The Leap Of Faith

Chapter 3

With a last glance at my mirror, I picked up my shoes and ran down the stairs. My mom was applying one more layer of lipstick to her lips in the mirror by the door and my dad was ready and fully dressed, sitting comfortably on the lazy boy in our living room. Ryan was eating an apple in the kitchen island and Rachel was nowhere to be seen.

Today is Rachel's graduation, and we're running late, as per usual.

I quickly strapped on my high heels and mom started fixing my hair and straightening my dress.

"Rachel! Come on, we gotta go!" Mom screamed and turned to my dad. "Richard, can you get the car started? And Ryan, get the camera and leave the apple!" She commanded and they did as told.

"Coming!" Yelled Rachel running down the stairs.

"Sweetie, where's your cap?" Mom said, looking around for it.

"Shi-!" My sister started, but at the stern look my mother gave, she stopped. "Crap!"

Rachel ran up the stairs again. How she does that while wearing five inch heels eludes me. A few moments later, she was coming down the stairs, trying to fix the cap on her head and not fall at the same time.

"It's go time, people! Let's go!" And with that, mom opened the front door and waited for us to get outside before locking it.

In the car ride, mom helped Rachel with the cap and then they both tried to figure out if the tassle was supposed to go to left or right. After a while, they gave up and decided to just wait until we got to the school and just copy whatever everyone else was doing.

When we got to the school, Rachel quickly said goodbye and found her place in the long line of this year's graduates and someone gave her her gown. She quickly slipped it on, as we scrambled our way up the bleachers and finally found a spot to seat.

The graduation was, well, a graduation. There where laughs, screams, a lot of speeches and some crying. After that, we took some pictures of the whole family together, and then it was all over. Rachel was going to a friend's party after graduation, so she bid us goodbye and left with one of her friends.

We were eating at our favorite restaurant when my phone started ringing and Jane's name flashed on the screen.

"Excuse me." I said to my parents and got up and just outside the restaurant to answer my phone. "Jane! Wha-"

"What're you up to? Can you come to my house?" Jane said without even letting me answer.

"I'm having dinner with my parents right now. I'll ask them if I can go. But I would need someone to give me a ride back to my house."

"Yeah, let me ask- Nat! Can you give Ri a ride back to her place?!" She said away from her phone and waited a few seconds for an answer. "She says it's cool. Go ask your mom!" She said and hung up.

I got back to the table and told them what had happened and they said said they would drop me off on the way home.

"Can I go with her?" Asked Ryan. Jane's brother and Ryan are friends and every time I ask to go to her house, he asks if he can come too.

"Yeah, sure. Just make sure Nathan is there." Mom said and returned to her food.

I sent Jane a text telling her that my parents were gonna drop me and Ryan off when we finished our food.

***

"Okay, so I'm here. Now what is so important that I'm missing a very important date with my beloved bed at 10:00 pm?" I said, slipping off my heels and throwing them in the corner. I sat down on Jane's bed and waited for an explanation.

"We have a surprise for you!" Said Leah, bouncing in her spot on the floor.

"For me? Guys, my birthday was almost two months ago." I giggled but sat up straighter. I don't like surprises, specially surprises from my friends. I love them, but they are a little crazy at times.

"Oh, just shut up and open it!" Natalie said giving me an envelope with my name written in a pretty cursive with hearts and glitter all over the place.

"I swear to God, if this is a glitter bomb..." I said, eyeing the envelope with a grimace.

"Riley Marie Parker! I will slap you!" Jane said exasperated.

"Okay, okay! Jeez..." I said and opened the envelope and found a brochure for Oasis Springs Spa and Resort. Natalie's dad owned a chain of hotels all over the country. From mountain lodges to beach resorts and everything in between. I'm guessing this must be one of those. What I'm doing with a pamphlet to a resort in my hands, I have no idea. At the look of confusion on my face, Jane explained.

"It's one of Natalie's dad's hotels! And we're going there and staying for two weeks!" She said and I looked at her with disbelief.

"Yeah, no. I don't think so..." I said and giggled a little, but they didn't follow. "Guys- what? How?!"

"Nat's dad is staying there to manage some new hotel in the area and she asked him if we could stay there and he said yes! Everything's taken care of! We're leaving in two days, so you better start packing!" Leah said barely containing her excitement.

There's no way. They have got to be kidding me.

"I love you girls. You really are the best, but I can't go. My parents would never-" I started but was interrupted by Jane.

"They have already agreed to it. This is your 'going away party'. So stop making excuses!" She said and started jumping up and down and Natalie, Leah and I soon followed. I can't believe they did this. This is exactly was I was afraid of! I knew they would do something crazy like this.

I still don't know if I want to go. I mean, that is a beach resort. Key word: beach.

I hate sand, and I can never seem to get a proper tan. I always end up all red, then my skin starts to peel off and then end up the same I've always been, just with a few more freckles. But regardless, I think it is so sweet and thoughtfull of them to do something like this for me. And that is why I will go. I'm already dreading the sand getting everywhere.

We settled down and started talking about the outfits we were taking with us and the things we would do on our trip. I still can't believe my parents agreed to this.

At midnight, Natalie and I went on our way. I was falling asleep, so we didn't really talk much on the ride back to my house. Ryan was seated at the back of Natalie's car, furiously texting on his phone, which gave a little 'ping' every time he got a new text. Who the hell is he talking to at midnight!

We finally got home and I said thanks and goodbye to Natalie, making her promise me to text me once she got back safely to her house. Ryan went straight to his room and I stopped in the kitchen to get a glass of water and then went up to my room.

I was so tired, I didn't even wash off my makeup and just threw on some pajamas and as soon as I layed down on my bed, fell asleep.