But first, let's meet everyone

We had to figure out the carpool arrangements before we left, though. There were three of us planning on taking cars; me, Mary, and Paige.

"Well I definitely want to ride with John", Becca said. Becca had been my girlfriend for quite a long time now. The two of us admitted our feelings for each other right about when I was entering high school, but we didn't officially start dating for a while. However, our bond that had formed over the last eight years had made us practically inseparable, even when she left during last semester in Belgium to study abroad. She had shoulder-length, wavy auburn hair, a pretty slim frame, and a fiery passion that never let her quit something she wanted to achieve.

"I don't know if we can trust you two in a car together". That quip came from Mary. She had always been poking fun at the two of us for years, and she was probably in a bit of a bad mood right now because her long-term boyfriend had broken up with her a few weeks ago. She wasn't exactly fond of Becca, but that made since considering they were sisters. However, they looked nothing alike. Mary had straight, brown hair, a more petite build, and could be described as a bit more crazy and scatterbrained.

"I'll ride with them to keep John focused on the road", Emily offered. "He's gonna have enough problems at the beach house". Emily was the youngest member of my social circle. She just finished her freshman year, and as such, was a bit more naïve than the rest of us. The two of us only really met because we were in the same area during field shows in band, and then she started talking to me, then the rest of my friends, until she was integrated. She had shoulder-length blonde hair that she often dyed red, and was quite short.

Paige piped in then, thankfully saving you by saying, "Great. I'll take Phoebe then". Paige had always been very matter-of-fact. Often times, if she was in a group project with me, she'd be the one taking charge of the group. She was very assertive and wasn't afraid of people getting in her way. She was a lot like Becca in that way, although I'd be caught dead if I ever said that to either of their faces. They had a bit of a rivalry, born from when they were competing against one another all the way back in middle school. Paige was similar to Emily in looks, although Paige's years in track gave her quite the athletic build.

Phoebe was a completely different story. She wasn't exactly a pushover, but she didn't have many strong opinions. She mostly went with the flow, and didn't let grudges get to her. She was pretty Laissez-Faire with a lot of things, similar to me. She was relatively tall with curly blonde hair and was more heavy-set.

"Mind if I squeeze in there with you two?" Kylie asked. She was a member of the band's color guard, she was actually a baton twirler, and was a skilled gymnast. She was more assertive than people gave her credit for, but she went about it in more of a joking manner, to try and not seem aggressive. She had straight brown hair flowing to the middle of her back and was slim as well.

"Well, I'll go with Mary", Anna said. She was a bit of an odd addition to the group of people, but Becca told her offhandedly that we were all planning on going to Long Beach, and she decided to tag along too. Cursed with having an older sister who did nothing, parents that rarely helped, and a bunch of creepy guys chasing her, I decided to let her come along to take her mind off of them.

Grace also said "I'll go with Mary". Grace was also known for being a great leader, but wasn't exactly hard-headed. She sometimes did let her ego get to her, though, which I'd seen several times.

Lastly, I figured that Amber would tag along with Becca and I, but shockingly, she didn't. Maybe it was because she wanted to give the two of us more time together (although, Emily was there, but she didn't really mind the two of us), but she said "I'll go with Mary as well". Amber had a very wide emotional range. I'd seen her when she was over the moon with joy as well as crying in despair. Overall, though, she tended to be more on the optimistic side, and was pretty spontaneous.