"this is like something straight out of a movie!" kimmy can't seem to contain herself. "i mean, wil asking us to go the firework show? so romantic."
"yeah, that's so exciting he asked you," elsie pauses dramatically, "along with the rest of us."
in my town there's always a huge 4th of july show and celebration. lots of fireworks and food trucks. i've gone ever since i was little, it's always one of those things about summer i really look forward to. usually my friends and i would go, sometimes we'd see the boys in our grade, but we'd always stay separate. but ever since we entered high school things have become very intermixed, gender wise i mean. kimmy has dated god-knows-how-many guys and my friend lily has been in a pretty long term relationship with this guy named steve. referring to him like that makes him sound so distant and unknown but he seems great. elsie's been good friends with the guys for a while and had a couple of flings. i on the other hand, have been a lone wolf since birth.
i'm very shy by nature and i tend to have a difficult time warming up to new people, especially boys. there's something so intimidating but axe body spray and excessive amounts of hair gel. i guess it's pretty typical to be quiet around people you don't know very well but i'm almost 17, i always choke up around the guys. i'm getting so sick of it, kimmy has told me multiple times i need to get over myself but i guess i'm just nervous all of the time.
"i think i need some nude lipstick. i can lighten up the inner areas of my lips." lily leans into her vanity as if she's going in for a kiss. she's sporting her classic frosted lip look.
kimmy comes into the room after momentarily leaving to take a call, shrieking, "i just got off the phone! they're leaving now guys! this is not a drill!"
"who's all coming exactly?" i'm sitting on the flooring tying the laces to my new white sketchers.
"mm, wil, steve, river, and uh," lily looks at me for dramatic affect. "corey, of course." i roll my eyes at this and search the floor blindly for my purse.
"you guys need to let that dumb joke go." i'm referring to idea that corey and i will get together one day and live happily ever after.
the whole thing started earlier this year, lily and kimmy were pairing the group up and came to the conclusion that corey and i were the only ones in it without a match. at the time i'd argued that elsie could easily be with corey too but the rebuttal was that she already had some undeniable chemistry with river. which i guess i can see. ever since then they've gotten all of the guys in on it and it's this one long running joke that i don't think i'll ever hear the end of.
"no! i refuse to until you guys marry!" kimmy places the back of the hand to her forehead passionately.
"i think it's true love." elsie comments dryly from her seat on the floral bed spread.
"corey doesn't seem bothered by it one bit!" lily claims pointedly.
i cry, "but that's just how he is! he never acts like anything bothers him, so why would a dumb joke bother him?" corey being his carefree, flamboyant self, laughs along with the joke. it annoys me that he can't be bothered by it.
"gosh fine, lydia." kimmy fluffs her blonde hair aggressively. "elsie? river?"
giving her the death glare, elsie stands up slowly and opens the bedroom door, "i'll be waiting for them outside, wanna come with lydia?" i nod eagerly and follow her. she always flees at the slight mention of her and river being together.
once on the front steps of lily's two-story, elsie whips out a cigarette pack and lighter. she holds them up to me shrugging and i shake my head.
"elsie that's bad for you, you know that." i scold her, being the only one in the group not into smoking.
