Can I get a stoop?

Chapter 1

Walking up to her family's apartment for her father's birthday, Esther stops for a moment to gaze at the green trees on the early August afternoon. Moments like these are rare, especially in the midst of getting a bachelors degree at MIT. Thankfully, that's over and all she has to think about is enjoying some carrot cake and watching him open presents.
"Esther! You look wonderful, I feel like i haven't seen you in years!" Esther's over enthusiastic mother greets her with.
"I don't think going to Australia qualifies as years."
"Whatever, come sit down, we still should sort out your plans for this fall."
"Now? It's dad's birthday, I don't want to take the spotlight away." Esther replies, knowing that the news she has will steal his thunder.
As the two women prepare the party, welcome the guests, and make sure Barrett, the dog, is out of the way. Growing up, these kind of things have always been boring to Esther, parties with lawyers and Boston College professors coming over to talk of things she couldn't care less about. Personally, the second generation girl of Jamaican and Haitian grandparents preferred the gardens and lush parks scattered around Boston over boring parties with scholars. Though on this summer day, she is much more attentive to the conversations about the recent tennis match considering how much she'll shatter her parents' hearts today.
"Miss Bernard, I haven't seen you in a hot minute, how was your summer?" The older than sliced bread proffesor asked Esther.
"I'm doing fine, Australia was a blast."
"Oh well that's wonderful to hear. You know i think this year i'm going to use one of your papers as an exemplar. Speaking of the school year, any plans on what you'll be doing?" The professor inquired.
"Yes, I have one or two things on my mind."
Little does anyone know how much of a blast she had there and how much of an impact it will leave on everyone in the room.

Clinging her glass with a metal spoon, Esther's mother starts to announce, "If I may just give a brief toast, it has been wonderful spending so much time with such a wonderful husband who has raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter, educate thousands of students everyday, and just made everyone's lives a little bit brighter, Happy Birthday Jordan."
After that speech, the whole room applauded like crazy, and unfortunately many attempted to replicate that memorable speech. Between her fathers best friend to work colleagues she barely knew, Esther nearly had enough. After patiently sitting through what seemed like an eternity, Esther approached her mother, cleaning up single use paper plates.
"Hey is now a good time to talk?" Esther asked a very tired mother.
"Ugh i'm so sorry i totally blanked on the whole fall plan meeting thing, is tomorrow a better time?"A weary and exhausted mom asked her child.
"yeah no worries." Esther replied, relieved she'll have another day to stall. And until that day comes, she knew exactly how to kill the suspenslful time.

"ONE, TWO, THREE, SHOT" The best high school friend Esther has ever had, Monica shouted.
"Didn't think this is how you'd spend your saturday nights did you?" Esther mocked as she watched the other girl inject flu shots into patients.
"Don't worry this is the last one and we can get out of this petri dish."
Besides being ultra competitive, Monica and Esther knew and trusted each other so much that they could turn to for anything. So when Esther had so much on her mind, Monica was the best person to go to get the stress off her mind. However lately, between med school for Monica and Australia for Esther, the two haven't had a night for the two of them in a while.
"Ok Mon, I know you've been wanting to get out but isn't a frat party a bit childish?"
"Absolutely not, think of it as trick-or-treating as a 16 year old." Monica yells back to Esther as the two enter the mansion with columns all around and thumping music within the walls. To Esther's left is a random white boy chugging a pint of beer while to her right is a missing Monica running off to the second floor of the house. Might as well get a drink to survive this. Esther thinks to herself. Entering the kitchen, the girl immediately spots her two necessities: coke and rum.
"Make sure not to spill anything" A tall dark skinned man tells Esther, hovering over her like a cloud.
"I think I can do it, but thanks anyways frat boy." She replies, rolling her eyes in the process.
"I'm genuinely offended by that insult, I much rather prefer the term soon to be biomedical engineer." He pouts, holding both of his large hands to his heart.
"Then what brings you to an undergrad frat party if you don't mind by my asking?" She inquired, assessing the man standing in front of her, decked out in Vans, sweats, and a Hawaiian shirt to match the theme with a beer in his hand.
"Gotta play the role of big brother, my little sister is at her first party right now." He shrugs. "Do you even belong here, miss undergrad only police?" He adds.
"That's besides the point, have you seen a short white girl named Monica, hopefully still in her scrubs?"
"No not particularly, but if you want to succeed in finding her I doubt chugging that substance will help." The concerned man said as a he watched Esther finish her drink.
"I don't need a condescending and probably drunk himself man to tell me what to put in my body, thanks anyways frat boy." Esther yells behind her as she walks away from the kitchen. If there needed to be an example for what irony was, that man was it. How dare he tell me what to do, patriarchy can suck an egg. Esther continues to have more angry thoughts like this as she stomps through the mansion. All the more motive for her to tell her parents that she won't be staying anywhere in the northeastern region for the next 4 years, at minimum. While these thoughts swirl in Esther's head, Monica stands from the couch and walks over to her best friend to find her opening random doors.
"Essy, here I am, how was your night?" Monica guiltily asks.
"Fantastic, let's get out of here." She replies, grabbing Monica's wrist to get away from the stench of cheap beer as soon as possible. Meanwhile, a giddy Monica trails behind, ecstatic about how the night went from sticking needles in people's arms to being told she was loved, even if no one knew who had said it.