I loved it out here. You could look across the lake and see forever. Like the sky and water were one. The waves pounded out a constant rhythm.
“We haven’t been up here in a while,” I said. “Remember when your mom used to pile us in the van and drive out here?”
Ken smiled. “Yeah, she’d bring one of her smutty romance books to read, while we swam all day.” She dug her toes into the sand, burying her feet up to her ankles. “And I’ll never forget when you wanted to lay out to get a tan.”
I groaned. “Don’t bring that up. God, I looked like a lobster and couldn’t bend my legs for like a week, they got burnt so bad.”
“Incoming.” Kenadi pointed behind us to where two figures emerged from the boardwalk.
I ducked down, inching closer to the edge of the dune. Even from here, I could tell it was Trey and Portia. Her in a dainty sundress, him in jeans and T-shirt carrying a picnic basket.
“We have to wait until they get everything situated before bombarding them.” I took the plastic bags with bread out of my duffel. “Do you feel kind of mean for doing this?”
“A little. But like Mom always told me. All’s fair in love and war. If you want something bad enough, you’ve got to fight for it.”
“Even if it means sicking a bunch of birds on people?”
“It’s not our fault he picked such a crappy place for a date.” She smirked.
“Um—it kind of is.”
“Details, details.” She put her shoes back on, scooted off the blanket, and folded it back up. “You know, we should come back here when it gets warmer and hang out.”
Hair came loose from my ponytail and snapped around my face. I pushed it back behind my ears so I could see what Trey and Portia were doing. “Looks like they’re sitting down now. He’s getting food out of the basket.”
“Here give me a couple of the bread bags. I’ll ball the bread up and toss some down there.”
I handed over two of them and watched her go to work. She flung several doughy balls down the hill. Slowly the birds descended, flocking closer to Trey’s date.
“We need more,” I said, opening two more bags. The wind picked up and I tossed the pieces in the air. They blew down the dune, scattering all over beside them. Like a bugle calling an army to charge, the seagulls went wild. They ran across Trey’s blanket, snatching food from their plates. While others pecked the ground for our bread.
Portia hopped up, swinging her arms around, as if to scare them off. I giggled. Then one of them pooped right on her head. Trey whipped off his shirt to cover Portia with. Right then, another gull crapped. This time it hit Trey’s chest. It was like a warzone out there. Best. Day. Ever.
“Quick, let’s use the rest of this and go,” Kenadi said. She ripped open the other sacks, and threw it into the air. Just then, the wind shifted, blowing the bread back at us. White crumbs and pieces stuck in her hair and to her clothes.
“Oh crap,” I said as I glanced up to see another swarm of birds, this one headed for us.
Gulls surrounded us, landing on the ground to eat the food. And when they couldn’t find it there, they swooped at Kenadi’s head.
“Run,” she shouted. We bolted down the dune, heading toward the shoreline and away from Trey and Portia.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. My feet slid in the sand as I fought to keep my balance. I dragged my duffle bag behind me, screeching.
I peered over my shoulder to see a seagull grab hold of one of Ken’s braids. “Let go.” She swung at it. When it didn’t stop, she grabbed hold of the other end of the braid and tugged back. “Damn birds. Ow.”
Somehow, the seagull managed to rip the extension from her hair, and we gawked as it flew off with it. “Quick, before more come.”
Our feet pounded the sand. Dang, it was a good thing we were in shape. As we rounded the corner, we raced onto the boardwalk, still being pursued by birds. There, posted next to the walkway was a sign that said, ‘Don’t feed the birds.’ And now I knew why, they turned into savages.
At last, we made it to the parking lot and we dove into Ken’s car.
“Those were attack birds,” Kenadi said, shoving her key into the ignition. “Shit. My mom is gonna kill me. She just paid to get my hair done and now look at it.”
I glanced at her, bird crap splattered in her hair. Her braids stuck up like Medusa’s snakes. I busted up laughing. Not that I fared much better. I had scratches on my arm from where the birds swooped down trying to grab bread. Besides that, I think I had sand in every orifice of my body.
“Sorry,” I said.
But when she looked at me, she giggled too as she pulled a feather off my shirt. “You smell like bird ass.”
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Trey and Portia running down the boardwalk. “We need to go.”
She glanced up, put the car in drive, and drove out of the lot. “This sabotaging business is hard stuff. I think we should stop and get a milkshake on the way home.”
“I’m in.”
***
“Delyla, Trey’s here,” Mom hollered upstairs.
