Chapter 15: All-in-One Invitations

One mild last Saturday of October 2023, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri along with some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, Max Greenwald, Carly Shay, and Spencer Puckett, along with Carly's stepdad, Freddie Benson, at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties client Samantha Carson's apartment in Point Breeze. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. Samantha was making invitations out of word searches to her All-In-One celebration in 2 weeks. We jammed out to Kate Bush, Lizzo, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees prior to the shift. "Holidays are one of the best things to ever exist," Henri happily stated. "Along with Halloween, we are celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, and the 4th of July," Samantha stated. "All of those are my favorite holidays," James stated, "and we will be celebrating Halloween in 3 days!" "Would you consider your birthday a holiday?" Samantha asked. "That is also coming up next month!" "My birthday is in November, too," Sarah stated. "My best birthday celebration was my 15th birthday because I liked the cake and the presents, but not when James and Henri showed me embarrassing photos." "The holidays are also when people drink lots of alcohol and take drugs," Samantha stated, "because it is an exciting time for them." "Hey, don't talk about that!" Sarah exclaimed. "My former boyfriend got suspended from school due to drugs and alcohol, and thankfully, he is now dead due to the omicron variant of coronavirus." "Huh?" Samantha asked. "When you are older, you will understand," Sarah stated. "Do you have a favorite holiday?" Samantha asked. "I like Easter because sometimes it occurs around my birthday," Carly replied. "One year, Easter was in March, and it was an awesome Easter," Spencer stated. "Come to think of it, Easter is in March this upcoming calendar year, too," Mr. Benson stated. "Birthdays are definitely considered to be holidays, and my birthday celebration just before Disney World my junior year was awesome," Alex stated. "My SATs just ended and it was going to be a great adventure for all of us." "This birthday party was to prep us up for Disney World," Justin stated. "We had one more fundraiser prior to the trip," Max stated. "Sometimes, I feel left out for having a fall birthday," Sarah stated. "All of my friends have birthdays in the spring, and my birthday is in the fall on the last day of November." When Samantha was done making her invitations, she delivered them to her friends McKenna, Shelby, Justine, and Dora. Then, 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. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"