Page 24 of That Last Summer

Seriously. I can’t. The bike is too heavy on me and my body feels even heavier. It’s like I suddenly doubled my weight.

“I think it’s better if the bikes stay here and we walk the rest of the slope,” Jaime breathes out the best he can. “Or we could just crawl all the way up.”

“No, I think we can pick them up,” I insist. “We can’t just leave them lying here.”

“Be reasonable, Pris.”

Beepbeepbeep!

Shit. What’s that racket? I ignore it and keep working on my idea of carrying the bikes home.

“We could take them on—”

Beepbeepbeep!

“Who’s that beeping?” I look each side, but since I’m still lying on top of Jaime and his bike, the only thing I can see is the blue sky.

“I think we’re the reason for all the beeping.”

“Hey!”

Hmm... That after-death voice sounds familiar... Too familiar. I sit up and catch a glimpse of Alex in front of me. Well, I think it’s Alex, I’m not entirely sure; all I can make out is two blurred heads.

“Yes?” I answer the two heads.

“What are you doing lying in the middle of the street? Are you two playing Twister with your bikes? You’re blocking the sideway, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Okay. It’s Alex.

“Which sideway?” I ask. God, I barely even know where I am right now.

“Are you playing dumb?” he asks me, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

“No.” I try to sound confident, but I’m not sure if that works.

Alex narrows his eyes at me. Then his scrutinizing stare goes to Jaime. He studies him.

“Are you drunk at—” he pauses to check his watch “—five in the afternoon?”

“Is it five already? We are so late for lunch!” I react instantly and jump up, pushing my bike out of my way at the same time. Hey, it wasn’t that heavy. “My parents are going to kill me!” Jaime stands up too.

“That’s why I’m so hungry,” my friend tells us both. “Those martini olives weren’t really very filling. They fill shit.”

“Your family is looking for you,” Alex says, ignoring Jaime.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You went to try cakes at noon and it’s five in the afternoon and you’re not answering your phone.”

Well, he’s well informed all right. I take my phone out of my pocket and see that I have thirty missed calls.

“Shit, my parents called us thirty times!” I tell Jaime.

“I guess we’re not used to explaining our whereabouts, Pris.”

“Yeah, Pris ... You have to be fucking kidding me,” Alex mutters as he turns around.

I think that Pris was meant to be sarcastic.