Page 143 of Summer Breakdown
The walk home is nice, even if there’s no breeze at all and the back of Frankie’s top sticks to her skin. She takes a picture of the ducks in the park and sends it to Jasmine and Marcel. Frankie’s banned from buying Lani a phone until she’s fourteen, even though she misses her during the day and Lani would want to see the ducks.
When Frankie unlocks the front door, she knows everyone is in the garden already. She thinks she might be late; she hears Mali and Lani running around.
Frankie laughs the moment she can see the decorations outside. Jasmine is so ridiculous. She called her out for her birthday decorations, as if Frankie didn’t see her eyes light up each time she saw something new. This is something else. There’s a balloon arch over the pool in Titans colours, bunting between the trees, and a large, glittery photo wall. Frankie’s sure that’s mainly for Mali. She stands by it now, taking hundreds of photos of Zach and Lani. The rest might be for her.
Jasmine smiles when she sees her and walks over quickly in her tiny bikini. Frankie loves her so much.
“You’re the most extra person I’ve ever met in my life,” Frankie says, pulling her into a hug, “and I love it, and you.”
“You only get your first championship once.”
Frankie hums. “I’m so obsessed with you.”
Jasmine smiles, kissing her once, and then dragging her to the table. Frankie doesn’t like direct sunlight, but she will be wherever Jasmine is.
“You’re ridiculous,” Ezra says, as he turns up with a bag in his hand. Frankie wonders if he was walking just behind her but didn’t say anything. It’s possible when she looks at her phone, she’ll see so many photos of him flipping her the bird.
“You love it,” Jasmine replies.
Ezra’s cheeks tense. He wants to smile, like a little loser. Frankie has seen the front page of the paper after their win stuck to his fridge. Adebayo wonder siblings. A photo of Frankie and Ezra smiling together. Jasmine framed it in their hallway.
“You being ridiculous doesn’t mean I don’t like it.”
“I finished your letter, by the way,” Jasmine says.
“Tight,” he replies.
Jasmine smiles, her arms around Frankie’s waist, her chin resting on her shoulder. “Tight.”
“Where’s Lani?” Ezra asks.
“Zach stole her.” Jasmine shrugs, and Ezra grunts. He’s obsessed with her. Frankie knows he won’t care who he adopts, but she sees him with, like, eight girls. He clears his throat, and everyone spins to look at him. Lani’s face lights up, and Frankie rolls her eyes. Jasmine doesn’t have to tell Ezra to go get her, so she doesn’t run. He’s already moving.
He sweeps her off the ground moments later, throwing her far too high into the air for Frankie’s liking. Lani hasn’t seen Mike since the day Frankie picked them up. She knows Jasmine’s not that sad about it. She doesn’t think Lani is either, not when Ezra hands her a cardigan he knitted for her. It took Frankie three orgasms to finally get Jasmine to tell her what the link was for. She could have just asked Ezra. The cardigan is yellow and covered in little white daisies. She screams, and then she cries when he shows her his matching one. It’s rude that he’s trying to steal her child.
“Mama! Frankie!” she says, and Ezra carries her over. “Look!”
“That’s so pretty!” Frankie says.
“Ez made it just for me.”
Jasmine smiles against her shoulder. “I can see. How lucky are you?”
Lani hugs him tighter. “When you have kids, can they be my best friend?” she asks.
Ezra shrugs. “Depends.”
“On what?”
“Haven’t decided.”
Lani glares at him, but then her face softens. “You’re so silly. Do you want to play mermaids?”
Ezra takes her cardigan and passes it to Jasmine, slips his slides off, and then runs, even though he shouldn’t, towards the deep end.
“Hold your nose!” he shouts, and Lani blows her cheeks up before they disappear under the water. Zach follows, running from the photo wall Mali has had him against for the past ten minutes, and Marcel jumps after. There’s going to be no water left in their pool.
Mali doesn’t have her wig on, so she runs towards them and grabs Frankie’s hand. Then, they remember they like their clothes and pull them off at the side.
