Page 49 of Derivation

“Arlowe, what are you talking about? We did the same thing for that football game.”

“We don’t have a grill,” Arlowe argued. “She’s making burgers and veggie burgers, Sarai.”

“Oh, that’s how you define a grown-up party? Not one being hosted by grown-ups?”

“Shut up and go eat something,” Arlowe replied before she bit into a roast beef sandwich in her hand and walked off to join the party, which was only about ten people in the living room.

“Want something to drink?” Sarai asked.

“Not really. Well, water maybe,” Gabi said.

“Food?” Sarai asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

They headed into the kitchen, where they found a very nice spread because Violet, as usual, had thought of pretty much everything. They filled their plates, grabbed bottles of water, and went out back when they didn’t find Violet in the kitchen after all.

“Hey, you made it,” Violet said when they got outside.

“I was obligatory, remember?”

“I meant Gabi,” Violet replied. “You got food. Did you not get anything to drink?”

Sarai held up her bottle of water.

“That’s all you want?”

“For now.”

“Okay. Well, Stella is making burgers and stuff if you’d rather have that. I marinated some chicken earlier, and that’s going on the grill next.”

“How much food did you two make or buy for this thing?” Sarai asked.

“A lot,” Stella said as she walked over. “Haley’s on the grill right now, so I can mingle.” She wrapped an arm around Violet’s waist and pulled her against herself. “We invited, like, twenty people, but we bought enough food for fifty.”

“I hate parties where they run out of food,” Violet said.

“You have never been to a party where they ran out of food,” Sarai said with a laugh. “Hey, Stella.”

“Hey, did you two–”

“We got food, yeah.” Gabi held up her plate. “We’re going to go sit down at that table over there and eat it.”

“Did you rent tables for this, Vi?” Sarai asked.

“Yes, we didn’t have enough seating.”

“We could’ve brought you stuff or–”

“Okay… Violet has that cute little vein in her forehead,” Stella said, pressing her finger to Violet’s forehead. “So, you two should go eat something before it pops.”

Sarai laughed. Then, she looked down because Gabi’s hand was on her forearm.

“On it,” Gabi replied. “Let’s go, Sarai.”

Sarai walked with her over to one of the tables that Violet had, apparently, rented and laid white tablecloths over. She sat down next to Gabi and tried to decide where to start on her food.

“Hey, Sarai,” Jen said when she sat down across from them. “Have you seen my girlfriend?”