Four days later, it was saturday, and I decided to get up off my butt and do something other than play music, read, and mope. I flipped open my phone, and started a group text to my friends.
To: Addie, Ally, Sarah, Ana, Lulu
I looked at my phone, and added Brooke's name to the list. I wasn't weak enough to let a guy stand between me and my lifelong friend. Besides, she hadn't done anything, and would stand by me if the tables were turned.
To: Addie, Ally, Sarah, Ana, Lulu, Brooke
Hey guys, I'm really bored. Are any of you free to hang in downtown Malibu and shop and get food and do all that stuff? We can meet at Coldstone.
One by one, my friends answered back, all replying "yes." Grabbing my Juicy Couture wallet and phone, I headed out the door.
***
Ten minutes later, I was standing outside of Coldstone Ice Cream Parlor, drumming my fingers against my thights and waiting for my friends, when I heard someone yell, "Hey!"
I turned around to see Ally and Addie jogging towards me. Addie was wearing a black maxi skirt and flowy white top, and Ally was adorned in a flowered croptop and a pair of distressed light denim shorts.
Addie, short for "Adeline," had been one of my best friends since fourth grade. Blonde, thin, gorgeous, and minimalistic, she was one of the sweetest people ever- unless you knew her really well. Then, she became the crazy, snapchat-addicted, hilarious, and occasionally tempermental person our friend group all loved. Even when she stole our food and talked about phillosophical things like "What does the fox say?" or "Are there a lot of virgins in the Virgin Islands?"
Ally was the youngest member in our "cliche-" she was a freshman; we were sophmores. However, we loved her noneless and she fit right in. Sweet, funny, and a bit crazy, Ally wasn't the "leader" of our group, but she kept us sane. Ally and Addie together were another little group within our group, but they weren't as excluding as Ana and Sarah.
When the two arrived at the parlor. I gave a quick hug to both of them, chatted for a while, and sat down on a bench, waiting for the others to arrive.
We didn't have to wait very long. A few minutes in to our discussion (Addie was vigorously debating whether fat people could go skinny-dipping,) a big red Ford pulled up, Broke at the wheel, carting Sarah, Ana, and Lulu. It pulled into a parking space, and the four girls climbed out.
"Hey everybodayyyy!!" Sarah squealed. "Well, what are you all standing there for? Let's get some ice cream!!"
And with that, we headed inside with me leading the group, a jumble of lipglossed mouths all talking at once.
***
As soon as I opened the door, the tiny bell above the door screamed in a high pitched voice. Brrrrriiing!!! Though the bright walls inside Coldstone made other people jumpy or on edge, they always made me felt comforted. The smell of sugary, cold ice cream washed over me, and my friends and I walked up to the counter to order. There were a few people in front of us, so I pulled out my phone to check my Instagam. I was inturrupted by Lulu, shaking me ferociously.
"Skye! Holy shit Skye, you need to see this," Lulu shook my shoulder, and I looked up.
"What, Lulu?"
"Look at the guy behind the counter. You're not gonna believe this."
And so I did.
"Oh my God. You've got to be kidding me! Of all the days....just my luck." I glared ahead.
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