A Smile for Your Scrapbooks

I woke up the next day later than I thought I would. I rolled over and stared at the bright, red light of my alarm clock for several minutes before it finally registered that it read 12:41 pm. I flew out of bed, my breathing going erratic from panic. Rachel was due at the airport at 3, and I still hadn’t gotten any planning done for the party. I grabbed my phone and instantly began making frantic phone calls and texts.

An hour and a half later, everything was set. Thanks to a few good friends I had made, my house was currently being transformed into Party Central and I was on my way to get Rachel. I pulled my old, Volkswagen Beetle into a parking space and headed inside, into the air conditioning. It was hot today, even by Florida standards. My long hair was pulled into a braid and I had it flung over my shoulder so that if any air happened to creep past me, I would feel it on the back of my neck.

As I leaned against a large window, I pushed my sunglass on top of my head and pulled out my phone to pass the time. However, it didn’t take long before I heard the obnoxiously loud voice of my best friend.

“JORDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!” she screamed as she came running out of the terminal and caught site of me.

I grinned, tossing my phone back into my purse before outstretching my arms. Rachel came crashing into them, engulfing me in a very large, very hot hug. I was instantly glad that I had been leaning against the window, because I knew that with as much force that Rachel put behind that, we would’ve fallen straight over.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, woman!” she exclaimed, taking a step back and grabbing me by the shoulders.

“About as much as I’ve missed you, I’m sure,” I told her with a laugh before turning her around and linking arms with her. “Come on. Let’s get your luggage.”

We moved through the airport at a leisurely pace, enjoying the cool air while we had it.

“How’s work?” I asked, arching a brow as I looked sideways at her.

Rachel groaned loudly. “I’m about to kill Mark. You really have no idea. The man is the devil, I swear it.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I was quickly cut off with a wave of Rachel’s hand.

“I know, I know. I wanted this job, it’ll help me in the long run, blah, blah, blah. The man is going to end up sending me to an insane asylum. You know what he did the other day? He tells me he wants coffee, right? So, I figured he wanted his usual, and I headed down to Starbucks, got the damn thing, and brought it back to him. He looked at the cup like it was the most disgusting thing in the world, threw it on the ground, then yelled at me that I was an idiot, that he wanted something completely different! As if I really freakin’ knew!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at my friend’s distress. She had been working with Mark Woodenburg for the past two years, and he was just as bad now as he was then. I kept telling her that she could either tolerate it, because it was good on her resume, or she could just quit. Either way, whining was not going to help.

“I’m sorry, babe. But seriously. If you hate it so much, why stay?” I asked with a shrug of my shoulders. We had reached the bag claim area, and the both of us were staring at the passing luggage.

“I can’t just quit, Jordyn. You know this,” Rachel replied with a heavy sigh.

I decided to drop the subject. There was no use in fighting with Rachel her first day here. I’d give it a few days, and then I’d try and put some sense into her stubborn head.

We finally saw her bags, grabbed them, and then walked out into the blistering Florida heat. I quickly pushed my sunglasses back down over my eyes as we crossed the parking lot. Waves of heat radiated off of the blacktop, making the cars in the distance appear blurry. Once we reached my car, I used the hem of my skirt to open the doors, fearing that if I touched them myself, I’d burn my fingerprints off. We tossed her crap into the backseat, and then began the hour drive back to my place. We didn’t talk at all, figuring we had several weeks to catch up. Instead, we turned the music up as loud as it would go, rolled down the windows, and jammed. It felt nice, just having her next to me. It felt as though we had never separated.

As we got closer to my place, we turned down the car stereo. In the distance, we could hear the bass thumping from my house. It appeared that the party was already well underway. Rachel squealed next to me, happily clapping her hands.

“A party? For meeeeeeee?” she asked, reaching over to cling to my shoulders in a death hug.

“Of course, woman. I can’t just let you come all the way to Florida without a proper welcome. What kind of friend do you think I am?” I scoffed, pursing my lips.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you?”

“Not today,” I playfully replied.

Rachel laughed as we pulled into my driveway. People were milling around my front yard, dancing to the music coming from inside, plastic cups in their hands. We got out and made our way inside, occasionally stopping to introduce Rachel to someone. In the kitchen, we were both handed a couple of beers. I held mine out to her, waiting for her to touch hers to it.

“To your visit. Unwinding, getting shit-faced, and just plain having fun for the next couple of weeks,” I toasted.

“You bet your sweet ass,” Rachel said with a laugh before taking a deep pull. “I’m off to dance. Coming?”

My eyes traveled past her to a familiar head of shaggy hair. Just walking in from the back porch was Alex. Considering I was the one who invited him, and he knew nobody, I figured I’d better go over and take him around to meet some people. Rachel’s eyes followed mine, saw Alex, and then turned back towards me. A huge smile lit up her face as she playfully elbowed me in the side.

“I see. Leave me for a handsome face. Not that I blame you. He’s a hottie,” she said before giving me a finger wave and disappearing into the crowd.

I laughed and shook my head before heading in the opposite direction. I made sure to grab an extra beer on my way, not wanting to show up empty handed.

“Alex!” I called when I got close enough to be somewhat heard.

He grinned at me and met me halfway through the living room. It was swarming with people who were moving to the beat. It was as hot inside as it was outside, and I could feel the sweat trickling down my back. I smiled playfully and handed him his beer, which he took with a nod of his head.

I watched his mouth move, but I couldn’t hear him. I shook my head and pointed to my ear. He laughed and leaned in close, his lips grazing my earlobe.

“I said: this is insane! I didn’t think this many people would fit in here!”

I grinned and pushed his head aside with my own, so that I could speak into his ear. “I didn’t think so either. Let’s just say my friends are damn good at what they do.”

My eyes caught sight of Rachel in the middle of the dance floor with Zachary, who lived right down the street and was one of the first people I had met down here. She saw me as well, and lifted her beer in salute. I grinned and returned it before turning back to Alex, who had been watching the two of us. I took his hand in mine and led him outside, where we could actually talk without having to yell into each other’s ears.

We sat down in the sand, our feet just inches from the ocean. The music was still loud out here, but it wasn’t deafening, which was what I had been going for.

“So what brings you to Pensacola?” I asked, leaning back on my elbows and taking a drink of my booze.

He shrugged and stared out over the ocean. “Just needed a break from things. Seemed like a good place to start. I guess I just want a vacation, you know?”

I nodded, thinking of Rachel. I nudged Alex in the side with my beer bottle, a sly look on my face. He turned to look at me, arching a brow. “I can guarantee that this is going to be the best vacation you will ever have,” I informed him, sitting up and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I can guarantee it.”