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\f0\fs24 This scene is told in third person from the viewpoint of birthday girl Emma Hayes.\par
The party was winding down. Emma had her coverall over her red bikini and stood in the doorway of her house amidst the mess of the gift unwrapping. Her mother had made her keep a careful list of who gave her what during the unwrapping, and now, as the party concluded, she accepted birthday wishes as the party goers made their way out the door. It had been the greatest event of her life, exceeding even her own high expectations, and she could barely hold back the tears as she bid them goodbye.\par
She\u8217?d gotten kissed. Or rather, in the chaos of yet another chicken fight in the pool, she\u8217?d surprised Tyler with a peck on his lips. The look on his face had been priceless but another girl had climbed onto his back before she could get any other reaction and that was that. It would have to serve.\par
The front door was barely shut when she heard a commotion in the kitchen. She arrived just in time for her sister to yell out, \u8220?I kissed him, so what!\u8221?\par
Lizzie was mad as a hornet, glaring at her mother. Her father was holding a beer and quite obviously trying not to burst out laughing. Ella was there, too, more shocked than even her mother.\par
Lizzie turned around and stalked up the stairs. Emma was stunned. Little miss \u8220?boys are stinky\u8221? had kissed a boy! That was the craziest thing she\u8217?d ever heard. And then she was jealous, just a little, as Will was quite a handsome boy. Whereupon an argument ensued between her mother and father, on why he thought it was funny that Lizzie had kissed the boy. Then Mai Lin came down the stairs and wondered why she\u8217?d seen Lizzie crying. Emma could barely keep from shrieking with laughter as her mother charged up the stairs. Emma filled her in on the drama.
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