For a second everything seemed to hang frozen.

  The rock sailed through the air in a perfect arc towards the nest, and then it collided, knocking the hive onto the ground.

  I heard Abby scream as a black nightmare cloud rose above the yard and began to spread outwards towards the rest of us.

  “Bobby, you idiot!” I yelled.

  Or I think I did.

  I really wanted to yell, but I’m not positive because at that point everyone was yelling or running.

  No one stands still in a yard full of angry bees.

  Jessica screamed that she was allergic and dashed towards my parent’s house.

  Chad and Jeremy ran around to the front yard, and Bobby just stood there laughing, like an idiot.

  I tried telling my legs to run, but they couldn’t hear me over my screaming I suppose.

  I shut my eyes and waited for the stinging.

  Just when I thought I was going to get swarmed I felt someone grab my hand and pulled me, a little roughly I should add, and I followed.

  I opened my eyes and saw Adam had my hand and he was leading me into the neighbor’s yard.

  Then I realized he was running straight to the pool!

  I tried to yank my hand away, but it was too late.

  We both plunged into the deep end.

  A second later I saw Abby, Jessica, and Bobby jump in too.

  I wondered if Abby was glad that she got to swim after all. At least one of us could be happy on my birthday.

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  At the time I remember thinking I wished I would have drowned.

  Or, I don’t know, somebody, especially Bobby, would have, because then that would have been a bigger disaster than my actual party.

  As things were, it was going to be tough to top this.

  I mean, yeah, the Titanic was pretty bad, but at least no one was chased by bees while the ship was sinking.

  But no one drowned.

  Instead we kicked and swam to the other end of the pool.

  Oh, and, did you know swimming with your clothes on sucks?

  It really does, believe me, I know.

  Somehow all that swimming must have drained the anger out of me though, because when I got to the other side I wasn’t angry at Adam anymore.

  Like, I even wondered why I’d been mad at him in the first place.

  I’m only glad that when we finally reached the other side I was too busy gasping for air and looking around to make sure there weren’t any bees to say something stupid to Adam.

  No one ate the cake.

  Not after the bees were on it.

  No one sang “Happy Birthday” either.

  Instead we waited inside my living room for everyone’s parents to come pick them up while my mom tended to the boy’s bee stings.

  “At least I didn’t get stung, Caroline,” said Jessica. “My mom would’ve flipped.”

  “She might as well. Everything’s ruined you guys. I tried to throw the best party this town had ever seen and somehow my seventh grade birthday party was a disappointment. I think my reputation is ruined. I’ll never get to sit at the cool table, like, ever.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Adam. “This party was amazing!”

  “Are you crazy? Are we even talking about the same event?”

  “No, seriously, this party had it all. Think about it, Caroline; how many people can say they had an unexpected pool party? Plus, if you count the bees, you had the highest attendance event of the summer for this town.”

  “What are you talking about?” Abby asked.

  “I’m just saying that this party wasn’t all that bad. At least it was really exciting and everyone’s ok.”

  Jeremy looked up from his swollen arm. “Speak for yourself, Adam.”

  “Did you have a bad time?”

  Jeremy smirked a little. “No. I found her mom’s tennis racket and took out a dozen bees before they overwhelmed me. It was a blast.”

  Bobby pointed towards Jeremy. “Are you sure I’m the idiot?”

  I laughed along with everybody else at the end.

  My mom still made me go to confessional.

  According to the priest I’m supposed to forgive her for that, but I’ve got a couple years, right?

  I don’t have to now, anyways. Like I said, I didn’t do anything, so I don’t get why I had to go to confessional.

  I told the priest I didn’t do anything, and we’re only Catholic because of Mel Gibson, and unlike some other people I live with he actually listened to me.

  He asked me what happened to Adam, who was the last person I wanted to talk about.

  He asked me if I said anything to him.

  He wanted to know if I apologized to Adam for what I did at the party.

  I told him I actually thanked Adam for coming.

  He knew I meant it too.

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