The Sophomore

Chapter Seven - Livin' La Vida Loca

Emily's POV

My friends and I were putting up the last few decorations for the newspaper release party when James arrived. "This is looking great! Thanks so much, everyone," James said.

"The man of the hour has finally arrived!" I exclaimed.

"I brought a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. It's the key ingredient to my famous sangria. Should I just put it in the kitchen?"

"Ooh, put it next to the blue champagne! We've got fun drinks tonight!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

James headed into the kitchen just as the doorbell rang again. I answered it to find Zig on the other side, hefting a bag of ice. "Got a delivery for you," Zig said.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek before heading to the kitchen, passing Chris on the way. "Hey, Chris! How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fan-freaking-tastic!" Chris exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic. James will really appreciate it."

"And I really appreciate him sharing the limelight with the team."

I gave him a smile as he headed off to the kitchen. Then I went to my room to grab the last streamers I bought the previous day. Soon after, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"

Kaitlyn skipped into my room and threw herself on my bed. "Things are almost ready!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Seems like it! I can't find the last of the streamers though... Have you seen them?"

"Oh, I grabbed those forever ago. But you know who I haven't seen? Becca. Compared to our last party, she's been totally AWOL. She went from Party Kong to The Invisible Sulk."

"Wow, I almost forgot about her with all the party prep. Don't tell her I said that."

"I feel like she'd want me to remind you that 'a host should dress the part.' Since you're celebrating the newspaper release, you might want to wear something more... Newspapery?"

"I don't know if 'newspapery' is exactly a look... But I might have something more fitting to wear."

"What about that adorable white dress I saw in your closet the other day? The one with all the flowers on it? Perfect! Absolutely gorgeous, dahling."

"You're right, this is way better. I'm going to make headlines in this dress."

Soon, the doorbell rang as our first guests arrived. I answered it, and Edgar and Leila stepped inside. Edgar handed me a bag of animal crackers. "For the snack table. Hm, these decorations look acceptable," Edgar said.

"Look at this getup! You've got future Editor-in-Chief written all over you!" Leila exclaimed. "Though, when James leaves, I'm definitely throwing my name in the hat."

"I would expect nothing less. Please, come in!" I exclaimed.

As he and Leila made their way inside, Amara and Darren came up the front steps. "Hey, Emily. Hate to break it to you, but I couldn't drag Rachel out of her cave tonight," Amara said.

"That's okay, I'm sure she'll make it next time. It's great to see you guys!"

"Thanks. This place looks great! It feels like I never left college," Darren said.

He and Amara headed inside just as Madison skipped up the front steps. "Hi Emily! I hope I'm dressed okay, I don't think I've ever been to a newspaper party before," Madison said.

"You look great, as always," I said.

She peeked into the house behind me excitedly, but then her face fell. "Have you seen Becca, by any chance?"