Robyn by Jade Parker

She was wearing a white camisole, jeans, and sandals with a jeweled T-strap that I thought Caitlin would probably kill for. Whitney had a matching tote bag slung over her shoulder.
    Then, as though she realized that she was acting too excited about being here, she slowed down and stopped smiling. “Wow. This is such a little park.”
    She said it like it was an insult to be a small park, like it was suddenly beneath her to be here.
    “Minor league teams play here,” Sean said, “but the fireworks are spectacular.”
    He led the way through the gate and turnstile. It was already pretty crowded, with most of the seats in the bleachers filled. We walked along the path that ran around the top of the seating section.
    “So where’s your partner in crime?” Whitney asked.
    “What?” I asked.
    “You know. Caitlin.”
    “Oh, she went ahead to save us a place. Tanner is here, too.”
    “Really?” Her eyes widened slightly. A surprised look wasn’t as bad as I thought. “That’s the guy who stands at the edge of the water looking bored, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So is it a date?”
    “No, not really. We’re just all hanging out together.”
    We’d gotten to the knoll behind third base. Sean started walking down the steps.
    “We’re sitting on grass?” Whitney asked.
    “Yeah, it’s more fun,” I said.
    “It’s where the bugs are.”
    “It’s not like we’re in the woods. And we brought a quilt.”
    Caitlin stood up and started waving. And I suddenly wondered why I was standing here trying to convince Whitney that she wanted to sit with us. Sean invited her. Shouldn’t he be the one calming her fears about bugs?
    “Sit where you want,” I said, getting tired of having to be nice, being constantly surprised by things, and feeling like my life was suddenly out of control. What was supposed to have been a fun, relaxing evening watching fireworks was suddenly awkward and included people I didn’t know, people I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know.
    I heard the click of heels on the cement steps and knew Whitney was following me. She probably didn’t want to be sitting alone any more than I did. And that made me feel guilty for being impatient.
    Sean was standing by the quilt, waiting for us. Correction, waiting for Whitney. When I got there, I sat beside Caitlin. Tanner was on the other side of her. Whitney sat beside me and Sean sat beside her.
    So it was really obvious that I was the only one here without a guy.
    Were fireworks worth this embarrassment?
    If I’d known earlier that Caitlin had invited Tanner and Sean had invitedWhitney, I would have invited someone, too. Nick, maybe. Or Jake even. He was cute. Then I wouldn’t be sitting here feeling like a total loser.
    “Oh, my gosh, are those Ferragamos?” Caitlin asked after Whitney turned slightly, stretched out her legs, and crossed her feet at the ankles.
    “Knockoffs,” Whitney said like she was totally bored.
    “I love those shoes. Did you get them at that website you were telling me about?”
    “No, someplace else.”
    “Where?”
    “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
    Caitlin rolled her eyes. “Come on, Whitney. I love flashy stuff.”
    “I really can’t remember.”
    Sean leaned over and said something to Tanner, who shook his head and smiled. They were probably ready to barf with all the shoe talk. I knew I was. Caitlin and Whitney bonding over shoes. I just didn’t get it.
    Caitlin nudged my arm. “Don’t you love those shoes?”
    Okay, I really didn’t. My sandals were plain brown leather — like my eyes. Boring, but so comfortable.
    “They don’t look very comfortable,” I admitted.
    “What’s comfort got to do with it?” Whitney asked. “It’s all about style.”
    Which I also questioned. Jeweled shoes on a grassy knoll in a baseball park to watch fireworks?
    “Hey, I thought it was the Splash team,” a voice said from behind me.
    I twisted my head around and looked up. It was Nick. He was holding a