Crown Sword

Chapter 3

I was hanging up the 'summer!' banner for the party when the front door opened and Brenda walked in. She pointed at the banner, "it's crooked."

"I'm not done yet," I tell her.

"Is Ashley in yet?" Brenda asked, walking to the kitchen.

"I wouldn't know." I finished hanging up the banner and looked around. This wasn't a birthday party, but Ashley had requested there be colorful balloons strung up all over the place. Her mom listed all of her requests and gave me the paper she had done. So far I had raked the freshly mowed lawn and hung streamers from the trees. There were little posters with the word 'summer' all over the place. I had set up tables and chairs in the backyard. I got the big speaker from the storage garage and plugged it under the neatly swept patio. The lawn chairs were spread nicely by the clean pool and towel racks were placed around them. I had done a little more cleaning around the house to make sure I had absolutely no more work to do.

Brenda walked back out with a glass of wine in her hand, "Ok, you know the deal. Find something to do and get out of the house tomorrow. It's Ashley's party and she doesn't want you here. Dan and I will be taking a flight to New York City tonight, we've got a conference. We won't be back until Monday. Make sure you don't annoy her while we're gone,"she sighed and walked out.

"You're wrong about that." I said turning to her. Brenda turned, narrowing her eyes. "Ashley actually does want me to come. In fact, she asked me to come today. She was even smiling."

Brenda's mouth lifted in disgust, "are you that desperate to go to this party that you would lie to me?"

"I'm not lying," I said, "ask her yourself." With that I walked to my room and flopped onto my tiny twin bed. When I slept my feet would dangle off the end. I reached for my outdated flip phone and called Carter. I looked over at the clock.

"Hey, I know it's a bit early, but you wouldn't mind spending four more hours with your favorite person, would you?" I asked.

I could hear him smirk over the phone. "Yea, whatever, be there in five."
I grabbed my purse to wait for him outside on the porch. As I did, a white Jeep peeled into the driveway and Ashley got out of it. She walked over to me, popping her gum, sneering.

"So, are you waiting for Carter?" she asked.

"Yea, what about it?"

"I'm just waiting for the day he sees you, for what you really are. Honestly, I'm so confused. That day in fifth grade, I thought he chose to sit by you on accident or something. Guess, not." she looked at her nails.

I stayed silent.

"Listen up, skank. Find a way to break up with him, or I will. You don't deserve him, you're just a-" at that moment Carter pulled up in the driveway.

I laughed at her pause, her mouth still open about to call me and accuse me of something else. She always threatened this, I just never care.

"I'm just a what?" I called loud enough for her to hear as I walked to the shotgun seat.

"You're..." she paused looking at Carter, then smiling, "you're just about to have a lot of fun at my party. I can't wait to see you there. Hey Carty!" she called waving at him.

I rolled my eyes as Carter pulled out of the driveway. "Where are we going?"

"You haven't eaten have you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

He drove us to a burger drive through and then we went to the park where the drive-in movie theater was being held. This was one of our traditions. Drive-in movie theaters were ten times better than regular movie theaters. For us, it just added to the experience. An older man we knew as Eric at the ticket booth laughed when he saw us.