Ok. The "birthday party" is going to officially start in 5 minutes, when everyone is scheduled to come. I'm really nervous. What if nobody says yes? What if they all argue, go home, and never speak to me again?
Stop thinking negative, I say to myself. The worst thing that could happen is everyone politely disagreeing and leaving early. No biggie.
A noise interrupts my thoughts. The doorbell. I take a deep breath and walk towards the door. I open it to see Nicole.
Of course. The perfect girl has to be on time to the party, right?
I let her in, and we sit on the couch. Awkward silence. After about a minute, I tell her, "Sorry about waiting. It's just that we have to wait for everyone to get here before we do anything."
Nicole gives me a sympathetic smile. "It's okay," she says. "This is like a second nature to me. Waiting, I mean."
Phew. What a relief. The last thing I want is to keep the most popular girl in school waiting.
After a while, everybody trickles in, leaving Nicole, Matthew, Claire, Sabina, and I waiting. For Chase. I explain to everyone what I told Nicole before, and they nodded and acted like they understood.
Finally, finally, finally, the last doorbell ring sounds, and I open it to see Chase.
"Sorry I took so long," he says. Drumsticks are in his pocket, as always.
"It's okay," I tell him. We walk into the living room, where everyone is waiting.
Ok. Here's the big moment. You have to tell them, I think as Chase slowly takes a seat on the couch.
Ok. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna say it.
"Guys, I'm sorry, but...
This isn't a birthday party."
