"Claudia, you have to go!"

"But why?!" I groaned. 

"Because I said so." 

"That's not much of a reason."

"It's reason enough! You never do anything," Rachael said with her legs crossed like a pretzel on my green carpet. 

"I do too do stuff," I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Yes, and when was the last time you did something? Oops, let me rephrase that - something non-academic or sports or community service related? Something fun?"

There was a painful silence while I came up with nothing. "See?" Rachael said, "I was right."

"But you know that I don't like parties."

"I'm not saying that you have to go to every single party with me, just this one, please?"

"No!"

"Ugh, do it for me if no one else. We don't even have to stay the whole time if you don't want to, we can just go for a little while and mingle and dance and swim."

"Wait.. swim?" I asked in horror. I had a great body, but I hated being seen in a swimsuit.

"Yes, swim. Why?"

"What do you mean, swim?"

"I mean that we're going to drive trucks across clouds. Now come on, what are you even talking about?"

"Is the party at the beach?"

"Oh, no. It's at Harry Styles' house. They have a huge pool out back and his mom let him have the house to himself while she's away. She even said he's allowed to have a party as long as nothing gets broken and we don't disturb the neighbors."

"I wish my mum was that lax," I said, thinking of my uptight mother.

"I know! But please come? For me?"

"Okay, fine."

"Yes!!! Claudia, you're the best."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know."

"You'll be able to talk to boys at this party for once. You never do!"

"I'm not interested in any of the gorms at our school, Rachael. You know that."

"Not all of them are meat-head, horndog jocks, you know."

"I know, but the others are egotistical and cynical jerks."

"Just try to socialize, okay? I mean, you've got the looks, the body, you play sports and you're smart... I have no clue why you aren't at the top of the school. You're a total package! And you can get pretty much any guy you want."

"Maybe because I don't want to be? And I don't want just any guy, I want it to be a special one."

"You think too much, Claudia. Time to shed that stressed, critical personality. This is our last summer before going to university, we have to make it count, okay?"

"...fine."

"Now promise me you're going to have fun."

I sarcastically put on hand over my heart and held one up. "I, Claudia Denise Grace, hereby promise to have fun in honor of the last summer between me and Rachael Yvette Holmes."

Rachael and I doubled over laughing. This had to be a great summer.