Out of Summertime

Chapter 13: Roxie's Undercarriage

The rest of the week passed by very quickly and soon enough it is Friday, the day the fun begins...
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I finish setting up the kitchen, check my phone and dart into my bathroom. I admire my bright baby blue shirt with volleyball logos all over it. It is one of my favorite shirts because fabric is super soft. I have on dark denim capris with rolled cuffs at the bottom that I can move easily in. Dani checks her outfit out with me, she is in a black tank top and dark wash jean shorts. We are both barefoot.

I walk out when I hear tires in the driveway. Scotty has pulled up first, he hops out and I run to meet him.

I throw my arms around his neck and hear him chuckle, "Whoa, hey there baby."

His arms are quick to embrace me, pulling away I smile, "Howdy Cowboy!" A honk sounds, Sammy and Mattie have come together in Mattie's car. Mel and Johnathan arrive next, then Dallas and Collin.

Lael and Riley apparently drove Austin here because he stumbles out of their car hollering, "Enough already! Y'all aren't gonna have faces by the end of tonight if you keep sucking each other's!" Elizabeth arrives last and pulls out twelve of the biggest water guns I have ever seen and two tie dyed flags.

The boys spot them and grin, "You are SO on," Austin hollers.

Collin laughs, "Bring it!" Elizabeth darts over to where all the girls are and hands us our weapons first.

She tosses the rest to the boys, "Capture the Flag: Cowgirls versus Cowboys," she whoops.

I laugh, "Okay the girls will go inside and help me prep the food while the boys hide their flag," talking to the guys only now, "When y'all are done come back inside and then we will hide ours while you start the fire in the fire pit." They all nod and dart off together.

The girls and I head inside and start getting out all the junk food in the house and the stuff they brought.

Mattie elbows Lael, "So? How are things with Riley?"

Lael blushes, "Well, actually..." We all gasp.

She fidgets, "He proposed," she holds up a left hand with a simple ring. I gasp and grab her hand, the ring is silver and has a rose with a diamond in the center. Elizabeth squeals, so does Sammy.

Mel shakes Lael's shoulders, "I knew it! We are so, so excited for you!"

Lael begins to explain, "He did it a week ago-"

Mattie interrupts her with a question, "On your birthday? Did he ask you on your birthday?!" Lael nods vigorously.

"He did! He took me to the beach where we met, blindfolded. And when I opened my eyes... There he was on one knee..." We all sigh as the boys walk in. Riley smiles obviously knowing what we are talking about.

"All done, your turn girls," Collin announces.

Scotty smirks as I pass, "Good luck Darlin'," he says.

I grin, "Thanks babe," I answer. All the girls fan out to find a place for the flag. We have decided that everyone needs to make a suggestion and that I would decide where to actually hide the flag. That way only one of the girls on the team knows where the flag is so the rest can't give it away. Sammy suggests we put it in Roxie's undercarriage and that is my favorite idea of all of them.

We discuss strategy for a bit and are about to head in when Lael stops us, "Wait! We should all come from different directions so they don't know who hid it!" Everyone agrees. We all take our positions by different doors and windows, I pull out my phone and text them all;

C: Go

I walk in and the others aren't far behind. The boys look confused as we all come from different places and surround them.

"Took y'all long enough," Dallas jokes.

Sammy shrugs, "We were planning strategy while we were at it."

They boys don't know it but we see them shoot each other teasing looks, "Hey! Don't even think about it! This is war okay! We have to have a strategy!"

Dani smacks Riley's arm. He jumps, "Ow! What was that for?"

She sticks her tongue out at him, "Free."

Mel rolls her eyes, "Our base is the field next to the barn, where is yours?"

Jonathan steps up and answers, "The woods just east of the barn," the rest nod behind him in confirmation.

We all nod as well, "Then let's do this," Mattie yells. Everyone sprints outside in a hurry to get to their bases and weapons. Sammy stays behind like we planned, one of the other girls will bring her her water gun.

Before it's my turn to head out the door I turn to Sammy, "You know what you're doing right? You've got this? You're our secret weapon of distraction."

She nods once, "Oh yeah. I can totally handle this."

I start out the door, "Good because you're guarding the actual flag," I mutter. I run towards the barn and the girls assigned to stay in there hand me a pair of water guns. Since I am the runner, I get to take all the girls their weapons. I go to Sammy first and arm her, then Mel who is guarding the chicken pen. I sprint back to the barn and see Dani has already been sent off on her mission to sneak around in the woods to find their flag. Mattie is still at the barn to hand me the last two guns. I take off to a spot just inside the woods to Lael's position, and give her one of the guns.

Finally everyone is set up and it's time to take these boys down...