Silly? Melodramatic? Maybe.But, it’s my cross to bear.Thank you for letting me get it out.If there is one silver lining in all of this, it’s that ... have several walking, talking, and breathing “stress relievers” that call me “Master”.One of which who had sealed her fate for the next couple of hours by texting me a “6” with enough exclamation points after it to put her in very deep trouble for the evening.The text was waiting on my phone when I got out of my second hot shower of the day.This is. Girls." Oh," I said. "I thought it might be the Coulter family I heard about. They're supposed to have some kids our age. I guess they didn't get here yet. These people must be some other new family."We watched them get settled on the shore. One girl who looked about our age caught my eye. I glanced at Manfred sidelong and caught him looking at her, too."She's cute," Manfred said.I nodded and we shared a smile. Manfred's expression looked serious and maybe embarrassed."Paul... , this is the. ”“No. I can’t pay you.”“How about this. I’ve already seen your sexy little body. What do you say you give me a kiss? Just a little one on the cheek and we call it even.”“Yeah, I'm sure all you want is a kiss.” I said sarcastically pursing my lips.“Even better. Take off your bra and panties and I’ll give you 20 bucks. That’s 20 bucks just to let me look at you’re your little titties.”“I knew it. There’s always something with you. Would you like me to do a little dance too?”“I'm serious. I can. Now."She helped Tommy to his feet."Tommy, I'll take you to see the nurse."Hah. That was ridiculous. He had a couple of scrapes and he's crying like a baby? What's the matter with him?It was the usual thing with Principal Samuels."Lisa, how many times have you gotten in a fight since school started?"What? How was I supposed to know? Did he think I was keeping count?"He pushed me, Mr. Samuels. Hard. I fell down and hurt myself, see?"I pulled my sleeve up.Samuels looked quickly. He wasn't.