The Golden Age

Book 1: Chapter 3

It was the middle of summer in between sophomore year and junior year, a month and a half after the sleepover with Nat, Beth, and Adele.

Adele had just invited me over for another sleepover at her house. We were standing in the bathroom of a local ice cream parlor alone. (yes, we had checked) Adele was just reapplying her lipstick after she had rubbed it all off before eating ice cream.

"You know, Nat and Beth are coming over tonight for a sleepover. I knew I was seeing you today so I figured I could ask you then, which isn't then anymore but it's now. You know?"

I laughed. Sometimes Adele got off track and starting rambling about nothing.

"Sure, I'll be there. Seven okay?"

"Seven is perfect. That's when Nat and Beth are coming."

"Perfect."

She finished applying and then tucked her lipstick into her black vinyl purse.

"You know something?" she finally asked after standing leaning on the bathroom counter.

"Whats that?" I said, not looking up as I filed my nails.

"I forgot to thank you."

I stopped moving the wooden file back and forth and looked up at her.

"Thank me? For what?"

"You know. For breaking Fred out of his shell," she said with a small smile as she left the bathroom.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

I walked up the driveway to Adele's house. She really had a nice house that I was very jealous of. Every bedroom came with its own balcony, bathroom, and walk-in closet. Even the guest bedroom! I wasn't exactly sure what her parents did for a living but I knew they worked together at the same place. I had thought her parents seemed nice enough when I first met them, but I have lost all respect for them now.

"Ginger! Nat and Beth just got here, perfect timing!" Adele shrieked, embracing me in a big bear hug.

I laughed at her and looked around her foyer. Nat and Beth were in the living room with their bags at their feet playing on their phones. Adele's parents were by the door gathering a few smal cardboard boxes. I looked up the stairs that were attached to the foyer. I thought I saw a small figure sitting at the top, but after I blinked, it was gone.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Why won't you ever sleep, Nat?"

"If you wanted me to sleep you wouldn't have given me two packages of Skittles before, Beth."

Beth rolled her eyes and pulled her sleeping bag over her ears. I had my index fingers stuck in my ears to block out the sound of Nat's sugar screams. Adele was hitting herself on the head with a pillow.

"Nat, go run around the house a few times and then come back and SLEEP," Adele finally said.

Natalie ran around and around, giggling. After about 14 laps, she crashed on her sleeping bag and was out like a light.

While Natalie slept, Beth, Adele, and I gathered into a triangle and started talking about miscellaneous things. Finally, since we were sixteen and seventeen year old girls, the conversation drifted to boys.

"Beth, you never tell us anything about what it's like to have a boyfriend," Adele pushed. Beth had an amazing boyfriend named Howie who she had been dating for almost three years now. He was super nice and would do anything for Beth. She was the only one of us that had had a boyfriend, or one that lasted more than two dates.