"God bless America, Ivy Lynch!"
The first thing I do when I open the front door for Jake is gawk at the outfit he has chosen for today. He is wearing a polo striped red-and-white shirt with navy blue shorts that have stars all over them. His sandals are designed to look like the American flag as well. It's very flashy, to say the least, everything I would've expected from him.
"Wow," is all I manage to get out.
My plain white sundress seems slightly under-patriotic now.
"I'm excited for today," he says and sticks his hand out to help me down the porch. "This is my favorite holiday."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. I love the spirit, the food, the music, the fireworks, everything!" He lifts his hand to wave to Elliott and Flynn as they pull into the driveway. "What are they doing here?"
"Uh, I work for Elliott's family," I say, waving to the boys as they get out of the car with grocery bags of fireworks, graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.
"Seriously?" Jake shakes Flynn's hand and reaches for Elliott's, who doesn't move to shake his hand. "Hey, boys."
"Hey, Jake," Flynn says with a smile. "Sick outfit."
"Thanks!"
Elliott looks at me with raised eyebrows, an amused twinkle in his eye. I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest.
Yesterday, Elliott made that comment about being jealous of Jake. It threw me off completely. Before I had time to comprehend it, he had disappeared to join everyone else outside. The thought of Elliott liking me as more than a friend has my mind spinning. I'm not going to deny the attraction I feel, but it been doing pretty well at holding that back.
He's just so beautiful.
"Are you guys setting off fireworks tonight?" Jake asks, pointing to their bags.
"Yes, sir. We're meeting some friends at the beach for a bonfire," Flynn answers.
Jake nods. "That's cool. I hope it doesn't rain tonight."
I look to Elliott, who is already staring at me as Flynn and Jake converse. I raise my eyebrows and mouth, "stop."
"Stop what?" he mouths back, a grin on his face.
"It wouldn't be the Fourth of July without fireworks now, would it?" Flynn jokes.
I shake my head and turn to listen to their conversation about the weather. As Jake pulls out his phone to check the forecast, I glance quickly back at Elliott.
"Stop," he mouths in the split second he catches me looking.
"We should get going!" I say to Jake. "I'm getting hungry for those hot dogs and burgers you promised."
Flynn smiles. "Have fun, guys. Stop by the bonfire when your party is over."
"Sure thing, man," Jake says and squeezes Flynn's hand. "Later."
"Later," Elliott repeats in a mocking way, one that goes right over Jake's head.
Today is my one official day off. The kids got picked up by their grandparents at 5 in the morning for their place in Crescent City, California. They'll be dropped off sometime tomorrow. Until then, I'm off work. I've decided to make the most of it, no matter whom I'm spending my time with.
I like Jake. He's super nice, funny, and a little odd, but who isn't a little odd. It's not like today is going to be the worst date of my life. There's just someone else I'd rather be spending today with.
"I have to warn you," Jake says as we pull into the country club's parking lot. "These people are all as spoiled and arrogant as they come. It can be a lot to deal with in one night."
"I live with Elliott Kennedy, Jake. I can handle it," I joke.
He laughs and turns off the engine. After opening his car door, he sprints across the front of his car on his way to open my door, or so I assume. I never got to find out because he trips over his foot and wipes out on the pavement. I jump out of the car to come to his rescue.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," he promises and stands up, brushing off the rubble on his clothes. "It's all part of the plan."
I laugh and brush off some of the dirt on his shirt. "I'm sure."
He sniffles, trying as hard as possibly not to start crying in front of me. I feel sad for him. He just wanted to impress me by being a gentleman, but his klutzy ways ruined it for him. Poor Jake.
I stand on my tip-toes to kiss his cheek.
Jake's mouth curls up slightly, a subtle look of accomplishment and happiness. He takes my hand in his as we walk into the big, white country club.
His description of these people match exactly what they look like. They're all in nice clothes with sweaters wrapped around their necks like in the movies. They have fancy glasses of wine in their hands, taking sips after every fake laugh while the richer person makes a dumb joke.
"Jake, dear," a woman in a light blue dress with her perfectly hair-sprayed hair pushed back by a thick white headband says as she approaches us.
"Hi, mother," Jake greets and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "This is my friend, Ivy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ivy," his mom says and sticks out her hand.
I shake her hand with a polite smile. "Likewise."
"I want you to go talk to the Johnson family," she directs her son. "They're going on and on about their son's achievements. I didn't want to start bragging right then and there, but I want you to brag. Go talk about how you're going to Harvard."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Harvard? I never knew Jake Acker had an actual functioning brain. Then again, I only had gym with him last year, which doesn't require a lot of brain cells to get an A.
"Mother, I'm only on the waiting list," Jake whispers.
"They don't know that, dear," she shoots back, a condescending smile on her face. "Now, I'm going to go retrieve your father from the bar. I swear, if he ends up shitfaced at another one of these parties, I will stab him in his sleep." Her frown turns to a creepy smile. "Again, nice meeting you, Ivy."
"Yeah," I say awkwardly as she walks away, her heels clicking as she walks. I turn to Jake with my mouth half-open. "What the.."
He sighs heavily before shaking his head. "Let's just go outside."
I take his hand again as he leads me to a back terrace. We walk down the steps to a patio decorated with white tables that fit about ten people each. Each table is reserved for a family or two. Our table is near the DJ, who is blaring classical music.
"I'm already getting turnt," Jake mutters, doing an out-of-place dance routine to Mozart.
I laugh, noticing all the strange looks he is receiving. "This doesn't really seem like your kind of scene."
"What was your first clue?" He pulls out a chair for me to sit down in before taking his seat next to me. "I usually spend my night secretly getting drunk off my ass."
"Like father, like son," I say without thinking that it might be an offensive comment. As soon as I realize Jake's feelings could get hurt by that, I exclaim, "I didn't mean that! I-I just-"
"Hey, hey," he laughs, "you're not wrong. I don't blame my dad though. You met my mom."
I nod. "Yeah. I have parent problems of my own." I think of something to change to subject. "So, Harvard?"
"Yeah," he sighs. "Harvard."
"I'm impressed," I admit.
"I didn't even get in. I'm just on the waiting list," he says. "My parents are having me take a gap year while I wait for the final decision. Actually, just my mom. My dad wants me to skip college and just take over his business."
"Whoa," I breathe. "What do you want to do?"
"Neither of the two," he informs with a harsh laugh. "It sucks."
"Yeah, that does suck," I agree. "At least your parents are helping you with your future."
"Oh, so we're going to have a fight over whose parents are the shittiest?"
I shake my head. "No, no. I'm just saying. You shouldn't take that for granted, even if it is annoying as hell."
"I know. Deep down, I love them more than anything else," he admits.
I smile, hiding my internal pain that I'll never have that. I want to be happy for Jake, but I'm jealous. I've been jealous a lot recently, actually. I'm jealous of the Kennedy's, their close family ties. I'm jealous of Jake. I'm jealous of Mike, his parents more loving than any others I've ever met.
Jake and I spend the night sneaking sips of champagne every time his mother looks into her makeup mirror to reapply her lip gloss. I only start to feel a light buzz, but I have a feeling Jake is feeling a much more intense buzz than I.
I find myself laughing way more than I expected. Jake and I hit the dance floor when the DJ finally plays our request of Miley Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A.. At first, we're the only ones actually dancing. Jake is able to pull his friends on the floor with us, making a mini-crowd. The little kids join as well, right with the drunk dads. Only the sober parents stay off the floor. We dance until the sun goes down completely.
When the fireworks show starts, we sit back down at our table to watch. Jake looks mesmerized, his eyes wide and mouth open. I can only see his face when one of the bright explosions goes off, lighting up his unique features. His curly brown hair is deflated from the dancing. He laughs and points every once in awhile when his favorite type of firework goes off.
After the show is over, Jake and I go back to the parking lot. As he's trying to figure out how to unlock his car, his mother walks by and rips his keys out of his hands.
"Mommy sees everything."
She calls us a cab. Jake gives the directions to the beach where Elliott and Flynn are having their party. I'm a little excited to tell Elliott that I actually had a really fun time, since he was so sure that I'd hate every second of it. The look on his face should be priceless.
"Flynn McClean! Elliott Kennedy!" Jake yells down to them as we go down the stairs to the beach.
There's a small bonfire set up in the middle of the beach. Eight others besides Elliott and Flynn are in beach chairs, unrecognizable to me when I'm this far away. Getting closer, I see that some are Elliott's friends from the cliff. Yogi is the first one I see, his hard look giving me chills. Kirk, Sean, and Abraham are the only three who are Flynn's friends I know from school. I'm a little surprised to see that Flynn is okay with Elliott hanging out with these guys and that Kirk, Sean and Abraham are here as well. I thought their friend groups didn't mix.
"Jake Acker!" Elliott calls back, his arms on either side of his body.
We reach the bonfire, immediately offered beers. Jake takes the drink and nearly chugs the whole thing. I take one, but don't drink from it yet. There's a small portable speaker playing the most patriotic playlist known to man, a mixture of country and pop and rock all in one.
"So, how was your party?" Flynn asks as we all take our seats on foldable beach chairs.
"Oh, I had the best time!" Jake says with a wide smile. "Usually, those parties are painfully boring. Ivy was a good sport about the whole thing, and we were able to make our own fun."
I smile. "Yeah, it was probably the best party I've ever been to."
"But it's not like you've been to many parties, so that's not really saying much, is it?" Elliott comments.
I sense his argumentative tone and feel the urge to fight back. "Yeah, well, I had more fun than I've had in a really, really long time. Thank you, Jake."
Instead of the shocked look on his face that I expected from Elliott, he wears a frown, looking more upset than anything else. This isn't the priceless look I was hoping for.
"Oh, I remember the best party I've ever been to," Yogi announces. "It was back when I was in high school. Shit, that was like ten years ago!"
He goes on to tell this absurd story that I'm pretty sure was only 53% true. Basically, it was the plot of Project X mixed with Night At The Museum.
As he tells his story, Flynn passes around the things to make s'mores. The last time I had s'mores was when I was eight and in Girl Scouts. I don't remember much, but I can recall that the s'mores were magical.
I take a marshmallow and slide it onto the metal stick, holding it over the raging flames. Losing concentration in Yogi's bizarre story, I gaze into the fire. The flames whip around in the wind, the warm glow hitting my skin. I take in the smell of the smoke as it blows in my direction, secretly liking it as it brings back memories.
"I'm pretty sure only 53% of that was true," Elliott says at the end of Yogi's story, taking a sip of his drink. "Besides, wouldn't you have forgotten the whole night?"
"Dude, I'm a legend because of that party. I don't forget shit like that."
"Well, I think the craziest party I went to was when Kennedy danced on the table to REO Speedwagon," Abraham says. "If Elliott was having a good time, you know damn well the rest of us were."
I laugh loudly and look across the fire to Elliott with an amused look. "REO Speedwagon?" I mouth.
He shrugs and shoves a marshmallow in his mouth.
I take my marshmallow out of the flames and place it on my graham cracker with chocolate. One of Elliott's friends who I do not know but believe is named Stanley takes the metal stick from me to use for his own s'mores. He has a large snake tattoo on his right arm, which he flexes as he takes the stick. I smile politely.
The conversation is light and easy with the group. I find myself laughing at a lot of what everyone is saying, probably due to the drinks I've had total tonight. I met Stanley, Jase, Val, Angelina, and Hardy. They're Elliott's friends from the cliff. Jase and Angelina are our age, while Stanley, Hardy, and Val are closer in age to Yogi. Surprisingly, they weren't rough as I expected. They're loud like Yogi, but not as obnoxious. Even though they look like they're about to kill me, their personalities are so lively.
Hardy plays the guitar, which he luckily had in the back of his van tonight. Per request of Flynn, he had to go get it so we could sing songs around the fire. It heals the drunk, as Yogi mentioned.
"Any requests?" Hardy asks, strumming his guitar once and adjusting the nobs at the top of the instrument.
"I got one!" Jake announces in a loud, drunk voice. "Firework by Katy Perry!"
Hardy starts strumming away, not quite hitting all the right notes. Don't blame him; blame the alcohol. The rest of us sing along. I choose to hum, not exactly comfortable with belting out lyrics in front of semi-strangers.
"Ivy," Elliott says while standing behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. "Come help us set off the fireworks."
"I think I'm fine right here," I say and tilt my head back to look at him.
He gives me a bored look. "You're honestly going to be that lame? Remember, I'm trying to get you the childhood you never had because you never had real friends."
"Cuz, baby, you're a firework!" Jake scream-sings next to me, lifting his beer up in the air.
"What do you say, Ivy?" Elliott points to Jake. "Would you rather go deaf sitting here or have some real fun with Flynn and me?"
I sigh and stand up from the chair, maybe a bit curious to see the thrill of setting off an explosive. Flynn is near the water, about twenty-feet from the bonfire. He's digging through the plastic bag to get all of the fireworks out, the flashlight on his phone the only light aside from the moon.
"Okay, Ivy, we'll have Flynn light the first one so you can get a feel for how to do it," Elliott starts explaining. "I'll do the next one for you to really solidify what the hell you're doing because none of us want you to lose your hand."
"What?" I squeak, holding my hand to my chest.
He smiles. "I'm kidding. You'll do the third one, okay? Promise you won't chicken out?"
"Promise," I sigh.
"Alright, as soon as Flynn lights this one, we have to run up over by that rock," he says and points behind us.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Even brighter than the moon!"
Flynn flicks the lighter, slowly bringing it to the ignition string on the box. Elliott takes my hand and starts sprinting towards the rock he had pointed to a second ago. I sprint as fast as I can, nearly diving to safety when we get to the rock.
Over us, the fireworks Flynn set off explode into different colors. There was one red and two blue. I jump at the loud pops that go off as each explodes. I've never been this close to fireworks before, the sensation giving me chills. The fan club at the bonfire cheers, requesting another one.
And so it begins again. Elliott takes the lighter this time and sets one off. I watch carefully, knowing it'll be my turn next. We rush back to the rock and watch as the colors light up the sky in beautiful works of art. I feel like a little girl, staring up at the sky with wide eyes. I can't help but notice the way Elliott holds my side when we sit at the rock, his arm wrapped around my waist.
"Don't blow us up," Flynn says when Elliott hands me the lighter. "I have a date tomorrow with a hot blonde."
"Who?" I ask curiously.
"Ivy, stay focused!" Elliott snaps in a teasing way. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"I got this."
I quickly tie my hair up into a loose ponytail before peering at the box of fireworks in front of me to find where I start the fire. Once I get it, I bring the lighter next to the string and hold the flame against it. Elliott grabs my hand and runs with me to the rock, Flynn tripping and dragging himself as far away as possible. I stare up at the sky with a smile, jumping every time a loud boom goes off, the sound never quite settling with me.
We set off a bunch of fireworks, enough to reach the point where I'm sweating, even in the cold night. My cheeks begin hurting from smiling for so long. By the time we finish, everyone plans on heading back home. It's pretty late, something like one or two in the morning.
I say goodbye to my new friends, even Yogi. Hardy promises to bring his guitar to our next get-together, which I think took a bit of convincing from Jake. He nearly lost his voice from singing all night.
"Hey," Elliott whispers in my ear, pulling me away from the crowd that is heading for the exit of the beach, "want to stay?"
"You mean stay overnight on the beach?"
"Yeah," he confirms. "I brought some blankets and pillows. It's something Flynn and I always do today. Don't worry, he's cool with you joining in on the tradition."
I bite my cheek, not sure if I should stay overnight. "Well, I don't know what time your grandparents are bringing the kids back and-"
"They keep them as long as possible," he cuts me off. "You won't see them until dinner time."
"Please, Ivy!" Flynn begs, standing next to us on the beach. "I bought an extra sparkler just for you!"
I place my hands on my hips and sigh. "I guess I can't say no now."
The two boys high-five one another in excitement. I follow them back to their cars to get the blankets and pillows, also wanting to say goodbye to Jake. I catch him just before he gets in the car with Kirk. I'm able to thank him and give him a quick hug.
Back on the beach, we set up fort near the fire to keep us warm. Elliott had an extra sweatshirt in the trunk of his car, which he immediately offered to me. I was quick to throw it on over my dress, covering the goosebumps forming on my arms. I like the bagginess of the sweatshirt. It makes me feel oddly comforted and safe, sort of like how a comforter feels when you're in your bed.
I sit with my legs crossed on one of the plaid blankets, wrapped in another. Elliott sits close to me, but on a separate blanket. Flynn is on his side, trying to send text messages from his phone before it dies. We just sort of sit for a little while, at peace with the sound of the waves hitting the shore in front of us.
In the darkness, you can just barely make out the water. Only the whitecaps are visible in this light. There aren't any clouds in the sky, the moon and stars like spotlights.
"Let me guess, Ivy," Elliott starts as Flynn is down the beach trying to get reception, "you've never been camping."
I hold up my pointer finger. "Actually, I have."
"What?" he says, holding the 'a' to sound more surprised. "No way."
"Yep! I went all the time with my parents when I was a kid. My dad was a huge camper, loved everything nature."
"Is that why you're named after a plant?"
I nod. "Oddly enough, that's exactly why."
"Really?" he asks in disbelief.
"I guess I have to tell you the story now." I sigh and readjust my leg placement under the blanket. "So, on the day my mom went into labor, my dad was actually out camping with some buddies of his. When he got the call from my grandma, he rushed to the emergency room and left everything he had at the camp sight. It wasn't until he got to the hospital that he realized he was super itchy all over."
"No..."
"Yeah. My father got poison ivy on the day of my birth. He wasn't allowed in the room while I was being born, nor was he allowed to hold me," I say. "So, my parents thought it would just be so ironic to name me Ivy."
"That is truly something," he muses.
"Is there any horribly ironic story to how you got your name?" I ask in interest.
"Eh, just a disturbing one." He clears his throat. "I was named after Billy Elliot because it was after my parents saw the musical that I was conceived. They added the extra T because my mom enjoys to write cursive t's."
I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to hide my laugh. "I think you might actually win with that one."
"Flynn, would you get off that damn phone and join us already?" Elliott yells to his best friend. "Ivy is getting tired and we haven't even done the sparklers."
"Give me a minute!"
"You have until the end of Sweet Home Alabama!" Elliott declares.
I lie on my back to look at up at the stars, and Elliott does the same. We listen to the music in silence, waiting out the end. When it finishes and Born in the U.S.A. begins, Flynn is done trying to send his ever-so-important text.
"I had to say goodnight," he explains shortly before digging through the plastic bags for the sparklers. He hands a sparkler to each one of us before finding the lighter. "By the end of your sparkler that will last for about a minute, you have to come up with three new things you'll do by the end of the summer."
"It's tradition," Elliott explains.
"For example," Flynn says, "last year I said that I wanted to try surfing, kiss Justine Hanks, and watch all of the Star Wars movies in one night. I did everything."
"And we're all very proud of you," Elliott says and pats Flynn's shoulder. "Justine Hanks is a very beautiful girl."
"Oh, I know. I'll go first." Elliott lights the end of Flynn's sparkler to set it off. "Okay, this summer I want to go line-dancing, meet a celebrity, and eat a pickle without crying." He waves his sparkler around triumphantly until it goes out.
"I have high hopes for you, buddy," Elliott laughs. "I'll go next." Flynn lights his sparkler, which he grips tightly in his hands. "This summer I want to go to a concert, watch all of the Harry Potter movies in one night, and.." He trails off, not sure of a third thing. "Uh, and.. I want to make sure Ivy fulfills her missing childhood." He makes it just in time, throwing his unlit sparkler into the sand. "You ready, Ivy?"
"Yeah." I wait for Elliott to light my sparkler, my mind thinking of what to say. "Alright! This summer I want to go to the zoo, teach Ethan how to ride a bike, and jump off one of those cliffs like Elliott."
"That doesn't count! Teaching Ethan how to ride a bike is something for Ethan," Elliott says. "Think of something else. Just be as real as possible."
"You said the thing about helping me fulfill my missing childhood!" I fight back.
"Fine. On the count of three, we'll both say something new, something we've been avoiding to say in front of other people. Flynn, count us off."
Flynn starts, not even giving me a chance to think of anything. I just go with the first thing that pops into my head.
1...2...3...
"I want to fall in love."
I look back at Elliott with wide eyes. He stares at me with those stunning eyes of his, lit up in the darkness. We're both in complete shock. Had we really just said the exact same thing?
"Well, shit!" Flynn laughs, breaking the silence in the air.
~~
AN:
lol was that lame? cheesy? dumb? WHO TF CARES IT JUST HAPPENED SO...
I was debating whether I'd write the whole night on this chapter or split it in two so it doesn't get too lengthy. I decided to just go for it. so, there you have it, an extra thousand words this chapter.
go check out my revised cast list to see who I casted Jake as (I love this actor and I think he perfectly embodies Jake)! also I changed the picture of Elliott because I felt like it and now I feel bad for Jordy Baan because there aren't any comments next to him, so really you should all go over to that chapter and make Jordy Baan feel better about himself ;)
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