The Saddest Song - By Susie Kaye Lopez Page 0,26

romantic thing I have ever seen.”

“Yeah, that was pretty cool. They’re all awesome people.”

“And they are as nice as they are gorgeous! I am so glad I got to meet everyone. Thanks for bringing me tonight Max.”

He stopped as we reached the truck.

“There’s nobody I’d rather be with than you, Rainey,” he said simply, and opened the door for me.

Colin lived in an older house in Pacific Beach. I had been to many of my friend’s homes over the years, but this was my first time being at one who didn’t live with their parents. We entered the house through the garage door and found ourselves in the kitchen. A large ice filled tub held bottles of Champagne and Colin began taking trays of food out of the otherwise empty fridge.

“Wow! Colin, how did you do all of this without me?” Rylee exclaimed, as she examined the trays of Sushi and tiny sandwiches.

“You even got a cake?” Sophie laughed, surprised at the sight of a beautifully decorated white cake. It was covered in buttercream roses and had their names on the top. It looked like the top layer of a real wedding cake.

Ethan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I got it at that bakery you love so much.”

She spun around, putting her arms around his neck and smiled up at him, kissing him on the lips. “You are going to make the most thoughtful husband,” she giggled and I felt a little uncomfortable being witness to such a private moment. I squirmed and Max must have felt the same way because he pulled me by the hand into the other room.

“Come with me Rainey, I want to show you something,” he said. I looked around at what was obviously the family room. It held a large couch and every video game system available. There was a flat screen television on the wall and a couple guitars on the floor. I looked at Max, curious as to what he wanted to show me. Was he just trying to get me away from the newly engaged couple? Did I look that uncomfortable? I certainly hoped not. I didn’t want to be one of those people who couldn’t be happy for others just because my own life was a nightmare.

“Not this ,” he said. He tugged me towards another room at the front of the house which had parents lived here certainly would have been the living room. Instead it looked like a music room. Instruments covered the floor. Drums, keyboard, both acoustic and electric guitars and recording equipment.

“Cool,” I said, not too terribly impressed. It was a lot like Max’s room, only bigger.

“No, not these. Turn around.” Turning around I saw that the entire wall from ceiling to floor was filled with drawings, signatures, cartoons, and quotes all done in different colors. Baskets sat on the floor filled with markers, crayons and sharpees.

“This is crazy! How fun!”

“Yeah,” Max smiled, “I knew you would like it. Pretty creative, huh?”

“Wow, I wonder how he thought of this? Did you sign it?”

“Yeah, everyone who comes over here has signed it. Go ahead and find a spot, you need to sign it.” I looked it over. It was so full it was hard to find an empty space, and I had just spotted one when Rylee came bouncing into the room.

“Come on you two. We need to toast the happy couple!.”

She headed back to the kitchen and we followed. Joining the toast , Max and I clinked their champagne glasses with our water bottles. Neither Max nor I were drinkers, and while I had certainly tried Champagne before with my parents, I felt uncomfortable drinking when Max had to drive later. Suddenly I felt the age difference between me and my new friends. I felt it, but happily I don’t think they did. Technically, I wasn’t sure if the girls were quite old enough to drink either, legally.

When Max and I said we had better be heading home, Sophie and Rylee made me promise that we would go out for a girl’s day soon. We could go shopping while the guys wrote songs. We exchanged numbers and I left feeling as if I had made some really great new friends. Friends who knew just me, not the me who was Garrett’s girlfriend.

Max

As soon as we started to drive away from Colin’s house Rainey began talking with so much animation in her voice that I