Chapter 2
“Seventy-two, seventy-four, seventy-six.” Chloe spun her invitation list around on the table so the others could read it. “Seventy-six so far! This party is going to be huge! Did we leave anybody out?”
While Tara and Quinn studied the guest list, Chloe took a sip of her frothy mocha steamer and glanced around the Newsstand. It ws late Saturday morning, and the popular Internet Café and coffee bar was starting to fill up.
“Did we put Codi Brooks on there?” Chloe asked, spotting a girl from the French class buying a latte. “And her twin sister, Lindsey?”
Quinn ran a finger down the list and shook her head. Chloe handed her a pen, and she wrote both Codi’s and Lindsey’s names on the list. “Anybody else?”
Ten minutes and six names later, Chloe checked the list again. “I wrote down everybody I can think of.”
“Okay,” Tara said, sipping her iced coffee. “So, what’s next?”
“Invitations,” Chloe said. “I’ll do one on my computer. Something like Ready for the Beach Blast of the Century? I’ll put all our names on it. And I’ll email it to everybody. Just remember to forward me your address books. What else?”
“Food, music, decorations,” Quinn said, ticking the items off on her fingers.
“Food,” Chloe echoed. “Hamburgers, hot dogs, and munchies?”
“Or a five-foot sourdough sub,” Tara suggested. “Make that a ten-foot, if everybody comes.”
“Shish kebobs would be fun too,” Chloe said. “Chicken, shrimp, veggies, fruits…”
“Let’s do both,” Quinn said. “Oh, wait. Do we have enough money for all that?”
Chloe was mentally adding up her supply of cash, which was not exactly huge, when Riley came into the café, camcorder in hand.
“I forgot to tell you!” Chloe said. “Riley came up with something superspecial to put into the time capsule.”
As her sister made her way toward their table, Chloe explained the idea of the video. “And she wants to interview us,” she finished.
“Cool!” Tara said. “Just think, we’re going to be part of history!” She pulled a small mirror from her bag and fixed her hair.
Chloe quickly checked her lip gloss, flipped her hair over her shoulders, and sat up very straight. If she was going to be part of history, she wanted to look good.
“Hi, Riley,” Quinn said, smoothing on some Berry-Berry lip gloss. “We’re ready for our big interview.”
“Great!” Riley aimed the camera at Chloe and pushed the record button. “Okay, Chloe, tell me your thoughts about West Malibu High.”
“Well, it’s… a very good school,” Chloe said, smiling brightly. “It has great teachers and…”
“Hold it.” Riley stopped taping. “Chloe, you sound like a commercial. And you’re as stiff as a robot!”
Chloe laughed. “Sorry. I guess I was imagining people watching it.”
“Nobody’s going to see it for at least a hundred years,” Riley reminded her. “Come on, relax. Be totally honest. Say whatever you want!”
Whatever I want? This could be fun, Chloe thought. “Okay, shoot,” she said.
Riley pushed the record button.
“Hi, my name is Chloe Carlson,” Chloe said, smiling at the camera. “I’m a freshman at west Malibu High, and I love it. For one thing, it’s really clean, and we owe that to Vice Principal Connor, also known as our germ warden.”
Chloe hopped up. She puffed out her cheeks and tried to make her stomach stick out like V.P. Connor’s.
“Did you wash your hands?” she whined in Mr. Connor’s squeaky nasal voice. “Keep the cafeteria a germ-free zone! Wash your hands! Anyone not washing before entering will face detention!”
Riley and the others burst out laughing. “That’s him exactly!” Riley exclaimed. “I’ve never seen you do imitations before, Chloe! You’re great at it! Can you do anybody else?”
“Sure!” Chloe was starting to get into it. “Vice Principal Connor isn’t the only obsessive person at school,” she said into the camera. “You should see Ms. Spoke, my sewing teacher. Oh, right, you’ll never see her. That’s okay. I can imitate her, too.”
Chloe pressed her lips together and frowned deeply, the way Ms Spoke did when she was stressing. “This stitch is crooked!” she muttered. “I can’t get it right! I don’t know what to do. It must be the sewing machine!” She slammed her fists on the table. “The stupid, stupid machine!”
“Keep going,” Riley urged. “It’s great!”
“Okay, let’s see. Oh! I can’t leave out Mr. MacManus!” Chloe cried. “He’s my math teacher, and he’s total genius in the subject. But you have to feel sorry for anybody he dates. I mean, I can just picture him having a romantic dinner.”
Chloe sat down and spoke to an imaginary date. “You see, Mary, it’s simple,” she droned in a deep monotone. “If X equals Y minus four hundred to the third power, then all you have to do is… Mary, did you hear me? Mary, wake up!”
Riley laughed again. Tara and Quinn applauded.
Chloe was still a little surprised at herself. She never acted this silly. Well, almost never. But it was fun! Besides, nobody alive was going to see it.
Riley turned the camera to Quinn. “Okay, your turn. Let’s see, tell me what you do for fun. Like, what are you doing tonight?”
“Um, tonight?” Quinn hesitated for a second. “Well, I know what I’m not doing tonight,” she said. “I’m not going to Ellie Farber’s party. Don’t get me wrong-I like Ellie a lot. But her parties are way too boring.”
“Tell the viewers at home why,” Riley urged.
“Well,” Quinn began. “For starters, she plays dull music and silly party games, like charades. I mean, charades can be fun, I guess. But Ellie always picks the weirdest categories. Like last time it was vegetables. Just try acting out ‘asparagus’!”
“Oh, right! And the party before that, it was bugs,” Chloe joined in. she grabbed some invisible reins and bounced up and down in her chair. Then she flapped her arms in the air. “That was a horsefly, in case you’re wondering.”
Riley laughed. “Got it!” she said. “And I think our home audience gets the picture about Ellie’s parties!” she added. Then she turned the camera on Tara. “What about you, Tara? Got any major plans for tonight?”
“Checking out boys.” Tara grinned.
“Tara has boys on the brain,” Quinn added. “As for me, I have caramel lattes on the brain. I’m going up for a refill. Can I hook anyone up?”
“I’m good,” Chloe said.
“Me, too,” Tara added. “I still have iced coffee left.”
“Be right back then,” Quinn told them, heading for the coffee bar.
“I really do have boys on the brain these days,” Tara admitted cheerfully. “But just one in particular. I’m crushing on Brian O’Keefe big time!”
“Oh, I know who he is,” Riley said. “Black hair, right?”
Tara nodded enthusiastically. “Right! Dark brown eyes and incredibly long eyelashes!”
Chloe laughed. “Down, girl.”
“But he’s so cute!” Tara exclaimed. “He smiled at me yesterday in math, and I got the definite feeling he’s interested! It was, like, we made this connection, you know? I really, really hope he comes to our party.”
“I could put a special P.S. on his invitation,” Chloe teased. “Please come-Tara’s totally in luuuve with you!”
“Don’t you dare!” Tara warned, suddenly serious.
“Just kidding,” Chloe promised.
[Chloe: Wow! Tara’s way more interested in Brian O’Keefe than I thought!]
Tara glanced at Riley. “Oh, no! I forgot you’re actually taping this! Wait! Omigosh!
What if Brian sees it?”
“Don’t worry,” Riley told her. “Nobody is going to see it. Well, people are going to see it, but not for another 100 years.”
“And I don’t think Brian’s hair will be black by then,” Chloe joked. “Or he’ll be such a good dancer!”
“Still… can’t you rewind it, and we’ll do it again?” Tara pleaded. “I’ll try to act better.”
“No way! It’s great this way… much more natural,” Riley said. “But I’m stopping now, anyway,” she added, lifting her finger from the record button. “I want to catch Jenna and Joelle. They just came in. see you guys later. And thanks-you were perfect!”
Riley took off across the café, just as Quinn returned with her latte in a to-go cup. Chloe turned to her friends. “I’d better go home and do that invitation, or we’ll wind up having the greatest party nobody ever came to.”
“I’ve got to go, too,” Tara said, standing up and slinging her bag over one shoulder. “I promised my mum I’d clean my room.”
“I’ve got stuff to do, too,” Quinn said.
“We still need to decide on food and decorations,” Chloe reminded them, pushing back her chair. “Let’s talk later or… I know! Zombie Party opens today at the Cineplex. I’m dying to see it. Why don’t we all go tonight? Then we can figure out the party stuff after.”
“Great!” Tara agreed. “Let’s meet at the Cineplex at six-thirty.”
“Actually, I don’t think I can make it,” Quinn said, standing up.
“Oh, no. Why not?” Chloe asked.
Quinn muttered something as she rummaged through her canvas tote.
“Huh?” Chloe said.
“I might have to…” Quinn’s voice descended to a murmur again while she kept searching through her bag. Finally she straightened up. Her face was flushed. “I might have to help clean out the garage.”
“Urg,” Chloe said. She thought a second. “Wait a minute-what garage? Your house doesn’t have a garage.”
“I know that!” Quinn laughed awkwardly. “I said garbage. Listen, I’ll try to make it, but if I’m not at the Cineplex by six-thirty, don’t wait for me. Gotta go now. Talk to you later. Bye!” She hurried off.
[Chloe: Maybe you’re wondering why it would take six and a half hours for Quinn to help take out the garbage. Well, so am I. the Reyes keep their house so clean, it makes the rest of us normally sloppy people feel like incredible slobs. So why can’t Quinn go to the movie? Something funny is going on!]
“Seventy-two, seventy-four, seventy-six.” Chloe spun her invitation list around on the table so the others could read it. “Seventy-six so far! This party is going to be huge! Did we leave anybody out?”
While Tara and Quinn studied the guest list, Chloe took a sip of her frothy mocha steamer and glanced around the Newsstand. It ws late Saturday morning, and the popular Internet Café and coffee bar was starting to fill up.
“Did we put Codi Brooks on there?” Chloe asked, spotting a girl from the French class buying a latte. “And her twin sister, Lindsey?”
Quinn ran a finger down the list and shook her head. Chloe handed her a pen, and she wrote both Codi’s and Lindsey’s names on the list. “Anybody else?”
Ten minutes and six names later, Chloe checked the list again. “I wrote down everybody I can think of.”
“Okay,” Tara said, sipping her iced coffee. “So, what’s next?”
“Invitations,” Chloe said. “I’ll do one on my computer. Something like Ready for the Beach Blast of the Century? I’ll put all our names on it. And I’ll email it to everybody. Just remember to forward me your address books. What else?”
“Food, music, decorations,” Quinn said, ticking the items off on her fingers.
“Food,” Chloe echoed. “Hamburgers, hot dogs, and munchies?”
“Or a five-foot sourdough sub,” Tara suggested. “Make that a ten-foot, if everybody comes.”
“Shish kebobs would be fun too,” Chloe said. “Chicken, shrimp, veggies, fruits…”
“Let’s do both,” Quinn said. “Oh, wait. Do we have enough money for all that?”
Chloe was mentally adding up her supply of cash, which was not exactly huge, when Riley came into the café, camcorder in hand.
“I forgot to tell you!” Chloe said. “Riley came up with something superspecial to put into the time capsule.”
As her sister made her way toward their table, Chloe explained the idea of the video. “And she wants to interview us,” she finished.
“Cool!” Tara said. “Just think, we’re going to be part of history!” She pulled a small mirror from her bag and fixed her hair.
Chloe quickly checked her lip gloss, flipped her hair over her shoulders, and sat up very straight. If she was going to be part of history, she wanted to look good.
“Hi, Riley,” Quinn said, smoothing on some Berry-Berry lip gloss. “We’re ready for our big interview.”
“Great!” Riley aimed the camera at Chloe and pushed the record button. “Okay, Chloe, tell me your thoughts about West Malibu High.”
“Well, it’s… a very good school,” Chloe said, smiling brightly. “It has great teachers and…”
“Hold it.” Riley stopped taping. “Chloe, you sound like a commercial. And you’re as stiff as a robot!”
Chloe laughed. “Sorry. I guess I was imagining people watching it.”
“Nobody’s going to see it for at least a hundred years,” Riley reminded her. “Come on, relax. Be totally honest. Say whatever you want!”
Whatever I want? This could be fun, Chloe thought. “Okay, shoot,” she said.
Riley pushed the record button.
“Hi, my name is Chloe Carlson,” Chloe said, smiling at the camera. “I’m a freshman at west Malibu High, and I love it. For one thing, it’s really clean, and we owe that to Vice Principal Connor, also known as our germ warden.”
Chloe hopped up. She puffed out her cheeks and tried to make her stomach stick out like V.P. Connor’s.
“Did you wash your hands?” she whined in Mr. Connor’s squeaky nasal voice. “Keep the cafeteria a germ-free zone! Wash your hands! Anyone not washing before entering will face detention!”
Riley and the others burst out laughing. “That’s him exactly!” Riley exclaimed. “I’ve never seen you do imitations before, Chloe! You’re great at it! Can you do anybody else?”
“Sure!” Chloe was starting to get into it. “Vice Principal Connor isn’t the only obsessive person at school,” she said into the camera. “You should see Ms. Spoke, my sewing teacher. Oh, right, you’ll never see her. That’s okay. I can imitate her, too.”
Chloe pressed her lips together and frowned deeply, the way Ms Spoke did when she was stressing. “This stitch is crooked!” she muttered. “I can’t get it right! I don’t know what to do. It must be the sewing machine!” She slammed her fists on the table. “The stupid, stupid machine!”
“Keep going,” Riley urged. “It’s great!”
“Okay, let’s see. Oh! I can’t leave out Mr. MacManus!” Chloe cried. “He’s my math teacher, and he’s total genius in the subject. But you have to feel sorry for anybody he dates. I mean, I can just picture him having a romantic dinner.”
Chloe sat down and spoke to an imaginary date. “You see, Mary, it’s simple,” she droned in a deep monotone. “If X equals Y minus four hundred to the third power, then all you have to do is… Mary, did you hear me? Mary, wake up!”
Riley laughed again. Tara and Quinn applauded.
Chloe was still a little surprised at herself. She never acted this silly. Well, almost never. But it was fun! Besides, nobody alive was going to see it.
Riley turned the camera to Quinn. “Okay, your turn. Let’s see, tell me what you do for fun. Like, what are you doing tonight?”
“Um, tonight?” Quinn hesitated for a second. “Well, I know what I’m not doing tonight,” she said. “I’m not going to Ellie Farber’s party. Don’t get me wrong-I like Ellie a lot. But her parties are way too boring.”
“Tell the viewers at home why,” Riley urged.
“Well,” Quinn began. “For starters, she plays dull music and silly party games, like charades. I mean, charades can be fun, I guess. But Ellie always picks the weirdest categories. Like last time it was vegetables. Just try acting out ‘asparagus’!”
“Oh, right! And the party before that, it was bugs,” Chloe joined in. she grabbed some invisible reins and bounced up and down in her chair. Then she flapped her arms in the air. “That was a horsefly, in case you’re wondering.”
Riley laughed. “Got it!” she said. “And I think our home audience gets the picture about Ellie’s parties!” she added. Then she turned the camera on Tara. “What about you, Tara? Got any major plans for tonight?”
“Checking out boys.” Tara grinned.
“Tara has boys on the brain,” Quinn added. “As for me, I have caramel lattes on the brain. I’m going up for a refill. Can I hook anyone up?”
“I’m good,” Chloe said.
“Me, too,” Tara added. “I still have iced coffee left.”
“Be right back then,” Quinn told them, heading for the coffee bar.
“I really do have boys on the brain these days,” Tara admitted cheerfully. “But just one in particular. I’m crushing on Brian O’Keefe big time!”
“Oh, I know who he is,” Riley said. “Black hair, right?”
Tara nodded enthusiastically. “Right! Dark brown eyes and incredibly long eyelashes!”
Chloe laughed. “Down, girl.”
“But he’s so cute!” Tara exclaimed. “He smiled at me yesterday in math, and I got the definite feeling he’s interested! It was, like, we made this connection, you know? I really, really hope he comes to our party.”
“I could put a special P.S. on his invitation,” Chloe teased. “Please come-Tara’s totally in luuuve with you!”
“Don’t you dare!” Tara warned, suddenly serious.
“Just kidding,” Chloe promised.
[Chloe: Wow! Tara’s way more interested in Brian O’Keefe than I thought!]
Tara glanced at Riley. “Oh, no! I forgot you’re actually taping this! Wait! Omigosh!
What if Brian sees it?”
“Don’t worry,” Riley told her. “Nobody is going to see it. Well, people are going to see it, but not for another 100 years.”
“And I don’t think Brian’s hair will be black by then,” Chloe joked. “Or he’ll be such a good dancer!”
“Still… can’t you rewind it, and we’ll do it again?” Tara pleaded. “I’ll try to act better.”
“No way! It’s great this way… much more natural,” Riley said. “But I’m stopping now, anyway,” she added, lifting her finger from the record button. “I want to catch Jenna and Joelle. They just came in. see you guys later. And thanks-you were perfect!”
Riley took off across the café, just as Quinn returned with her latte in a to-go cup. Chloe turned to her friends. “I’d better go home and do that invitation, or we’ll wind up having the greatest party nobody ever came to.”
“I’ve got to go, too,” Tara said, standing up and slinging her bag over one shoulder. “I promised my mum I’d clean my room.”
“I’ve got stuff to do, too,” Quinn said.
“We still need to decide on food and decorations,” Chloe reminded them, pushing back her chair. “Let’s talk later or… I know! Zombie Party opens today at the Cineplex. I’m dying to see it. Why don’t we all go tonight? Then we can figure out the party stuff after.”
“Great!” Tara agreed. “Let’s meet at the Cineplex at six-thirty.”
“Actually, I don’t think I can make it,” Quinn said, standing up.
“Oh, no. Why not?” Chloe asked.
Quinn muttered something as she rummaged through her canvas tote.
“Huh?” Chloe said.
“I might have to…” Quinn’s voice descended to a murmur again while she kept searching through her bag. Finally she straightened up. Her face was flushed. “I might have to help clean out the garage.”
“Urg,” Chloe said. She thought a second. “Wait a minute-what garage? Your house doesn’t have a garage.”
“I know that!” Quinn laughed awkwardly. “I said garbage. Listen, I’ll try to make it, but if I’m not at the Cineplex by six-thirty, don’t wait for me. Gotta go now. Talk to you later. Bye!” She hurried off.
[Chloe: Maybe you’re wondering why it would take six and a half hours for Quinn to help take out the garbage. Well, so am I. the Reyes keep their house so clean, it makes the rest of us normally sloppy people feel like incredible slobs. So why can’t Quinn go to the movie? Something funny is going on!]
to be continued
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