The Cherry Festival

Author's note: The National Cherry Festival is an actual festival. It takes place in July, but in the story, it is still spring. Also, this is the first part of the story. Happy Reading!

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"Go play at the park for a little, Leah, Ethan, and Emmie." My mom said, probably tired of me and my siblings asking her questions and bothering her, since she was working.

"Sure." I said. I ran to my room. I grabbed my purple hoodie and my phone, waiting for my twin siblings, Ethan and Emmie, while they grabbed their jackets. "Bye mom!" we said, shutting the front door behind us. My name is Leah. I'm 14 years old, I have straight, long blonde hair, and live in Traverse City, Mi. I've lived here all my life. I have three siblings, Ethan and Emmie, 7, and Izzy, 3. Back to Michigan. Michigan is famous for our Great Lakes. And cherries. Definitely cherries. We've been going to the national Cherry Festival every year since I turned 4. The Cherry Festival has different booths, for example, there's about five different booths with cherries, there's a little tent with lots of different kinds of things adorned with cherries, and the words 'National Cherry Festival.' There's a tent where kids can make cherry pie, too! There's a whole area, like an amusement park, where there's rides, and a ferris wheel, and it is so fun!

I walked down the sidewalk, looking up occasionally to see a robin or two in the trees, other people walking, and the wind blowing. Once I got to the park with the twins, they raced over to the tire swing.

"Leah, Leah, push us!" they chanted. I spun them around multiple times until they demanded me to stop. They swung on the swings, went down the slides... "Guys, why don't we walk on the path for a bit?" I requested.

"Sure, but we HAVE to be allowed to run." Emmie said.

"Yeah, we have to run!" Ethan joined in.

"Ok. But you have to stay where I can see you." I said. They darted around the path as I slowly followed them. After 20 minutes of more playing and more walking, my phone buzzed. "Emmie and Ethan, we gotta go. It's almost lunchtime, anyways."

"Okayyyyyyyyy." Emmie said dramatically.

"Plus, we gotta get ready for the Cherry Fest tomorrow." I said, hoping to get a smile.

"Yessssssss!!!" Ethan said, pumping his fists in the air. I grinned at him. "Come on, Emmie, we gotta go get ready for tomorrow!" Ethan said.

"Yep, bright and early. We have to get ready today because tomorrow morning, mom's gonna get a shower, and then we're going to the Cherry Festival." I grabbed both Emmie and Ethan's hands as we crossed the road. Once we got home, Ethan raced upstairs to his room.

"Mooooooom! What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?!" Ethan shouted.

"76 degrees." Mom said, glancing down at her phone.

"Hear that, Em? Go pick out your clothes and I'll make you a PB&J." I said. I rushed around the kitchen frantically, trying to get the peanut butter and jelly sandwich made before Emmie was done and came back down. "Done." I muttered to myself. I put it on a plate, grabbed an applesauce pouch, and put her lunch on the table.

"I want.... deli meat!" Ethan said, looking up at me.

"K." I grabbed turkey, cheese, and mayo out of the fridge, and Ethan made his sandwich himself. What do I want? I asked myself. I'll just have PB&J. I made my sandwich, grabbed Ethan a GoGo Squeez from the pantry, and sat down at the table.

"Lele! Lele, appewsauce! Appewsauce!" Izzy poked me.

"Okay, okay." I grabbed her an applesauce. Hopefully the Cherry Fest would be my break! I carried Izzy to her high chair. When I was done, I sat down on the couch. I looked at my phone. "Can I go to Madeline's house?"

"Sure." I walked out the door, looking at my phone still. Since I wasn't paying attention, I didn't see the person walking in front of me, and he didn't see me either.

"Ow..." he said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" I said. "Here, I can help you..."

"No, it's o-" He looked up at me.

"Wait, Andrew?"

"Leah?"

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be, like, out with your friends or with Hana?" I asked.

"Um... we broke up..." he trailed off.

"Whatever." I said, flipping my hair off my shoulder. "I have places to go anyways." I did want to stay, though... but I couldn't show that I had a huge crush on Andrew.

"Wait! Leah! I have to tell you something." he said, running up next to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Ihaveacrushonyou." he blurted out quickly.

I got to Maddy's house. "Wait, WHAT?!" Madeline shouted as I told her what happened. "What did you say?!"

"Um... that I do too....?" I said.

"Oh. My. Gosh!!!" she squealed. "The one and only, ANDREW JACKSON, said he has a crush, on MY BEST FRIEND, LEAH MATTHEWS!!!"

"I know, right?!" I squealed along with her. "Now what, do I text him to go out on a date or something?" I asked.

"Nah, I got a better plan! Ask him to go to Cherry Fest with you!"

"OMG, yes, Maddy! You are a genius!"

"I knoooow." she said in her 'Evil' voice.

"Ok, how do I say it?"

"Well, you can facetime him, right?"

"Yes."

"Ok, call him on Facetime." I clicked on Andrew's contact. He answered on the second ring.

"Now, ask him if he wants to go to the Cherry Fest with you." she whispered in my ear.

"Ok." I whispered back.

"Hi, Leah." he said.

"Hi."

"Hi?"

"Hi."

"Leah, stop!" Maddy whisper-shouted in my ear.

"Okay! Jeez! So, Andrew, you know how the Cherry Festival is tomorrow?" he nodded. "So I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" I asked/said.

"Sure, yeah!"

"Okay, see ya there!" I said.

"Bye, Leah."

"Bye, Andrew." I clicked the end call button.

"That went well." Maddy said.

"I know."

"Ok, we should go to the store to get you the perfect outfit."

"I already have...."

"I know, but this is basically a date!" Maddy said.

"Okay." I said. 15 minutes later, we were in a shop called The Mini Me Boutique. I found a cute outfit soon enough. A peach-pink colored jumper, earrings, and white flats. Sounds cute, right? It was. I got home an hour later, because me and Maddy just hung out, that's what friends do, and I helped her pick out an outfit at The Mini Me Boutique, too.

"I am hooome!" I said in a sing-songy voice.

"Hi, Leah."

"Hi Lele!"

"Hi Izzy." I picked her up after dropping my bag. "Hey, Emmie, that's not yours!"

"Okayyyyyy." I brought my bag upstairs. I was so ready for my 'date,' as Maddy insisted that was what it was, and so excited, too!