"Let’s go!” I ran out the back door, it almost smacking me in the face when I shoved it.
“Can you wait a minute?” My mother ambled down onto the sidewalk.
I couldn’t help snatching the keys to the car and running down the concrete, as she took her time.
As she climbed into the small vehicle, and turned the ignition on, she asked, “What street is it on?”
“Uh...” I flipped open the invitation, “Gling Avenue.”
“Alright, that’s only down the road a bit."
“This it?” my mother squinted at the address number on the mailbox.
“Yeah!” I sprung out of the car, not even sure myself. She popped open the trunk, and I grabbed my luggage.
“Behave, Jennifer. You are twelve now. Act your age, or I will come get you,” she shut the door I left open.
I gulped as she sped down the highway. I approached the golden-bricked house. Before I could even knock, howls came from inside. A face peeked from the door.
“Diane!” I beamed.
“Jenny!” my friend hugged me, “Are you ready to go bowling?”
“Yeah, Happy Birthday.” I smiled, and entered the small home, which was decked out with decorations. Our three friends, Victoria, Kate and Trinity stood in the broad doorway between the living room and kitchen. “Hey,” I waved at them, and they nodded and murmured back.
“Sabrina and Meaghan will arrive soon,” Diane snagged my bag and disappeared into the narrow, dark hallway next to the doorway. “I put your bags in my room,” she said when she came out.
After a few minutes, the doorbell rang, alerting her dogs into frenzy again. Sabrina and Meaghan came together. “Let’s go bowling!” Diane sprung up. “Come on, Mommy!” she pulled her mother from a crossword puzzle at the dining table. Everyone else bolted out the door, into the dusky sky.
