Protecting Taylor

Chapter 30

Taylor and I have been in the kitchen working on getting all the food ready since we woke up this morning. Adam was contributing some, but mostly just standing and talking. We had been making food since last night.
Today was Taylor's annual Fourth of July party, and she was going to have tons of friends over to celebrate. So, we needed to get things ready for when they got here. I've never celebrated this before so this was exciting.
Taylor and I went out and got a one piece patriotic swim suit so my gun shot wound wouldn't show. She insisted it was nothing to be ashamed of, but I didn't want people to ask questions.
Austin came strolling into the kitchen.
"Hey, Taylor, whatcha making me?" He asked.
"Chocolate covered turds."
Austin laughed and checked out what was going on in the kitchen.
He and Adam greeted one another with a bro hug.
"How's my favorite ass kicker doing?" He asked sitting down at the bar.
"She's good." I laugh.
He snatched a star cookie off the cookie tray and took a bite.
"Did you make these?" He asked me.
"I did, yeah."
"Well aren't you just the jack of all trades little girl."
"Don't call me a little girl." I roll my eyes, although I hated the title, Austin and I liked to joke around.
"How's Shawn?" He asked.
"He's good."
"Is he coming?"
"Yeah."
"Awwwwwwwww!" Austin exaggerated.
"It's the cutest thing." Taylor smirked.
"I can't wait to meet him, and have a talk with him." Austin said.
"No talks are necessary."
"You kids better use protection."
I rolled my eyes and everyone laughed at that.
"Hello my fellow Americans!" Ed calls as he enters the kitchen in a red coat.
"THE BRITISH ARE COMING!" Taylor yelled and pointed at Ed.
He walked up to the counter and saw all the red, white, and blue themed food.
"Too soon." Ed said.
"Still not over it, huh?" I asked.
"Nope."
He started eating some of the popcorn.
"You can't wait until everyone else is here to eat?" She asked.
He just grinned with a mouth full of food.
"Oh! Alex did you take your medicine?" Taylor asked.
"Medicine? Are you sick?" Ed asked.
"No, it's my supplements." I said.
He looked at me confused.
"She was very malnourished and she wasn't absorbing any thing when she ate." Taylor said.
"Yeah, what she said." I nodded.
"Oh god, well I do hope you get better."
"Thanks." I mutter.
I swallowed the pills Taylor handed me.
Ed, Austin, and Adam went outside to do whatever it was Adam said he needed to go do to set stuff up for the party. Taylor and I stayed inside to put the finishing touches on the party.
"Okay, in going to go upstairs and put my swimsuit on. You should too so you're ready for when they all get here, which should be anytime." She said.
"Okay." I nodded and we went upstairs.
Meredith was on my bed sleeping and I pet her small head. She purred in delight and I smiled to myself.
I slipped on my one piece red, white, and blue swimsuit and then my coverup. When I came back down stairs Karlie and Martha were here.
"Taylor will be down in a minute." I said.
"Okay! Look how cute your cover up is!" Martha gushed.
"Thanks so is yours."
"Hey guys!" Taylor said coming down the stairs to great the ladies.
"Hey Taylor!" They said enthusiastically.
They always seemed to be in a good mood. I didn't understand it sometimes.
"Do yo guys want to go check out the slide? We'll make the youngest test it out first!" Taylor said.
I laughed a bit and agreed to test the slide first.
We got out to the back yard and the slide was huge! It was a big inflatable water slide that said Taymerica on the side. Clever.
"Alright, good luck!" Taylor said nudging me towards the slide.
"Oh, Taylor. How you underestimate me so." I smirk and climb up the wall.
Once I reach the top I bounce on it to get high enough in order to do a flip in the air and slide.
"Woooooooooo!" I heard them cheer impressed.
"Okay, but that's not even fair." Karlie said.
"How so?" I ask with a small smile.
"Because you train for that!"
"Well I must say I've never actually had to do a flip on a water slide to kick someone's ass." I shrug.
The girls laughed and Ed, Austin, and Adam came over to the slide.
"Does it run okay?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, it runs perfectly fine."
"Yeah, show off tested it out." Taylor said.
I put my hands up in surrender.

At 3:00 the party was in full swing and we were all chilling in the pool. Everyone was on pool floats that looked like swans. I was hanging out with Gigi, who was telling a story about her and Bella when they were kids.
"Man what's that scar on your leg from?" Gigi asked.
"A mission." I said.
"What happened though?"
"That's classified." I winked.
"Oh come on! We're friends! Who am I going to tell?" She laughed.
"Sorry, G, it's top secret!"
I got out of the pool with a towel and went in the house. Ed was in the kitchen eating a snack.
"Aren't you going to join the pool party?" I asked.
"I'm a ginger, darling. The sun and I don't mix well."
The door opened and I wondered who could be coming in since I thought everyone was here already. To my surprise, it was Shawn. He was wearing red, white, and blue swim trunks and a white tee shirt. He turned red when he saw me.
"Hey, Alex." He said.
"Hey, Shawn. I didn't know you were coming."
"Yeah, Taylor invited me. It was pretty cool of her."
"There is tons to eat so help yourself. The rest of the party is outback."
"Cool! Are you about to go out side?"
"Yeah, I was just grabbing a drink."
"Oh, cool, cool. I'll wait for you."
"We're matching." I pointed out.
"Yeah, that's so cool. We need to get a picture."
"That would be very cool." Ed spoke up and I could hear his smirk without looking at his face.
"So do you want to go to the backyard now?" I asked.
"Yeah!" He said and I took him outside.
"Hey Shawn! I'm glad you could make it!" Taylor called.
"Thanks for the invite."
"No problem! The bigger the party, the more fun!" She said and smiled at me.
"You should try the slide. I tested it this morning and it was pretty fun." I said.
"I might need someone to go down it with me. It looks like a long drop."
"Not really." I started
"Alex could go down it with you!" Martha said.
"Yeah. In fact, the slide looks pretty fun right now." Taylor said and got out of the pool. Adam followed her.
Soon, everyone was gathering around the big inflatable slide and people were taking turns and sliding down together. Shawn and I were going next and he climbed up the ladder behind me.
"You can be in front." He said and sat down.
I got a strange feeling of nerves when he suggested I sit in front of him, but agreed. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and let go of the straps. We slid down until we got to the end. The two of us laid at the end of the inflatable laughing as we untangled from each other.

That night everyone went out into the yard at dark and played with sparklers until the fireworks started. Shawn and I had been hanging out all day. We were sitting on the lawn talking to Taylor and Adam when the first firework went off.
After a few more fireworks Shawn wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into him and we comfortably watched the fireworks. Taylor looked over and gave me a wink.
I felt so at ease with Shawn. It had been a great day. I had never celebrated the Fourth of July like this before. This would be engraved in my best memories.