Chapter 6: SPArty Invitations
One seasonably cold third Saturday of February 2020, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties client Isabella Black's house in Oakmont. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I believe that you guys already know who I am," Isabella told us. "We do?" James asked. "Of course," Isabella replied. "Remember how the 7th and 8th graders from Shady Side Academy Middle School came over to your apartment for a Halloween party?" "Oh right," Henri remembered. We sat down to eat dinner, which was fried chicken and beer. "So, what slumber party are you planning to host this month, Isabella?" Sarah asked. "Are you still going to host the Sleep at the Beach sleepover, or what?" "No, Sarah," Isabella replied. "I plan to host something even better than that- a Spa Night Sleepover!" James and Henri groaned. "The beach theme would have been a lot better," Henri pointed out. "Yeah, the spa theme is too girly for us," James agreed. "Now, now, boys," I pointed out. "That is not displaying a positive attitude at work. We are supposed to help Isabella make her invitations out of nail polish bottles." James and Henri groaned again. "I don't know if boys go to the spa, or not," James contradicted. "Absolutely, James," Sarah pointed out. "Think of all of your girlfriends that you tried to impress in high school." "Oh, yeah," James remembered. "Sybil was one of those girls who I tried to have like me, but then she became interested in other male upperclassmen." "What about School Picture Day?" I asked. "Yeah, what about it?" Sarah asked. "I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed in bed for much of the morning," James told us. "But, I helped you," I reminded James. "Do you remember that?" "And, I helped Sarah," Henri remembered. "Boys and girls attempt to pamper themselves and look good in different ways," Sarah pointed out. "Boys shave their face and get a haircut, but they can also receive pedicures with clear nail polish," I admitted. Isabella made her invitations out of nail polish bottles with Sarah's favorite shade of glitter paper, and included all the details on the front. "Your toenails are bright pink," Isabella pointed out as Sarah slipped off her shoes. "Mine are, too," Isabella stated, slipping off her shoes. "I also wanted to let you know that work is a very important thing to pamper for as well," I told everyone. "Girls shave under their arms and their legs, and for me, it's facial hair. They also get manicures and pedicures with all different colors of nail polish." "That's definitely something that we should do at the party," Isabella stated. "You and my big sister, Alexandra could volunteer to give everyone manicures and pedicures at the slumber party." "I don't know about you boys, but I think a Spa Night Sleepover sounds like fun," I told everyone. "Yeah, it's fun," Sarah agreed. "This is probably one of the reasons why girls don't wear socks with a lot of dress shoes, but boys do," Isabella pointed out. "Since boys can't paint their nails and do other girly stuff, unless James and Henri are up for a challenge." "If there are other activities at the party, we would much rather help out with those, instead," James stated. "Which I am sure there are, right?" Henri asked. "I actually know what activities I would like to do during the party," Isabella told us, "but we can still have a meeting sometime during the week to discuss them, if you would like." "That's okay," Henri told us. "We would rather not find out." "Now, I am starting to develop a foot fetish," James stated, "especially with all of those girls that I tried to impress back in high school, especially if they try to pamper themselves and look good for a school picture." "A lot of our clients are also performing in the Open Mic Night tomorrow at MSG Academy in Turtle Creek, which we just saw a dress rehearsal for," I pointed out. "That's nice," Isabella remarked. "I realize that my stepbrothers would rather not do girly things, but we already had a normal slumber party last month, with popcorn, video games, and fuzzy pillows," Sarah pointed out. "I am personally looking forward to helping out with this Spa Night Sleepover." "At least, you seem enthusiastic about this job," I told Sarah. "I am always enthusiastic on the job," Sarah told me. "That is how my bosses and clients like and respect me." After Isabella was done making the invitations, we drove Isabella to deliver the invitations to her 4 guests Amelia, Sophia, and twins Annabel and Brielle. After our shift was over, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great evening, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"