Chapter 15: Insect Investigator Invitations
One seasonably cool last Saturday of October 2024, 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, as well as Carly's stepdad, Freddie Benson, at Pittsburgh's Perfect Parties client Samantha Carson's apartment in Oakland. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. We jammed out to Kate Bush, Lizzo, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees, as well as the spooky-themed Pop2Kountdown. Samantha was making her invitations to look like ladybugs and magnifying glasses. "I will be 7 years old on November 7," Samantha stated. "Wow, that is known as your golden birthday!" Sarah happily remarked. "My favorite birthday was my 15th birthday when we had a special cake and presents." "Not to mention, showed off your embarrassing childhood pictures," Henri added. "Let's not talk about that now, shall we?" Sarah asked. "It is not fun to be little," Samantha pointed out. "I heard that older kids have a lot more fun and a much better memory!" "You better watch what you talk about, Samantha," Sarah stated. "What do you mean?" Samantha asked. "Not everyone is the same sweet little angel that they were as a kid," Sarah pointed out. "My former boyfriend, Benedict got suspended from school due to alcohol and drug overdose." "But you helped me out, didn't you, James?" I asked. "Of course I did, Angel," James stated. "Heck, I even felt sorry for Sarah myself." "We should have a Halloween party at the office on Saturday if anyone is up for that idea," I suggested. "The girls are all going to be Disney princesses this year!" "We'll see, Angel," James told me. "I am going to be Pocahontas for Halloween this year," Carly pointed out. "She is my favorite Disney princess." "It was when you were in middle school that you saw the Disney movie Pocahontas and you loved the movie so much that you became a fanatic afterwards," Mr. Benson remembered. "I remember that, too," Spencer stated. "What did you guys think of the football game last night and that we are making the play-offs?" Alex stated. "I thought it was awesome," Max stated. "If only I were the brass instructor..." "They asked me to do that position because I am more of a leader," Justin stated. "I liked when the seniors discussed their favorite band memories and a lot of them mentioned Disney World," Alex stated. "That was our best memory of marching band, too. We even did some fun last-minute activities the week before." "What am I going to do about the band trip this year?" I asked now. "Ask Sarah and her brothers to drive you down to Myrtle Beach," Alex stated. "I just feel tempted to follow you guys around sometimes," I stated. "It was my first time at Kennywood riding without you guys." "But, we made up for it the next weekend," Alex reminded me. We then helped Samantha Carson hand out her invitations to her Insect Investigator Sleepover in 2 weeks. Then, it was time for all of us to go home. I requested to be dropped off at the Gourleys' apartment due to the Number Theme party. "Thanks for a great evening, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys!" "Good night!"
