by Cass Kim
Renna reached one hand out to the bar locking the door in place and froze midway. She couldn’t do this. No, she could. She just didn’t want to. But she should. Benjamin spent hours in that garden every spring. Even her mom spent time out there weeding on the rare day she got home during daylight hours or didn’t sleep at work if she couldn’t beat the sunset home. Her phone rang, making her jump and swat the bar out of place. The clang as it hit the ground made her jump a second time.
“Jeepers, Renna, get yourself together.” She muttered to herself before sliding a thumb across her phone to accept the call from Alyssa.
Before Renna even greeted her Alyssa was chattering away, “Renna, you won’t believe it! Finally, somebody is doing it. I can’t believe it’s taken almost a year since the last attack for somebody to do it!” she squealed into Renna’s ear, barely pausing to breathe. “It’s my number one high school dream, and it’s actually happening at the start of our senior year! Ah! I can’t even contain myself! It’s just like the movies before the change happened!”
“Lyss, Lyss, wait a second. Calm it down. What’s happening?” Renna slowly inched the door open, feeling braver just having her best friend on the other end of the phone.
“A real life honest-to-God high school party!”
“We’ve been to plenty of parties already.” Renna inched the copper screen to the side, ducking her head out to peer around to the corners of the house.
“No Renna. You don’t get it.” Alyssa’s voice dropped low and serious, “Rennoodle it’s a night time party. A real night time party. A Saturday night party! The kind where we sneak out and there’s booze and it’s so secret that no parents will ever know.”
Renna dodged to the chicken coop, fingers dancing along the wires and latching the door. She darted back toward the house before the words registered. A real party. Like before. When movies showed kids staying out, having huge parties. She slid the copper door back in place and rested her head briefly on the inside, feeling the last of the sun as it cooled and dipped below the tree line.
“Did you hear me? Earth to Renna! You better not even start making excuses. Just stop whatever you are thinking and just say yes.”
Wedging the rod back in place, Renna pulled the blinds and breathed out a sigh. One down, one dragon of a best friend to face now. “Lyss, we are not sneaking out after dark.”
She laughed in delight, “That’s the best part. We all arrive just before sunset, and the doors and screens are all locked before the sun is down. We stay all night, and leave in the morning when the sun rises!”
“That might actually work.” Renna felt a kernel of excitement building in her gut. “But where's it at?”
“Just say yes. Don’t even worry about the details. I’ll pick you up. Come on Rennoodle-doodle-bgoodle I swear to you that it will be safe. It’s a once in a lifetime chance. You don’t want to be eighty and wishing you’d lived when you still had wrinkle free skin.”
“Might be better than seventeen and skin that’s half ripped off my body.” Renna made the gruesome threat half-heartedly, already aware she’d say yes. Just this once, she wanted to actually be brave, not pretend to be while watching through her friend.
Alyssa knew her voice too well, “Oh my gosh! Be ready by this time tomorrow. Be ready like, ten minutes before this. Just be ready by 6:30pm. And Renna – look hot. Actually. I’ll bring you a dress. Jess is calling, gotta go! See you at six!”