It was Monday night, and Sarah was bunked out in her dorm room with a sparkly metallic folder.
Raquelle, Ayla, Anika, Haley, and Camila sat on the floor with her, notebooks, pens, and magazines spread among them.
"Omigod! You should do this!" Anika pointed to an extravagant, luau-night-themed party in the magazine she'd been flipping through.
"Oh, my God," Sarah covered her face with her hands.
"Luau night!" Camila cheered and Ayla snorted laughingly.
"Yeah, Sarah! You could host a luau night! At Canterwood!"
Raquelle shrugged. "I'd go to that!" she said.
Sarah sighed. "We're not throwing a luau night. Can we all just agree to that, please? The Headmistress might actually lose her mind."
That made Haley laugh. It came from her stomach, loud and deep.
Sarah grinned.
It was only six o'clock, but the clouds that had lingered around campus all day were giving them a full-tilt downpour.
Tomorrow would be a puddly mess, that was for sure. She wondered if riding lessons were going to be called off. They'd had one in the indoor arena after school.
Sarah and Raquelle had untacked, brushing their horses out, and raced back to their room. They'd cozied up and called their friends over immediately for some party-planning.
Emma hadn't wanted to come 'cause she'd been super busy the day before and just wanted to rest today, which Sarah completely got.
By now, the room was dark. Raquelle had flicked on a few low, warm-toned lights, but the room still was shadowed by the clouds outside.
Sarah glanced at Raquelle, who was reading over the guest list. She looked up at Sarah from behind faux reading glasses she'd gotten the other day. The glasses were very glam and she'd been wearing them around the dorm all the time.
"We should invite the new riders on the intermediate team, right?" Raquelle bit her lip. "I feel like we should. Like it'd be rude not to. They're in our places now, riding with our old teammates, and they probably kind of look up to us."
Sarah smiled. "I think that's a great idea! I've barely gotten a chance to talk to Oliver, Sophie, Casey, or Austin since they made it. I mean, there's the odd riding meeting or whatever, but that's pretty much it." Sarah shrugged. "Yeah, I like it. Add them to the list."
Raquelle jotted the newbies names down as they talked.
"I've met Oliver before," Haley said. "He's really sweet."
Ayla raised her eyebrows as she rifled through the decor bin that Raquelle had gotten from the ballroom storage room. "Yeah, sweet . . ." she eyed her friend.
Haley grinned, flashing white teeth. "Get out," she joked. "I can say a guy is 'sweet' and it doesn't mean I'm in love with him."
Ayla shrugged. "Yeah, but you haven't found chemistry with a guy since, what was it, Jacob?"
"Ewww!" Raquelle buried her face in her hands. "Ew! We don't mention that name! Gross!"
Haley coughed, shoving her best friend. "Calm down, Raquelle! Speaking of Jacob . . ."
Anika, Sarah, Raquelle, Camila, and Ayla stopped what they were doing immediately and trained their eyes on Haley. They all knew about Haley's ex-boyfriend, Jacob, who she'd ended things with last summer. All of them were determined to find Haley a guy she felt the same buzz with that she had with her long-term old boyfriend, but so far, they'd failed. Either Haley just straight-up didn't like them, or she wasn't willing to put the effort in. "I'm fine, guys," she'd say. "I'm happy on my own."
Still, that didn't satisfy them. Ayla, Raquelle, Emma, Sarah, and Camila had their minds set on finding her "The One" at Canterwood.
Haley interrupted her with a shy smile. "I sort of messaged him the other day. It wasn't a big thing. I just texted him to see how he was doing, and I said I hoped that he was well. I didn't really expect a reply, but he messaged me back and said he was doing really good. He asked me about myself and how Canterwood was going. I told him about you guys and planning your birthday, Sarah. He said it sounded really cool and that I was going to have my hands full, but then he told me he'd be offline for a few days 'cause he was going on a camping trip with his aunt and uncle and cousins." Haley chewed her inner cheek. "What do you guys think? You're not mad, are you?"
"Mad?" Camila was the first to speak. "No way! How could we be mad? That's great that you guys are talking again, Hales!"
Haley glanced at Raquelle out of the corner of her eye, then focused back on the rest of them. "I know. Thank you. I mean, I don't think he's completely forgiven me for ending things, but at least we're talking." She said and shrugged.
Raquelle's lips were pursed.
Haley elbowed her, laughing. "C'mon, Raquelle! I know you aren't the biggest Jacob fan, but -"
"That's an understatement," Raquelle grabbed her best friend's hand and squeezed it. "Hales. You're my best friend. You deserve a guy you can see whenever you want. There's a reason you broke up with him in the first place – long-distance didn't work." Then she looked at Sarah and smiled. "We can't all make it work like Mr. and Mrs. Superstar Coupledom, Sarah and Callum."
Sarah laughed. "Trust me! There are times where I wish I had a boyfriend I could see whenever I wanted." She looked at Hales, then. "But if you like him enough, it's worth it. You guys can still call, text, and Skype. Plus, there are breaks. Canterwood has a decent number of breaks where you can see each other."
Haley nodded. "I know! You and Callum make it work." She shrugged. "I think, and this is only if – a big if – I give him another chance, we could do it." She paused, then hurried with the rest of her words. "But I'm not planning on it! Jacob, for what I'm aware of, has moved on. I don't even know that I still like him. It was just nice to talk again."
The rest of them nodded. "I get that," Camila smiled. "Anyways! I completely support your talking stage with Jacob, Haley, but Oliver . . ." she grinned. "My vote is for him, if I'm being honest!" she laughed, putting her hands up in an "I surrender" pose.
Haley laughed, but before she could say anything, Ayla, Sarah, Anika, and Raquelle said, "Me too!"
Haley laughed harder, bending over her knees. "Okay, okay!" she joked. "I get it. Maybe I'll try talking to him again."
Satisfied, they went back to party planning.
"I've got Lily on the invite list, since she's friends with Brit and them," Sarah thought aloud.
"Makes sense," Raquelle said. "She's nice enough. Oooh, but don't forget to put down Emily and Ailiyah." She added, meaning Haley and Camila's roommates.
"Oh, yeah! I talked to Ailiyah, and she'd love to come," Camila smiled.
"Great! And Emily knows about it, right?" Sarah asked.
Haley nodded. "She does! She was waiting for the invite from you, but she's in too. I told her she could obviously come."
"Good," Sarah nodded. Anika didn't have a roommate since she'd joined later in the semester and gotten a single room, so they had all the roommates covered.
"I have two," Anika said. "Will and Josh, Mia and Paeyton's boyfriends. If they're going, they're definitely going to want them there. Plus, Josh is Brit's brother, so it makes sense."
"Okay," Sarah scribbled both of their names on the list. "Oooh! I just remembered someone! Remember that guy, uh, Jeremiah that Lienne was telling us about a few days ago?"
"Oh, right!" Raquelle grinned. "I mean, we barely even know him, but maybe Lienne wants to take him."
"And Sam doesn't have a date . . ." Sarah said, thinking aloud again as she scribbled down Jeremiah's name. "Okay. I have, if I counted correctly, twenty-eight people on the guest list. That's still far off from filling a ballroom!" Sarah said, groaning.
"I have a couple more people," Raquelle added. "Sam, Lienne, and Liam might want to bring the people from their old team. And if they're going, maybe the people that made the tenth-grade advanced team too. I think Sam said their names were Lauren, uh . . . Drew, and . . ." Raquelle racked her brain. "Oh! Clare! Right? Was that her name?"
Sarah nodded. "Yes! And then Lexa and Cole joined when Liam, Sam, and Lienne left."
"That's right," Raquelle nodded. "Yeah, add them to the list. If you'd like to."
Sarah smiled. "I think that's a great idea. And I'd love to meet them," she wrote down their names, and chewed her lip. "Still, that only brings it up to thirty-three people."
Haley grinned, shoving her lightly. "Calm down, Myers. If you want to fill a ballroom, you're talking to the right girls. Here, hand me and Ayla the notepad."
Doubtfully, Sarah handed it over. "Have at it."
The two girls bent their heads together, whispering and scribbling down names.
Sarah rolled her eyes slightly, but in a happy way, and turned back to Camila, Anika, and Raquelle. "Okay, well, they got that covered!" she laughed, shrugging, and picked up the decoration box. She began rummaging through it, looking for anything good.
"You still haven't decided on the theme, Sar," Anika said, going over Sarah's checklist. "We need that picked out soon before we can send invites out. The party's, like, less than a month away, so we need to figure it out stat."
Raquelle picked up her laptop. "Easy. I'm going to look up some party themes and you can say yes or no."
Raquelle pulled up a list in a moment. "Masquerade," she said, tilting her head at Sarah.
Sarah shrugged. "Possibly. It doesn't overly excite me, but it could be fun."
"Under the Sea," Raquelle read off.
"Nah," Sarah chorused with Camila and Anika.
"Isn't that more like prom, anyway?" Camila added, her eyes narrow as she tried to think.
Raquelle shrugged. "I thought so," she frowned and continued. "Neon glow-in-the-dark party."
"Ooh!" Sarah grinned. "That'd be really fun! I don't think that's the vibe I'm going for, but it would be cool."
"Hmmm," Raquelle scrolled down. "Karaoke?"
Sarah made a face. "I'd go to that, but not for this, I don't think."
Right when she was beginning to get discouraged, Camila leaned over Raquelle's shoulder. "Disco!" she yelled at the same time as Raquelle.
Sarah's eyes brightened. "Actually!" she perked up. "I love it! Let's do that!"
Raquelle grinned. "Yes! Found the party the birthday girl wants!"
"This is perfect," Anika agreed.
"I'm not thinking the music style of it, but I love the decorations. It'd be so fun!" she grinned.
Camila rifled through the box of decorations. "Ta . . . da!" she produced a gleaming silver disco ball.
"Wow!" Sarah laughed. "That thing is – okay, that thing is seriously blinding me." She shielded her eyes just as Haley and Ayla groaned.
"Put that away!"
The six of them laughed as Camila tucked it into the box.
"Pre-mature! I'm sorry!"
Haley took the box from her teasingly. "Yeah, and, um, what're you doing showing the birthday girl the decorations before the party?"
Camila laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she joked, throwing her hands up. "Anyway, we chose a theme."
"Oh, really?!" Ayla looked from Camila to Sarah and back.
"What?!" Haley added, her eyes wide.
". . . Drum-role, please," Camila grinned.
Anika, Raquelle, and Sarah drum-rolled for her, grinning.
"Disco!" Camila announced, throwing her hands to the side before dropping them back down.
"Omigod! That's perfect!" Haley nodded so hard her ponytail sagged. She pulled it out of its elastic as she talked. "Canterwood would already have, like, most of the decorations for that because they've probably done a disco-party before."
"True," Sarah said.
"That is a bonus." Raquelle added. "We'd barely have to order any decorations."
Sarah smiled. "I'm going to start shopping for dresses right away. And if we're doing a specific theme, we better get right on those invitations so people can order dresses or tuxes."
"You want it dressy, right?" Raquelle asked.
Sarah nodded. "I think that's the best way to go. People barely ever get to get dressed up like this, so why not?"
"I agree!" Ayla clasped her hands together. "Let's do it!"
"Oh, we added some stuff to the guest list," Haley handed her the notepad. "If you have hidden beef with someone on the list or you just don't want them there, let me know."
Sarah took the list, scanning it. "Omigod!" she snorted with laughter. "You guys, like, doubled the guest list!"
Haley grinned. "What did I say? I told you we'd help you with it!" she sang.
"That you did." She studied the list harder. "I don't know some of these people, but a lot of them seem really great. Oh, yes! I forgot to put Katera on there. Good call." She smiled, happily tucking the guest list beside her. "Thank you, guys. I feel relieved knowing there will be enough people there. I'll keep an eye out the next couple days around the stable and in classes if there's more people to invite, but we're definitely getting closer to a party amount."
"Great! I'm glad!" Haley smiled.
"That's like, what, sixty and a bit people now?" Anika asked. "Honestly, if we can't think of anyone else, I feel like we should just start spreading the word and see who wants to come. I mean you don't not really like anyone, do you?"
Sarah shook her head, thinking. "Not that I can think of."
"So, I suggest we invite like a bunch of people and tell them to invite their friends. We can expect, like, a hundred people to show up. That way, you'll have your really tight friends there, and then you'll have other people you like, at least, there. The more the merrier, I say!"
Raquelle, Ayla, Camila, and Haley looked at Sar for her approval.
"Yeah!" Sarah nodded. "I totally agree! Olivia in my writing class knows a lot of people, so I'll ask her. Lily's a social butterfly too, along with Carlie, Mia, and Paeyton."
"Emma, I'm sure, has loads of people too," Haley pointed out, rolling her eyes teasingly.
"Perfect! Then we're set on theme and guest list." Raquelle said, thinking. "Hmm . . . should we work on invites now? Food list? Decorations? Dresses and jewellery? Or are you guys worn out?"
The girls looked at each other and shrugged.
"I'm good," Anika said.
Haley nodded. "Me too! I'm happy to start on decorations!"
Ayla chewed her lip. "I should probably get back. I have homework and stuff."
"That's cool," Sarah said and got up to hug her. Raquelle and Camila did too.
"I think I'll head out too, if that's okay. I meant to hang out with Ailiyah tonight, and I've been over here for a while." Camila smiled, giving Sarah a one-armed hug.
"Call or text us what you decide, though, okay?" Ayla added and hugged Raquelle.
"Will do. We still have to fill in Ems, anyway, so we'll see you guys at lunch or something." Raquelle said.
Camila hugged Raquelle quickly before she and Ayla started for the door, waving to Haley and Anika on the floor. "Bye, guys!"
"Bye!" Anika and Haley called.
Ayla grabbed her light coat, and they left.
Raquelle and Sarah settled back on the ground with Anika and Haley.
"Can you believe that the four of us are going to be living together next year, if all goes well?" Haley said, shaking her head.
"I know," Raquelle shook her head, wide-eyed. "It's going to be so fun!"
The four of them stayed and talked for the rest of the night, till Anika and Haley went back to their dorms around nine.
"It was fun to have them here," Sarah said as she made her bed for the night.
"I agree," Raquelle smiled thoughtfully, tucking her sheet into the bedframe. "Next year is going to be . . . different. But good different, I think." Raquelle grinned then. "Omigod! I know it's kind of random, but I just thought how exciting it's going to be to start grade ten dating Cameron."
Sarah grinned for her best friend. "That is an exciting thing. Summer's going to be hard, but it'll make it all the more rewarding when you see each other in the fall."
Raquelle looked pained, then the excitement and colour returned to her face. "I know! It's going to be so exciting!"
"Would your parents ever let you see him over the summer?" Sarah asked. "You guys are only, like, four hours apart."
Raquelle shrugged. "Maybe. It's a possibility."
Sarah flunked into her bed, squirming into her duvet like an earthworm. "I miss Callum and Clare like crazy," she said, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at the ceiling.
Raquelle was quiet for a second. "I bet," she said finally.
"I can't wait to have the whole summer to hang out with them again. But then again, it's bittersweet, 'cause I won't be here to hang with you, Ayla, Haley, Anika, Emma, Camila, and everyone else."
Raquelle nodded, her engagement in the conversation back. "Totally. I know. I feel the same way. I'm going to miss all you guys too. A lot."
Sarah smiled to herself, flicking off her light. "'Night," she said.
"'Night," Raquelle replied.
Sarah drifted off to sleep easily and didn't wake up once the whole night.