Today is Going to be a Good Day

I feel like I’m the girl in the opening scene of a 2000s teen movie as I dance through my kitchen, singing along to the upbeat jingle in my head. I pour my sweet cream into my iced coffee and twirl back to the open fridge in a seamless motion. I stir the drink with my finger and tone down to a hum as I make my way to the dual recliner in front of the television. I set my iced coffee into my recliner and plop into my regular spot, pulling a blanket on my lap and flipping on the tv. I take my first sip as I flick through my streaming apps, trying to decide which should source my binge for the day. Today is going to be a good day.

Before I decide, my phone starts buzzing and I see my best friend’s name pop up over his picture. I trade the remote for the cell phone and swipe to answer.

“What’s up bestie?” I answer.

“Logan! What would you say to a pool day with the whole squad?”

“I would say it’s too fucking hot to be outside today.”

“That’s why we’re doing a pool day! Because the heat. It’s perfect.”

“No, perfect would be 80 degrees. I could maybe even do 90, but it is the hottest day of the year, and I am not leaving my air-conditioned apartment to bake in the oven that is the outside world.”

“Don’t be lame.”

“If staying out of the immediate heat stroke that is the outside world is ‘lame,’ I guess I’m lame.”

He hangs up, leaving me with an elegant “You suck” before the call ends.

Oh well. My friends can go bake by the pool all they want, but I am staying under my blanket on my recliner with the heat safely outside my window. I look out and see the heat rippling over the sidewalk that cuts through the courtyard. I shake my head at my crazy friends and resume my search for the right thing to binge, finally selecting an app. Before I can even start scrolling through show options, my phone starts buzzing again, this time Marie’s name popping up. Sighing, I again switch my remote for the phone and answer the phone, admittedly less enthusiastically, with a simple “Ayo?”

“Hey did James call you about the pool day?”

“Yeah, I’m not going. It’s too hot.”

“I agree. I think we should go to Dairy Queen instead.”

“See here’s the issue… that also involves going outside.”

“No, we can sit inside with the ice cream.”

“But we have to go outside to get there. Outside to get to the car, outside to get from the car to inside, lots of outside.”

“Logan, that’s like two minutes of outside max.”

“Two minutes more than if I just stay here.”

“Are you for real right now?”

“I am for real, yes.”

“You suck.” Click.

I chuckle to myself as she hangs up the same way James did. Those two are far more similar than they will ever admit. I take another long swig of my coffee and resume my search for my show. The carefree, movie-like feeling has faded, but my whole day lays ahead of me and it will be better than a pool day or ice cream with my friends. I realize that it sounds ridiculous that a day watching tv alone will be better than hanging out with my friends but that damn heat. It WILL ruin any activity outside of this apartment; I’m sure of it. My scrolling is now defiant, but my phone starts buzzing again. This time it’s Scot. I roll my eyes as I again pick up the phone, but I barely even get a “hello?” out before he cuts me off.

“James and Marie say you’re being lame?”

“Yes, I am being super lame.”

“Brooooo…”

 “Broooooooo…”

“Come on Logan, let’s beat the heat.”

“I am beating the heat from the comfort of my air-conditioned living room.”

“Don’t be boring.”

“You know I don’t do well with heat. I won’t even be fun out in the wild.”

“Dairy Queen and a pool are not ‘the wild.’”

“When did it become both? And anyway, they’re more wild than my living room.”

“That’s such a ridiculous standard.”

“I just don’t want to get that heat headache and nausea and everything that’s going to ruin my day.”

“Well, you can just stay in the pool.”

“Even the pool will be hot at this point.”

“Looogannnn…”

“Scoooooootttt…”

“Fine, be lame.”

“I will. Have fun!”

Scot leaves me with the ever-familiar “you suck” as he hangs up.

At this point, I’m starting to reconsider. Maybe it’s not that hot… I mean Dairy Queen can’t be too bad. Marie was right that I’d only be outside for a couple minutes… But once I’m with them, I’m with them for the day and I’ll end up at the pool and dehydrated and hot and yeah, it’s probably best I stay in for the day. I select one of my comfort shows that I’m perpetually rewatching and hit resume, ready to start from wherever I left off most recently. But just as the show starts, my phone buzzes AGAIN. Only two members of our group left that it could be. I pause the show and pick up my phone to see if it’s Hayes or McKenna calling. To my surprise, it’s neither. It’s James again, this time on FaceTime.

“Hello?”

“Hey, we’re outside.” He pans over to McKenna in shotgun and we wave enthusiastically. I would’ve been surprised if she wasn’t with him, since they basically live together nowadays. “Hiiiiii” we both greet each other. James pans back to himself.

I laugh. “Dude, I told you I’m not coming.”

“Yeah, you told everyone that, but I’m already here so you might as well come down.”

Scot’s voice comes in from the back. “You basically have to now.” James shows the backseat, packed full. Marie and Hayes join in “Logannnnn we’re all waiting for you!”

“There’s not even room for me in that car,” I laugh.

“You know damn well there’s a third row,” James turns back to himself. “We’ll make Scot sit back there. It’s 60 degrees in my car.”

I take a long moment of silence to think about it. “I’m already climbing into the back row!” Scot yells.

I sigh. “I need to get ready first.”

A chorus of cheers breaks out in the car and I laugh.

“See you soon!” James hangs up, this time without a “you suck” sign off.

I shake my head and turn the tv off. I take my iced coffee back to the kitchen and pop it in the fridge before heading to my room to change. I put on a swimsuit and throw a t-shirt and shorts over it, then head down to the overwhelming heat and extremely persistent friends, waiting in the car. I was right; today is going to be a good day.