CalPal

-21-

Chapter Twenty-One

    "Get dressed. I'm taking you out today; you have no choice."

    I laughed at Clay, "How should I dress?"

    "Literally in anything you want. You'll be pretty no matter what you wear, so."

    Right now, Clay and I were alone in the hotel room. Sapnap and George decided they were going to hang out and not invite us. At least that's what Clay told me when I woke up to George gone from the room.

    I grabbed an outfit I thought would be cute for the day. It was a black tennis skirt paired with an oversized black graphic tee that I tucked in to the waistband. I brushed through my hair and threw it into a high ponytail. Then, I brushed my teeth and did my morning routine. When I came out, Clay was tying his shoes on at the end of the bed.

    "See! I knew you'd look good in whatever you picked!"

    I rolled my eyes, "Thanks Clay."

    I sat down next to him and put on some black socks and my black medium top converse. When we left the hotel room, I finally asked where we were going.

    "Somewhere you've been wanting to go forever."

    "That's a bunch of places, Clay, I'm wanderlust."

    He smiled and grabbed for my keys. I handed them over willingly and allowed him to adjust the drivers seat in the car. I buckled up in the passenger seat and put on my playlist when he started the car. I Don't Fuck With You by Big Sean started blaring through the speakers. Him and I laughed together and started rapping it with the windows down.

    "You little stupid ass bitch I ain't fucking with you!" I rapped, shouting along the lyrics.

    "This is totally not the vibe I had for the day, but—"

    I laughed at him while the song continued to play in the background. Twenty minutes later when he pulled into the parking lot of a museum, I understood what he meant when he said that I Don't Fuck With You wasn't the vibe for our day. I've been ranting to Clay over the course of the past year about how badly I wanted to go to museums with someone and just hold hands and admire the art. I love art and museums but I hate going to them alone. None of my friends appreciate the presence of museums like I do though.

    We put on our masks and walked up the stairs inside. The admission was free and there was barely anyone in here. I guess visiting a Contemporary Art museum on a summer Tuesday afternoon wasn't what people would call fun.

    "May I?" He asked, holding out his hand. I nodded my head and we laced our fingers together. Then, I lead him around to each exhibit that I wanted to look at.

    Contemporary art was my favorite kind because it's not the usual type of art you'd imagine. I mean, there was a ten foot paper mound here that shaped into waves from the beach. And a worm like statue made from human spines. Or a horse made from carved wood. It was all so intriguing and held so much more passion and emotion than regular paintings hung on a wall. There were so many ways to interpret a piece.

    We spent a few hours walking around the museum and having discussions about what each piece meant. We connected some to our own lives or past experiences, then made up stories about why the artist would've created it for others. This trip with Clay really makes you realize that anything can be fun if you're with the right people.

    When we were done taking laps around the museum, we decided to dawdle around the city and a park nearby before meeting up with George and Nick for dinner. The park had a path that wrapped around a nice lake. It was a clear day out, so the bright blue sky reflected in the water. There were barely any clouds in the sky.