Chapter 1: Autism and Weather
The next day, I met my other best friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie for breakfast at Pamela's P&G Diner in Squirrel Hill. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Carly greeted back. "What would you like for breakfast, Angel?" Mrs. Shay asked me. "Some nice healthy things like an omelet with berries and oatmeal, and a glass of milk, of course," I replied. "Mmm, those are all great choices," Mr. Benson agreed. "Yes, they are," Mrs. Shay also agreed. "Didn't Eat n' Park serve us all those healthy foods, too?" Carly asked. "When I first met Angel in Natrona Heights, we did not feel like cooking, so we went out to Eat n' Park," Carly explained to her parents. "Yes, we do remember, Carly," Mrs. Shay agreed. "But, this food is so much better," Mr. Benson pointed out. "Are you and Alex getting along better?" I asked Carly. "I guess so," Carly replied, sighing. "Alex got mad at me because I was unable to go to dinner with you guys." "But she's your neighbor, Carly," I explained. "It is important for friends who are our neighbors to be able to get along." My other friend, Emily Mistle joined us, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill. I had some more healthy snacks to share with my friends, since Emily and I had yogurt: carrot and celery sticks for Carly and Alex, hard-boiled eggs and assorted nuts for Mrs. Shay and Justin, and Wheat Thins crackers and Kashi Go Lean! cereal for Mr. Benson and Max. We all had sodas with our snacks to drink. "Boy it is cold outside today," Alex stated. "I am not a fan of cold weather. How about you guys?" "Definitely not me," I stated. "I especially hated the recent Arctic blast that we all had to deal with over the holidays, forcing me to take an alternate route to work than I would normally take." "Yeah, I had to take a different route, too," Carly agreed. "We tried to visit our aunt and uncle in Polish Hill, but it was not that much fun," Mrs. Shay agreed. "It was too cold and snowy to really look at the city," Mr. Benson agreed. "Really?" Max asked. "I took my sled to Frick Park and sledded down the hill, because I love the snow and I love winter!" "That's really pretty much the only thing I enjoy about winter," Justin pointed out. "I love going to Regent Square to visit my relatives, but not when the snow blocks me from driving," Alex stated, "and it is especially my responsibility to look after my parents' house since they are gone in Florida!" "No, winter is definitely not my favorite season," Emily agreed. "Summer is much better." "Of course, since I can do more fun activities with all of you guys," I agreed. "Now, do you want to know what my favorite season is?" "No, what?" Alex asked. "Spring, of course," I replied. "Since that is the season my birthday is in." "Mine too," Carly agreed. "Mine too," Alex agreed. "Carly and I have birthdays in April, and Alex has a birthday in May. We are the 3 spring babies!" Carly, Alex, and I hugged each other. "Well, my birthday is in the fall," Emily stated, "and the weather is very beautiful in the fall time with the leaves changing color, so I love the fall." "I am more a fan of the temperate seasons," Alex stated, "but I prefer summer over winter because you do not have to worry about snow, ice, or bundling up, although I do not like excessively hot weather, either." After our discussion, Emily's siblings, Michael and Erin joined me, Emily, Alex, Justin, and Max at Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grill in the Strip District for dinner. "I remember I wanted seafood to eat after one of our football games, Justin, but there was no real seafood restaurants in Natrona Heights," Alex pointed out. "Say, do you guys want to get some appetizers?" I ordered provolone wedges, Emily ordered lobster potato skins, Alex ordered shrimp cocktail, Justin ordered fried calamari, and Max ordered garlic bread. "I let my younger siblings have our frozen dinners that we would normally have for dinner," Emily pointed out. Then, we ordered our entrees. Alex ordered the Seafood Trio, Justin ordered the Land and Sea Trio, Max ordered fish and chips, Emily and I both ordered chicken parmesan over pasta, Erin ordered Baja shrimp scampi linguine, and Michael ordered Alaskan King Crab Legs. "You guys should seriously come to more outings with us," Alex suggested. "We will see what we can do, Alex," Emily pointed out. Then, we all got dessert with our meal. I ordered vanilla ice cream to share with Emily and Alex. After dessert and our checks, it was time for us to go home. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"