Blame It On the Beach

Chapter Twenty-two

^krista^

I put on a pair of white crochet lace shorts and a black crop top, taking a final look at my makeup before walking into Quinn's room.

"Are you ready?" I ask, seeing her standing in front of the mirror, wearing a floral romper.

"One sec," she says, grabbing a mascara wand and putting some on her lashes. "Alright, let's go."

I grab the present we got Krista this morning, deciding to just split one rather than each get our own-- we got her a nice necklace and a shirt. We walk downstairs, putting our shoes on and seeing my parents sitting at the living room table with a bottle of wine between them.

"You guys going to Krista's?" my mom asks, and we nod.

"What kind of birthday party is she doing?" my dad asks, pouring more red wine into his glass.

"Just a dinner outside on the patio, and then we'll hang out inside, I guess," I say.

"And her parents will be there, right?" Mom says. "So no funny business."

"Yeah, they will be," I say, which isn't a complete lie-- they will be present for most of it, but Krista said they would go to their room later and leave us alone downstairs.

"Alright, well have fun, and tell Mrs. Springs I say hi," Mom says. "When do you think you'll be back?"

I shrug. "I don't know, I guess around 12?" I answer.

We exchange a final goodbye, and walk outside, and text Milo to come outside so we can all walk to Krista's.

"Hey, remember when you first came here and we all walked to Krista's party?" I say once we've started walking.

"Oh yeah," Milo says, smiling. "That feels like so long ago." I nod, thinking about all that's happened since then, and what's changed.

"What time do you have to leave?" Quinn asks.

"I'll probably go around 7:15," he answers. "We have reservations at 7:30."

We get to Krista's house after a few minutes of walking, and stop at the sidewalk, taking in the sight of the house.

The front lawn is set up for a party; there's a long picnic table in the center of the manicured grass, and smaller tables set up, filled with snacks and drinks. There are pink and blue balloons taped to the grass, and they float from side to side, making the lawn look like some magical terrain. Most people are here already, standing around on the lawn and drinking from fancy-looking glasses.

We walk up the driveway, giving each other looks, and spot Krista in one corner, walking over to her.

She grins widely when she sees us, her face lighting up. I lean in to hug her, smelling the fruity scent of her perfume. "Happy birthday! You look so pretty," I tell her, looking at her short gold dress and handing her the present. If nobody's perfect, right now she looks like the closest thing to it; the ends of her light hair are curled perfectly, and her makeup looks professionally done.

"Aww, thanks so much! Thanks for coming, you guys!" she says, hugging Milo and Quinn. "Tonight is gonna be so fun. Hold on, let me put these on the table," she adds, walking our presents towards a table in the back which is already bursting with nicely wrapped gift boxes and bags.

"I bet if she farted right now, we would just see rainbow dust coming out of her ass," Quinn says quietly to us, and we burst out laughing.

"What are you talking about?" I say. "There's no way Krista even farts."