Summer Girls

Chapter Twenty-Six

Steve's Grandpa Jonathan flew Steve and Kate out to New York for Steve's birthday, and they spent five days exploring the city together, staying in a beautiful, five star hotel and having a great time as Steve showed her around, and she took tons of pictures.

They spent Steve's actual birthday at central park, and she gave him his gift which was a book full of pictures she'd taken of the two of them from last summer and since they'd gotten together. Steve loved it. She felt bad that she hadn't gotten him a "real" gift, but she was low on money thanks to college and saving up for her trip to Europe.

Steve didn't care about gifts anyway. He insisted she didn't have to get him anything while he ended up buying her a beautiful necklace at an antique store they visited. It was an old emerald necklace that caught their eyes. It was from the 1920's and expensive, but Steve got it for her anyway.

She actually returned from New York with tons of presents. Sam was aghast at the sight of all the beautiful things that Steve had gotten for her on the trip.

"I'm so jealous!" Sam said mournfully as she looked through the pile of gifts. "You are so lucky! Hey, do you think Steve will like that game I picked out for his birthday? He really doesn't have it?"

Steve was having a birthday party at home too. He was throwing a cook out at his house for his friends. He told them not to get him gifts, but most of his friends ignored him. Sam insisted on getting him a video game that had recently come out, and Kris said was a lot of fun.

"He doesn't," Kate assured her. "He hasn't been playing a lot of games lately."

"Yeah, he's been busy," Sam said mockingly. "I get it."

Steve's birthday party was looking to be the event of the summer. It was all anyone could talk about, and Steve spent weeks planning in with Kate's help. She had to work the morning of the party so she couldn't be there to set up the house. She and Sam got together at Kate's house and then Kris picked them up in his truck.

Kate was in a short purple dress with a flouncy skirt and strapless with her hair curly and around her shoulders while Sam was in a hot pink skirt and white bikini top and her short, blond hair spiked. They walked into the party arm in arm while Kris trailed behind them in his usual t-shirt and jeans.

"This party is a mad house!" Sam said as the girls entered the living room, and there was tons of yelling as people played beer pong on tables set up all over the living room, there was dancing in front of the DJ booth set up in the back, and a huge ice bar set up. 

"I thought he was just going to have fifty something people," Kate said; feeling annoyed as she struggled to get through to the back yard where Steve had told her he was setting up the food. "There has to be, like, three hundred people here."

"Well, he hasn't had a party in a while so people are desperate for a good time," Sam said with a shrug. "He's been too busy with you to throw any."

"This is crazy though," Kate said as they made their way through the thick crowd. "Does he even know these people?"

"People just show up," Sam said; yelling to be heard over the crowd as they walked into the back yard that was filled to the brim with party goers. The pool was brimming with people, and tons of people sitting around it and standing in front of the food tables. There was a huge line too. "Dammit. Look at that line! I really want some of those chicken wings!"

"We'll get some later," Kate said; standing up on her tip-toes to try to see Steve. "Have you seen Steve?"

"Nah," Sam said. "Have you called him?"