Later That Night
The Sapphire Saturday across the street from the library has been our go-to stop for any celebration. Like a high school graduation with me, my parentals, Kenzie, her parentals, and Old Man Carder.
Why don't we try something else today?
Most of Sapphire Saturday is good. But...
"Chicken tenders with mac-and-cheese."
Kenzie and I stick to our go-to, because...it's our day!
"Anyway, I see..."
Everybody's treating this like this is our graduation. Kenzie and I are on the spot a lot. The only break we get from the spotlight is when our dads talk about work, or when my mom wants to learn more about how living in Arbourton can be from Mrs. Carder.
"And have we saved room for—"
Dessert? There's no room for Sapphire Saturday's homemade pies. It's off to Old Man Carder's. Happy times. Happier with ice cream. Mint chocolate chip. My favorite flavor (especially after chewing on spearmint gum).
Kenzie nudges me.
"Hm?"
Come on, her head tilt says.
The adults. They're still talking about whatever. Sneaking away with Kenzie sounds like fun.
A breather.
Kenzie leads us to our hangout. She plops down into the beanbag chair and lets out a sigh of relief. I join her, and we sit and enjoy our ice cream in peace.
No constant congrats. No "look how cute they are together" because they figured us out or they're proud. Just us, ice cream and joking around about how I think she looks like a wizard and how I look with her cap on.
"Heh! You got to flip the thing over," she says.
"The tassel?"
"Yeah. Flip it. Then, you'll be official, too."
I never got the point in this. Why flip it? The tassel looks more like a cat toy than a coming-of-age milestone, but...
"...Yay!"
I do it, because...why not?
In that moment, we're stuck, looking at each other. Eyes smiling with our own pride. Joy. Happiness. For a second.
"Can I join?"
Someone's at the door. It's too late for us to cast any shields on us, because they're already busting their way in.
YOU ARE READING
Earhart & Noonan: An "Us Club" Novel (#1)(NaNoWriMo15)
Teen FictionFor the first twelve years of Stephen Vaughn's life, just trying to get others around him to pronounce his first name the right way ("Stee-vehn Vawn") has felt like the hardest task he's had to try and cope with. That is, until his perfect life with...
