metal pole on a dock. Big mistake. I untied the knot and then the boat, floated away.
"Oh crud," I mumbled, jumping off the dock and by some miracle, landed on the boat. I looked back and saw April running my way. She was able to throw the lifejackets onto the boat but by then it was too far away for her to jump on. So she dove instead.
I was afriad to touch anything and the boat just kept moving. I thought it was going to be too fast for April to catch up, but she did. Which was suprising.
She pushed herself up and on in one movement and grabbed her lifejacket. She slipped it on but didn't buckle or zip it.
"What part of don't touch anything didn't you understand Riley?" She laughed but had an irritated look in her eyes.
I shrugged and looked around the boat, "There are a lot of ropes... How do you do this?"
She shot me a glare, "Yeah, I will do this and you can be the mermaid."
"what?"
"The mermaid, just go sit on the front of the boat so I don't hit you with the boom!" She explained, touching the long metal pole and as if on que, April shouted "DUCK!" just in time for me to bend down before it swung across the boat.
"That looks like it would hurt..." I mumbled, moving slowly to the tip of the boat.
"yup. Have you ever noticed all the bruises I have?" April asked.
I shook my head and she pointed out a HUGE bruise on her shoulder.
"I got that from the boom last week," She said as if it was something to be proud of.
My eyes trailed down he legs, a pattern of bruises decorated them. "Why do you say it like that?"
April cocked her head to the side, "Like what?"
"Like they're a prize," I replied.
"They are. Mac always says that a good sailor should get a bruise a day to prove that they worked hard." April said smartly.
"Who's Mac?" I asked, the way April said Mac, it made him sound the like the best person ever. I think I was jealous.
April gasped, "Mac is my mentor! He's been my private lesson teacher since I was 7! He's only 18 too! He just got back from sailing around the world, he's been gone for ages!"
I could tell that I wouldn't like Mac. The way April's eyes lit up or the smile she spoke with when he was mentioned gave me a gut wrenching feeling.
"Let's swim!" April said happily, "Help me tip the boat!"
I gave April my best 'I know you're dumb but are you really that dumb?' look, "Why would we tip the boat over?"
April laughed, "It's called capsizing and we're only tipping it temporarily. We'll right it every once and a while so it doesn't turtle and before you ask that mean flip upside down. That's the easiest way to lose your mast (the thing the sail in connected to). But this way the boat can't float away. Just don't land on the sail, whatever you do. Okay? On three! One, two three!"
And then we tipped the boat over. I didn't land on the sail and we both swam the the other side of the boat, the side where the bottom of the boat was facing out.
I stared at the boat that was lying on it's side, "April, how are we going to get this up again?"
"I'll take care of it, don't worry!" She said splashing my face.
"Oh, you asked for it April Flower!" I laughed, swimming closer to her.
"Come and get me Riley Bear!" She teased swimming just out of my reach.
I moved a little closer and trapped her in my arms. She giggled and tried to wiggle out of my grasp but I stopped her movements by kissing her softly.
I pulled away after about 10 seconds to a blushing April. "Aren't you supposed to ask before you do that?" She asked, flustered.
"Depends... Do you want me to?" I asked smugly.
"No..." She breathed looking away.
I tilted her chin up with my hand and smiled, "Don't be embarassed. That's not the April I know and..."
"Like?" April suggested.
"If that's the most comfortable," I replied. "Are we... dating now?"
"No!" April shot back hurriedly, "I mean, I don't think that would actually work out and you know how everyone else will judge us."
"But I like being with you, like this, I mean," I said, resting a hand on April's cheek.
April smiled, "I do too. But I don't want to be in a comitted relationship. Not yet, at least."
I nodded, "I know what we can do. We can be 'Friends With Benefits' but in the least sexual way possible."
"Exactly. Friends With Benefits but in the least sexual way possible. I like it," She laughed.
I was almost rethinking my call on that one. Should I have tried to convince her that a relationship was right? Would this moment change everything? If I had said something different, would be whole future be changed? I don't know. I really don't. But sometimes, I wish I had changed what I said. I don't know if April did too.
This is what I thought about the whole ride back to shore, if I would regret my decision. After de-rigging April's laser and moving the trailer her boat rested on the the parking spot with the Reserved for Miss April Dickson sign in front of it (Jake and Chad got her the parking spot the year that her parents had bought her the laser. It remained unnamed until she got her nickname April Flower from me).
"April?"A voice asked gleefully from behind us.
We both turned around as the same instant, with different looks on our faces. April had a look of pure joy and I had a look of envy, or so I'd imagine. That's certainly what was going on inside.
April ran up and hugged the boy the voice belonged too. Okay, now I was really jealous. The guy was tall, had a 6 pack, had sunkissed blonde hair that was cropped short and blue eyes and was overall very athletic looking.
"This is Mac!" April introduced, hugging the shirtless guy.
I was fuming. "Hello Mac."
"Is this your boyfriend?" Mac asked with laughing eyes and a smile on his face. Ugh I hated him.
April looked over at me and shook her head, "Nope! I'm single Mac, like the last time you were here."
Mac smirked and leaned over to whisper something in April's ear. She laughed and replied, "I know," in a normal volume.
"Is there good wind today?" Mac asked, looking out at the water.
April nodded, "Yeppies! I won the regatta today on the April Flower!"
Mac hugged April again and kissed her cheek, "That's great Sunshine! Well, I think I'll head out now. See you around?"
"Of course!" April replied happily, joining me again.
As soon as Mac was out of earshot, I turned to April, "What did he whisper in your ear?"
April blinked and then a wave of recognition swept over her face, "Ohhh! I remember! He said, 'He looks jealous. He likes you April.' and I said, 'I know!'"
I nodded, "I remember that part."
April looked at me and laughed, "Do you wanna go get some ice cream or something up at the quarterdeck?" She pointed to a building up a hill from the private beach, which was a short walk away from the launch.
I nodded and she ran up to the quarterdeck and I followed.
With April, you could never know what to expect, but I was learning. Quickly.
I hope you liked it! Review people!
April
