Four mini bottles of Grey Goose Vodka sit in a slightly crinkled brown paper bag on my bedroom floor. Tomorrow's Friday, My parents will drive five hours from South beach Miami to University of Florida Gainesville to watch my 'perfect' brother play baseball at his perfect college. I refuse to go because attending would mean having to entertain people. People like the Fathers on the side of my brother's baseball field that think they are retired D1 athletes who obviously know more than the coach and mothers whose emotions are unreadable due to their Botox. It's obvious I'm not a people person, this will become even more obvious later on...You'll see. Not going means I'll have to stay at our family friends or my parents family friend's house...more like a castle.
Friday 9:00AM
"I love you" Cindy, a plump dark haired woman hugged her daughter goodbye. She and her husband Levi were off to visit their son at University of Florida and off they went in their Navy and white 2009 ford Flex. Risa watched them drive away and once they were so far in the distance to where they were invisible she wondered if they ever even existed. Risa had this thought ever since she was young that people only exist when they are present, so if someone was in her house but in a separate room there is a chance they aren't really there at all. Risa processes things differently, It's noticeable. She's aware of it too. As she walks back into her house her thoughts are interrupted by her phone ringing. It was probably her friend Jane. She probably wants to know what the girls are doing considering it's a Friday night in south beach. Friday nights in south beach were crazy. How it would usually go would be pre gaming at one of the girls' houses and then they would go to the same bonfire that has been held on the local beach every Friday since the 80s. It's a beach town...what more is there to expect? She took her ringing phone out of her pocket to see it wasn't Jane, it was Gina Lantner.
Gina was a close friend to Risa's parents and is the family Risa will be staying with for a few days until her parents get back. She quickly answered. "Hi Reese, it's Gina. I just wanted to know when to expect you and say ''I'm so happy to have you come, I've known your parents for a long time." Risa always thought Gina was phony. She was somewhat overly nice especially when being nice was beneficial. However she was tolerable. "Hey I'm going to walk over now, thanks again for having me." She chatted resentfully with Gina as she ran up the wood spiral staircase and walked down the hall to her room just to throw random clothes ,a tooth brush and the paper bag of vodka shots into her pink JanSport backpack from the fifth grade. If she forgot anything from her house she would just walk back down the block to grab it.
Rose gold beats were worn proudly around Risa's head as she walked 5 minutes to the Lantners house. Risa was always listening to music. It silenced the violence in her head. On her walk she thought about what her therapist told her the other day. Ashley recommended that Risa doesn't drink on her mood stabilizers. That she could possibly react abnormally considering mood stabilizers are used to stabilize and alcohol makes you anything but stable. On a real note, Risa was sixteen... a sixteen year old that would drink despite the risk. She continued walking as she was already halfway there. Risa was 5'5 and thin. She was very attractive though she never thought about how she appeared or was perceived. She had long beachy waves the color of caramel and gold orbs that sat on her chiseled face. She turned the corner and was met with the massive pale blue house that the Lantner family lived in. Their backyard was the ocean itself and was where they docked their pristinely kept yacht.
She walked up to the huge chocolate brown wood door and rang the bell. Risa, an only child, almost forgot that Gina had three sons. One that was 10. One that was a year older than Risa who went to a different high school who she hasn't seen since she was three. Lastly, one that was 23 and lived in central Florida with his family. Risa's family always thought it was odd that the older son moved directly after college and settled down almost instantly. He barely visits. Risa wondered if there was a reason he kept away. She was reminded of the brothers' existence when not Gina, but one of her sons answered the door. She was mesmerized. In the doorway stood a tall dark haired boy. He was exceptionally handsome. She stood there and stared long enough for it to be odd. He looked bothered, almost disappointed as if he were expecting someone else. "Mom, some girl is here. Come handle it." She stood there in awe. 'Some girl' and 'handle it.' what a jerk she thought. His mom had to mention her coming to stay. Gina stumbled to the door. "Hey babe! Here I'll take your bag." Gina reached over and grabbed Risa's bag. A waft of Gina's liquor infused breath reached Risa's nose. It was 10:30 AM. Maybe the eldest brother had his reasons for distancing himself.
