Chapter 8: The End of Spring Picnic
The next day, we all headed to Prospect Shelter in Schenley Park for our annual end of spring picnic. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. We jammed out to NSYNC, 98 Degrees, Kate Bush, and Lizzo while sharing some delicious foods. We started off with snacks like potato and tortilla chips with salsa and dip, pretzels, veggie sticks, and cheese and crackers. To drink, there was lemonade, water, and soda pop. "Wow, this is a lot of the same food that we are going to have to eat this month for our spring and summer activities," Carly noticed. "When it is time to eat, we will have my homemade macaroni and cheese that I began making back in middle school." "I remember 2 years ago we helped with the main courses when I brought meatball hoagies," Spencer added. "And I brought barbecue on buns," Mr. Benson added. "That is the other thing that we are having to eat besides the s'mores," Spencer remembered. "My birthday is a week from today, just 4 days before James!" Pretty soon, Justin and Max were done grilling the hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob, and then there were even more main dishes including Carly's macaroni and cheese, along with pasta and potato salad, and of course, the fried chicken ordered from Quik-it Chicken. There were also fun and tasty fruits such as watermelon, cherries, and Alex's homemade berry salad. "Bon appetit! Enjoy your dinner!" Justin happily exclaimed. "There is plenty for everyone to eat," Max added. "I am not usually a fried chicken kind of girl, but this fried chicken is amazing," Alex happily stated. "I made lots of fun fruit dishes, as well as healthier versions of pasta and potato salad, since picnics are a 'problem' meal for me due to there being too much food." "I am sure that the weather delights you, Alex," I happily stated. "And, Justin and Max were very generous to help grill the food for us, since it is a lot of work for them." "This almost reminds me of the delightful weather of the spring of my junior year of high school," Alex stated. "I learned about how to grow my own fresh fruits and vegetables and play fun games, like bocce. After dinner, I am going to share my journal entries with all of you. I hope that you enjoy them!" "I think that the guys did a good job grilling, Henri," James happily stated. "I agree, James," Henri agreed, licking his lips. "I brought butter for the corn because I cannot eat corn on the cob without butter!" Then, some delicious, mouth-watering desserts were served, including zebra cakes, red, white, and blue sugar and sprinkle cookies, Eat n' Park smiley face cookies, grillable s'more brownies, and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. "I should not eat like this every day," Sarah stated. "But, it is definitely okay to splurge once in a while!" "Guess what, Sarah?" I asked my best friend. "2 of my pairs of shorts are starting to get big on me!" "That's great, Angel," Sarah remarked. "Good job!" "Eating when you are unhappy or bored is never a good decision, especially when you are in a bad situation, like getting rejected to a high school dance because you are too young or getting accused of cheating on an exam that you never really had trouble with, when it was actually someone who did it," I told Sarah. "I am really looking forward to Alex's journal entries and bocce tonight," Sarah happily stated. "It will be so much fun!" I also shared my YouTube video from my birthday in which everyone already saw, but I wanted to show it to them again anyway because they loved it so much. I also blew bubbles for part of the day. "I feel so full," I stated in a tired tone of voice. "I bet," Alex stated. "And yes, some of the food that we are eating today is the same as the food for our spring and summer activities this month. Our next activity will be a Bean Boozled taste bud test in McDonald this coming Friday." Around sunset, it was time for all of us to go home. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys!" "Good night!"