She's my sister

Riptide

Today is my last day in LA, so Tom and I decided to spend it at the beach. I comb my hair, and braid it down my back. "Kit, breakfast is ready!"

"Just a minuet." I change out of my pyjamas and into a bathing suit. I pull a dress on over top of my swim suit and walk to the kitchen. "You made French toast!" I say happily, "aww and you didn't burn it."

"I tried not to darling, eat then we can go." We sit at the table and eat, "your flight leaves tomorrow at 6:30. We have to have you there by four, do you have your documents in order?" Tom questions shovelling a bite of food into his mouth.

I nod, "everything is all packed but I was wondering, can I leave my Ukulele here? It would be nice to have something to play every time I came to visit."

"I think that's a brilliant idea."

•••

If I'm being totally honest, I've never been to a beach before. Well not a proper one anyway, with a board walk and such. I've been to the one at the lake back home but that's it really. Tom shows me to a quieter area behind some large rocks. There's only one other girl, she's tall and skinny with light brown skin and long brown hair. She sees us and waves,

"Kit, I know this is our day but there is someone who wanted to meet you." The girl runs over with a small little black dog following behind her.

"Hey loser." She says to Tom, this girl is very pretty. She has pretty brown eyes unlike mine, and she has an American accent. "What up dweeb." Tom responds.

"Zendaya this is my little sister Katie." Tom says introducing me. I stick out my hand but she pulls me in for a hug instead.

"Nice to meet you Katie." She says, I smile "please call me Kit, who's this?" I ask bending down to pet the dog. "This is Noon."

   "Come on, let's go set up the blanket."

•••

   "Tom tells me that you like to sing." Zendaya inquires, we are both sitting on the blanket watching Tom swim in the water.

   "I do yes," I say reaching over behind the picnic basket. "I also dance," I pick up my ukulele and tune it slightly.

  I start strumming, as Tom walks out of the water.

   "I was scared of dentists and the dark
I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations
Oh, all my friends are turning green
You're the magician's assistant in their dream"

"Oh, oh, and they come unstuck"

"Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left-hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong"

"There's this movie that I think you'll like
This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City
This cowboy's running from himself
And she's been living on the highest shelf"

"Oh, oh, and they come unstuck"

"Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left-hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong"

"I just wanna, I just wanna know
If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay
I just gotta, I just gotta know
I can't have it, I can't have it any other way
I swear she's destined for the screen
Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh"

"Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left-hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong"

"Oh Lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left-hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong"

"Oh lady, running down to the riptide
Taken away to the dark side
I wanna be your left-hand man
I love you when you're singing that song and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong
And I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong"

I got so lost in the song that I didn't realize that Tom had sat down next to Zendaya. The both applaud me, my checks flush pink. "That was beautiful, much better than I can sing." Zendaya says rubbing noon between the ears "I should probably eat going, good to see you loser. Nice meeting you Kit."

"Nice to meet you too, Tom we should probably get going as well."

"What every you say my lady." I punch him in the arm, "shut up loser."

•••

"Hey Katie come here!" To calls from the living room, I surface out of my bedroom with my hands in the pockets of my trousers. "The photographer sent over some of the pictures from the photo shoot." I snuggle up next to Tom on the couch and watch as he clicks through the photos.

"Ohh I like that one." I say pointing at the one of us doing pas de deux. He double clicks it to make it bigger, the photographer made it black and white making it look ten times cooler. Tom and I sit and look at the pictures and talk. My eyes grow heavy, I lean against Tom and close my eyes. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and kisses he top of my head. That night, I fall asleep on my big brothers shoulder.