Smooth Sailing

August 4, 2018

August 4, 2018

My alarm clock went off early that morning, an annoyance on a Saturday, even though I normally wake up earlier than the rest of my family. I quickly turned it off and jumped out of bed, but when I went out into the hallway, I noticed that Everett was still sleeping. I opened his door and shouted "Everett!" and he suddenly woke up.

"Sylvie!" he complained. "It's Saturday. Why are you up so early?"

"The Pigglyville protest is today," I said.

"Why are we protesting Pigglyville again?" Everett asked. "All they do is produce cute toys for little kids."

"Why don't you know about this already?" I asked.

"I don't know," Everett said. "I don't pay attention when you guys start talking about the yacht club."

I rolled my eyes and left the room, but Everett got ready to go anyways. Mom, Dad, Everett, and I met in the dining room to eat breakfast, and we talked about the protest while Everett played on his phone. "Everett, pay attention," Dad said. "This involves you."

"It really doesn't," Everett argued.

"Anyways, my parents are coming in about half an hour," Dad said. "Molly, Theo, and Kelsey will meet us there, but Eden's coming straight from a morning soccer practice, so we're going to have to pick her up."

"Wait, what?" Everett said. "Eden's coming?"

"Yes, Eden's coming," Dad said.

All of a sudden, my phone buzzed. When I checked it, I saw that I had a text from Véro. I smiled and immediately opened up the message, eager to see what she had to say. "Can you give me a ride to the protest?" Véro texted. "My parents can't drive me."

"My grandparents are going to be there," I replied.

"That's okay," Véro texted. "I can put up with them for one car ride."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure," Véro texted. "It will be fine."

"Okay," I texted. "See you soon."

I still didn't think it was the best idea to have Véro and Grandpa in a car together, but there was nothing that I could do to change Véro's mind. "Is it okay if Véro comes with us?" I asked my parents.

Mom and Dad looked at each other for a moment before Mom said, "We have room for one more person. You, Eden, and Véro are going to have to squeeze into the backseat though."

"That's fine," I said.

We continued to eat our breakfast, and a few minutes later, Grandma and Grandpa arrived, bringing hand-painted signs with them. "Are you ready for this?" Grandma asked.

"I think I'm ready," I said.

Grandpa seemed a little bit grouchy, but I ignored that. "You two certainly seem ready," Dad said. "I really like your signs, by the way."

"Thank you," Grandma said. "Edward and I worked hard on them."

All of a sudden, there was another knock on the door. I ate the last few bites of my breakfast, quickly put my dishes away, and opened the door for Véro. "Hi Sylvie," Véro said. "I'm so excited for this protest!"

"Me too," I said.

"When are we leaving?" Véro asked.

"Soon, hopefully," I said.

"Phil!" Grandpa shouted. "Why did you let Sylvie bring her little girlfriend?"

"You don't have to answer that, Phil," Grandma said. "Véro is welcome here."