Friday comes, and Taffyta is getting out of bed that morning, dressing for school. She pulls a pink Aeropostale shirt from her closet, a denim skirt with pink stitching on the hem, pink socks, and her pink sneakers, along with one of her signature metallic pink jackets.
As she dresses for school, she thinks about Rancis. "Gosh, he's so amazing...I can't wait to see him at school today." she thinks as she puts on her skirt and socks.
She goes downstairs, carrying her shoes and zipping her jacket all at the same time.
"Whoa, Taffyta, sweetie, let me help you there!" her mom says, taking the shoes from her, letting her have both of her hands to zip her jacket. She then hands her shoes back to her.
"Thanks, Mom. I'm just a little distracted today..." Taffyta says, putting on her sneakers and tying them.
"It's okay, honey. Breakfast is on the table, then you have to make your lunch." Misty says as she disappears into the bedroom her and her husband share.
Taffyta goes into the kitchen and eats her scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and strawberry muffins. After finishing her breakfast, she makes a chicken salad sandwich for her lunch, and packs it in her lunchbox along with sea salt & vinegar kettle-cooked chips, strawberry juice, baby carrots & ranch dressing dip, mixed berry yogurt, and a colby jack cheese stick.
"All done with breakfast, Mom!" Taffyta shouts at her mom as she grabs her lunchbox and backpack. "I have to go now or I'll be late!"
"All right, baby, have a good day!" Misty shouts after her daughter.
"Same to you, Mom! See you later!" Taffyta says, running out the door to meet Candlehead.
"So, you up for a slumber party tonight at my house, Taffy?" Candlehead asks Taffyta as they walk to school.
"Sorry, I can't do that tonight. I'm going to the mall with Jubi, Citrus, Rancis, and Beezle. Jubi asked me to come and hang out with them." Taffyta says, shifting her lunchbox to her right side.
"Oh, that's cool. I heard we're getting a new student pretty soon." Candlehead says, sighing angrily.
"Maybe it'll be a good thing." Taffyta tells Candlehead. "Maybe she'll be friendly. We'll see when she comes. She won't be here for a few more weeks."
"You're right, Taffy." Candlehead says, fiddling with the strings on her brown and pink striped sweatshirt. "I'm just a bit...nervous around new people."
"You shouldn't be that nervous, Candles. You met Gloyd without getting nervous and jittery. So, meeting this new student won't be that bad, I promise." Taffyta tells her.
"All right, Taffy, if you say so." Candlehead says as the two of them enter the school building.
In math class, Taffyta sits with Adorabeezle, Jubileena, Citrusella, and Rancis. Fridays at Houston Heights High School are known as "free days", so the lessons for the day are shortened, giving the students more time to talk and hang out.
"So, what's the plan for tonight, guys?" Rancis asks, holding Taffyta's hand as she giggles.
"We're going to browse the shops, then we're going to eat, then we're going to hang out." Citrusella says, eating a piece of blueberry taffy.
"That sounds fun." Taffyta says, playing with the zipper on her jacket.
"So, how does it feel to be in the school band, Citrus?" Taffyta asks her, changing the subject.
"It's sooooo worth it, Taffy!" Citrusella says. "Playing the trumpet isn't hard once you get used to it. I practiced all summer to get into the brass section of the band. Rancis is in the school band, too, playing the drums as the drum major."
"That's right, Citrusella." Rancis says as he twirls a strand of his perfect blonde hair. "I love playing the drums."
"That's cool. But anyway, what time are you coming tonight?" Taffyta asks.
"We're coming to your house at 6:00 p.m., don't be late!" Citrusella says as she finishes her taffy.
Just then, the bell rings and everyone dismisses for lunch.
In the cafeteria, the gang of five sits with Candlehead and Gloyd as everyone unpacks their lunches, except for Citrusella, who chose the hot lunch that day: a hamburger, crinkle cut fries, a slice of lemon meringue pie, and milk.
"All right, Taffy, answer this question for me. How do you feel about Fluggerbutter?" Candlehead asks her.
"I love him more than you know, Candles. We've dated for over 6 months now, make that 7. I know we may be in high school now, but I plan to attend college with him, too. I feel so many things around him, but mostly I feel happy around him." Taffyta says as she eats her sandwich and chips.
"I see. How many dates have you been on?" Candlehead asks, taking a bite of her cupcake.
"Approximately 10 dates, counting the Florida trip." Taffyta says, drinking her juice.
"Whoa. That's a lot." Citrusella says, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I know, right?" Taffyta says.
"Yeah!" Citrusella says, smiling.
Soon, lunch ends, and the five students head off to gym class.
After school, Taffyta is walking home with Candlehead, still thinking about Rancis.
"Taffy, you're going to come over tomorrow, right?" Candlehead asks her.
"Yeah, Candles. I nearly forgot you wanted to talk birthday talk about Rancis' 18th birthday." Taffyta says, blushing as she says Rancis' name.
"You know I do." Candlehead says, holding Gloyd's hand as they walk.
"What are you gonna get him?" Taffyta asks Candlehead.
"I was thinking of getting him that new video game he's been wanting. You know, Mario Kart 8." Candlehead says, smiling.
"Oh, he'll LOVE that!" Taffyta replies with a grin on her face.
They arrive at Taffyta's house, and Taffyta runs up her front steps.
"See you tomorrow?" Candlehead asks her.
"You know it!" Taffyta says as she waves good-bye and goes into her house.
"I'm home!" Taffyta says as she throws her backpack into the hall closet and her jacket on the coat rack.
"Hello, honey! How was school?" Misty asks her daughter.
"It was good. I can still go to the mall tonight, right?" Taffyta asks her.
"Of course you can! Your friend Jubileena did invite you, after all." Misty says, smiling.
"All right!" Taffyta says as she grabs a strawberry muffin from a plate on the table and pours herself a glass of strawberry milk.
She eats her snack, then starts on her weekend homework.
Soon, she finishes her homework and gets ready to go to the mall. She puts on a pink t-shirt with the words "This Is What Awesome Looks Like" across the front of it in black, a pair of jeans, pink socks, and a pair of pink and white striped athletic shoes. She then brushes her hair and throws her strawberry hat over it. She puts her metallic pink jacket on over her shirt, then gives herself another once-over.
"Am I forgetting anything? Oh, dinner and shopping money!" Taffyta says as she grabs some money from her lollipop bank and puts it in her pink purse, grabbing it and checking herself again. "Now I'm ready." Taffyta says as she runs out of her room and out the front door, seeing Adorabeezle's ice blue Mustang convertible parked in front of her house.
"Ready for some fun? Beezy offered to take us in her new car." Jubileena says to Taffyta as she gets in front with Adorabeezle.
"You know I'm ready!" Taffyta says as she hops in the back of the car and sits next to Rancis.
"All right, then, here we go!" Adorabeezle and Jubileena say at the same time as Adorabeezle starts her car and they drive off to the mall.
After arriving at the mall, the five of them get out of the car and walk to the entrance, smiling at one another. Once they get inside, they decide to eat first.
"Who wants Taco Bell?" Rancis asks the other four.
"I do!" Taffyta says, grinning as Adorabeezle raises her hand to agree with Rancis. Jubileena and Citrusella just look at each other.
"We're going to the Salad Factory, so you three can have your tacos." Jubileena says as she walks off with her sister.
Soon, everyone gets their food, and they all sit at a table to talk.
"All right, let's talk about Rancis' birthday party next weekend." Jubileena says, smiling. "I want to know this, Rancis, did you invite any of those dorky nerds to your party?"
"No, I didn't. I invited you, Citrusella, Minty, Sticky, Torvald, Adorabeezle, Swizzle, Candlehead, Taffyta, Gloyd, Crumbelina, Nougetsia, Snowanna, Presley, and Felicity." Rancis says as he eats his taco. "Vanellope didn't get an invitation because she's SO desperate for attention. Like she can afford to come to my party. Her family is SO poor." he says, smiling.
"Awesome!" Jubileena says, smiling back. "What's the menu for your party? Is there going to be anything good?"
"My mom says we're gonna do some fall delicacies, like roasted autumn vegetables and stuffed mushrooms. But there's going to be party foods like sandwiches and party platters with fruit, vegetables, and Italian meats and cheeses. And there's going to be fruit punch, soda, and water to drink. For dessert, there's going to be a big cake, three different kinds of pie, and a make your own sundae bar." Rancis says excitedly.
"Wow…that all sounds AWESOME!" Citrusella says, drooling at the sound of stuffed mushrooms and Italian cheeses.
"All right, what about entertainment? What kind of stuff do you have lined up?" Adorabeezle asks Rancis as she eats her caramel apple empanada.
"Well, there's going to be acrobats, a magician, and an amazing DJ, who plays some really great music." Rancis says, smiling.
"You mean 'Red Hot' DJ Cinnamon?" Adorabeezle asks him.
"Yeah, that's it." Rancis says, smiling.
"Awesome! He did my cousin's wedding! He's the best!" Adorabeezle says excitedly.
"All right, enough party talk, it's window shopping time!" Jubileena says as she finishes her salad.
Everyone cheers at the sound of window shopping and they throw away their trash before heading off to do so.
The five teenagers walk the mall, window shopping to their heart's content.
"Ooooooh, that looks awesome!" Taffyta says, looking in the window of the toy store, Fun and Sweet Delights Toy Shop.
"What is it, Taffy?" Citrusella asks her.
"The big pink teddy bear with the big pink bow. That's what I want my birthday this year." Taffyta says, smiling. "I've been eyeing this for a while, and I know my birthday's tomorrow."
"Wow! That bear does look pretty cute…" Citrusella says as she looks with her.
"So, what are YOU getting Rancis for his birthday?" Jubileena asks Taffyta.
"I've been working on his first gift since summer vacation, but I already bought him a gold ID bracelet with his name engraved in it as a second gift to go with the first gift." Taffyta says as she shows the three girls, who are impressed with her choice of present.
"Wow…that is so cool!" Adorabeezle says. "Beats the gift I got him. It's already at home and wrapped. I bought him a fashion designer's kit."
"He'll like your gift for sure, Beezy." Jubileena says, smiling.
As the gift talk continues, Taffyta walks over to Rancis.
"Rancy? You getting nervous about your birthday party next week?" Taffyta asks him.
"A little bit. This is my first big party besides my Sweet 16. My parents are putting this together for me, and you would think I'm getting everything I want for my birthday. But, the truth is, I'm not. I really want to be with you on my birthday. I want that more than anything." Rancis says, looking into Taffyta's ice blue eyes.
"Really?" Taffyta asks, looking into Rancis' baby blue eyes.
"Yep. But I should be happy that I'm going to have a party. I know you'll be there." Rancis says, smiling.
"I'm going to be there, and I'll spend time with you, Rancy. Just like you want me to." Taffyta says as she kisses Rancis on the cheek.
Rancis smiles and kisses her back.
Later, the five of them gather outside the mall and walk to Adorabeezle's car.
"So, what did you two talk about?" Adorabeezle says, nudging Rancis' shoulder playfully.
"It was nothing, Beezy. Just birthday talk, that's all." Rancis says, blushing.
"Oh, okay, then." Adorabeezle says as she climbs into the car, along with the others. She then starts the car and starts driving.
The five of them talk about school and other subjects as Adorabeezle drives down the highway.
Some time later, they arrive at Taffyta's house.
"I'll see you guys on Monday! And my mom will see you at her bakery tomorrow, Rancis!" Taffyta says as she hops out of the car and runs to her front steps.
"All right, Taffy, see you later!" Adorabeezle says as she drives off. "And Happy Birthday tomorrow!"
"Thanks, Beezy! See you later!" Taffyta says as she opens her front door, waving to her friends.
As she walks in the house, she smiles, knowing she had fun with her friends tonight.
"Hello, baby. How was your mall outing?" Michael asks his daughter.
"It was the best time I've ever had with my friends. Otherwise, it was good." Taffyta says, taking off her shoes.
"Well, that's good, baby girl. I'm glad you had fun with your friends tonight." Michael says, smiling at his daughter.
"I'm going to go upstairs and get ready for bed. It's late, and I'm going over to Candlehead's tomorrow." Taffyta says to her dad.
"All right, darling. Good night." Michael says as Taffyta heads upstairs to her room.
In her bedroom, Taffyta puts on a pink strawberry-patterned nightgown, then goes to brush her teeth.
"I had fun tonight." Taffyta says to herself as she brushes her teeth. "And Rancis' party next weekend will be even more fun. I know it."
She smiles as she finishes brushing her teeth, and then she goes into her bedroom, getting into bed.
"I can't wait to spend time with Candlehead tomorrow…and I can't wait for my birthday tomorrow as well…" Taffyta says as she falls asleep.