Kyla’s Sweet Sixteen

Kyla Smith lives in Mesa, Arizona and goes to Westwood High School. She has two siblings named Bryce and Presley. Bryce is in college, Kyla is in tenth grade and Presley is in second grade. They have three dogs and a cat. They grew up about 20 minutes outside of Mesa. They live in a white condominium and have an inground pool in their backyard.

One day, on February 20, Kyla was at school when she got called down to the office. The lady at the front desk told Kyla that her mother wanted to talk to her. Kyla was nervous because she didn’t know what her mom was going to say. She picked up the phone and her mom, Angie, told her she had good news for her. Her younger sister had stayed home today since it was her birthday. She could hear Presley jumping up and down excitedly in the back. Her mom said that her friend, Maddy Peterson, would be coming to visit her in the month of April. Kyla didn’t believe her mom when she told her this. She hadn’t seen Maddy for almost a year now. Maddy was her best friend from elementary school.

They met in first grade, in Mrs. Langer’s class. They became best friends after that and got very close with each other. After the summer of seventh grade, Maddy had found out that she would be moving to Florida. Maddy was excited for this new opportunity but was also devastated to leave her best friend. Maddy’s family was moving since her dad accepted a new job in Tampa, Florida. They wouldn’t be able to see each other every day now. This made both girls sad since they grew up together and have lots of good memories with each other.

Knowing that Maddy would be moving, they both wanted to make the time they had together fun. Maddy would be leaving on September 7 so they had a little bit less than a month to hangout before they wouldn’t be able to see each other for a while. The girls didn’t want to think about it too much, but rather go and have a blast the last couple weeks of summer.

Kyla and Maddy went on many adventures during the last couple of weeks before Maddy would take off and start a new beginning. They did everything they possibly could think of doing. They went surfing, water skiing, swimming, to an outdoor movie, had picnics, hiked, went to fairs and enjoyed the rides together, had campfires, and checked many more activities off their bucket list.

Their time together was coming to an end and they knew they would have to say their goodbyes in a couple days. They had many sleepovers over that summer and loved making brownies in the kitchen at 2 a.m.

The day had come when Maddy was all packed up and ready to move to Florida. They both had spent the morning together and talked about all the fun times they had together since they became best friends. They both wrote each other a handwritten note and printed off lots of pictures to look back at. After hugging each other goodbye and Maddy’s family driving off, Kyla was sad to see her best friend leaving her. She had to make new friends now.

Over the next couple of years, it wasn’t easy at first, but Kyla was able to develop new friendships and bond with other people. She still texted Maddy everyday asking her how life was in Florida and how her day went. Now that Angie had told Kyla she would be seeing Maddy again, she was so excited! This was an opportunity to reunite with her best friend and see her again.

Maddy also has a sister in second grade just like Presley, so their family booked a flight to Missouri to come visit for a couple weeks since Presley’s and Kyla’s birthdays are close together. After Kyla heard this news, she was so happy. For the rest of the school day she was very antsy and couldn’t wait to see Maddy soon.

Weeks passed, and the Peterson family would be arriving in three days. Kyla and Presley, and the rest of their family, were very excited for them to come back to their hometown Mesa, Arizona.

Slowly time had passed, and it was now April 4. The Petersons would be arriving anytime now. Their car pulled up the driveway and Kyla and Presley ran out the door to meet them. They hugged each other and jumped up and down. The families sat down inside and talked for a while. They ordered pizza for supper from their favorite pizza place in town.

After supper, the Petersons settled into the Smith’s house where they would be staying for the next two weeks. Maddy was hanging out in Kyla’s room and getting all caught up on what she had missed when she was gone. They talked for a while until it came to mind that they wanted to have a party for Kyla since her birthday was coming up soon. Kyla’s birthday was on April 15 and she would be turning 16. Maddy thought it would be a fun idea to have a party to celebrate the special occasion. The girls didn’t know exactly what they wanted to do.

Whether it was going to a movie, bowling, swimming or to an escape room. They were considering each option and trying to decide which one to choose. After talking about it for a while, Maddy and Kyla decided on having a pool party at the Smith’s house. Kyla’s birthday was on a Thursday, so they planned on having it Friday, April 16. The girls had a lot of work to do to figure out all the details and it was getting late, so they went to bed and were going to talk about it in the morning.

The next morning the girls had waffles and fruit for breakfast. Now they had to get to work and start planning the rest of the party. They had told both their parents last night about the idea to make sure they would be okay with it and they all agreed. The girls decided that they would invite around 15 to 20 people since they wanted it to be a special time. The guests would arrive at 2:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. They would decorate the pool area and have a snow cone bar where the guests would be able to make their very own snow cones. They would have a DJ to play awesome music and make the party that much better. Lots of snacks and drinks would be included and they would have tacos for supper. After swimming for a while, they could roast s’mores over the campfire and chat. Kyla and Maddy were thrilled for this occasion.

They invited their friends and told them all about the party. Kyla and Maddy went shopping to buy all the decorations and everything they needed to make this party one to remember. It was the night before Kyla’s birthday, and everything was prepared for the party the next day. Everybody was very excited and could not wait for the day to arrive.

The next day the girls woke up bright and early to get the last details put in place. They enjoyed bacon and eggs made by Kyla’s dad who was a very good cook and always made delicious food. The girls got dressed and ready for the day. The time was coming closer until the guests arrived. The snacks and drinks were set out. The pool was opened and ready to go in. Streamers and banners were hung up.

The guests started to arrive as it was around 2:30 p.m. Everybody arrived with smiles on their faces and wished Kyla a happy birthday as they walked in the door. When everybody was there, they headed out to the back. Music was playing loudly, the sun was beating down on the sparkling pool water, and everybody was laughing and having a good time on this perfect summer day.

After swimming for a long time, Kyla opened her presents. She was grateful for everything she received. It was now time to eat ice cream cake which is everybody’s favorite part. The cake had writing on it in blue frosting “Happy 16th Birthday Kyla!” The cake was detailed with floral designs. After eating cake, they played outdoor games until it grew dark.

Then they all sat by the campfire and roasted some marshmallows to make s’mores. People were starting to leave, and the party was coming to an end. She thanked everyone for coming to celebrate with her. Kyla had the best birthday ever and she would always remember this day.