Chapter 2: Sugar Rush Activities
One cool third Saturday of September 2020, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties client Heather Chessin's house in Cheswick. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. We ate cobb salad and potatoes for our lunch and dinner. Heather was regularly licking her lips. "Why do you keep licking your lips like that, Heather?" I asked. "Because I am excited about the desserts I plan to serve that involve candy," Heather told me. "I plan to roast marshmallows for s'mores, decorate ice cream sundaes with candy toppings, and also decorate cupcakes with candy toppings." "Oooh, those all sound very yummy," Henri stated, licking his lips. "Especially the ice cream sundaes! Think hot fudge!" "I love s'mores," James stated. "They are my favorite slumber party dessert." "So, I guess I will be helping out with the cupcakes," Sarah pointed out. "Will they be homemade or store-bought?" "We can see if they have plain frosted chocolate and vanilla cupcakes at Target," Heather stated. "If not, I can always bake the cupcakes from scratch and then have everyone decorate theirs at the party." "That sounds like fun, Heather," Sarah agreed. "Uh-huh," I stated. Heather was also finishing up the last of her online homework from school. "This coronavirus is still really bothering me," Heather stated. "I never got a senior prom, my high school graduation got delayed, and now I am starting my time at Pitt completely online, and the worst part is no sports until next year!" "I like to watch baseball games with my friends," I explained. "Especially a baseball game at James's high school when we were teenagers." "We couldn't really do many outings this year," James explained. "Mainly because of the coronavirus outbreak, but also because we think this internship is more fun!" "We do outings during the week, sometimes," I told my friends. "Most recently on this past Wednesday, where we could soak up some fun in the sun in Greenfield, Swissvale, and Point Breeze." "I am going to miss the summer months," James stated. "I won't," Sarah disagreed. "The weather today is absolutely perfect, and we can take walks and play outside without getting too hot." "Heather, would you like something special to drink during your slumber party next Saturday?" James asked. "Like maybe some lemonade or something?" "Thanks, but no thanks," Heather replied. "I thought that maybe you would like to sell lemonade to your guests like Henri and I did on an unseasonably hot day in late spring," James told us. "How about apple cider?" Sarah asked. "That is such a tasty autumn drink." "Speaking of which, what candy-themed games and activities are you going to do?" I asked. "I am glad that you asked, Angel," Heather replied. "For games, we will have a Candy Scavenger Hunt Relay Race, M&M Mouth, and a Biggest Bubble Contest with bubble gum. In addition, I would like to have a Candybar Race where we eat a Hershey bar without using our hands, and the Jellybean Mountain game where we scoop a jellybean off of a giant mound of flour." "Any other special activities, Heather?" Sarah asked. "I am glad that you asked, Sarah," Heather replied. "I am going to make candy jewelry with my friends." "Neat," Sarah remarked. "By the way, I loved all of your shout-outs from this morning," Heather remarked. "Especially yours about eating gummies in total darkness!" "I was in charge of 2 of these foods and games at camp this past Thursday," I explained. "The Candybar Race during the afternoon and the sundae bar for dessert at night." "I heard that you were crying and screaming waiting at the bus stop, Angel," Sarah told me. "I was just worried because the buses were not showing up when they were not supposed to, and I was out after dark, and worst of all, the police came," I explained. "Oh my goodness!" Sarah exclaimed. "I am so glad that you weren't hurt or robbed. But, you need to leave home as early as possible so this does not happen again." We then headed to Target in Harmarville for everything we needed for Heather's slumber party. Sarah and I helped shop for plain frosted vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and cleaning needles and a finishing line in addition to various candies for the activities. James helped shop for graham crackers, Kit-Kat bars, and marshmallows for s'mores, Hershey bars for the Candybar Race, and bubble gum for the Biggest Bubble Blowing Contest. Henri helped shop for chocolate and vanilla ice cream for sundaes and flour in addition to various candies for the activities. "Do hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles count as candies?" Henri asked. "I suppose so," Heather asked. After we finished shopping at Target, we had time to play a game of Donut on a Rope, in which we ate doughnuts off of a rope and the one who finished their doughnut won. Once the game was over, Sarah, James, Henri, and I headed back to their apartment building in Penn Hills. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys!" "Good night!"