Bryn, Lauren and I walked through the wooded forest path to get to their house from the middle school for the last time. The shaded path barely shielded us from scorching sun above. We scurried inside to escape the sticky air. As we gathered around the kitchen, Lauren went on and on about this party with a big group, including Madeline and her friends, at the lake. I had tried to be friends with that group long ago; however, I always felt invisible as they and my friends would turn their cold backs on me. I filled with worry when Lauren mentioned a bonfire that we could go to afterwards at the house of a girl whom I only knew the name of. Bryn just nodded in silence, and I went along with it before I could spit out the words “No, I wasn’t invited”.
