Our Life After

The Best of Friends

*Lizzie's POV*

My birthday was fantastic! I loved all my presents, and the cake Daddy made me was delicious. He always knows just what to make.

We went for a picnic with everyone and I had a fantastic time. We set up a big picnic blanket that we could all sit on together and Uncle Finnick made tuna salad sandwiches, Aunt Johanna brought fresh fruits (some which I hadn't heard of like star fruit) and Daddy brought sugar cookies for dessert.

I had a very nice lunch, sitting with my best friend Catherine. Joshua and Fin joined us too. Mommy stayed with Christian.

"See!" Catherine announced, "Now you can write all the stuff we do in your journal!"

"Yeah," I say, I'm not a great writer yet, but Daddy and Mommy are helping me do better.

After we've all finished, I walk back to the house with Catherine, holding hands and skipping. Mommy looks at us and smiles. I wonder if she ever had a best friend. Probably. I'll ask her later.

When we get back to the house, we play a game called Twister with Joshua and Fin. You spin this spinner to get a color and a body part, then you have to put that part on that color.

I end up making us fall every time. I'm not very good at it, and after being very frustrated, I decide we should play something else.

We play a few games before Aunt Johanna says there's something in the back yard waiting for us.

We all run back there, to find a big paper seashell hanging from a tree. I have no idea what to make of it. Aunt Johanna must see this on my face, and explains that it's called a piñata and I have to try to hit it with this stick to break it open.

I don't know why I'd want to break it, but I take the bat and swing.

"Wait!" Aunt Johanna says "You have to do it blindfolded!"

Now I'm confused. Why am I swinging at big paper thing blindfolded so it will break? Who made up this game? It seems kinda dumb.

But I let Aunt Johanna blindfold me, and I swing the bat, but don't hit anything. So I try again, and again, but I can't find the piñata! This is why I shouldn't be blindfolded! I can't see!

Eventually Aunt Johanna stops me and says, "Let's give someone else a chance."

So I watch Fin go, and he hits it, but it doesn't break. Catherine goes next, and she hits it so hard it cracks on top, but doesn't burst open. Joshua goes and he smashes it everywhere on the first try. They must have these piñata things in the Hawthorne household often.

When it breaks, candy falls out everywhere, and as soon as I see it, I dive for it. I LOVE candy. I scoop us as much as possible in one hand and back away.

"What are you doing?" Aunt Johanna says.

"I'm leaving some for them. Am I doing something wrong?"

"Yup, you're definitely a Mellark. You're just like your dad. Super good and nice and selfless."

"Um, thanks?" I say.

Then Daddy and Mommy come out and I show then the candy I got. They tell me I did a good job, although I didn't even know they saw me. Catherine runs up next to me and says, "Here, I see you didn't get much", and hands me some of her candy.

"Thanks" I say, and we go up to my room in Uncle Finnick's house and we eat all our candy. Then Catherine says, "Let's write about your birthday in your journal!"

So we pull out my journal, and I write this,

Today was my sixth birthday.  Catherine gave me this jounral.  My Daddy made me a delishus cake.  It was a suprise party.  I had a lot of fun.  We had a picnik.  It was a lot of fun, I ate with my frends.  Then we had to hit a seeshell to get cadny out.  I dont think I did very well.  My bestest frend Catherine gave some of her cadny.  Then we ate all of it.  My tummy kinda hurts.  She is my best frend and I love her.  We will be best frends furever.

Catherine smiled at me. 

“That's very nice," she said, and then we skipped down the stairs hand in hand to eat dinner.