Sue?os (A Bartra, Roberto and Fontàs Story)

 She found herself lost on a loop of sounds and colors, the sky above her so navy blue and cloudless it could be mixed with the sea that wetted her feet.

 A larger wave came, splashing over her white shorts and Roberta screamed, throwing her hands – that held her incredibly expensive camera – up, protecting it from the drops of water.

 “We need to get out of here!” She yelled to her friend, Joana, that simply shrugged, too busy dancing to that addictive beat with a Spanish boy to care. Roberta rolled her eyes, putting a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear, trying to get away from all the fuzz.

  “Look at that” Was how it started. Joana loved to socialize – meet new people, make new friends, have free drinks and just have a good time. Her friend pulled her by the hand, saying that a beach party in Barcelona – a luau, as they said - was “a one in a lifetime thing”.

 But it wasn’t an actual party, just a bunch of young people, dancing to the rhythm of an incredibly large boom box lying on the sand, drinking beer and splashing water on each other while being illuminated by the moonlight and some torches.

 They shouldn’t be there, of course – they were foreign exchange students, supposed to be at Campus before the curfew, not drinking beer and dry humping with strangers.

 One of Shakira’s song was playing – Graciosa, Orgullosa, Rabiosa, she had no idea - so loudly that the singer’s voice got distorted, and everyone there seemed to know the lyrics except for her.

 Roberta walked away from the water, her toned legs contracting every time she jumped over a bottle of beer or a couple making out on the sand, sighing.

 Her day started out pretty well – breakfast on Campus, flirting with some cute Dutch guys, classes, classes, classes, eating tapas with Joana behind the college building, photography class and then…

 Getting her brand new white shorts wetted and almost ruining her camera. Joana took a detour from their usual way to Campus to “see the beach at night” and if Roberta had any idea of how to go back to dormitory – her sense of direction was horrible by day, imagine by night – she would.

 Sighing, she picked up a plaid shirt from the ground, extending it on the sand and sitting on it. She doubted anyone would even care. Taking a sip of her beer – and almost making a face, she hated the sourness of the taste - she looked to the beautiful horizon, full of drunk people and awful dancers.

 “¿Por qué no sonreír?” Why don’t you smile?

 Roberta looked up, giving a wry smile.

 “No, not like that…” A blondish guy nodded disapprovingly, popping his tongue “With your teeth.”

 He had baby cheeks – maybe they were naturally reddish, maybe was the alcohol – big hands, puppy eyes and full lips. Roberta smiled with all her teeth, closing her eyes and she felt the boy throw his body by her side.

 “Ah, much better.” He winked “Even though it was fake.” The boy shrugged, extending his hand to her “I’m Andreu.”

 “Nice to meet you, Andreu. I’m Roberta”

 “Vale Roberta, tell me, why aren’t you happy?” Andreu was so much taller than her that even sitting he had to stare down.

 “Well…” Roberta finished her beer, burying it on the sand and taking Andreu’s beer off his hands carefully “My friend ditched me for that guy” She signaled to Joana, that was still dancing with the Spanish-dude “I have no idea of how to go back to Campus, I miss my family and I wetted my white shorts, so I’m pretty sure the entire Spain can see my underwear.”