Where We Begin

Chapter 10 - You Need To Cool Off

July 4th, 2002 - Taylor

This was it. 

The caterer's had arranged food and punch stations in the kitchen, formal dining room and on the porch. The dance floor was set up by the pool, the DJ was ready to play my favorite songs, the lights (that Busta hung... damn it don't think about that) were on, and my parents were camped out in their master suite with a bottle of wine. In 15 minutes, the majority of Mt Blue's teenage population would be here to celebrate the one and only ME!

Amber, Brandy, Kiki and Jake had already been here for over an hour. I greatly appreciated Jake hanging out as we got dolled up. Lately I had felt weirdly responsible for his lack of guy friends, since my break up with Kit shook things up. They had been best friends, but at the same time, I knew Kit was really the one to blame. 

Jake sat on my bed, looking handsome in dark jeans and a crisp white button down, with all the patience in the world. Kiki was a lucky girl to have such reliable guy. He kept insisting he was having fun, but I know watching us girls pass around the curling iron and trading eyeshadows was not his ideal evening. 

Like I have said before, I had the best friends in the world.

At precisely 8PM, Kristen and a couple of her friends came knocking on my bedroom door. "People are starting to show up!" she squealed. 

This was the first year I let her invite some of her classmates and she was almost as excited as I was. It was time to get this thing started.

"Hello everyone!" I called out as I descended the staircase into the growing party. "Snacks and drinks are in the kitchen and dining room, and the DJ is in the backyard!" 

I made my way through the foyer to the kitchen, hugging friends offering birthday wishes, thanking them, and waving to those I couldn't reach. My smile was a mile wide because it was an incredible turn out and so far I didn't see anyone with a hotter outfit than mine.

For a moment, I visually combed the crowd for any sign of Busta. I thought about what it would have been like if he actually had been my date for the night, how I'd be taking him around, introducing him to people, maybe sharing a slow dance or two. 

But he wasn't here, of course he wasn't, and I told myself that was for the best. It just bothered me that I still didn't understand what went so terribly wrong between me getting into the car with him and our last squabble by the pool. I could hear my friends voices in my head, after I had expressed this to them, saying there was nothing to understand besides the fact that he was an asshole and I shouldn't let it ruin my birthday. They were probably right.

I got to the kitchen island where I caught two guys, a couple of resident trouble makers from our class, pouring a bottle of vodka into the punch bowl. I walked right up between them and put my arms around their shoulders. 

When they realized it was the hostess, they both looked completely frightened. "Hey Taylor, uhhh happy birthday! We just thought we could add something extra to the party, you know?" One of them said.

They were lucky they caught me on a night where my main goal was forgetting my troubles and having fun. I grabbed the almost empty bottle from them and finished it off with a big gulp. 

"My sister has middle school friends here. You keep them away from this punch bowl and keep my cup full. If you can do that, I won't complain."

"Deal!" The second kid grinned. "Whatever her majesty desires." 

He handed me a cup filled to the brim. I chugged that too, and handed it back to him. Wide-eyed and impressed, he refilled my drink. I thanked him and made my way outside.