男孩和女孩生活在不同的世界。男孩在他們的天地里，我們在我們的天地里。比如我的弟弟們。在家裡，他們有很多話跟我和蕾妮說。可是到了外面，他們就不能被人家看見和女孩說話。卡洛斯和奇奇是彼此最要好的朋友……不是我們的。
蕾妮還很小，做不了我的朋友。她只是我的妹妹，這不是我的錯。你不能挑選妹妹，你只是就那麼得到了她們，某些時候她們就像蕾妮一樣到來。
她不能去和法加斯家的孩子們玩，要不然，她會變得和他們一樣。既然她跟在我後面來了，她就是我的責任。
有一天，我會有一個我自己的、最要好的朋友。一個我可以向她吐露秘密的朋友。一個不用我解釋就能聽懂我的笑話的朋友。在那之前，我將一直是一個紅色氣球，一個被泊住的氣球 。
The boys and the girls live in separate worlds. The boys in their universe and we in ours. My brothers for example. They''ve got plenty to say to me and Nenny ihe house. But outside they ''t be seen talking to girls. Carlos and Kiki are each other''s best friend……not ours.
Nenny is too young to be my friend. She''s just my sister and that was not my fault. You don''t pick your sisters, you just get them and sometimes they e like Nenny.
She ''t play with those Vargas kids or she''ll turn out just like them. And since she es right after me, she is my responsibility.
Someday I will have a best friend all my own. One I tell my secrets to. One who will uand my jokes without my having to explain them. Until then I am a red balloon, a ballooo an anchor.