Chapter 1: Autism and Advocacy and Vincent's Pizza Park
The next day, I met one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Ritter's Diner on Baum Boulevard for breakfast. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Carly greeted back. "We're back at your favorite breakfast restaurant," Mr. Benson reminded Carly. "Do you guys like this better than Pamela's P&G Diner?" I asked. "Yeah, Pamela's P&G Diner is not nearly as good anymore," Mrs. Shay told me. "I remember telling you how I always wanted to go to a breakfast place like this when I first met you a long time ago," Carly reminded me, "and where there is high-quality food." "Little did you guys know that this restaurant was located all the way in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Shadyside," I stated. We all ordered omelets and home fries to eat with our meals. I ordered a Western omelet, Carly ordered a veggie omelet, Mrs. Shay ordered a Reuben omelet, and Mr. Benson ordered a Dirty South omelet. Later that day, we joined some of my other friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill to talk about autism and advocacy. A young woman from the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy named Jessica came to talk with us about everything regarding autism and advocacy, and even their own special support group similar to ours. Jessica explained that the support group did outings similar to ours, such as happy hours with mix tapes, and Alex even invited the group to join in on their outings occasionally. I also found out that due to one Saturday when Alex offered to go somewhere with us, she felt too overwhelmed and getting cut back a day at work. After our discussion on autism and advocacy, Alex, Justin, Max, and I went to Vincent's Pizza Park and met my mentor, Jenna Moser, along with her boyfriend, Matt Mifflin and younger sister, Jill Moser. "Isn't this better than the pizza we tried to order before one of the high school football games?" Max asked. "Oh, you mean J&S Pizza?" Alex asked. "Yes, and Vincent's is certainly much better than J&S," Justin replied. "Although this pizza can fill you up very fast," Alex pointed out. "Do you want to tell everybody your exciting news, Jill?" Jenna asked. "I am hosting a slumber party next Saturday at our apartment in Point Breeze," Jill happily announced. "You know, right across the street from the Frick Art and Historical Center?" "I gave my younger sisters our frozen entrees to eat before we came over here," Matt stated. "We probably might have pizza to eat at the slumber party," I guessed. "Oh, and popcorn, too!" "This is not just any ordinary slumber party," Jill stated. "This is an Up-All-Night Neon Party!" "Really?" Alex asked. "What all is there at this kind of slumber party?" "Well, the decorations include Bright Balloons, Popping Places, and a Garland Glow, the food and drinks include Glow Gelatin, Glow Punch, and Neon Bark, the games include Ring Toss and Bowling, the activity is a Neon Dance Party, the favors are Light-Up Lanterns, and the next morning, we will have a Bright Breakfast," Jenna explained. "And, we might even watch a movie before all of the activities!" "Since I have Saturdays off now, I could have a slumber party like that of my own, although I still prefer having Saturdays to myself," Alex admitted. "That's okay, Alex," I told my best friend. "I respect your wishes." Jenna, Matt, Jill, and I split a pepperoni pizza, while Justin and Max split a sausage pizza, and Alex ate an individual plain cheese pizza with a side salad. After dinner, Jenna, Matt, and Jill drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"
