July 22nd 1989
July 22, 1989
Not to be, like, totally dramatic or anything, but it feels like my skin is five thousand degrees and it’s all going to peel off and leave me looking like Freddy Krueger. Yes, I got sunburned. UGH. I had been sooo good about not getting fried all summer. I mean, I’m practically best friends with Coppertone, not the baby oil and iodine that Tessa uses to get the most beautiful tan. But yesterday, we were hanging out on the beach and I fell sound asleep. Big mistake.
Eli is being SUCH a jerk, as usual. He called me a lobster and “Tomato Face” like it was the funniest joke in the world. Newsflash: it wasn’t. And Tessa noticed he was being mean, so take that, butthead. She said my pink skin “complements” my hair, which made me laugh, and that hurt my face. Kate promised it’ll heal quickly and brought me an Advil from her mom. At least some people around here are decent.
Mom said I shouldn’t go outside today even though it’s a perfect beach day. Fine. Uncle Artie went to Blockbuster a couple nights ago, which was great since I was stuck inside like a loser.
I tried to watch The Goonies but got bored halfway through (why does everyone love that stupid movie?). Then I put on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (PG-13 but Uncle Artie said it was okay for us) and laughed until my sides hurt, which made me forget about my lobster legs for a while.
But then something really weird happened. I was lying on the couch with cold cloths on my arms and legs, feeling very sorry for myself, when Peter came in and sat down. That’s not the weird part—I figured he wanted to watch the movie. I didn’t mind (ha ha) but not just because he’s so cute. He’s so much nicer than Eli. Less dumb. Actually tolerable.
Anyway, he said I needed aloe vera for my sunburn. Duh, I know, but we didn’t have any in the house. But then Peter got up and disappeared. Like, gone. I thought he went back to the beach, but about an hour later, he came back holding a bottle of that bright vera goo and said, “Here you go.” Just like that.
And OH MY GOSH, it did help. I felt soooo much better.
When I asked where he got it, Peter said he walked to the drugstore a mile away. A MILE. In this heat. For me. That’s when it hit me—Peter McCarthy is, like, genuinely kind. Every single person was on the beach today, but Peter noticed how miserable I was and walked a mile to help me feel better.
We decided to start Ferris Bueller from the beginning and watched the whole thing—Peter laughed so much. I really like his laugh. It sounds like those bells on an ice cream truck in the summer—a happy sound that you want to hear over and over again. And unlike Eli, he wasn’t laughing AT me!
So now I’m upstairs listening to the mixtape Tessa made from the radio and I keep playing that new song “Lost in Your Eyes.” Love Debbie Gibson!! Good thing Tessa and Kate aren’t here to tease me about why I’m playing it.
But I can’t stop singing it and thinking about Peter getting me that aloe vera.
When he smiled at me and handed me the bottle, I swear…I got lost in his eyes. They’re dark, dark brown, like Hershey’s chocolate syrup and he’s just really sweet. And cute, I guess. But sweet mostly. Anyway, he’s fifteen and would never notice a kid like me.
I hope I don’t look like a lobster tomorrow. Or a tomato. Or a tomato-covered lobster. I’ll wear a hat and sleeves!
Vivien