𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚-𝑻𝒘𝒐 | b. rodriguez

the kiss

Lol this song is my favourite. I'll let ya know when to play it.

"Hey, is anyone up for Marco Polo?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sure!"

"Sounds great."

"One two three not it!" Ham called.

"NOT IT!"

Everyone but Bertram called it because he was underwater. Just a moment too late his head bobbed out, squinting at everyone in the sun who smirked at him.

"What?"

"You're it."

He squinted even more, his head lilting in confusion.

"What?"

"You're Marco," Ham exclaimed, splashing Bertram in the face.

"Oh. Man, that's not fair!"

"Is too."

"I was underwater."

"That's your fault," Squints sneered.

"Fine."

As soon as the word left his lips, it was replaced by a sly grin– I knew where this was going. Bertram snapped his eyes shut and immediately yelled "Marco!" while simultaneously lunging through the water at Squints. Squints had no time to react and was smacked on the head by his older, yet childish friend.

"Oh come on!" he complained, pushing Bertram's hand off his head in reckless frustration.

"You're it," Bertram grinned, blinking his eyes open in pride of his cruel victory.

Squints fumed. His pouty cheeks flushed red in the sun, and to be honest, what happened next was hilarious. I love my friends. I really do.

"Fine. You wanna play dirty? We'll play dirty."

He crammed his squinty eyes shut behind his water-droppy glasses. As if he were a piranha or some other vicious water-creature he doggy paddled after Bertram somewhat pathetically. It was clear Squints wasn't a very good swimmer – he sputtered water out of his nose repeatedly after his head fell below the surface. His expression was what killed me, though. He scowled for nearly two minutes before Kenny got worried Squints' face would stay stuck that way forever.

"Okay, okay!" Kenny cried, clearly sick of putting up with Squints' stubbornness. "You can stop chasing him now." Squints struggled in the water to regain his breath, slowly opening his eyes after his feet settled on the sandpapery bottom of the pool. He peered at Kenny curiously through his thick lenses.

"I'll be it."

"Oh crap," Ham muttered.

"Great," Benny huffed, tensing up from beside me.

How'd he get there?

"What, can Kenny actually swim?" I asked, not realizing how harsh it sounded.

"Hey!" Squints objected. "I can swim!"

"No," Ham said, "you can't."

Benny just laughed quietly, and Bertram burst out laughing, keeling over in the water.

"Okay. Fine," Squints surrendered. "You be it, DeNunez."

At that, Kenny cackled hyena-like, stalking his lips below the water, only his eyes peeking out, landing on each of us– his prey– before he closing his eyes. He slowly rose again his grin opening up to say that word.

"Marco?"

Quiet. I offered my word:

"Polo."

Whoops.