Sweet Sixteen
"Calm down, Altheia."I opend my purple notebook to my
"Sweet Sixteen Party To Do list."
"Here's what we have to do.if we just fallow this list,everything will be all right."
Together we read the list.
(1) Go to post office-get invitations back.
(2) Call Wilson!
(3) Redo the guest list to include boys.
(4) Mail out new invitations.
Altheia pointed to the first item on the list."See, we already have a problem,"she complaind."How are we going to get the invitations back? They're sitting in the post office right now!."
The city bus lurched to a stop at a red light.It was Friday afternoon and Altheia and I were rushing to the post office.
Our party planner, Wilson Miller, mailed our party invitation that afternoon.Wilson was planning our sweet sixteen as a favour to Dad.You would think that throwing a party would be easy with the help of a professional planner. But somehow Altheia and I made it very complicated.
At first we wanted to have an all-girl sweet sixteen-so we invited fifty girls.The invitations addressed to those fifty girls were sitting in the post office, ready to be delivered.
But then Altheia and I changed our minds.She wanted to invite her boyfriend, Xander Impenna and I wanted to invite my new boyfriend,Leo.How could we celebrate our sweet sixteen without them?So we wanted to uninvite half the girls and invite twenty-five boys.
The problem was, we didn't tell Wilson in time.And once the girls received their invitation,ther would be mortifying!
The bus stopped in front of post office.Altheia looked determined.
"Operation Rescue-the-Invites begins,"she announced
"Next?"a mail clerk behind the counter called.Athena and I sprinted up to the counter.As we aporoached the clerk,I noticed the she was wearing a yellow smiley-face button on her cardigan sweater.She had another pin next to it that said
SERVICE WITH A SMILE-GUARANTEED.
I hoped she was as friendly and cheerful as her sweater said she was.
"May I help you?the clerk asked.
"Yes,thank you- Nancy,"I said,sneaking a peek at her name tag.
"We have a problem.We're having a sweet sixteen party in a few weeks, and someone just dropped off the invitation here-to be mailed.But there's a huge mistake on them,so we've got to get them back."
"Hey! I think I see the invitation right over there!"Athena pointed to a white box sitting on a metal cart behind the clerks'station."Those square envelopes that look like CD covers?."
"That's them!"I squinted at the cart and gasped."That is them! Could we have them back, please?"
"Hold on, girls.We're not even sure those are the correct item,"Nancy said."And even if they were,I'm not allowed to-"
"Look!"Athena grabbed my sleeve."That's Wilson'a logo on the side of the box.Those are definitely our invitation."
"Excellent! We can just take them back before anyone sees them," I said.
I smiled. This was all working out so easily!. Nancy shook her head."No,girls,I'm afraid I can't help you.We're not allowed to return mail once it's been given to us."
"What?" I slumped against the counter.I couldn't belive that Nancy wouldn't help us.Maybe I should tell her the whole story.
"May boyfriend broke up with with me because of this mix-up........"I said.I felt tears prickling the backs of my eyelids."I told Xander the party was for girls only-but then Athena invited her boyfriend,Leo,and Xander heard about it.Xander thought I lied to him! And now he isn't speaking to me!"
Nancy reached over and patted my arm."That's terrible! You poor thing.My daugther went through a terrible break-up last month,too."
"So.......you understand?"I looked at her and blinked away a tear."You'll make an exception and give those envelopes back to us?"
"What? Oh, no."Nancy shook her head."I'm sorry,girls but there's nothing I can do."I watched as one of the postal workers approached the metal cart.He pushed it around the counter and out into the hallway.I gulped in second,our invitation would be in a truck and on their way to fifty girls!.
"Please,I begged.My relationship is at stake here."
"Not to mention our social lives!."Athena added."We will not be popular if we have to uninvite twenty-five girls from our party!"
"No one will ever talk to us again,"I said i leaned on the counter,did an extreme slump and tried to look as pathetic as I could."We'll be complete outcasts."I paused
"Let's face it,Athena.Our social life is now officially over."Nancy's expression didn't change. She looked over our heads to the line that had formed behind us."Next!"she called.
We shuffeld down the counter,away from Nancy's window.I glanced over at the metal cart,where our invitation still sat.The postal worker had stopped in the hallway.The cart itself was within easy reach.
"Wait a second!"I whispered to Athena."We're not going anywhere yet i have a plan."
"What is it?"Athena asked in soft voice."We have to couse a distraction,"I whispered."Why?"Athena wanted to know."Just do it!"I said.
Athena walked toward the exit and then pitched forward to the floor,thowing her arms ito the air with dramatic flair."Yikes!"she cried as she tumble forward on the slick linoleum floor.
"Perfect,"I said under my breath."Oh,dear.Are you all right?"the worker punshing the cart asked.He rushed over to check on Altheia,leaving the cart completely and totally unguarded.
Two more people-including Nancy-followed right behind."Don't move,Athena!"I cried."I'll call a doctor."
Athena had just enough time to glance up at me with a confused look before the entire staff of clerks and costomers crowded around her."Honey,let mr have a look at that ankle,"Nancy said
I ran towards the hallway where our invitations were abandoned.Excellent! No one had seen me.I tiptoed over to the metal cart. I grabbed the box of invitations.
I checked the return address on the envelopes to make sure I had the right box."Yes! They were our invitation!"Now all I had to do was get them out of the post office!.
Whith the box under my arm,I sneaked towards the front door.
"What do you think you're doing?"a man's deep voice bellowed.
I look up, and came a face to face with a stern-looking man in a brown suit.
"Exactly where do you think your're going with that box young lady?" Tha man asked."Um......isn't the mail drop?"I said
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Dear:Readers
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Alyssapanugot12 (^_^)
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