Chapter 15: Island Invitations
One seasonably warm first Saturday of July 2023, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other childhood 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 Samantha Carson's house in Point Breeze. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. Samantha was making her invitations to her Island Sleepover out of an index card with tropical pictures from brochures glued to the front just like a tropical postcard. "This is my first time being a party hostess," Samantha admitted to all of us. "Do you have any tips for me?" "I think that it is always a treat to host your first party," Sarah explained. "Before you know it, you will be a teenager and look fondly on this memory, just like on my 15th birthday when we looked at pictures, although this was far more embarrassing at times." "I don't like being 5 years old," Samantha stated. "It seems like you teenagers and adults have way more fun than us little kids!" "Well, it's not all fun and games, Samantha," Sarah explained. "Sometimes, teenagers can have drug and alcohol problems at a very young age. I know this because my boyfriend, Benedict got suspended from middle school at a very young age because of this." "Yes, that was a sad time, all right," James agreed. "I always looked up to Sarah and James because they got to do a lot of the adult stuff that I never got to do," Henri admitted. "Now, I am ready to hand out my invitations before heading over to Family Dollar in Lawrenceville," Samantha stated. We then helped Samantha hand out her invitations to her friends McKenna, Justine, Dora, and Shelby. We also jammed out to Kate Bush, Lizzo, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees on our way to the dollar store. "What an amazing dollar store this is!" Carly happily exclaimed. "I also love the pinecone birdfeeders that we are making for a craft today and hope that we can find some here." "There is a special pet section for all of that stuff, Carly," Mr. Benson pointed out. "I remember when I owned a bird once as a teenager," Spencer stated. "I wanted to help take care of that bird," Carly stated. "Look who is here!" Alex happily exclaimed. "Emily and her best friends who got accepted to MSG Academy in Turtle Creek this fall." "Hi, Alex," Emily stated. "I can't wait to join the marching band next fall, and my friends can't wait, either. I am especially looking forward to our trip to Walt Disney World in the spring!" "I went on that trip when I was in high school, and I liked it so much that I wrote about it in my journal," Alex happily stated. "They have hamburgers and hot dogs as one of our choices for dinner," Justin happily stated. "Chinese food is the other choice," Max added. "There is also trail mix, homemade cupcakes, and mug cake for snacks and dessert," Justin added. "No thanks," Alex stated. "I do not want to spoil my healthy dinner of homemade fish and chips. I am saving all of my special treats for the 4th of July, like ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, smoothies, grilled chicken sandwiches, and even frozen yogurt." "What are your plans for the holiday?" Alex asked. "We plan to do a dual Kennywood and Sandcastle trip," Emily explained. "So are we!" Alex happily exclaimed. "Maybe, we will see you there!" "So, what are your favorite summer treats, Alex?" Emily stated. "I like fruit salad, frozen fruit bars, and corn on the cob because they are so healthy and nutritious," Alex explained. Pretty soon, 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!"