I’m the only sixteen year old on the block who doesn’t have a relaxing, inground pool in her large, green backyard. Living in a house with my dad who tries to be funny, my mom who looks like she could be my thirty year old sister, two spoiled younger brothers and my cat, Fefe. My brothers are like monsters who always are in my way and get everything they don’t deserve. The only thing I’ve ever wanted was a large underground pool. I imagine myself laying in it with my yellow polka-dotted string bikini with my brothers splashing me while I try to relax. I see my dad cooking us delicious hamburgers on our metallic blue grill while mom is reading her Home Décor magazine drinking rasberry lemonade. When I think of having a pool I think of the perfect family. My sister who lives in Eau-Claire comes home only three times a year, not counting the summer, she would certainly enjoy the comfort of a pool in our backyard. As I tell my mom my dream, she laughs and she says “yes, only in your dreams”.
I give my mom the puppy-dog face and ask, “Pretty please, mommy?” looking as innocent as possible.

“Maybe tomorrow.” She says with a a face filled with sarcasm and raising her eyebrows to the top of her forehead pretending to be excited. I always walk away speechless.

I was blessed by getting my liscense in April. My parents got me a light blue grand-prix that I drive all the time, to get away from my despicable house. My dad told me I had to drive my snobby brothers around if they wanted to go somewhere, but that hasn’t happened for the four months I’ve had my lisence. I had to drive my car to the Auto Shop. I don’t know much about car but I don’t think it’s suppose to make a sound of a dying bird. My mom decided to be nice enough and lend me her purple mini van for the day to drive to school. After the worst day of my life at school, I decide to drive to Ashlee’s enormous , two-story house. Ashlee’s my best friend, we have pool parties at her house all the time. Parties at her house consist of random friends, hot boys, delicious food and water fights. I have a perfect, large backyard for a swimming pool, and still have space for everyone to hang out and run around in the yard. I want a pool party to finally be at my house, except, my family has to get a pool first. Sitting in the pool with the “PAFT” girls, that’s what we call ourselves using the first letter of our names, Patricia, Ashlee, Franchesca and, of course me, Taylor, we drink strawberry virgin margaritas. Patricia is the tom boy of the group who is good at every sport, Ashlee, my best friend and the only girl who could get any guy, Franchesca is the klutz of the group, always getting everyone into trouble because she can’t keep a secret for her life, and then me, I simply am the brains of the group who loves to dance.

“Tony and I actually talked today!” I say excited, knowing everyone will laugh once I say it.

“Wait, Tony, what did he say?” Ashlee asks.

“He asked when the next party was, and if we would want to go together!” I exclaim.

“I thought you said today was the worst day of you life?” Franchesca says while making a funny face because of the brain freeze she got from her freezing margarita.

“Yea, as I walked away I ‘pulled a Franchesca,’ I walked right into the red brick wall,” I state as everyone starts to laugh.

“Ha-ha,” Ashlee laughs, “Well, you can tell him the next party is tomorrow, Friday night, at seven o’clock.”

“Sweet,” when then I think I sound to happy, “I mean, that’s cool”.

Tony, being the most gorgeous guy, finally noticed me and I think the pool party will be a lot more fun going with him than I could even imagine. I didn’t have Tony’s number, so I get his number from Ashlee’s phone as I say I need to go to the bathroom as everyone still lays in the pool on their floaters laughing at every little joke that they told each other. I walk in the house with my wet swimsuit as it gets water all over the tiled flooring. Opening her shiny, flamingo pink phone, I run my fingers across to the contacts list and scroll down to the letter “T”. There it is, Tony’s name, I click on it with my little thumb. With my right hand I open my purple cell phone with sliver rhinestones across the sides and copy his number into it. I set Ashlee’s and my phone right next to the other girls’. I then rush to the bathroom making sure I don’t get even more pool water onto the cold, tiled flooring in the kitchen.

I get home late in the afternoon, and open the door to my house slowly as it creaks like in an old horror movie. I see my mom standing in the kitchen making her famous meatloaf surprise wearing her brand new sunny yellow apron, trying to look more professional as she cooks up dinner. As the door swings shut behind me, my mom looks back, setting her rolling pin down and smiling with a fresh coat of fire truck red lipstick on her lips and showing her pearly white teeth like you see in the movies.

“How was your day honey?” My mom asked while I sit down on the high chairs by the island in our kitchen that smells of chocolate chip cookies and meatloaf that is almost finished from the oven.

“In a way it was the worst day of my life, but I am going to Ashlee’s party tomorrow with Tony!” I say with my eyes glowing of happiness.

“A party at Ashlee’s? Why don’t you have one here?” My mom wonders.

The first thing that comes to my mind is, “yea, if we had a pool,” but all that came out of my mouth was, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
My mom starts bending down to take her meatloaf surprise out of the toasty oven as she turns to me saying, “oh shoot, I left my favorite pair of oven mitts out on the patio behind the garage, will you get them for me?”
“Sure I have nothing better to do.” I state opening the creaky door back up to go to the side of my garage. “Shut-up.” I scream as I see my mom come out slowly staring at me with a big smile on her face. I see a big pool, even larger than Ashlee’s in our backyard, with a beautiful patio surrounding it. I am out of words as I go hug my mom.
“You’re welcome honey, now go call all your friends and move your party tomorrow to our house. I didn’t get a pool for nothing!” My mom’s arms squeeze me tighter and then let go so I can go make my calls.
I started calling my “PAFT” girls. Using fore-way on my phone, they all started screaming and were so excited to come to my pool party tomorrow night. As soon as we all hung up the phone, they all came over to my house. We make calls and decide who to invite since the first party I have has to be huge! The ended with only twenty people knowing the people we invited would invite their own friends. We lay on my flamingo pink bed covers of my queen sized bed as they wrinkle with Patricia rolling back and fourth. We gossip about nothing while Franchesca frantically sits up.
“Oh my god, what about Tony?” Franchesca yells as everyone looks at me.
“What about him?” I say, smiling pretending I have no idea what they’re all talking about.
“Oh stop Taylor,” as Ashlee hands me her flame red slide phone. I grab the phone from her hand. Her phone is warm from the back pocket of her pants.
“Taylor if you don’t call him I will.” Patricia says with a stern look on her face.
“Okay,” I say as I look in her phone for Tony’s name even though I already had his number memorized from earlier today. Pressing down on his name and putting the phone up to my ear, I listen to the girls giggle. “Hey is this Tony?”
“Yup, is this not Patricia?” Tony says with a jokingly voice.
“Oh sorry, this is Taylor,” as I start rambling, “there’s a party tomorrow at my house and you should come!”
“Your house, nice, I would love to go,” Tony says sounding excited. “Oh wait, my mom has my car tomorrow and I don’t have a ride to get there.”
“I can take you from school,” I say waiting for his response.
“Sweet, count me in,” Tony says, “see you tomorrow Taylor.”
“Bye Tony.” I say and I click the phone shut and start giggling.
Friday morning I wake up earlier than normal, put ‘Diore’ perfume on. At school I go to every class like usual and hear people talk about my party tonight. Tony meets me at my rusty locker after school to walk to my mom’s van together. Tony grabs the keys as he says, “Hey let me drive.” I toss Tony the keys from my left hand to his. He laughs about all the sparkly keychains surrounding my car keys.
He opened the door on my side of the car as I hopped onto the black seat. He slammed my door shut and ran to the driver’s side of the van. He put the key in the ignition and turned the key to the left as you heard the car start up. We flirted in the car while I gave him directions to my house. He’s never been to my house before, and I wanted the first time to be the best.
“Turn left,” I say. “This is my house!”

“Nice,” he exclaims.

“Drive into the back so we have more room for everyone else’s cars.” I say. He pulls around the garage like I asked him too do. I wasn’t thinking about having a new pool, I was just happy to be with Tony.
As he turns the car goes right into the pool. Tony pulls the car door open as we booth swim out and up. Tony looks at me, mouthing ‘sorry’ and I kiss him. We get out of the pool to change our clothes.
An hour later we’re dry and my mom comes home. I hear her go outside with the short pool man. Tony and I sit in my room watching out of the window as I cry and Tony rubs my back.
“It’s okay Taylor,” Tony says.
“No, my mom’s gonna kill me.” I cry out.
Footsteps gather up the stairs rapidly. “Taylor Marie,” my mom screams coming to my room. She opens the door and grabs my sweaty hand. She takes me into her room while Tony sits in my room on my flamingo pink bed cover.
I had to tell my mom the whole story, so I did. After she yelled at me she gave me the biggest hug in the world. “It’ll be okay till dad gets home,” she says.
I come back to Tony sitting on my bed. I stopped crying and told him that he should probably just go home. Without any car at all I walk him home. The party was off, and I was grounded for a month. The next day, Tony asked me out by bringing flowers to my doorstep.
At school on Monday, everyone asked what happened to my party. The worst day of my life is the one day I wouldn’t change for the world, or regret in a second. My family got the van out of the pool. It seemed to have brought us closer, we get to swim together now. The day I was undgrounded my mom invited people to our house for a real pool party. It was the best party ever, with my new boyfriend, Tony.