Chapter 7: Star-Studded Activities
One cold first Saturday of February 2023, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, Max Greenwald, Carly Shay, and Spencer Puckett, as well as Carly's stepdad, Freddie Benson, at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties client Abigail Carson's apartment in Point Breeze. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I am planning to decorate my room like the VIP room and then play The Lead Role, followed by a Photograph Relay, Magazine Scavenger Hunt, Pajama Fashion Show, a Friendship Star-Walk, and a Sleepover Spa, along with hors d'oeurves, Star Sandwiches, and pastries," Abigail told us. "Why weren't you at the Activity Day with us yesterday?" I asked Abigail. "I had a history test and a lot going on with school," Abigail replied. "Finding fancy clothes for a slumber party is like me finding a new suit and tie for my school dance in 10th grade when Betsy asked me," James pointed out. "I had a Boy Scouts meeting that day," Henri stated. "And, I just ate pizza with Angel that day," Sarah added. "How did you do on your history test?" "I did really well," Abigail pointed out. "Did anybody try to cheat off of your exam and give you a hard time about it?" Sarah asked. "Luckily, no," Abigail replied. "I had that problem when a guy named Nathan took advantage of my smartness by cheating off of my exam and lying about me cheating," Sarah remembered. "Oh, wow!" Abigail remarked. "I have an icebreaker for all of you guys," I stated. "What is your favorite form of self-care?" While listening to Kate Bush on the way, I described how a hike in the park would be my best form of self-care. "Maybe, when the weather is warmer, we can plan a hike in the park," Sarah told me. Then, while listening to Lizzo, I asked Sarah, James, and Henri about their best form of self-care. "I like scavenger hunts best because you get to find fun things like we will do at Target down the street earlier today," James replied. "Except I have a disposable camera that Abigail and her friends can use for the photograph relay." "And, the girls can borrow my make-up so we don't have to spend a whole lot of money on our shopping trip." "What did you guys do during the work week for self-care?" I asked. "Well, I made a tie-dye shirt that I can wear on more casual outings," Sarah replied. "It is black and gold and it has the Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties logo written all over it." "We had our own field day in the snow on Friday," Henri told us. "Are you sure you guys were warm enough?" I asked. "Let me know if you guys ever have a Field Day at the office and I can join you sometime," I told my friends. "Okay," James agreed. While listening to NSYNC, I talked with Carly, Spencer, and Mr. Benson about their best form of self-care. "I like to ride my bike," Spencer replied. "As a matter of fact, that is how I got here- on my bike!" "We saw you guys at Monroeville during your physical workout in the snow," Mr. Benson stated. "Which is good because that is my favorite form of self-care." "Can you guess what my favorite form of self-care is?" Carly asked us. "Let me guess, is it... arts and crafts?" I asked. "You're so smart," Carly remarked. "As a matter of fact, I have my popsicle stick bracelet that I made back in 8th grade." "By the way, did I tell you how we went to Mount Lebanon yesterday for the activities in order to get out of the city?" I asked. Finally, while listening to 98 Degrees, I talked with Alex, Justin, and Max about their favorite forms of self-care. "I love to play volleyball, as we all know," Alex stated. "I remember because you talked about it in one of your journal entries," I pointed out. "By the way, are you looking forward to your 30th birthday?" "Yes, but it is still 3 months away and Justin has not even turned 30 yet," Alex stated. "I wish that spring would come faster because I remember participating in a volleyball game back in high school in 11th grade." "I like to just work out to YouTube videos," Justin replied. "Do you know about any with Nick Lachey in them?" I asked Justin. "None that I know of," Justin replied. "I like outdoor cooking around the campfire," Max replied. "Along with marshmallows for s'mores, I like to cook hot dogs over a campfire, and it is just as fun as grilling hot dogs for the picnic every year." "I don't have nutrition group this week, but I have it next week before the slumber party," Alex told me. "You can come to that if you wish." Then, we conducted our own scavenger hunt during our shopping trip to Target for Abigail's Star-Studded Sleepover next Saturday. After that, it was time for all of us to go home. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys!" "Good night!"