I watched her jump and splash in the nearby mud puddle, she was smiling and laughing, mud was splattering big brown stains up onto her tight white exercise tights, she just kept on giggling.  Then she runs past me on to the sand, throws herself down and rolls around over and over.  She looked like a naughty dog rolling in the sand just after it's owner had bathed it, she was still laughing at herself.  I tried not to laugh at her, but it was getting really hard not to.  Her hair was loose, it hung all around her face, over her shoulders, big sopping wet ringlets of dark hair.   Her boobs that are hardly in her bikini top are hanging out her top which has twisted sideways, I want to turn away, save her the embarrassment, but she just doesn't care.  And sand is everywhere.  She stops, laying on the sand she catches her breathe before she jumps up and comes close to me.  Her cheeks are flushed, she is puffing, her eyes are shining.  She has sand stuck to her cheeks, I can see sand in her eyelashes, sand all thru her curly long hair, sand literally covers her from head to toe.  She doesn't fix up her t-shirt either, letting her boob peep out.  She spits some sand out of her mouth.

"Happy now Jet?" is all she says to me.  Then she smiles, turns, pulls her top off, chucks her shoes off, then pulls her tights down, and runs carelessly into the waves.  I couldn't take my eyes of her butt.  All those years she hid this away, and why?  I just stand there dumb founded.  I go to yell at her, something, anything, be careful, don't go out too far, can you not go out in the water, I can't look after you out there.  But I resist and just smile as I watch her frolicking in the ocean.  It is raining hard now and I'm dripping wet, I should turn around and leave but I need to talk to her and make sure she gets out alive.  I stand in a gaze, I think back to when we were younger, I think back to the five things I hated about her....    

Firstly, she's was a stuck up princess:~  

We were the neighbourhood kids.  Everyone knew us up and down the street.  Unfortunately for her it was a boy troupe.  We all went to school together, except for the princess that was...no she went to a private girls school.  Our ages were similar, and we looked out for each other like brothers.    It was going to get interesting the day Jade moved into the neighbourhood.   I mean I didn't mind a girl hanging around with us, but the other boys protested.  I just ignored them, I wanted to get to know Jade.  Besides her house sat right in-between all our houses, across the road from mine, always in sight.  At first and probably because the parents requested it all of us made some attempt to make her 'run with the gang'.  But no, not precious princess Jade.  She was okay to sit on her balcony and watch us, like the queen sitting on the throne, but never willing to get down and gritty with us boys.  In the end we all came to the conclusion that she had something mentally wrong with her, ignored her and just got on with it.  We would race our billy carts up and down the street, some times all day.  Then some days we would kick around a ball, once again what seemed like all day.  And most days we would stay out until the sun went down.  In summer we would race from house to house ducking under the sprinklers, running like a pack of gazelles, jumping garden beds, racing each other.  Then in winter we would build a bonfire in the middle of the street, not bothering about cars, they could drive around it, in the evening we would all sit around the fire, laugh and joke...it was care free happy days for all of us, but not for the girl that sat and watched us.

Then there were the hot summer days that all the families would pack a picnic and head to the beach.  We would all sit on the grass area that sat between the carpark and the beach, all of us itching to run down the sand into the water.  Once again we would all try and coax Jade to join us.  She would just nod her head shyly and look at her mother.  Her mum would make some excuse up why princess Jade couldn't join us.  I could see her look at me unhappily, her eyes void of any emotion.  I would glance at her for about a split second, then I was off down the sand with the others.  This was the one and only time her mum made any effort to mingle with the neighbours.  That day after only an hour her mum packed up and left, saying the sun is too hot for them.  Her mum gathered up Jade, tugging her along by her arm almost aggressively, Jade looking sadly back at us.  Her Dad never made any effort to be neighbourly.

One of the hot summer days a water pipe broke in my next door neighbours front yard.  All us kids discovered it leaking, none of kids told any of the parents, all of us realising how much fun we could have.  Once again I glance over to see the princess sitting on her balcony watching us.  At first we tried not to make too much mess, but after about four sets of feet treading on the sodden grass it soon became one big mud patch.  Then the mud fighting began.  Handfuls of mud got squished into each others hair, mud got pushed into each others faces, we had so much fun that day.  I look over towards Jade, even thought about throwing a bit of mud her way.  Her smile faded quickly.  I reached my hand back in a throwing gesture, waiting to see some emotion on her face again but her smile turned to a frown.  

"Don't you dare" I hear being said from a car that had stopped beside me.  Jade's dad.  The first time I had ever seen him up close and personal.  I look back at Jade who gives me a sad look then she quickly makes her way back into the house.  I watch her Dad go into the house, the door slamming, a lot of yelling happening, then a sad figure of a girl sitting at the window.  I give her a hopeless grin, sorry that I caused a problem for her.

The next day morning we watched the council men fixing the pipe while we waited for the school bus.  I glance up at Jade's car drive away, once again a stoic Jade all prim and proper in her private school uniform sitting in the back, she looked so much like a stuck up princess sitting in the back getting chauffeured around.

Secondly, she's mean ~ a mean, stuck up princess:~

As the first year of her living here went by, with not much inter-action with her at all, I decided trying to be friends just wasn't worth it.   The other boys in the neighbourhood didn't but and were always trying to get her off the front porch, they made it a bit of a game.  They would devise ways to coax her down.  But as they approached her she would scurry inside, like a scared little mouse.  

"Whats wrong with that girl" Brendon ask me as we climb on the school bus one of the days.    

"I'm not sure, maybe she is just shy" is all I could answer him.  

"I'm going to get her off the balcony somehow, one of these days" he says.  I just shrug my shoulders and look over to her house.  Suddenly she comes out of the house, tugging along a pritzie fluffy white dog.  I hadn't ever seen this dog before, maybe it was new.  I watch it run past her trying to escape her grip on the lead.  It pulls her down the stairs, with her nearly falling down them.  Then it turns around and snarls at her, jumping at her like it is going to attack her.   She holds the lead up and away from her, almost lifting the dog off the ground.  Then she proceeds to walk down the pathway, not aware the school bus hasn't left yet.  We all watch out the window, all of us watching her.  I scan down at her awful school uniform.  Chunky shiny black shoes, socks up, skirt length down past her knees, tucked in shirt buttoned up to her neck, with a tie, heavy hot blazer, hair pulled back in a perfect bun, a horrible looking hat and big thick ugly glasses.  I look down at my uniform, shirt half tuck in, grey shorts, no socks and black converses.  I'm comfortable and cool.  I glance at her, she looks uncomfortable and hot.

She doesn't realise the whole school bus load of kids are all watching her.  I watch her glance up.  Her cheeks are flushed.  She puts her head down and tuggs the dog along still keeping it away from her, both of them don't look happy at all.  

"That's how I'll get her out.  With the dog.  I'll offer to take it for a walk with her" I hear Brendon say to me.  I look at him then back at how awkward she is just walking the dog, let alone with a boy from up the road.  I don't bother answering him.

That afternoon I watch Brendon cross the road and knock on her door.  I see an exchange of words but can't quite see who he is talking to thru the fly screen.  Then I watch him leave, he looks upset.  He comes over to my place.  He storms in, sits himself on the lounge and crosses his arms angrily.  

"She was so mean...told me to stay away from her, leave her alone, never come to the door again.  Her mum stood behind with her arms crossed, giving me the glare and the dog looked like it wanted to eat me" he says crankily.

"She said all that? I don't think I've ever heard her say more than two words...her mother always talks for her" I say not believing him.

"Don't you believe me?  I dare you to go over then" he says.

"No I believe you, they all look pretty mean including the dog, I believe you."

So the rest of the year came and went with us ignoring Jade ~ the mean stuck up princess who lived in our street.