chaptertwentyone

Since Friday was going to be me and Taylor�s year anniversary and he wasn�t going to be here, I decided to go out with my friends. I felt bad about it at first, but Elle and Maddie put it in perspective.

�Nat, it�s not like you have to mourn for him. He will be back,� Maddie said.

�Yeah! Plus, Brady�s party�s gonna rock. You have to come!� Elle added.

�It won�t be a party without you�� Maddie murmured.

�OK OK�� I finally gave in.

�Great! Now what suit are you gonna wear?� Elle asked.

�Suit?� I asked, completely puzzled.

�Swimsuit, silly. Brady�s family has that killer indoor pool off the back of the house, remember?� Elle explained.

�Oh Jesus�I didn�t know this included wearing a swimsuit!� I whined.

�Well it does. So we have some shopping to do!� Elle declared.

�Here we go�� Maddie muttered. I completely echoed the feeling.

*********************

My phone rang in the changing room at Abercrombie. I hurried to tie the strings of the swimsuit around my neck, then grabbed it and picked it up without checking the caller ID.

�Hello?� I said.

�Hey there beautiful,� Taylor said on the other end.

�Hi! How are you Taylor?�

�Good. Where are you? It took forever for you to answer.�

�In a changing room�� I told him.

He laughed. �Why?�

�I needed a new bathing suit. Brady�s having a pool party Friday night.�

�So you�re bathing suit shopping?� Taylor asked.

�That I am,� I told him as I looked at myself in the mirror.

�Do you have one on right now?� he asked.

�Yep.�

�What does it look like?�

�Well, it�s orange�triangles on the top that tie in the back�the bottoms tie on the sides��

�Where�s it from?�

�Abercrombie. You like it?�

�I like what I�ve heard about it,� he said.

�So should I buy it?� I asked.

�Hell yeah you should!�

�OK, I said. I reached up and untied the strings from around my neck and back and tossed the top on the chair.

�Nat?� Taylor asked.

�Yeah?�

�What are you doing?�

�Changing. Classically, that is what one does in a changing room.�

�Oh. Okay,� he said. �So this party,� he asked. �Are Brady�s parent�s gonna be home?�

�What?� I asked.

�I was just wondering if his parent�s were going to be home��

�Taylor, that�s a stupid question,� I told him.

�I know,� he said, immediately apologetic. �That was a totally retarded thing to say. Nat, I�m so sorry.�

�Tay, its ok. You didn�t do anything wrong. And no, I don�t think his parents are gonna be home.�

�Well, have fun, Natalie.�
�Thanks. You have fun taping your thing tomorrow. I�ll see you Saturday.�

�K. I love you Natalie,� he said.

�Love you too.�

I hung up the phone and finished getting changed. When I walked back into the store, Elle and Maddie were looking at me like I was completely out of my mind.

�I got a phone call guys. I swear to god I�m not crazy.�

�Are you getting the orange one?� Elle asked, pointing to my suit.

�Yep,� I said.

�Killer! Are we done here then?� she asked.

�Yep. Let me check out then we can leave,� I told her.

�Great. I want to try on this suit I saw in Glamour. It�s supposed to make your hips look two sizes smaller!�

When I reached the front of the checkout, I saw none other than our host for Friday night�s festivities standing at the register.

�Hey Brady,� I said as I handed him my suit.

�Hey Natalie! What�s up?� His eyes sparkled green when he smiled.

�Not much. Just doing a bit of shopping.�

He folded the suit and scanned the tag. �Am I going to be seeing this on Friday?�

�Yep,� I said.

�Nice.� He tucked the suit in a bag then turned to me again.

�Your total�s gonna be $68.47,� he said.

I handed him my Visa card and he swiped it and handed it back. �Are Elle and Madison coming Friday too?� he asked.

�Yep,� I told him.

�Nice,� he said as my receipt printed out. I signed my copy and handed it back to him then took my bag.
�Have a good day,� he told me. �See ya Friday.�

�Yeah,� I said. �See ya.�