Chapter 1: Frustration and Eat n Park
The next day, I met some more of my friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, Max Greenwald, and Carly Shay, as well as Carly's parents, Sam and Freddie, at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill for a discussion on frustration and solutions. My mentor, Jenna also was with me after we got a milkshake before the discussion group. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Alex greeted back. "I have experienced frustration dealing with living in Point Breeze," Jenna explained. "I don't exactly know who to trust and who not to trust." "I felt the same way when I first moved to Natrona Heights," Carly explained. "I was frustrated because it was not always a safe area at first." "Well, you felt safe living with us," Mrs. Shay explained. "And, you still are safe now," Mr. Benson agreed. "Angel frustrates me sometimes since she drives me crazy most of the time," Alex admitted. "How do I drive you crazy, Alex?" I asked. "You repeat the same thing over and over again, and you sometimes pester me about where we are going for an outing," Alex told me. "Justin and Max, you frustrate me too, sometimes." "How do we do that?" Max asked. "I am trying to sleep and you guys have Saturday Night Live on too loud most of the time," Alex admitted. "I'm sorry about that, Alex," Justin apologized. "I get frustrated when people tease me most of the time," I explained. After our discussion group was over, we headed down the street to meet with our moms for Mother's Day dinner. Jill was with their mom Patty Moser, Matt was with their mom Clarissa Mifflin, and Alex's mom, Harper and Justin's mom, Juliet also joined us. The Mifflin girls sat at a separate table from us. Jenna, Matt, Jill, and I ordered burgers to eat, while Carly and her parents ordered Italian classics, and Alex and her guy friends ordered the Soup, Salad, and Fruit Bar. "I remember Natrona Heights Eat n' Park having a very nice salad bar like this, and I came here before one of our football games," Alex remembered. "Will you guys stop comparing Natrona Heights to Squirrel Hill?" I politely asked. "Be grateful that you live in this wonderful neighborhood." "We are, Angel," Alex recalled. "But, that doesn't mean we can't remember all of the great memories from our childhood." There were Smiley Cookies and strawberry pie for desserts. After dinner, Jenna, Matt, and Jill drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"
