Chapter 30

Party by the River

I sat in a reclining plastic white chair with a sangria in my hand and a straw hat protecting my face from the glare of the sun. I put on my sunglasses and imagined myself on those iconic movie scenes by the beach. I caught Justine stealing a picture using his mobile phone. I did a provocative pose. He laughed heartily.

"Do that again and I'll kiss you." He warned. I feigned innocence. He laughed some more.

We were distracted by the arrival of more guests. The girls shrieked in delight when they realized who just arrived. They ran to meet him. Alexis ran with the girls. Justine and I followed suit. Gary arrived with his parents!

"You are going to leave without even saying hi to us weren't you?" Gary's mom said to Aunt Helen accusingly.

"Of course not! I planned to pass by your place before I dash to the airport!" Aunt Helen said laughing while she embraced her old friend.

"How dare you!" Gary's mom said hugging Aunt Helen back. Grandpa and my father joined in welcoming the Huang family. I was surprised when Gary and Justine embraced. They must have gotten closer during their volunteer works in the evacuation site. There was no trace of animosity between them. Gary greeted me with a warm hug too. I was watching Justine at the corner of my eye and he was genuinely pleased to see Gary. He joined in our hug and we walked to our spot with me sandwiched between the two good looking boys. This didn't sit well with Via and Marion. They pulled Gary from us and each one claimed an arm. Gary laughed enjoying the girls' attention. He was made to sit down and the two girls put sunscreen on him. I saw Mrs. Huang looking lovingly at his son.

The Huang family brought wagyu steak. Our gang got all exited and didn't waste time to get our share. Justine roosted some vegetables to go with the steak. We ate while we gave updates of our activities since we last saw one another. The wagyu steak was so good and the sangria was the perfect drink to go with it. This combination was perfect, it was making us drowsy. We went to a shaded area to nap. Marion and Via unfolded straw mats for us to lie on. I lay on the mat. Justine covered me with a thin shawl. I smiled with my eyes closed. He lay beside me and held my had. We succumbed to sleepiness.

Our languid nap was interrupted by loud screams by children swimming nearby. A kid apparently ventured to a deeper part of the river and was on the verge of drowning. The gang went to action. The boys dove to reach the drowning kid while the rest of us made sure that no kid followed suit. We guided them to get out of the water while we held our breath. Justine and Gary reached the kid first. They carried him to the river bank. The kid's parents dashed to meet them. The kid started to cry. All his friends started wailing too. The kid's parents were just too relieved to scold him. They thanked Justine and Gary. The other children's parents came to pick up their kids too. Auntie Anita declared no more swimming for little kids. Nobody dared to challenge her. Karlo's coven members smiled secretly albeit a bit guilty. That meant we would have the river to ourselves. Auntie Anita gave us an accusing look. We all looked at her pleadingly. She said alright and told us to be careful. We waited for the little kids to be settled safely with their parents before all of us went into the water.

"You swim well, Gary." I complimented him.

"For a city boy, you mean?" Gary challenged.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." I said defensively.

"You'll be surprised of what other things I can do, farm girl" Gary teased.

"Hey, stop flirting with my girl." Justine said.

"Ever the jealous guy." Gary retorted, rolling his eyes. "As if you got the most beautiful girl in the planet!" He added.

"Hey, I'm the most beautiful girl in the planet!" I declared. "Right, baby?" I asked Justine, pleading for a validation.

"Says who?" asked Melody with her raised eyebrows. She sat on Karlo's shoulders, ready for a water fight.

Marion and Via raced to Gary. Via got to him first and climbed on his shoulders. Marion then ran after Alexis and demanded that he carry him.

"Lose some weight, girl!" Alexis said. Marion splashed water on him. "You're so mean, Alexis!" Marion shouted. Victor pulled her aside and offered his shoulders. Marion happily climbed.

I claimed Justine's shoulders and sat on them. I went to Melody first. I grabbed her hands and pulled her. We started wrestling. Marion in turn grabbed my arms. Via grabbed Marion's hair. We were soon pulling and tugging at each other. We were shouting and laughing heartily. One by one we fell on the water. Only Via was left standing. She and Gary vowed to the crowd. Alexis suddenly rode Victor's shoulders and challenged Via.

I shouted, "Via, via, via!" Marion and Justine joined me.

"Alex, Alex, Alex!" shouted Melody and Karlo. Other kids also joined in the cheering. Our loud cheers even attracted the adults. I saw Gary's mom in the corner of my eye looking worried. I thought Justine saw it too. He gestured time out to Victor and he dunked in the water bringing Alex with him. Via laughed triumphantly. Justine helped her go down. Gary laughed with Via. He swayed a little but Justine caught his shoulder and steadied him. They walked to the riverbank with their arms locked. Gary sat in a plastic chair catching his breath. He looked a little pale.

"You okay, city boy?" I teased.

Gary laughed softly holding his heart and waving his open palm at me. I began to worry. Justine put his hand on my shoulder and told me to get water for him. I ran to get him a bottle. When I got back with bottles of water for everyone, Gary's color returned to normal. He was chatting animatedly with the gang. I saw her mom in the distance throwing him some worried look. I could tell she was holding herself not to come and check Gary herself. This gave me a tinge of sadness. 'I miss my mom.' I thought to myself. As usual, Justine must have read my mind like always because he put his arms around me, held my hand and squeezed it. I leaned on him, thankful for this comfort.