Fourth of July

[mitochondriaaya]

Fourth of July tended to be a big deal in their family. She'd hiked into the beach house almost as soon as school let out for summer; just to start getting things ready. The boys had some last minute experiments to wrap up this year, so it'd just be her and Braig's parents until the girlfriends started showing up.

By the time July rolled around there were tents and cheerful knots of people all up and own the beach. Sure, once, a long time ago, everyone could have fit in the beach house...but not now. In fact, it was more than a little intimidating now, to sit out on one of the break water pilings and look back at the beach. She could identify most of the early girlfriends by sight even from here. Most of them had dragged her out swimsuit shopping the last week of her junior year.

But now there were people she didn't really know well too. College girls and business women and...

...and Aya was just old enough to be feeling more than a little awkward now. There was a beach full of beautiful, intelligent, wonderful women aaaaaand she had almost nothing in common with them. She didn't like how that realization made her feel, so she was out on the pilings with Braig's parents, setting up fireworks.

One good thing about the increasing, yearly crowd was that everyone brought some kind of explosives. The show got better every year. In fact, it looked like the setup was going to stretch almost out of the cove tonight! That meant she really needed to stop thinking and get back to doing...

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

"Hey!" Surprise Dilan; he ruffled her hair from the back and dangled a glass of strawberry lemonade in front of her, "What's up, monkey? You look awkward."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Eeeep!" HE SHOULDN'T SNEAK UP ON HER LIKE THAT! SHE COULD HAVE SLIPPED OFF THE PILINGS!

Luckily she was good at clinging to the ground when necessary. "When did you get here?!" She was going to trade a moogle rocket for that glass now and pretend she hadn't almost jumped out of her skin.

[sliceitwithwind]

Bah, she'd be fine. "Just a bit ago. Susan pointed you out to me, but I figured you could use something to drink so I grabbed a cup for you."

[mitochondriaaya]

She'd live at least, no thanks to him!

Or, well, a little thanks. For the drink.

"Susan I know?" Given the crowd that was an important question! "And yeah, it's taking a lot longer than i thought out here. I should have packed supplies."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Red-Susan. Ninth grade, nose piercing." He completely understands. "Braig is coming along with a full-on picnic. His mom cooked last night, she was in one of her moods." Which meant that Dilan didn't even get to help, just stay out of the way.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Oh, plays the flute and the drums! I didn't see her, I'll have to track her down..." She tried to peer out over the water to the shore, but picking out one person, unless they were jumping up and down and waving their arms, was hard.

"He's coming out to the pilings with food or is this the order to get back to shore?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"She cut her hair, it's now shorter than yours and spiked." Dilan offers, "Last I saw her she was out near the pits. If we hang out here, he'll come to us. It's up to you."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Nope, can't see her." She even set her glass aside and bounced on her toes a few times, trying! "I'll catch her later hopefully." Because Red-Susan was fun!

"I think he's doomed to come out here, see there? I still have a few backpacks full of rockets to set up."

[sliceitwithwind]

"I'm sure you will. You sit and drink your lemonade, I'll help mom and dad for a while. You're not just a set-up slave, you know."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yeah, but I like being useful!" And not being lost in the crowd on the beach. She was going to obediently settle on one of the timbers and sip at her glass though.

[sliceitwithwind]

"I know you do...you still need to learn to relax." Dilan stroked her hair, then glided off to help set things up.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Hey, I relax sometimes!" she yelled at his back. She did, really!

Kinda.

"I'll do it later!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Uh huh. Just as soon as Braig hits you with a syringe full of a brand new sedative."

He's teasing.

[mitochondriaaya]

"He's not allowed to!" She knew that! Rules didn't change just because the boys went off to college and had access to better labs!

"That's what you have frat boys for!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Then you better get relaxing."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I am, I am!" She laughed. "See, strawberry lemonade and feet in the water!" She lifted her half-finished glass in emphasis. Then looked at it.

"You didn't put anything in this did you?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Just strawberries." Dilan says, "Like I'd ever doctor strawberry lemonade."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Well, not your own." she pointed out. "But this is my lemonade we're talking about."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, but sometimes you share." Dilan pointed out in return.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Well, Braig wouldn't think that was a bad thing." He wouldn't! He might even be expecting results among a group! "Was he anywhere near the glass?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Nah, he's carting stuff from the car."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Alright." She'd finish it then! "We set up a whole chain of dragon ones there on the far side...and I think we have flowers there by your feet?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Then I'll put more flowers down."

[mitochondriaaya]

"And all the stuff that isn't labeled we kind of stuck out on the far piling. If we're lucky it won't blow us all sky high?" There was a lot of unlabeled stuff in those backpacks. If she tracked down the vendor selling that stuff she was going to kick him!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Heh, we can make Braig sort it out next time. He's good at guessing."