Partyers

Chapter 3

February 2017

Valentine's Day is usually the day that makes or breaks the general mood of South Cross High School for the remainder of the school year. A successful event hypes up the school spirit further, whereas a failure dampens it without any chance to find a remedy.

Though, if everything goes on smoothly, this is the day that makes couples shine even brighter than usual, whereas all the single lads and ladies are forced to either hope they'll find their significant one or make do with staying single till the end of high school. This, at least, is what happens here.

Well, my friends and I are all not-so-happily single. Or this is what I think, since daily rumors about some hypothetical crushes on the usual popular guy tend to spread on a regular basis. Still, nothing has been done as of now to stop them.

***

"Guess what?" I snap as soon as I catch my friends by their lockers. They're all smiling, somehow looking happy that the day I dread the most is coming. "I'm in charge of organizing this year's Valentine's Day party!"

Usually, I'd rejoice since throwing parties is something I really enjoy. However, this time, I'm not so sure that this event will work the way everyone expects to. I mean, I've never even had a boyfriend, so I don't see the point in organizing an event around something I have no experience in.

Avyannah somehow notices that I'm a little down in the dumps; she places a hand on my left shoulder and replies, "You'll make through it, don't worry. I mean, you've faced far worse challenges than this one." Indeed, she's right.

Still, I'm not so convinced. What if the whole event ends in failure? This time, it doesn't just involve the close-knit family environment, but hundreds of students ready to submit a harsh judgement should they not find everything up to their standards.

Kayte and Melinda put each a hand on my shoulders, too, before promising that we'll make through this together, regardless of what it entails. I know, this scene looks a little sappy, but, come on, this is also included in the friendship package, right?

***

So, the preparation for this event is mostly all about picking a theme, decorating the rooms and making sure that the catering service is up to the school's standards. Oh, and we also have to make invitation tickets from scratch, a really hard task to accomplish since the Principal requested that they're handwritten.

Since I don't want everything to fall on my shoulders, I decide to rely on my friends' help, knowing that they will never back down on a sincere help request and, moreover, we work far better together. However, the Principal believes that I should work with the party committee like per usual, given that they've been nominated just for that.

The main problem, anyway, is who forms part of the committee. It's packed with stuck-up, air-headed bitches whose ideas are the exact opposite of romantic and sweet. In other words, they just want to turn the Valentine's Day event into an excuse to organize a legal rave party.

I know all of them, and I'd rather not exchange a single glance with either, let even talk to them. Madison and Avalon are two members of the cheerleading squad, two pathetic little brats I've always tried to stay away from.

When I tried out for the squad as a freshman, only to get rejected (fortunately for me), they had the brilliant idea (for them!) of hanging posters with my face on every single wall at school containing an offensive slogan: 'You want to see a black butt-headed bitch in the squad? We do NOT!'

This, along with other racist references, is what made me loathe them the most. Hopefully, though, they'll have grown up enough not to judge me just for my skin color. Unless, obviously, it's their proudly all-American parents who infected them with their bigotry.

The other three, on the other hand, are just a bunch of stuck-up Misses Perfection who believe that anyone who fails to keep up with their 4.0 GPA is not worthy of hanging out with them. Yeah, I know, it sounds awful, but that's not the only reason why I'd stay away from Lianna, Bethan and Nicole.

But I don't think you'd like to hear them right now. Anyway, as the deadline grows closer, I make the ultimate decision to woman up and accept to work with the party committee, as long as they will let my friends join me, too.

Take it or leave it, that's it.

***

So, here we are in the school gym, admiring the fabulous job we did with decorations. An arch made of pink, mauve and white balloons has been installed, but there are also balloons scattered all over the walls. The tables are covered in white cloths on top of which there are cute pink and red centerpieces.

Roses are also one of the central elements of the venue: the delicate tones of pink and red match perfectly the white of the cloths. Lastly, soft lights have been installed to create a romantic atmosphere. Elegant, sweet but also simple. Right now, I'm still wondering how we managed to pull off such an effort together in spite of our differences.

A strict dress code has also been imposed: guys have to wear a tuxedo - anyone who does not have one can either borrow one or else be left out of the party - while girls must wear a dress of one of these colors: pink, red, purple or white. Black is also accepted, though.

Even with all those rules, though, there is one crucial thing the committee usually missed in their previous parties: fun. Indeed, fun is what is animating this event, shifting the focus from mere show-off to simple rejoicement at love and blossoming feelings.

Who cares if I can't find my special one right now? At least, I have my friends with me. Right now, they're busy craving on chocolates and cake, aiming to the pleasure of having the largest slice of cake.

On the other hand, I notice the cheerleaders hanging around with their respective boyfriends, kissing each other and glaring at me every once in a while. I look away, not interested in their childish reactions and instead feeling that love is in the air.

And, yes, it even seems as I can touch it with a hand.