They also have all these arcade games
Remember, Gabs, when u mentioned St. Francis?
GABRIELLE
Yeah
VICTORIA
IT CAN BE A FUNDRAISER FOR ST. FRANCIS
OMG I AM ON FIRE
CECILY
LOL go Vic
GABRIELLE
Yeahhhhhh
But I gotta get back to hw
CECILY
Same
VICTORIA
Ugghhhh bye
JK thx for the support
Deleting text thread obvs
Prianka, Sage
PRIANKA
Heyyyyyy
SAGE
Hey
PRIANKA
I have a question for u
SAGE
K
PRIANKA
Do u ever think people like to keep secrets to get attention and then trickle out info little by little
SAGE
Even your texts sound poetic lol
PRIANKA
Lol!
SAGE
Ummmmm
Kinda yeah
Sometimes people will do whatever it takes to get attention
PRIANKA
Yeah agree
SAGE
Why do u ask
PRIANKA
IDK just curious
SAGE
Yeah right
Tell me
PRIANKA
Promise promise you won’t tell anyone
SAGE
Ummmm
Yes promise
PRIANKA
K so if you google Victoria Melford Philadelphia . . .
SAGE
Yeah
PRIANKA
Just do it
SAGE
Umm ok hold
Don’t see anything yet
PRIANKA
Keep scrolling down
SAGE
Whoa
Reading now
Victoria in her undies in the fountain!?!
As a little kid??
Who does that??
I mean even @ 4 it’s weird no?
PRIANKA
Hahaha yeah kinda IDK
SAGE
Why do you know this
PRIANKA
She just told us
But it’s like this deep dark secret for her
I kinda think it’s funny though
SAGE
Yeah it is funny
Anyway I won’t tell anyone
PRIANKA
K you BETTER NEVER
SAGE
Sheeesh ok
Anyway did u hear the poetry club may all come to your award reception
PRIANKA
Really
SAGE
Yeah
I overheard Mrs. Marburn talking about it
PRIANKA
Good eavesdropping skills, Sagey
SAGE
Lol thanks
I have to confess something
Speaking of secrets LOL
PRIANKA
Yeah
SAGE
I was soooo jealous of your win at first
But I want you to know I am happy for you
PRIANKA
Oh, Sage
Thank you for telling me
And being open and honest
SAGE
Xoxoxo
SAGE
Is Vic ok though for real
Not the fountain thing but after the whole scene w/ her mom @ sledding yelling @ everyone
PRIANKA
U know about it, too
SAGE
Umm yeah
Everyone does
PRIANKA
Ohhhh
She’s ok
She doesn’t think the whole grade knows
Let’s keep it that way
Another secret I guess . . .
SAGE
Kk
PRIANKA
Xoxoxoxo
Gabby,
Thanks so much for walking Elroy my wonder pup! He loves you! I wonder if you are interested in keeping this up. Maybe a little part-time job. Let me know. No pressure if it’s too much.
Thank you!
Xoxo
Your neighbor,
Mrs. Minkin
FROM THE DESK OF
Cecily Anderson
Ideas to make Valentine’s Day more meaningful:
• Make heart artwork for people at Yorkville Nursing Home
• Visit cardiac patients at St. Francis
• Make little care packages of sweets for kids who visit the soup kitchen
• Have a raffle and donate money to refugee families in Yorkville
• Have photos all around the gym of different kinds of couples
• Show love for all people
• Take all phones away during the dance to focus on being in the moment
• Make each student write a pledge to become more considerate & loving
• Have a Post-it wall of goals to become more loving
• Have a Post-it wall of things we love
***Have members of dance committee present ideas & plans @ next PTA meeting to parents***
Dear Mara,
I don’t want to be too overwhelming but just want you to know my feelings for you are true and still very much there.
See you soon,
Cecily
Woo!!!!!
GABRIELLE
Guys!
I am soooo fired up
GABRIELLE
That planning meeting was awesome
Everyone seemed into the St. Francis idea and I think it can really work
We can make cards for the patients and then go to drop off
Was it bad not to mention fundraiser idea?
Didn’t want to steal Vic’s thunder
PRIANKA
Yeah good idea to wait on that
CECILY
Love it, Gabs
LOL sorry for the pun
PRIANKA
Hahahahahahahahah
PRIANKA
Love day every day!
GABRIELLE
Ooooh that can be the theme of the dance
PRIANKA
Yessssssss
Vic where r u now
GABRIELLE
She left school early
PRIANKA
Oh no
CECILY
So sad she missed the planning meeting
But so pumped we can present @ next PTA meeting
CECILY
Getting the parents excited will be key
Especially Mama Melford
GABRIELLE
Vicccccc
Where rrrrr uuuuuuu
PRIANKA
K stop harassing her
CECILY
Gabs do u feel like you’re closer to finding your passion
GABRIELLE
Not really
PRIANKA
What else can you do??
GABRIELLE
Now u r harassing me
GABRIELLE
But I’m gonna be rich
PRIANKA
GABRIELLE
Gonna be walking the neighbor’s Elroy more often & get for it
CECILY
Woooooo
PRIANKA
Wow that’s great
GABRIELLE
Thanx
TTYL
CECILY
Mwah
PRIANKA
BFFs
GABRIELLE
Oh one more thing
Did u hear they’re letting people from other schools come to the dance
Maybe Ivy will want to join
She could sleep over after
CECILY
Oooh really
Fun
PRIANKA
That’s a cool idea
GABRIELLE
People need to sign something, though, and get a reference from their own school
GABRIELLE
&nbs
p; Like for safety
How nutty is that
PRIANKA
Omg wow
What kind of reference
GABRIELLE
From like a teacher or something
CECILY
Omg
I wonder if anyone wants to come that badly to go through that
PRIANKA
Lol, Cece, but I get what you’re saying
CECILY
Like it’ll be fun but that fun??
GABRIELLE
IDK
Guess we’ll see
Gabrielle, Miriam
MIRIAM
Omg Sami might come for the V Day dance
GABRIELLE
Really
Is she allowed
MIRIAM
Well yeah they’re allowing out of school people
GABRIELLE
I know but she literally got kicked out of school soooo . . .
MIRIAM
Haha true
Did you hear Eloise is bringing her boyfriend from her theater group
GABRIELLE
No omg
Didn’t know that they were so serious
MIRIAM
Oh yeah
They are
She tried to sneak out of her house once to go see him
He lives around the corner but still
GABRIELLE
Lol wow
MIRIAM
I kinda wanna bring this boy Jonah from camp
He’s soooo cute
GABRIELLE
Send me a pic
MIRIAM
K hold
GABRIELLE
Ooooh he’s cute
MIRIAM
I feel nervous asking him, tho
GABRIELLE
Does he live far away
MIRIAM
Not really
GABRIELLE
Hmmmm
Just make it seem like a low-key thing
MIRIAM
IDK
I’ll think about it
GABRIELLE
K good luck
Can’t believe we’ll see Sami again
MIRIAM
LOL I see her all the time
GABRIELLE
I know
I mean the rest of us
MIRIAM
It’ll be fun
She’s chilled out a bit
GABRIELLE
She has
MIRIAM
Pretty much yeah
GABRIELLE
K cool
Gotta go walk neighbor Elroy
He’s cute
GABRIELLE
MIRIAM
Xoxoxo
Squad Forever
GABRIELLE
hiiiiiiii
Guys guess what
VICTORIA
What
Sorry I have been so MIA
My mom has been picking me up right after school
VICTORIA
And I have been trying to stay off text so she’d chill on snooping
Don’t think it’s working
Anyway . . . what?
GABRIELLE
I’m gonna be going to my first wedding
Ya know how I have one cousin on my dad’s side but he’s way older and we never see him and I barely know him
PRIANKA
Ummm sounds kinda familiar but IDK
GABRIELLE
Anyway so he’s getting married
In 2 months
And my dad & I are going
CECILY
So fun
PRIANKA
Can we go shopping with you
Is it a major fancy wedding
GABRIELLE
IDK
Yeah my dad texted me a pic of the invite
Says black tie
VICTORIA
Oooohhhhhh
Too bad ur too old to be a flower girl
GABRIELLE
Yeah that would be awk
CECILY
This is gonna be so fun, Gabs
GABRIELLE
IK
I’m excited
VICTORIA
R u gonna have to dance with ur dad
GABRIELLE
Umm maybe
PRIANKA
Is that awk
GABRIELLE
Not really
He’s pretty low key
PRIANKA
So cool
I’ve only been to 1 wedding and it was a hardcore Indian wedding so this will be way diff
GABRIELLE
Yeah Jewish weddings are kinda hardcore, too
Lots of specific traditions
Plus a super long dance called the hora
You know it from bar and bat mitzvahs
They raise the bride and groom in chairs and everyone dances around them
My mom has a book on Jewish weddings and I skimmed it once when I was bored so I know about allllll the traditions now LOL
PRIANKA
Wow
U must’ve been really bored
CECILY
LOL, PRI!!!
PRIANKA
Sorry true tho
GABRIELLE
Yeah I was realllllllyyyyyyyy bored LOL
So yeah all these rituals and stuff that I don’t understand
CECILY
So fun, tho
GABRIELLE
K back to hw for me
CECILY
Same
Good luck w/ everything, Vic
VICTORIA
Thx
PRIANKA
Ta ta loves
From: Gabrielle Katz
To: Doug Katz
Subject: Wedding
Hi, Dad!
I am sooooooo excited about cousin Ethan’s wedding. I know we haven’t seen him in so long but I’ve never been to a wedding! YAY! Thanks for texting me a pic of the invitation. It’s so pretty. We’re gonna have so much fun!
Xoxox Gabs
Gabrielle, Prianka
GABRIELLE
Omg I can’t even believe this
GABRIELLE
Wedding is same weekend as the awards reception for the poetry contest
PRIANKA
OMG WHAT
GABRIELLE
I just checked the calendar
PRIANKA
Oh noooooooo
GABRIELLE
I am sooo sad
I can’t do both
PRIANKA
Me too
GABRIELLE
What am I gonna do
PRIANKA
Ack IDK
PRIANKA
I can video reception for you
GABRIELLE
But all of our friends are going & I hate to miss group stuff
Will feel so left out
PRIANKA
But u are sooo excited for wedding
Plus you see us alllll the time
GABRIELLE
I know but still
Wahhhhh
Why does stuff like this have to happen
PRIANKA
IDK
PRIANKA
So annoying
GABRIELLE
Grrrrr
Grumpy again
PRIANKA
Sorry, Gabs
We’ll fig something out
Gotta go to bal vihar
GABRIELLE
K have fun learning about your heritage
Love u
PRIANKA
Love u
BFFS
VICTORIA
hiiiiiiii
Are all ur moms @ the Parents in Action meeting rn
Why do parents have so many meetings anyway
Super stressed
GABRIELLE
VICTORIA
Can we make this a non-emoji conv
Really feeling anxious
PRIANKA
Wow that is big for you to not want emojis
PRIANKA
Ummm IDK if my mom is there
I’m just getting home from bal vihar
Carpooling with Arj . . .
VICTORIA
LOL
PRIANKA
Why do u ask
VICTORIA
My mom is at the meeting rn & I’m nervous the dance is gonna come up
CECILY
My mom is @ the meeting, too
GABRIELLE
Mine, too
Don’t stress, Vic
GABRIELLE
The dance is totally PG
VICTORIA
IK but my mom always goes bonkers
PRIANKA
Hahaha, Vic
U gotta chill
U can’t control her
VICTORIA
Um duh but she can control me and not let me go and get dance canceled maybe
Who knows what she can do
CECILY
Parents in Action is different, tho
I don’t think they talk about the dance and plans there
PRIANKA
Chill
VICTORIA
K gtg
CECILY
It’s gonna be ok
Sending
To: Mr. Carransey
From: Victoria Melford
Subject: Valentine’s Day Dance
Dear Mr. C:
I know we are trying to bring more of a community service element to the dance and so I have an amazing idea! I missed the planning meeting the other day but I will definitely be at the next one.
We should make it a fundraiser for St. Francis Hospital (THE HEART HOSPITAL). I know we’re already doing stuff with them but if we make it a fundraiser, it would be great.
My neighbor owns Party Like It’s 1999 party company and they are willing to donate a photo booth, three arcade games, and some centerpieces if it’s a fundraiser.
What do you think?
Thanks for considering!
Victoria Melford
*sent from my iPad*
Quick Side Chat
CECILY
Guys
No side chats but
Quick side chat & don’t hate because of it
Also sticking w/ non emojis for a bit, too
I think we need to be more sensitive to Vic & her issues with her mom
They seem difficult
GABRIELLE
Yeah
PRIANKA
I don’t get it, tho
What is the actual thing going on
CECILY
Hard to say
PRIANKA
I know the fountain thing when she was little but can that still be so so hard for her?
CECILY
IDK
It’s like her mom can’t deal with her growing up AT ALL
All our moms snoop but Mama Melford is different
And really gets intense
GABRIELLE
Hmmm
CECILY
I’m just saying we need to be more aware
PRIANKA
Ur prob right, Cece
PRIANKA
TBH, No One Can EVER Know Page 3