Chapter Fourteen: San Marcos
I thought I was going to spend the weekend dodging pies full of hot sauce or something equally absurd concocted by the twins. That is, if Stella had something to offer them. It made me feel smug to think, now that I’d gotten the twins massive Hershey’s bars, the twins may want a little more from Stella before doing something to retaliate.
But on the bus home, I got news from Olly that his uncle had invited us to the lake. He said his parents would text my parents and that Liam, Ash, and I were all invited. The phantom lake with the phantom dog that chewed through a boat - this was big news.
I wondered if I would have a house when I came back. Maybe Stella would toilet paper the whole house for Halloween. Or the twins would do some sort of Home Alone style chaos?
It was a bit of a drive to the lake, so I was surprised but thrilled when Mom and Dad were on board with the idea. Olly said we could do a weekend sleepover on the lake with marshmallows and a campfire and everything. So so so cool.
His parents were bringing him down and hanging with his uncle, and my parents said they’d drive Liam and me down and then hang for the day. We weren’t sure if Ash was going to come – she’d said her parents had initially hinted no, but then got the word that her parents would bring her down for Saturday, though wouldn’t let her sleep over.
San Marcos, here we come.
On Saturday morning, we packed the car for our trip down to the lake. As the car filled up and I sweated in the still quite ridiculous October heat, I realized I was also a bit nervous. I mean, sure I’d hung out with Olly at his house before, and I'd hung out with the crew at the costume store, but this was my first trip with everyone. Everything had seemed so perfect in Shreveport with my old friends, and for a while, it didn’t feel like I would ever have something similar in Texas. But, now that I had made some new friends and was going to a lake house of all things, I couldn’t help feeling nervous about spending so much time together away from home.
Before I knew it, the car was packed and Mom, Dad, Liam and I were driving down the highway, AC blaring.
Liam and I chatted a little and then I mostly played on my tablet. Mom kept asking annoying questions from the front seat trying to get to know Liam better, and somehow, every one of his answers seemed to find a way to mention Ash too.
I started paying more attention again when it became clear we were off the highway and service road and in a more residential area.
The houses were pretty big and I started wondering if Olly’s uncle was rich.
We went up and down a few little hills and smaller roads, and then Dad slowed the car and we pulled past a mailbox onto a private drive.
I looked forward through the two front seats, taking it all in as Liam sat beside me looking unimpressed.
“Wait, have you been here before?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s a super nice place…”
“But then, you knew the lake existed.”
“Uh, yeah, didn’t Olly tell you about it before?”
“Right… yeah, he did.”
As we got out of the car, we were greeted by a tremendous booming bark from in the house.
The front door opened, and after fighting the massive snout of a dog in the doorway, Olly and his uncle and aunt came out.
Olly’s uncle was not what I expected. For all I’d heard about the dog, I'd envisioned the owner of the dog to be some sort of mystical figure, with a build kind of like a Marvel superhero or construction worker. He was actually a pretty slightly man. He and his wife were both about half a head shorter than my parents, with their hair turning slightly grey.
The men shook hands and the women hugged as Olly’s uncle greeted us all like old friends. “And Adam, Liam…" he said nodding to us in welcome. "Make yourself at home. We have sodas in the fridge, and Liam can show you the dock. Ash is here now too, out on the back deck.”
We fought our way inside the house, past the massive German Shepherd who seemed unaware of his size and who kept trying to rub his head against me and jump on us.
"This is Padfoot. You can see we have a lot of Harry Potter lovers in this house."
“I call him Titanic.” Olly said, smirking at me as if to say ‘I told you so’ “Because he’s ginormous and also causes boats to sink.”
“Shut up.”
We walked through a gorgeous dining area, with a hardwood floor and a massive island in the middle of the kitchen loaded with enough snacks and appetizers for 20 people, and then to the back deck where Ash and her parents sat talking with Olly’s parents.
“Hey!” Ash said.
The deck was probably at least 40 feet long, and 15 feet wide. I looked past the table where everyone was sitting, and saw steps leading from the deck, stretching down the back yard all the way to a dock at the water’s edge.
Liam went and sat down next to Ash, as I stood, looking out over the sparkling green-blue water.
On the beautiful lake, surrounded my friends in San Marcos, Stella and the twins seemed so far away. I wondered what they were doing and if they were at all thinking about me. Maybe the twins were, if they’d eaten through both their Hershey’s chocolate bars. Or if Stella had yelled at them for taking her brush. Obviously, although she didn’t have proof, she’d know the twins took it. How would I be able to take the brush or even know she cared about it?
As I made to sit down Olly sidled up beside me.
“I don’t mean to make this about Stella because we’re just going to have an awesome time paddle boarding and telling ghost stories and stuff, but just so you know.”
He held out his phone to me.
It took me a moment to realize what he was showing me.
“Wait, you have her number?”
“Yeah, we've never talked too much but I got it last year.”
7m ago
hey olly. can u tell adam to give me back my brush? that's not cool. and tell him i want to be friends, but if the brush isn’t back by later today there will be consequences. hope ur having a good day
"Now that’s just a threat." I said, looking at Olly.
I saw Olly had replied in the string.
Adam and I are at the Lake
And Stella had replied too. It was not sympathetic.
then tell him!
But on the bus home, I got news from Olly that his uncle had invited us to the lake. He said his parents would text my parents and that Liam, Ash, and I were all invited. The phantom lake with the phantom dog that chewed through a boat - this was big news.
I wondered if I would have a house when I came back. Maybe Stella would toilet paper the whole house for Halloween. Or the twins would do some sort of Home Alone style chaos?
It was a bit of a drive to the lake, so I was surprised but thrilled when Mom and Dad were on board with the idea. Olly said we could do a weekend sleepover on the lake with marshmallows and a campfire and everything. So so so cool.
His parents were bringing him down and hanging with his uncle, and my parents said they’d drive Liam and me down and then hang for the day. We weren’t sure if Ash was going to come – she’d said her parents had initially hinted no, but then got the word that her parents would bring her down for Saturday, though wouldn’t let her sleep over.
San Marcos, here we come.
On Saturday morning, we packed the car for our trip down to the lake. As the car filled up and I sweated in the still quite ridiculous October heat, I realized I was also a bit nervous. I mean, sure I’d hung out with Olly at his house before, and I'd hung out with the crew at the costume store, but this was my first trip with everyone. Everything had seemed so perfect in Shreveport with my old friends, and for a while, it didn’t feel like I would ever have something similar in Texas. But, now that I had made some new friends and was going to a lake house of all things, I couldn’t help feeling nervous about spending so much time together away from home.
Before I knew it, the car was packed and Mom, Dad, Liam and I were driving down the highway, AC blaring.
Liam and I chatted a little and then I mostly played on my tablet. Mom kept asking annoying questions from the front seat trying to get to know Liam better, and somehow, every one of his answers seemed to find a way to mention Ash too.
I started paying more attention again when it became clear we were off the highway and service road and in a more residential area.
The houses were pretty big and I started wondering if Olly’s uncle was rich.
We went up and down a few little hills and smaller roads, and then Dad slowed the car and we pulled past a mailbox onto a private drive.
I looked forward through the two front seats, taking it all in as Liam sat beside me looking unimpressed.
“Wait, have you been here before?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s a super nice place…”
“But then, you knew the lake existed.”
“Uh, yeah, didn’t Olly tell you about it before?”
“Right… yeah, he did.”
As we got out of the car, we were greeted by a tremendous booming bark from in the house.
The front door opened, and after fighting the massive snout of a dog in the doorway, Olly and his uncle and aunt came out.
Olly’s uncle was not what I expected. For all I’d heard about the dog, I'd envisioned the owner of the dog to be some sort of mystical figure, with a build kind of like a Marvel superhero or construction worker. He was actually a pretty slightly man. He and his wife were both about half a head shorter than my parents, with their hair turning slightly grey.
The men shook hands and the women hugged as Olly’s uncle greeted us all like old friends. “And Adam, Liam…" he said nodding to us in welcome. "Make yourself at home. We have sodas in the fridge, and Liam can show you the dock. Ash is here now too, out on the back deck.”
We fought our way inside the house, past the massive German Shepherd who seemed unaware of his size and who kept trying to rub his head against me and jump on us.
"This is Padfoot. You can see we have a lot of Harry Potter lovers in this house."
“I call him Titanic.” Olly said, smirking at me as if to say ‘I told you so’ “Because he’s ginormous and also causes boats to sink.”
“Shut up.”
We walked through a gorgeous dining area, with a hardwood floor and a massive island in the middle of the kitchen loaded with enough snacks and appetizers for 20 people, and then to the back deck where Ash and her parents sat talking with Olly’s parents.
“Hey!” Ash said.
The deck was probably at least 40 feet long, and 15 feet wide. I looked past the table where everyone was sitting, and saw steps leading from the deck, stretching down the back yard all the way to a dock at the water’s edge.
Liam went and sat down next to Ash, as I stood, looking out over the sparkling green-blue water.
On the beautiful lake, surrounded my friends in San Marcos, Stella and the twins seemed so far away. I wondered what they were doing and if they were at all thinking about me. Maybe the twins were, if they’d eaten through both their Hershey’s chocolate bars. Or if Stella had yelled at them for taking her brush. Obviously, although she didn’t have proof, she’d know the twins took it. How would I be able to take the brush or even know she cared about it?
As I made to sit down Olly sidled up beside me.
“I don’t mean to make this about Stella because we’re just going to have an awesome time paddle boarding and telling ghost stories and stuff, but just so you know.”
He held out his phone to me.
It took me a moment to realize what he was showing me.
“Wait, you have her number?”
“Yeah, we've never talked too much but I got it last year.”
7m ago
hey olly. can u tell adam to give me back my brush? that's not cool. and tell him i want to be friends, but if the brush isn’t back by later today there will be consequences. hope ur having a good day
"Now that’s just a threat." I said, looking at Olly.
I saw Olly had replied in the string.
Adam and I are at the Lake
And Stella had replied too. It was not sympathetic.
then tell him!
