An Unlikely Duo

Chapter 12: Birthday Glamping

Kayla's P.O.V.

I was holding a huge trophy above my head when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, I turned around and looked up into my doubles partner's gorgeous eyes. He grinned at me before going in for the kiss. I felt the butterflies in my stomach as Zac Efron kissed me in the middle of the beach after our victory in the Jamaican volleyball tournament.

I was in the middle of this fantastic dream when some part of my brain registered the sound of my bedroom door opening.

Suddenly there was a loud thud as fifty pounds of six year old landed on me and blonde hair covered my face.

"Kayla! You have to wake up! It is an extra special day! Do you know what today is? Do you? Do you? Do you?" Charlotte was bouncing up and down, eyes shining with excitement, which would've been cute if she wasn't murdering my ribs in the process.

"It's Saturday. What's so special about a regular old Saturday in August?" I mumbled into my pillow trying to hide my smile.

"It's my birthday!!! How could you forget?" Charlotte stopped bouncing and looked absolutely devastated. I started to feel bad for tricking her.

"Of course I remembered silly. It's my favorite day of the year! You know why? Because exactly seven years ago today my best friend was born" I scooped Charlotte up in my arms and carried the little nugget downstairs as she gave me the happiest smile I've ever seen.

"Look who it is? My two very old daughters! Happy birthday angel" my mom came over and grabbed Charlotte from me before suffocating her in one of those bear hugs moms are so good at.

I looked over at the table with all of Charlotte's favorite foods. Chocolate chip waffles with sprinkles, pineapple, and a big plate of bacon, extra crispy of course.

I glanced at the clock. It was 6:30. Charlotte was an early riser, especially on her birthday. I knew mom must have been up early to decorate the kitchen and make Charlotte's birthday breakfast even though she got home late last night after her second job. She did so much for us and never complained. As a saw the dark circles under her eyes hidden by laugh lines as she sang to Charlotte I was overwhelmed with how lucky I was to have such a great mom.

"So what does the birthday girl want to do today?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"We're going glamping silly, just like last year!" Charlotte pointed at me knowingly before grabbing a piece of bacon and chowing down.

"Oh right, I forgot we do that every year on your birthday" I winked at Charlotte. Ever since Charlotte was little, her birthday was the one time each year that she got to go glamping with Paige and I. We used to go all the time when we were younger, but Charlotte was always upset that she was too young to tag along.

Glamping is "glamorous camping". We pitch a tent in the backyard, pull out all of our mattresses and spend the night in the backyard. We used to sleep in this fort Paige and I built in the woods behind our house, but we were too big now to sleep in it comfortably. We would roast marshmallows and paint Charlotte's nails and sing along to old High School Musical songs she loves. It was Charlotte's favorite day of the year and it helped remind Paige and I of what being a kid is all about.

Later that night around 8 o' clock Paige, Charlotte, and I were just finishing up our pizza, being careful not to smudge our freshly painted nails when Charlotte decided we should sing karaoke. She belted out three frozen songs with no background music. She didn't miss a single word, and her dance moves were impressive. She had "the sprinkler" down to a science.