Waiting by the front door, I watched Euterpe sitting on the first step of the staircase, tying her shoes. She's obviously trying to be quicker about it, as I'm just standing there waiting for her, but her rushed tying is just making her take longer, which in all honesty was mildly amusing. She looked up and saw me watching from below, smiling at how cute she looks when doing such a simple thing like putting her shoes on...I can't help myself!
"Cmon, Euterpe," I said softly, "we're gonna be late to the party..."
She gave a little pout as she moved onto her other shoe. "I know, I know!"
I was about to tease her a bit more, but I heard the pitter-patter of movement from the top of the stairs, a younger girl racing down them with an energetic look. "Wait, let me come too! I wanna go to a party!" Her voice echoed through our house's entryway before we could even say anything. I knew the girl was Calliope from the energy alone, and that she was once again trying to sneak into another hangout. Her liveliness and enthusiasm made her a ball of cuteness bouncing down the stairs.
Euterpe finally finished tying her shoes, and stood up to confront her sister who walked past her to the landing to stand by me at the door. "Calli, we're not bringing you." She said firmly while giving Calliope a stern glare, crossing her arms and trying to look parental.
"But why?"
"Because this isn't your kind of place," Euterpe replied matter-of-factly.
I thought it might be fun to bring her along, so I interjected. "I don't know Euterpe, I think there's no harm in letting Calli tag along. She's only one year younger." Calli's head snapped to me and she smiled widely.
"See! Krake thinks I should come along!" She proudly announced, giving a smug little smirk to her big sis as if she won with her innocent act of persuasion. Euterpe stood in thought for a moment before she sighed and nodded, letting her arms fall from across her chest, but still looking annoyed. "Fine. We'll go with you." She said with an exasperated sigh. "Just don't make me look stupid at the party, or in front of Krake."
Calli was clearly ecstatic with the news. She skipped down the stairs two steps at a time before coming back up them with both hands held up high. "Thank you thank you thank you!!" She paraded, which caused Euterpe to roll her eyes. I was joking earlier about being late, but I did really need to cut this short, so I opened the door as a queue for everyone to file out. It was already dark outside, but the street lights in the cul-de-sac still made it look pleasant and safe enough to walk around here, something Euterpe and I found ourselves doing quite often lately.
I stepped aside so that Calli and Euterpe could exit first, then followed behind her as we walked to my house's driveway, occupied by my old 1994 Ford Taurus. It wasn't anything impressive, a reliable but dated car I got it from my dad on my 16th birthday last year to ferry friends around.
The three of us climbed inside my car, Euterpe fast-walking to the shotgun seat to block Calli from taking it. I turned the key in the ignition and started the engine while they settled into their seats. Calli popped her head between the two front seats, and asked, "What kind of party are we going to?"
I raised one brow. "You asked to come with without knowing what it was? You're funny, Calli." I replied with an amused smirk at her innocent question. "Well, whatever. I heard it was happening tonight a few days ago from some classmates, and you'll like it. It's a ${partyType} party," Euterpe giggled as I continued explaining the details. "Everyone's there to ${partyVerb}. You'll see." I said casually while turning the car out of the cul-de-sac and onto a different forgettable suburban street, filled with same-y houses. We chatted and listened to music on the built-in CD player as we drove to the destination for the night.
We arrived, and I knew it was the place because