XBF4E (Chapter 1)

Over the weekend, Madeline, Debra and Skye went over to Andrea's house for a party. It was a birthday party for Andrea's sister, Linda, who was turning ten years old. The party was held in the backyard so that's where the girls head to from inside the house. Madeline brought in a big wrapped box which she sat down on a white table. The party took place in the afternoon and was a normal, traditional bash: there were shiny decorations, beefy and sugary foods and a pinata of a unicorn. It was a small party since the only people there were a few family members, Andrea's friends (missing Lizzie) and two of Linda's friends.
"What's in the box, Maddie?" asked Andrea, who was with her friends far from Linda.
"I'll give you a hint," started Madeline. "It's firm, it's helpful, and almost everybody has one."
"A dog?"
"Nope."
"A robotic dog?"
"No."
"So it's nothing cool?"
"No, it's something cool. It's a stool!"
"Dog stool?"
"No! There's a chair inside."
"What is my sister going to do with a chair?"
"Sit on it?"
"I know how chairs work."
"I just thought she would like it."
"Why do you always got to treat people around you like poor people?"
"Andrea," said Linda, approaching her.
"What's up, Linda?"
"When is Lizzie going to be here? You promised me she would come."
"She will be here soon. Don't worry, she's not going to miss your party."
Linda grinned with a short murmur then walked back to the table she was sitting in.
"Why does Linda like Lizzie again?" asked Skye.
"I think it's because Linda finds Lizzie funny," answered Andrea.
"We're funny, too," said Madeline. "Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"I."
"I who?"
"I... didn't even come up with a joke."
"So Linda basically doesn't want us here?" Skye questioned.
"I want to say yes but no, she doesn't," responded Andrea.
"Does she not like us?" asked Debra.
"I want to say no but yes, she does not."
"Since it's her birthday, I'm saying nothing," confessed Madeline.
"I'm used to being ignored anyway," admitted Skye.
"Why are we here?"
"Because I asked you guys to be. Plus, Linda doesn't have that many friends so having y'all here would fill up this backyard a little bit. But Lizzie needs to be here. Where is she?"
"I'll text her and find out." Madeline pulled her cell phone from her jeans' pocket and started swiping away.
While Madeline did that, Andrea's father, a tan skinned, chunky man with dark hair on his head and arms, approached the girls. "Hello, girls, I pre-made your plates for you but I want you all to wait so we can say grace." He uttered that with a Latino accent.
Debra looked over at the wooden table covered with plates of foods, mostly hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken breast. "Um, excuse me, Mister Gonzalez," she said, "but do you have any foods that are not on the meat side?"
"Huh?"
"I'm a vegetarian."
"Vegetarian? Esta loca, vegetarian!
"Dad, don't make fun of my friend," ordered Andrea.
"Ella se burla de sí misma por ser vegetariano."
"No voy a tener esta pelea con usted!"
"Yo no cocino para ser irrespetado."
"Nadie te está faltando el respeto, papá."
Andrea's father sighed then looked at Debra. "I got some leftover lettuce. Chop it up and put some cheese on it; you got yourself a salad."
Andrea slapped her father's arm with an embarrassed expression on her face. He shrugged then walked away. After that, Linda walked up to the girls once again in a marching form.
"Where is Lizzie?" she asked, very demanding.
"She's coming, Linda," Andrea responded. "I promise."
"Oh," Madeline said, looking deep into her phone.
"Oh what?" questioned Linda.
"Oh, it's none of your business, Linda," Madeline looked up.
Linda glowered at Madeline with a soft groan then walked from the girls.
"What's wrong, Maddie?" asked Skye.
"Lizzie is not coming," answered Madeline.
Andrea scrunched her eyebrows together. "Why not?"
"She says she's at some concert."
"But I told her fifty times that my sister's party was today and she would really like to see her."
"Well, you know Lizzie."
"I don't believe her. Even though I believe this, I don't believe her."
"What are you going to tell Linda?" Skye asked, successfully holding in a laugh.
"Maybe you can tell Linda," started Debra, "that Lizzie is going to be really, really, really, really, really, really late."
"You want me to tell her that?" inquired Andrea. "So she can wait for her until midnight and stare into the sky like Fault in Our Stars?"
"That was a good book and movie."
"But this is not the book and movie. Okay, she is going to flip."
"No kidding, it was obvious," said Skye.
"You going to tell her?" asked Madeline.
"Frick yeah," Andrea answered. "But I just want you all to know that she is going to kill someone so who's going to be the sacrifice?"
"Not me," responded Debra. "I didn't even eat my lettuce yet."