44. Derek
When Georgia said a few hours ago she had to make a phone call, I didn’t expect it to be her cursing her dad every which way under the sun, and I don’t blame her. If anything, I wanted to help her rip him a new one.
What kind of sick motherfucker misses his daughter's graduation and doesn’t wish her a happy birthday?!
Like she said she would be, Georgia is absolutely wasted and dancing in the backyard of Mamá’s house. Everyone on the team and their families are here to celebrate all the graduates.
I’m on grilling duty, cooking up burgers and hot dogs for everyone, while a few others are in the house frying chicken and cooking sides. I’m taking the last of the burgers off the grill as a song I know all too well plays on the loudspeaker.
Georgia finds my eyes in the crowd instantly as “Three Little Birds” begins to play. She points at me, her eyes on the prize as she dances toward me.
I’m a laughing mess when she lands in my arms, laughing and giggling like a maniac. She pulls me close, wrapping her arm around my neck, keeping her martini glass in the air as we slowly dance to the music.
“Lemon drop?” she asks, smiling playfully as she tilts the cup to my lips.
I sip a bit of the sweet alcohol and chuckle. “When life gives you lemons.”
Georgia and I are on ten tonight, and so is Delilah. She’s been dancing in the center of the living room with Jace and Sienna since the party began. We’re laughing and dancing as a group, unaware of life’s problems.
As the night begins to dwindle, more and more people start to leave. We dance under the moon, all laughing and drinking until the music pauses abruptly.
“Sorry!” Jace calls out, fumbling with the speaker to play the music again, when the sound of shouting echoes around us.
The music starts playing again, but it's too late—we already heard them.
In a matter of seconds, the front door slams so loud that we hear it from the backyard, and Denver comes running outside. She looks through the yard of her friends, tears streaming down her face, ruining the hours of labor she’d spent doing her makeup.
Georgia is the first to move. “What happened?!” she exclaims, rushing to her friend, but Denver is speechless as she shakes her head, and more tears fall.
Blake and Sienna are next, approaching her, but she backs away.
“We…” she hiccups, her entire body trembling.
It’s only the normal crew outside still. Delilah and Mom called it a night hours ago, and everyone else left soon after. When Denver realizes this, she shudders.
“We just broke up.”
THE END.