Page 12 of Friends Like This

Chapter three

Magical and Electric

7th Grade

Yesterday,Sarahturnedthirteen.We had an awesome family day together, but today is her big, over-the-top birthday party with all of our friends and then some.

Usually, every year since we turned eight, we’ve had a big party in March for the six of us, since our birthdays all fall over a four-month period, starting with Miles and Aaron in February, Mackie in March, Joel and me in April, and Sarah in May. We didn’t mind that. Until this year.

Thirteen is kind of a big deal. Usually because it’s when boy-girl parties happen. Well, we always have both boys and girls at our parties. I guess I’m talking about the kind of parties that involve people sneaking into closets and kissing. You know, notlittle kidparties anymore.

Miles had a video game centered party, which was fun. It was in his parents’ basement and we had tournaments, and there were endless rounds ofHaloandCall of DutyandZelda.

Aaron’s party was a poker-style party. Only without the poker. Because we don’t play that. We do play card games, though. This goes all the way back to when my mom watched us all after school. She hated us staring at the TV all winter, so every day but Friday we had to do something else, which usually meant board games or cards. Back then it was Crazy 8’s, Go Fish, Old Maid, and Slap Jack. Eventually Mom taught us Gin Rummy and Nickels and we taught ourselves Bullshit and Spit. Of course, Mom makes us call it Bullcrap. So now, most times when any of us are hanging out, especially late at night or in the winter, we play cards.

Aaron’s parents set up his basement with tons of card tables, and we had games of Nickels, Gin Rummy, Bullshit, and 21 that people could jump in and out of and we had an ongoing Spit tournament. We even had a table with all the card games from when we were little kids. It was a great night.

Mackie had the typical boy-girl party with Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven. Her mom let her have it in her yoga studio next to the bakery. It was lightly supervised. I was not really into it, and Aaron and I ended up hiding in the bakery and eating cookies for most of it.

Joel and I kinda shared a birthday party. He had a bunch of the guys over to his place for a guy day. Whatever that entails. Probably video games and way too much soda. And I had a bunch of girls over for a spa day. Which was awesome. My mom and Mackie’s mom did our hair and nails, and we made milkshakes and watchedThe Princess Bride.

That night, the six of us, and a few of the guys and girls who stuck around, went camping in the backyard. My dad supervised to make sure no funny business happened. Aaron and I still snuck out of our tents to look at the stars together and make wishes, like we always do on clear nights. It was a fun day.

But Sarah, oh Sarah. Sarah doesn’t do something small. Orfun. Sarah goes all out. She convinced my parents to let us have control of the backyard. There’s loads of food, tons of yard games, and lots of loud music.

It’s been a pretty great party.

She even got all of us to help her clear out space in one of the sheds, and she and Mackie designed a Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven combo game calledLove Shack. Mackie wasn’t a fan of the title, but Sarah loved it and Mackie gave in since it’s Sarah’s birthday.

There are two big boards on the ground, one full of the guy’s names and the other full of the girl’s names of everyone at the party. And then in the middle of each board is a bottle that you spin, and whoever you get, you go in theLove Shackwith. The rule is, if someone spins your name, you have to go in with them or else you have to take your name off the boardandcan’t spin to go in with anyone else.

Well, those are the rules for everyone but Sarah. Because she totally rigged it on her first spin so that she would get Trevor’s name.

I never thought I’d see Sarah and Trevor together, and yet they seem to have hit it off. They talk about baseball and they’re both naturally sassy and flirty, so I guess it’s a good mix. I’ll be surprised if they don’t start dating soon.

Anyway, Sarah took Trevor into theLove Shackand after the time was up, they both came out lookingveryhappy.

I haven’t felt that interested in it.

Maybe I’m broken, but I’m not interested in kissing random guys.

Maybe it’s the romantic in me. The part of me that wants the boy who wants me. Only me. Not to kiss a random girl in a stupid shed. I want to date someone. I want to hold a guy’s hand. I want him to buy me flowers and walk me to class and kiss me because he can’t help himself. I want the ridiculous love story of two people who will fight against all odds to be together.

Maybe I’ve been ruined by all the rom-coms my mom let me watch, but that’s what I want. Not the Disney princess fantasy where a guy rides up on a white horse to save a damsel in distress.

I want love. The real kind where two people choose each other over and over again and never give up.

I want true love. And a happily ever after.

And I don’t think I can find it inside theLove Shack.

But it’s Sarah’s party, so at her insistence, I agree to play.

I spin once and hilariously get Miles’s name.

We go into theLove Shack,peck each other on the cheek, and then gossip for the rest of the time.

Later, someone grabs me and tells me that Jake Anderson, the most popular boy in our class, spun my name. I go into the shed, and he’s waiting there for me.

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