It wasn't until much later that the party finally dissipated. With the sun threatening to slip past the horizon, the pool party disbanded with the promise of meeting tomorrow to finish cleaning everything - pool noodles that still needed putting away, empty soda cans to be collected, and just general straightening. At the moment Cessily was only vaguely aware of the carnage that remained poolside. She hadn't been expecting much from the day and sat in an euphoric glow on a lounge chair nearby.
She couldn't believe anyone cared - sure, half of them were Julian's friends and it had slipped his mind to fetch her, but still he arranged all of this. For her. There was cake. In the few months she had been here, she had really found a friend in the younger boy and couldn't but feel nothing but touched that he considered her the same. She was just contemplating something nice she could do to show him her appreciation. Maybe treat him to a movie, or pizza, maybe an arcade. Never mind that those things cost money.
Placing a hand on her knee as she did, Cess finally hauled herself up onto her feet and stood clear of the chair. She circled around and straightened it. Here, she paused to finally taking the scene for what it was. Eh, she wasn't sure if she could in good conscious leave everything in such a state of disorganization. She took it upon herself to at least gather the rest of the patio furniture up. That shouldn't take too long.