Tales From a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

by Rachel Renée Russell

  ME, TRYING TO GUESS WHAT’S IN THE BOX

  And NO. I DIDN’T think she had finally gotten me a cell phone. Even though I’ve been wanting one, like, FOREVER!

  Apparently, Dad was sorting through stuff in the attic when he discovered a box of Mom’s old costumes from her Shakespeare theater days back in college.

  When she showed me her Juliet costume, I was like, WOW!

  The dress was made of the most beautiful plush purple velvet and had gold embroidered trim along the sleeves and skirt.

  It came with a curly wig and a fancy eye mask decorated with purple beads, ribbons, and feathers.

  The outfit looked like something a real princess might wear. And it was in great condition, even after being in storage all those years.

  Because the dress had a lace-up front, Mom thought it would fit me perfectly. She said I was welcome to use it for the Halloween dance.

  I thanked her and told her it was the best costume ever.

  But when she begged me to try it on, I kind of stammered and came up with the excuse that I had to study for a big test. I promised her I would try it on after dinner.

  Which, BTW, was a lie. I absolutely LOVED the costume.

  But I had no intention of wearing it.

  EVER!

  After last night’s disaster, just the thought of attending another party actually made me want to . . . VOMIT!

  I guess I’m still traumatized or something.

  At this point, I plan to skip the Halloween dance and just help out at Brianna’s ballet party. I’ve already spent the money I was paid, so I’m pretty much STUCK doing that one.

  But I’m not going to stress out about it. I mean, what could possibly go wrong at a party for a bunch of six-year-olds?!

  I’ll be spending the rest of Halloween night sitting on my bed in my pajamas, staring at the wall and sulking.

  Which, for some reason, always makes me feel better .

  I just hope Chloe and Zoey don’t get mad at me and decide they don’t want to hang out with me anymore.

  Having friends is SO complicated!

  Which, BTW, reminds me that I am NOT looking forward to seeing Brandon in biology class tomorrow.

  That look on his face just keeps haunting me.

  I feel really awful about acting the way I did, but I couldn’t help it.

  I’m pretty sure by now he

  HATES MY GUTS!!

  If I was him, I definitely would. !!

  MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

  All day MacKenzie and Jessica have been giving me the evil eye and whispering about me.

  I’m so sick of them, I could just SCREAM!

  Apparently, they’re mad at me for that whole chocolate fountain fiasco.

  And MacKenzie’s spreading the rumor that I only came to her party to try to humiliate her so Brandon wouldn’t want to take her to the dance.

  This whole thing was THEIR fault!

  If Jessica hadn’t smacked my plate like that, those little pieces of fruit wouldn’t have fallen into the fountain and made it malfunction.

  I can’t stand MacKenzie, but I’d NEVER try to mess up her birthday party.

  I mean, how immature would THAT be?!

  Even though I hadn’t seen Chloe and Zoey since the party, they must have heard all the gossip.

  I wasn’t surprised to see they’d left a note on my locker.

  I had no choice but to come clean and give them all the nitty-gritty details about what had happened and why I’d left the party early.

  Only, I didn’t mention the part about Brandon since I was still confused about all that.

  I was TOTALLY surprised when Chloe and Zoey got SUPERangry.

  Not at me, but at MacKenzie and Jessica.

  They said they’d suspected something bad had happened to me after I left so suddenly without telling them.

  They hugged me and said they were really sorry I’d had to go through all that alone.

  Of course, that just made me cry.

  So Chloe, Zoey, and I had a really good group cry.

  It was Chloe’s idea that the three of us resign from the clean-up crew. And Zoey totally agreed.

  They said we were NOT going to tolerate MacKenzie and Jessica’s bullying any longer.

  I couldn’t believe my ears! I knew Chloe and Zoey had their hearts set on attending the dance as the clean-up crew and doing that phony “My date’s a band member!” thing.

  Unless, of course, Jason or Ryan ask them to go, which they haven’t . . . yet.

  But they said it was no biggie. And even though the three of us wouldn’t be going to the Halloween dance this year, there was always next year.

  I could NOT believe that my wonderful BFFs would make such a HUGE sacrifice just for ME!

  I got this huge lump in my throat, and I wanted to cry all over again.

  Zoey composed a letter stating that we were resigning from the clean-up crew, and the three of us signed it.

  Then we gave the letter to Jessica, since MacKenzie had appointed her as her personal secretary for all official Halloween dance committee correspondence.

  At first Jessica just stared at us really mean.

  Then she snatched the letter right out of my hand.

  “It’s about time you wrote MacKenzie an apology letter. The poor girl was traumatized. Now let’s just hope she accepts it. If I was her, I sure wouldn’t!”

  I couldn’t believe Jessica actually said that.

  When MacKenzie opens our letter, she’ll be in for a little surprise. And, of course, she’ll probably have a big hissy fit and create a lot of drama.

  I’m going to need years of intensive therapy just to recover from having a locker next to that girl.

  BTW, today in biology, Brandon barely said hi and then ignored me the entire hour.

  I’m guessing that he’s mad at me too.

  It sometimes feels like the ENTIRE world is mad at me.

  WHATEVER!!! !!

  TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

  Today we started the gymnastics section in gym class.

  I think I might actually be allergic to gymnastics, because whenever I get within ten feet of a piece of equipment, I break out in a rash.

  Our gym teacher placed Chloe and Zoey in the intermediate group because they were both pretty good.

  But I got stuck in the beginner group because she said I needed a lot of work on “fundamental skills.”

  The first fundamental skill she requested that I master was “not falling off.”

  Surprisingly, I caught on really fast.

  And, with courage and discipline, I had the potential of earning a perfect score of 10. Just like those girls on the Olympic gymnastics team.

  ME ON THE BALANCE BEAM, “NOT FALLING OFF.”

  ME ON THE UNEVEN BARS, “NOT FALLING OFF.”

  ME ON THE VAULT, “NOT FALLING OFF.”

  My gym teacher said she was really proud of the progress I had made in class today and gave me a B+.

  I now have a renewed respect for gymnasts, especially those who have completely mastered “not falling off.”

  Since MacKenzie is in our gym class, I was not that surprised when she came over and told Chloe, Zoey, and me that she was having another emergency meeting today.

  She said it was to approve the resignations of some committee members and that attendance was mandatory.

  We were happy and relieved she had agreed to let us quit. So we skipped lunch again and went to the auditorium.

  MacKenzie opened the meeting by saying that all resignations had to be approved by her. And that until that happened, Chloe, Zoey, and I were still official members of the clean-up crew.

  Then things started to get really WEIRD.

  She became very emotional and said, “Due to a recent incident in my life—caused by a person who shall remain nameless—I can no longer serve as chairperson of the dance, and I tender my resignation. However, I’ll continue to support the dance by attending, IF it actually occurs.”

/>   Then, as if on cue, ALL the set-up committee members resigned. Then the food committee members. Then the entertainment, publicity, and decoration committees.

  MacKenzie smiled really big and said, “As chairperson, I officially approve all the resignations, including my own. All ex–committee members are now free to leave.”

  The other clean-up crew members and I just sat there in shock as every last person got up and walked out.

  Except MacKenzie.

  “OMG! It looks like I totally forgot to vote on your resignations. Which, BTW, means YOU five are now the Halloween dance committee. If you decide to have it, you better get busy because you have a ton of work to do. And if you decide to cancel it, make sure you notify Principal Winston and the student council. Although, I wouldn’t want to be the one to disappoint the entire school like that. Good luck! LOSERS!”

  I just sighed and rolled my eyes at her.

  “MacKenzie, you are SUCH a drama queen. You can’t just resign like this and walk out!”

  “Oh yeah?! WATCH ME!!”

  Then she cackled like a witch and sashayed out of the auditorium.

  I just HATE it when MacKenzie sashays!

  By sixth hour, the entire school was gossiping about how MacKenzie and the other committee members had resigned.

  Everyone was saying the Halloween dance was going to be either canceled or a complete DISASTER!

  WHY?

  Because no one believed that the clean-up crew—Chloe, Zoey, me, Violet, and Theodore, the biggest DORKS in the entire school—could pull off the biggest social event of the semester.

  And they were absolutely right.

  !!

  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

  I spent the entire night tossing and turning and barely got any sleep.

  I also had the most horrible nightmare.

  I was at the Halloween party dancing in a chocolate bar costume.

  And for some reason, I couldn’t feel my toes, feet, or legs.

  Suddenly I realized in horror that my body was melting into a pool of warm, gooey chocolate.

  And even though I was desperately screaming for help, everyone at the dance just laughed and started dipping pieces of fruit into my melted body parts.

  Talk about TRAUMATIZING!

  Boy, was I ever relieved when I realized it was all just a silly nightmare.

  This morning the members of the clean-up crew had an emergency meeting in the library about the Halloween dance.

  Only, it really WAS an emergency because we had to decide whether or not to cancel it.

  I was in the library writing in my diary and waiting for the others to arrive when Brandon walked in.

  I was surprised to see him. Especially since it seemed like he’d been avoiding me the past few days.

  Brandon placed a stack of books on the front desk and kind of hesitated like he was a little nervous or something. Then, finally, he walked up to me.

  “So, um . . . how’s the Halloween dance coming?”

  “It’s NOT. Haven’t you heard? MacKenzie quit. And took practically ALL the committee members with her.”

  “There’s still you and a few others, right?”

  “Unfortunately, we’ll be having a meeting in the next ten minutes to officially cancel it,” I said, glancing at the clock. “I’m just waiting for everyone to arrive.”

  Brandon folded his arms and sighed. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to going.”

  I had to admit, he DID look a little disappointed. And for some reason, that bothered me.

  “Well, I’m sure you and MacKenzie can find something else to do Halloween night. Maybe you guys can go trick-or-treating?”

  I threw my head back and did a fake little laugh to try to hide my snarkiness.

  “MacKenzie? Who said I was taking MacKenzie?”

  “Um . . . everybody!”

  “Oh. Well, I guess everybody’s wrong, then,” Brandon said with a shrug.

  I stared at him in disbelief. OMG! Did he just say he WASN’T going with MacKenzie! WHAT?! How could he NOT be going with MacKenzie?

  “Well, somebody needs to tell her that. She already has your costumes picked out.”

  Brandon glanced out the library window like our conversation was boring him out of his skull. “I did. She asked me to take her and I said no.”

  “You told MacKenzie NO?!” I said, trying not to act surprised.

  HOW could he say no to MacKenzie? WHY would he say no to MacKenzie? No one EVER says no to MacKenzie!

  “She said she’d just cancel the whole thing,” Brandon said looking really annoyed.

  “Okay, wait a minute! Are you serious? MacKenzie said she’d cancel the dance for the entire school unless you agreed to be her date?”

  “Something like that.”

  “How could she?! That’s just totally . . . CRAZY!”

  “Yeah, she set you guys up.”

  I tried to wrap my head around everything I’d just heard.

  “Okay. So, MacKenzie resigns, and when the dance gets canceled, nobody ever finds out she lied about you taking her. And in the end the entire school gets mad at US and not HER! UNBELIEVABLE!”

  “If you cancel the dance, she wins,” Brandon said matter-of-factly.

  “WOW! This is just so . . . WOW!! I don’t know how we’d ever pull it off.”

  Brandon grinned and winked at me. “You’ll figure it out. I’m afraid MacKenzie’s met her match.”

  “Listen, bud. Have you seen the clean-up crew?! Actually, YOU should be afraid! Be VERY afraid!!”

  We both laughed really hard at my silly little joke. It was kind of strange, but talking to Brandon not only gave me a whole new perspective on things, it made me feel A LOT better.

  Soon we were talking about school and stuff. That went really well until he smiled at me kind of shylike and stared right into my eyes.

  Of course I started blushing like crazy.

  Then it got so quiet we could hear the library clock ticking.

  I think he felt a little embarrassed too, because he bit his lip and started drumming his fingers on the magazine shelf.

  Suddenly he slapped his forehead and gave me this really goofy but cute look.

  “Duh! I almost forgot what I came in here for.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I trudged over to the front desk and grabbed his pile of library books to process them back into the system. “It looks like none of these are overdue. So, are you returning—”

  Brandon didn’t give me a chance to finish. “No, actually, I came in here to ask if you’d go to the dance with me?”

  My mouth dropped open and I just stared at him.

  I could NOT believe my ears.

  “Wait. Did I hear you correctly? You just asked me if—”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “Oh! Well . . . okay. SURE! I guess,” I stammered, blushing more than ever. “IF there is a dance.”

  I was trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing. But inside my head I was like, YEESSS !!

  “Cool,” Brandon said, nodding his head and looking a little relieved. “Very cool. And let me know if I can help you guys out.”

  “Sure! And thanks! You know . . . for asking me.” I was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t stop.

  “Hey, no prob. Well, I better get going. See you in bio.”

  Still a bit dazed, I watched him walk to the door and disappear into the hall.

  FINALLY!

  Brandon had asked me to the Halloween dance!!!

  I was so happy I started doing my Snoopy “happy dance.”

  Soon Chloe, Zoey, Violet, and Theo arrived, and we began our meeting.

  When I told them about MacKenzie and why she had bailed on the school dance, they could hardly believe it.

  Who would have thunk that girl could be so selfish, devious, and manipulative.

  Talk about EVIL! MacKenzie makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Dora the Explorer.

  I’m just saying . . . !
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br />   By the end of the meeting we had all agreed upon two things.

  First, we were NOT going to let MacKenzie get away with her dirty little scheme.

  And second, the students of WCD were going to have the best Halloween dance EVER!

  Courtesy of the clean-up crew !!

  The only thing that bothered me was that I was going to be a little busier than I had anticipated.

  I was supposed to be:

  1. Helping out at the ballet class Halloween party

  2. Working on the dance committee

  3. Doing that “My date’s a band member!” thingy with Chloe and Zoey

  AND

  4. Hanging out with Brandon as his official date to the dance!

  ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

  I’ve gone from “socially challenged” to “socially chic” in just one day.

  But I was pretty sure all the scheduling conflicts would simply work themselves out in the end.

  I mean, look at those Hollywood party girls.

  Aren’t they at every party in every city at the same time all while hanging out with their BFFs and boyfriends?

  If they can do it, how HARD can it be?!

  And everyone knows those celebutants have a combined IQ lower than an ortho retainer.

  The good news is that my days of being a not-so-popular party girl are finally over.

  !!

  THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

  Mrs. Peach has agreed to let us meet in the library every morning to plan the Halloween dance.

  She is such a SWEETHEART!

  We had a vote and I got elected chairperson.

  Which also means it will be entirely MY fault if the whole thing flops!

  Violet is in charge of entertainment. Zoey is in charge of set-up. Chloe is in charge of decorations. Theo is in charge of clean-up.

  Everyone wanted me to do publicity so I could make us some really cool posters.

  However, we still needed someone to be in charge of food.

  And about twenty-four more people to help.

  That’s when I came up with the brilliant idea to place a new sign-up sheet on the bulletin board right outside the office to try to recruit more volunteers.