Late Nights in Paris

summer

Dear diary,

Summer is finally here! I can't believe it! I know this summer is going to be perfect. I'm going to be spending all of it with my dad! Summer is just so magical because of all the bright colors, the beach and hot weather. And of course, I'm not bombarded with school. I mean I'm going into my senior year so this should be exciting! This is the first day of summer anyway so I shouldn't be thinking about all that, right? I should be thinking of summer instead. I don't have anything much planned so far. I talked to my friends about hanging out. Maybe going to the beach, a couple of times. But my dad's been acting pretty strange, so it seems like he has something up his sleeve. I'm just so excited for the rest of the summer! It just started anyway!

Love,

Ally

"Ally!! Are you awake yet?" My dad called from downstairs. "Come on down! I have some exciting news for you!!" He said still in an aggressive manor! This must be important.

"Coming Dad!" I exclaim. I shut my diary closed and jump out of my bed. Still in my pajamas and my room a mess, I rush down the stairs for the "exciting news". I can't help but think of what he has to say or what he has planned. Am I going to like it? Is it just for his enjoyment and I'm a little "tag-along" like always? Or is it something I like and truly care about? Butterflies filled my stomach while I walked down the steps.

"What is it?" I ask dad as I finally reach our first floor. He's in his usual spot by the coffee maker in the kitchen. He poured some coffee for the both of us.

"As you might already know I've been planning a special summer trip for the two of us. I know I make it obvious; I've never been good at keeping secrets." Dad says dragging it out. While he says this, I roll my eyes because I know how he can't keep a secret at all. "Well, we're going to Paris!"

WHAT?!?! THIS IS CRAZY! I'VE WANTED TO GO TO PARIS EVER SINCE I WAS LIKE 10!!!

"Are you serious?! You gotta be kidding me!" Were the only things that came out of my mouth. It wasn't the best reaction; I mean like it wasn't like I screamed on the top of my lungs or anything! "Yes, Ally! Ever since the divorce I've been wanting to do something special for you. So, I saved up money -not like if we already have enough- for this special vacation!" Dad responded.

"How long are we staying? And when do we leave?" I was on the edge of my seat now and wanted answers. I sipped my hot coffee and eagerly waited for my dad to answer.

"Well, we are staying for the whole entire summer and our flight is tomorrow." He says this so calmly and nonchalantly. Now he takes a sip of his coffee and awaits my excited response. "No way? This is so fricking exciting! I gotta go pack my bags right now! Unless there's another catch?" I rush back to the stairs with my coffee so I can go to my bedroom.

"Well sort of, I booked us for almost every day to do a fun excursion! Just the two of us."

"Great, I'm going to go get packed! Thank you so much dad!" I run up to him and give him a big hug and made him almost spill his coffee. So, I ran upstairs and went straight to my room. I grabbed my phone so I could FaceTime my best friend Sara about the news.

"Sara! You wouldn't believe what just happened!!!" I said right when she picked up. "What is it, Ally? You know it's like 8:30 in the morning and I'm trying to sleep in on the first day of summer, right?" She responded back in her usual sassy tone. "Well, my dad just told me that we're going to Paris... for the whole summer!" I looked back at her through the tiny screen, and she looked pretty shocked. "Really? Paris? That's crazy Ally!" I nod quickly and say, "I know right! I'm so excited! We leave tomorrow morning, so I got to pack now." I put my phone down ready to hang up anytime soon. "Oh yeah, totally get it! Go ahead! Have fun and please keep me posted! Bye." I hang up on her quickly and start getting my huge suitcase out of my closet.

"oof"

Okay, where do I start? I thought to myself. Well, I'll have to pack enough shirt, bottoms, pajamas, and even dresses for the whole entire summer! Might as well just bring my whole wardrobe!

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"Ugh! All done!"

I managed to squeeze a lot of my clothes into my suitcase by almost 10:30! I felt pretty proud and not to mention prepared! Okay, now I know for sure that this is going to be a great summer! "Hey dad! I'm all packed!" I yelled so he could hear from downstairs.

"Good job, kiddo! Wanna go down to the dock for a swim?" We live in beautiful Malibu, California and own a huge house by the ocean and have our own dock. I really enjoy going for our usual swims over summer with friends or just with family. When mom used to live here, we would have Sunday night cookouts and dad would cook by the dock while mom and I would swim.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a sec!" I pull on my swimsuit and grab my towel. I run down the stairs and go out through the paved walkway to our dock.

"No cookout?" I ask dad playfully. He was already in the water and probably forgot to put on sunscreen. "Ha! Not today, Ally!"

I run on the dock and jump in with a splash! I really hope this will be the best summer yet!