When Lyla entered Darcy's house, she found a small gathering of guests in the living room entranced by a middle-aged woman nestled in an overstuffed upholstered chair. She wore long dreads that extended past her shoulders from beneath a brightly patterned headscarf.
Positioned on the coffee table in front of the chair, an ornate, multi-colored candle pulsed and flickered.
One of the guests, Danielle, said to Lyla, "Darcy's in the kitchen."
She entered the kitchen and found Darcy wearing a terrifyingly ugly T-shirt that read: BIRTHDAY GIRL. When she noticed her glassy eyes, Lyla knew that her friend had already over-indulged.
Darcy hugged her and then took a step back, admiring her friend.
"Lyla Perry! Are you actually wearing a pink sweater?! Well, aren't you the little hottie this evening?" She snickered loudly.
She blushed.
Darcy gestured toward the eccentric-looking woman in the adjoining room. "That's Clarisse. She is a-maaaaaaaaazing!"
Lyla peeked into the living room where Clarisse took Danielle's hand and spoke quietly, "Your Aunt Helen says she wants you to know..." She took a deep breath.
Skeptical guests rolled their eyes and offered sarcastic remarks.
Clarisse continued, "... that she still has the orange cat you made for her."
Danielle's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, my God! I made that little clay cat for her in like fourth grade."
Party guests whispered amongst themselves.
"She kept it on her nightstand in the front bedroom," said Clarisse.
Danielle shouted, "Yeah, I remember that!" She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "Thank you." She smiled through her tears.
"What did I tell you?" Darcy hugged Lyla. "You wanna beer or maybe..."
"Beer's fine."
Darcy took a bottle from the fridge and nearly dropped it as she turned toward Lyla.
"Whoopsie-daisy," she giggled.
"How many have you had?"
"I can't get over you in pink!" Darcy deflected.
At that moment, Jack entered. His entrance drew the attention of almost every girl in the place.
"Oh. I get it," Darcy grinned. "Slay, girl. Slay."
"Shhhhhhh!" She covered Darcy's mouth with her hand.
Jack didn't even look like the same man she saw behind the bleachers that afternoon. Color had returned to his handsome face. He wore a lightweight V-neck sweater that showed off his broad shoulders, wide chest, and thick, muscular arms.
"Happy birthday." Jack handed a birthday card to Darcy.
"You didn't need to do that. That's soooooo sweet."
"There's a gift card." He grinned. "Hope you like Olive Garden."
"You had me at breadsticks."
Jack twisted the cap from a beer then offered one to Lyla. She smiled. "Already got one."
"You look nice." When he flashed his irresistible dimples, she basked in the warmth of his hypnotic brown eyes.
"Thanks." She grinned sheepishly, her heart pounding. She focused on Jack's mouth and imagined hers pressed to his.
"Something the matter?" He caught her staring.
"No." She smiled. "Everything is awesome." She winced as soon as she said it.