Comfort Zone

Teenage Hoodlums

"For the thousandth time, I said I was sorry," groans Rhett.

I just scoff and turn my head, knowing full well he's not the least bit sorry. I can see the poorly concealed amusement in his eyes.

We had finished up at the zoo about half an hour ago and are now seated in the children's park right outside of it.

We ended up spending way more time inside the zoo than we intended to. Despite Rhett's annoying personality, Violet's not so subtle, suggestive looks every time I talked to him, and Harrison's overall Harrisoness, I had a great time.

Rhett had apparently never been to a zoo, so he was freaking out the entire time, and I have to admit, it was kind of adorable. His absolute favorites were the giraffes. We have a section of our zoo where you can stand on a bridge and feed them crackers, and he wouldn't leave. He went through his whole pack of crackers and I ended up giving him mine too. We were having a ton of fun, up until, out of the blue, Rhett decided it would be a good idea to push me into a fountain.

"Come on, how was I supposed to know you would fall," he chuckles from his current position on the bottom step of a small ladder that leads up to a large twisty slide.

I whip my head around to glare at him, shaking the entire swing set I'm sitting on in the process.

"How were you supposed to know I would fall," I screech out questioningly. "How about because of the fact that you pushed me?"

"I barely tapped you," he argues.

"Barley tapped me," I mutter, shaking my head. "So I guess I just jumped into the fountain because I wanted to then?"

Rhett sighs and rubs his temples.

"I'm so very, very sorry that I, the evil man that I am, pushed you into the fountain," he apologies in a tone somewhere between sarcastic and sincere.

I glower at him. It was a lot easier to stay mad when my clothes were soaking wet, but now that the sun has managed to dry them out it's probably time to move on and accept his lame apology.

"I, the kind and forgiving woman I am, forgive your unworthy, dimwit self for pushing me into the fountain."

"Thank goodness," breaths Grant. "You've been arguing for ages. It was entertaining for a while, but man. You two really go at it."

"It's his fault," I mumble under my breath. I didn't mean for anyone to hear me but by the way, Rhett opens up his mouth, an argument clearly on the tip of his tongue, I must not have been as quiet as I thought.

"So what's this game we're supposed to be playing," asks Davin. She clearly wants the arguing to stop too. I guess we are being a little annoying.

"Great question," says Violet. "Today we will be having a scavenger hunt."

"Like the kind where things are hidden around and we find clues," she asks, glancing over to her left as if she's searching for the first item. "Or like Hailey Riley's thirteen birthday, scavenger hunt?"

"Hailey Riley's thirteen birthday," I answer, making her eyes light up in excitement. I forgot she had been there too.

Hailey Riley has been in our class since the first grade, and every single year she manages to rack up a new friend group. In seventh grade, I had, for a brief moment in time, been included in that group, and had acquired an invitation to one of her exclusive and extravagant birthday parties.

We had gotten our hair and nails done at a fancy salon, driven around in a limo, rented out two rooms in the most expensive hotel in town, and gone on an epic scavenger hunt.