After the visit with Jeff's family, Mom went to have a haircut. I stayed around for a while, and blogged a little bit up in Mom's office, and Dad was working with Marcos. I wanted to get ready, but blogged a little longer. Rebecca was downstairs watching T.V. Dad called me, and asked if I was ready. After a while of getting back to him and working stuff out, I tried on several of the bathing suits I had and narrowed it down to a few. I got one that fit. After that I decided I would have my tennis shoes and socks on, and then called Mom to ask where the present was. She said it was by the dresser in the den, and I went to look for it. The bad thing was, I was looking for a bag. But it was just the book. I had to call Mom for here to realize what was going on, and she told me to get the bag from Dad's present from Ma Poc and Pop and put it in there. I wore my bathing suit there, with a change of clothes. I got a towel, as I went out to meet Dad. We left when he told Marcos what to do while he was gone. We drove in the Chrysler 300, a useful and regular car for the time in Roswell. We drove to the place, putting the address on the GPS. In a small building behind a pizza joint and big sign on the busy big street, was the Atlanta Dance Academy. We saw the building with glass panels that showed the pools, and a long ramp, with doors and parking lot. We parked as Dad gave me the money, and I put the money in the birthday bag. We saw Mr. Howard and Dad asked when it was over, and Mr. Howard went and checked, and then told 7:30. I said goodbye to Dad, and went inside.
It had a gift shop on the right, with all kinds of pool and ocean stuff, including candy and stuff like that. There was a little hallway with turns and such, and paintings of aqua animals. To the left was a small room with a table, a painting of Finding Nemo characters, and a counter top with fridge and microwave right by it. Further on, was a inside room with pool, and even tarp, and pool materials, like floaty's. I saw Alyssa, her parents, and Jack Whitten, her neighbor. I was welcomed, said Happy Birthday Party to Alyssa, as Mrs. Howard said I wasn't supposed to bring a present but thank you anyway. I said it was just a small present. She put it over the fridge as I was told to put all my stuff in the corner by the door. We talked a little as I looked at the T.V. showing Tom and Jerry, and met a burly headed young lifeguard named Joey. Jack tried to put some country music on a small red radio, as Mr. Howard changed the channel to Football. I don't remember what game. Here let me describe Jack. He's like 10, has brown/blonde hair, a high voice, and is sometimes pouty and wild. But nice. Mr. Howard has grey hair and glasses, and Mrs. Howard burly headed blonde hair. Alyssa has down hair, and is also blonde. Jack was scared and sad a girl named Haley was coming, because she liked him and he didn't like her back. Said she was obbessed with him. And then she arrived. THAT, was interesting.
She came with her Dad, only a little girl. Jack hid behind a trashcan in the lefthand corner, and I was on lookout for her. Her dad was bald, and she had brown hair, a tiny girl. Alyssa went with her down a long big hallway that was in between two pool rooms, with an arcade machine and all dressing rooms on the left. I told Jack that the coast was clear... for now. He stood behind it. I didn't know why he was so afraid of a little girl who liked him. But, then again, I had had some creepy weird lovers in the past, so I felt for him. She came back, and he hid back. Alyssa broke the peace, telling Haley where Jack was. "Hello Jack", Haley said in extreme delightness, her last word hanging in the air. "Cover's blown," I said to Jack as he revealed himself. He yelled and stayed back, Mrs. Howard telling him to calm down. And he did, for a while, as I asked who was coming. Alyssa told me that Mary Beth, Amanda, Delaney (girl from Crabapple) and Alec (RNE guy), plus a girl I had heard a lot about, named Lauren Cleaerbout. Some of the stuff wasn't the best, kind of weird actually. I don't want to gossip though. Some of it may be just loose threads, only fragments of the truth. Also Alyssa named Henry. I was very glad, as Henry had told me on the night his family came over that he couldn't come, because Lauren didn't want him there. When I said this to Alyssa, she explained she persuaded Lauren to let him come. I was really glad. I had someone I knew well who was a boy, and the time would no longer be awkward.
Mary Beth arrived, and before I could talk much she was ushered to the dressing room, as a tall girl named Delaney was also, and how the tan big nice understanding Amanda was too. Amanda and I had been good friends before the trip, but didn't really keep in touch while we've been on it. I said hello, that I hadn't seen her in a while. Alyssa took her to get dressed. For a while there was this kind of eeriness with the adults, and Jack, in that waiting room. Joey, our lifeguard, had asked a few times if we were ready, to which we replied not yet a lot. The parents would come in mostly, and leave only a few minutes after, checking what time to come back and such. None stayed the whole time. Well, bit by bit the girls came back, as it was still just Jack and I. I talked to Amanda, and she and I talked about the trip. She had known about it from different sources, Alyssa mostly. She also said that people talked about it a lot in the early part of the school year. I asked for details, and she gave a few. I was known as "The World Traveler" and was a constant fuel of gossip, be it bad or good. If only I had heard those things, when I was sure everyone would treat me. We continued to speak.That was a little just before Joey invited us into the pool. Some people weren't there yet, but it didn't matter, we were starting, because we were wasting pool time. We entered.
We sat down on chairs by the pool edge, in a corner. All in a line. I was by Amanda and Jack, because he didn't want to sit by Haley. Joey told us not to run, or we would sit out, to not have too much horseplay, the regular rules. Then he told us to swim across the pool, one by one, to prove we could swim. Jack cautiously got in the water first, by way of ladder, approaching quietly and slowly. He swam across with ease. I got in next, going down the ladder facing it and pushing off, and then clumsily paddling across. I'm not the best swimmer, but not the worst. Next it was Delaney, Haley, Amanda, and all the others. We stayed by the wall, and when everyone had gone, Joey put all the floaties in and said to do it. By do it, he met go ahead and swim around. And we did. Among the floats was a giant hot dog you get on with hand holders, a flat orange mat, some noodles, and small toys like torpedoes and rubber duckies. Jack had told me earlier him and MBT'S tradition was he getting on the hot dog, and then her tipping him over. He would try to avoid that possibility later on. I got my head wet, and met Delaney. While on a small slide at one end of the pool, she continued to talk of how people knew me. Even people from Mountain Park, the other school that it's fifth grader's go to Crabapple. I'm known as the guy who's going around the country in the R.V.
Splatters of water, fights, me getting on the orange mat and saying I wanted my money back (I thought it was a bad hard Shamwow, that didn't soak up the water like in the commercial), all were a part of this most fun time. MBT came over onto the Shamwow and asked when I would tell Alyssa I liked her, as I did a little. She told me I should say I LOVED her, which wasn't really true. I don't like it when people try to boss you around. Not cool. But, I did like Alyssa a little, but I don't now. In 6th grade, there is so much drama, sadly. I am freely saying on this blog I did like her. But only a childish thing, nothing more. I'm still a kid and I only like girls, that's about it. Not anything more. And I'm saying that on the record. But she told me to say it any time, quick. And I avoided the subject. At the minute, I talked to some people as Alec, blonde haired with a lot of hair, and a sporty attitude, came down, and jumped in. I said hello to him, I hadn't seen him in more than 6 months. For the moment, Jack and I got up on the hot dog, pulling up on the hand marks and getting up with full power, then sitting horse style. Alec got on also. Mary Beth tried to tip us over, with the help of some girls. "Lean the way they try to tip us over on!" I yelled. And we did.
They jumped up, and hit at us with the noodles. We grabbed it and hit them back. They flipped us over once, and with a total slam of water and float material, kicks and people squirming around you, we got back up and instantly the fresh air made you so glad you were alive. Then you flip it over, get back on, with difficultly, as your opposite gender pelts you and beats you down with noodles, or they get up and you struggle to get to the top. At about this time I saw Henry, with his Mom. He came after he put up his stuff. I got out to meet them, and saw again my friend that I thought I had seen the last of for a while on the night I had gone to HIS birthday party. He got in too. He talked to the Lauren girl in MBT in the corner for the most of the time, and I talked to him about some stuff. We had said goodbye, not intent on seeing each other until June or later. But we had. I also spoke to the interesting Lauren, who said that she didn't like Henry even though MBT (Mary Beth Towey) had said they would make a good couple. I decided to mess with her mind, something I've gotten pretty good at over the last few days. I said stuff like "You do like him, no you don't, well, you probably do, well, you might not." She got annoyed, and said I was being mean. I didn't mean to be mean, and apologized for any inconveniences. I also made a truce with her.
Oops, I forgot to describe 'ole Lauren Claerbout. She has blonde hair, and nice. And laughy. Kind of crazy. Anyway but I talked to Amanda about not wanting to say the thing to Alyssa, and in her normal reasonable fashion she told me not to listen to things if you don't want to do them, and to take the crush slow. Alyssa liked me too, so it was kind of a relationship, but not by much. She would later say she just wanted to be friends later a few days after getting on the trip again, and it was kind of a mutual agreement. I was a little bummed, but not really. Anyway, I talked to Henry as Joey continued to ask questions about winter break, favorite songs, and even singing the song Baby, by Justin Bieber. I guess he was bored, as it was either talk to us or sit bored, of course because he had to look on us with both eyes open, not just an occasional glance from his book. That would be dangerous. He had a red long floatie with the medical sign, and you probably know what it is I'm talking about. He also got a hose and started spraying people, while others tried to come up and take him down. Delaney and I hit him with noodles as he packed up, away from us. It was so much fun, to fight and play with all the stuff, and even to talk a little. Henry didn't really talk to me much, and stayed in that corner for most of the time with MBT. Now THEY would make a good couple!
Mrs. Howard took pics, and made us all stand on the edge for a group picture. Holding hands and jumping in the pool all together. Henry stayed in the corner even as everyone got out. He didn't want to do it, and thought it to be cheesy, that he didn't really like group photos, he liked single stuff. All the girls and such urged him on, "COME ON HENRY, FOR ALYSSA!" He wouldn't budge an inch. I said, "Listen guys, if he doesn't want to come up, it's his decision, don't make him do something he doesn't want to do! It's his choice. " This was ironic, because I had been persuaded into saying that thing to Alyssa, even though it was against my will. I never said it though. Oh well. We all jumped, the first time without hand in hand. Alec didn't go until later, as in defiance. Same thing with Delaney. The next time I held hands with Alyssa, not by the boys. That was kind of good, as I didn't want to hold hands with a boy. Next time I just so happened to be by Delaney, and the next sadly Lauren. Weird hand feel. Then by Alec. He held my wrist(so glad, because holding hands would be worse than kissing a cactus!). I didn't like doing this over and over again, because Mrs. Howard wanted more photos. But oh well. After that, Mr. Howard that pizza was there. Joey said if you get out, then that's it, no coming back in.
People did get ready, only it was a little after. It was a pretty short time in the pool. But it was really fun though. We got out, and dried off with our towels. Everyone settled down in the table. I was by Henry and Jack on my left, with Alyssa, Amanda, and all the girls across from the boys. Everybody was handed pizzas by the parents before Henry and I got ours. The drinks, plates, and napkins were passed out first. When I did get pizza, I got pepperoni the first time. The drinks they had were all different types of soda, sadly. They had no water, and I ate some of the good pizza without it. There was no real conversation, just yelling, and pouting by Jack, plus Alec and Alyssa screaming out words in gibberish, that all start with g." To the g to the guy, to the goo, to the gay, to the gone!" And more. It was SOOOO annoying! Oh my gosh! Mrs. Howard came from the other room and got me water, and I thanked her. It tasted kind of warm. Might of been from the pool. That would've been bad. But I don't think it was pool water. Henry, Amanda, and I were all so annoying and had head aches from all the yelling, talking about seeing ghosts, and no real talking, no useful and interesting conversation. I put rolled up paper towels from the pizza on my ears, and Amanda had her fingers in her ears, and Henry his face in his hands. The non crazy ones. Us three.
I had a BBQ, Chicken and Meat one too. That was mouthwatering. After eating the pizza, the kids were directed to go change. I loitered a little, but got my stuff and went back in the hallway. Everyone was there, some doing the macaroni. So weird. Henry had gone back. I did too. All of us changed, a few people like Alec asked for my phone number, and I gave it. People talked, joked, and looked at a giant bird with a candy bowl in the gift shop, stuff like that. Saw lifeguards put tarps on the pools, or bubble wrap. Alyssa handed out goodie bags, which were only packets of gum. Good gum though. Trident orange and mystery ones. Rebecca hates them though. We took them on the trip. Gum can get you hurt though. They say if you swallow it, it stays in your stomach for seven years. Which is a lifetime for gum. When they come in your mouth, they only expect to last for a day at the most. Unless their lucky, getting under chairs, tables, pews of a church, anything to avoid the terrible trash can. But anyway, people started leaving when the parents arrived. Mom, Rebecca, and Dad all came in. They started leaving, Haley and Amanda among the first. Haley I barely knew, so I just said goodbye and nice meeting. Amanda was a different story though. She's really nice. I said I'd see her in six months, and to have a good time at Crabapple. But then after her Dad picked her up, he was persuaded into letting her go with Alyssa to Alyssa's house. Jack was to come too. As I was sitting with MBT, Alec, and Henry, all of our parents came down. Alec's mom was blonde haired. I put Alec's number on his, and said goodbye to Mary Beth for the last time. Alec's Mom took him out, as I thanked Alyssa for inviting me, and that I had a good time. Mrs. Friedman and our family actually talked about going out to eat, and Mom and Mrs. Friedman talked about it outside of her car when we were safe in the car. It was wet and rainy. So I would have one last time with Henry. I couldn't be more glad.
We decided to go to Alessios's, a pizza joint, even though I had just had pizza. I thought I was going to have nothing. We parked and went in, and waiting in chairs, talking to a lady we knew by way of mutual friend, Mrs. Singer. Then they led us to a table and got drinks. We still waited for the Friedman's. You know, Alessio's is the crossroads of Roswell, don't cha know. You meet everybody there. Well they came in, the Friedman's, all of them. We welcomed them as they sat down. Henry sat at one end, Dad at the other, with Mr. Friedman sitting by Dad and Rebecca, and Charlie by Henry on the same side. On the right side was Mrs. Friedman, Mom, and and me. I talked to Henry about funny stories, and middle school, and other things too. Rebecca and Charlie remained kind of unsocial, not talking to each other. But we got them talking eventually. Henry's a good talker, very conversational. We both told stories and debated. I got a small Cesar salad even though I thought I wouldn't eat. Also one slice of pizza. I was a little hungry. We had a good time, I think everybody did, except maybe Rebecca and Charlie. We talked a while before leaving. In the rain, I said goodbye to my good friend. This really would be the last time I would see him... or would it?
We went home, and I went on my computer and talked to Alyssa on chat about the party, and we all had different comments to make. It was about 10, and Mom and Dad were watching T.V. I said goodbye to her after we joked around. She said that they made a lot of money for the CF cause, and like in the 200's. I don't remember exactly. And I can't look on email, because we're about to go to a restaurant and Dad's waiting. And it isn't good when he's waiting. Oh wait, he just said ten minutes. Here it is: $130. I was wrong. Not 200's. Anyway, I went to bed. Goodbye for now.
"Andrew, LET'S GO! Wrap it up!(claps hands) We're leaving!" -
Andrew.
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