Chapter 2: The Fall Picnic
The next day, I met some more of my best friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, Max Greenwald, and Carly Shay, as well as Carly's parents, Sam and Freddie, at Lake Point Shelter in Highland Park for a fall picnic. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Alex greeted back. "I made this very special dip for fruits and veggies," I told Alex. "Oooh, yummy!" Alex remarked. "Justin and Max are going to grill the hamburgers and hot dogs, while Mom and Mason should be here with the fried chicken anytime." "Do you know who else should be here soon?" I asked. "No, who?" Alex asked. "My mentor, Jenna and her sister, Jill, along with her boyfriend, Matt and his 3 sisters, Abigail, Hannah, and Samantha," I replied. "They will bring grain salads and smiley face cookies." I then saw Carly and her parents, Sam and Freddie. "I see you brought one of your favorite picnic dishes- macaroni and cheese," I told them. "Yummy!" Carly remarked. "I love macaroni and cheese." "I remember when you had too many after-school activities in your schedule, Carly," Mrs. Shay pointed out. "Do you remember what it was you made for dinner?" Mr. Benson asked. "Let me guess... was it macaroni and cheese?" Carly asked. "Uh-huh," Mrs. Shay agreed. "It certainly was." Jenna, Matt, Jill, Abigail, Hannah, and Samantha then showed up at Lake Point Shelter with grain salads and smiley face cookies from Eat n' Park. I introduced the Mosers and Mifflins to all my friends as we sat down to eat lunch. As soon as Justin and Max were done grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs, Alex's parents showed up with the fried chicken from KFC. "I notice that you don't eat as much food at these picnics like you used to, Alex," I pointed out. "That's because I'm on Weight Watchers," Alex explained to me. "Look at all the snacks you brought, though- carrot and celery sticks, cubed watermelon and grapes, potato chips, and Oreo cookies! Are you sure you don't want any of those to eat?" "Not if I am trying to lose weight, Angel," Alex explained to me. "I think it was before one of our band concerts in high school that was a rare circumstance." "What, when you ate too much food?" Max asked. "I think Alex is trying to remember when she did not eat a good enough dinner before our Christmas band concert," Justin remembered, biting into his cheeseburger. "Wow, I picked a good brand of hot dog," Max replied, biting into his hot dog. "Ballpark is one of the best brands!" There were also beverages, like lemonade and soda, to have with our food. "I think we did a pretty good job making everything for the picnic today," Justin happily remarked. "I really wish that I could wear the same clothes you wear, Alex," I told my friend. "You know, like an off-the-shoulder blouse and a miniskirt, but I need to lose a lot of weight. Just think of it this way! You still wear size 12 clothing and now I wear at least a size 16." "Losing weight is not just going to happen overnight, you know," Alex told me, biting into a chicken drumstick. "I just need to quit pigging out on food so much," I pointed out, "even though it all looks so delicious." We also played some games, like bocci, corn toss, and croquet. I also got a picture of me and all my friends together. Pretty soon, it was time for me to head back home to my mom's apartment. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"