Daisy - Water Park

“Sweetie, do you have to go to the wa-.... Wa-.... Wawawawah,” Daisy’s mother couldn’t say the word. Their mother had sworn off water parks. She would never explain why but the fear in her eyes was clear as day. However, she was like that with a lot of things: gymnasiums, daycare, skirts et cetera. The list could probably wrap around the house twice over. If she was being honest, Daisy never cared much for the concept of water parks. She thought most of them were just oversized pools crowded with strangers. It’s why she wasn’t interested in the new one that had cropped up near her hometown but, after months of discussions, her friends finally convinced her to visit. The talk of fun rides, amazing sweets and cute guys became too much for the blonde. Brie and Suzie also sweetened the deal by paying for her ticket.

Daisy turned to her mother who was still mouthing the syllable ‘wa.’ The teen exhaled and said, “It’s fine, Mom. I’ll be completely covered. Remember?” She held her swimsuit up to her mother. The article was concise by itself: thick fabric, form-fitting around the torso, airy pantaloon-esque panels that cut at the knee and stripes that ran down the entire thing. It was reminiscent of clothing worn at the beach over a hundred years ago and, for the girl who was conservative about her skin, was perfect for Daisy.

“Congrats, Daisy! You’ll look like the best blow-up doll a clown can ask for!” A boy two years older that Daisy casually sipped his beverage as he walked by the two ladies. Daisy grimaced, “I never asked for your opinion, John!” “I’m giving it to you anyway,” John replied, “That looks terrible. If you don’t want to get laughed by your friends, change it!”

“It’s better than the speedos you wear! No one wants to see your baby bird flopping around!” Daisy shouted back. John kept walking. He said, “We’ll see what your friends have to say about it.” Daisy groaned, “Why do I have to deal with him?” “Well, he and Jacob are paying for their own tickets and they just want to make sure the three of you are okay,” her mother replied. She paused for a second before adding,”You know, you don’t need to deal with John. You could always stay with me.”

“No, I should go. Brie and Suzie already have everything set up for me.” Daisy gave her mother a soft smile. Katie’s expression became grim. The teen decided that the best course of action was to hug her mother. A horn rang outside and a deep voice asked, “Daisy, you coming or what?” Daisy rolled her eyes and grabbed her suit. As she ran out of the house, she shouted, “Love you, Mom!” Her mother spoke back but Daisy couldn’t hear her. By the time she started to reflect on it, Daisy was already in the car. The interior looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in five years. It was filled to the brim with receipts, CDs, old boxes and anything that her eldest brother Jacob found useful. It was clutter more than anything else. John had made it worse as he brought more than a dozens soda cans which he couldn’t place in the cup holders. They were already filled with loose change. The second brother decided it was best to have all of the rolling on the floor.

“You know, Daisy,” Jacob looked at her in the rear-view mirror, “what you’re wearing now doesn’t play nice in the pool. It’s barely suitable for dry land.” Daisy looked at herself. She was wearing her pajamas. They were clean but she was only wearing them temporarily until her mother finished the laundry today. The cheeks of the blonde reddened. She didn’t want to be out in public looking like she just got out of bed.

“Can we go back?” she asked.

“Can’t. Weekend traffic will make the trip a nightmare. We can’t keep your friend waiting,” Jacob replied. John added, “You can change when we get there but what you should have done is wear your suit underneath like Jake and me!”

Daisy frowned. She was sure John would be arrested if he walked anywhere outside of the park in his speedo. In fact, she questioned if his speedos were even allowed in the park. The traffic soon piled up and the clouds rolled away, leaving only the baking sun. Minutes ticked. Rolling down the windows had no benefits on a still day. John tapped out the notes to the song crawling out of the radio.

“Sorry, everyone,” Jacob said, despite the lack of vocal complaints, “Getting a new air conditioner for this takes time and money.” John groaned. He drank the last drop from the soda can before tossing it into a box. Daisy gazed at the soda cans. They had become more enticing as time passed. The teen coughed and asked, “John, may I have some soda?”

Her brother slowly turned around and scanned her face. He made sure to sport his best bastard pout. John nodded and started fishing for an unopened can. John handed her the first one he found. The mildly cold surface was enough to make her hair stand up. She placed her thumb through the ring and opened it. Carbonated liquids immediately sprayed the teen all over. Daisy freaked out and dropped the can right onto her swimsuit. Jacob and John bursted out in laughter. Rubbing her eyes vigorously, the blond girl tried to inspect the damage. Her pajamas were soaked and nearly translucent. She blushed as her underwear became visible. Looking next to her, she saw that her swimsuit was being filled with soda. Her two brothers continued to laugh at her dismay.

“John, you jerk! I can’t wear my suit if the inside is all sticky! Do you know how expensive this is?” Daisy shouted. Jacob managed to control his fit to say, “That was a little mean, John.”

“Hey, if it’s wrecked, I’ll pay for it,” John replied as he started drying Daisy’s swimsuit. He added, “Unlike you, I still have a job. By the way, the chef always asks about you like ‘How is she doing?’ and ‘Do you think you can get her back here?’” John chucked. Daisy grimaced. She really didn’t want to remember that day or that chef. The trio eventually found their way to the water park and Jacob started looking for a parking space. Meanwhile, Daisy became more distraught about the idea of not only having to walk outside in her stained pajamas but also not have a swimsuit to wear!

“Done!” John threw something at Daisy’s face as Jacob parked the car.

For a second, Daisy thought her brother actually did a good deed for her and she’d be able to enjoy her time at the park. However, after inspecting her suit for an additional second, her smile dropped. Daisy blankly stared at the display before her.