Tales From a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

by Rachel Renée Russell

  Apparently, her niece, who also attends WCD, told her I was the best artist in the entire school and suggested that she ask me to help out.

  And GET THIS!

  Mrs. Hargrove offered me $150 to paint faces and help with games for a couple of hours.

  I was like, “Well, um . . . HECK YEAH!! !!”

  For $150, I would have painted her ENTIRE house. Inside and out!

  It’s not like I was going to be doing anything important on Halloween night anyway.

  Except maybe cleaning up after the Halloween dance.

  And now I had a really good excuse for NOT doing that phony “My date’s a band member!” thing with Chloe and Zoey.

  Mrs. Hargrove said she would buy the paint and brushes and drop everything off next week.

  So now I’m sitting in my room staring at a check for $150.

  I can’t believe I FINALLY have the money to get that cell phone I’ve been wanting.

  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

  I’m still obsessing over what Brandon wanted to ask me that night at the awards banquet.

  According to MacKenzie (and all the latest gossip), he already has a date for the Halloween dance.

  So the only other thing I can think of is that maybe he still wants to interview me about winning the art show since he asked me about it nine days ago.

  Whenever I see him in class, he just says hi and bye and that’s pretty much it. He’s definitely a lot quieter than he used to be.

  Or maybe he just doesn’t want to be seen in public talking to a big DORK like me !

  MacKenzie doesn’t help things either. Every time she sees Brandon and me near each other, she rushes over and tries to flirt with him by twirling her hair. She’s been doing this ALL week. I definitely think she’s up to something, but I don’t know what.

  I finally mentioned the whole Brandon thing to Chloe and Zoey while we were putting away books.

  Chloe, who, BTW, is an expert on guy stuff, said I should simply ask him what he wanted.

  I told her I had already tried to do that. But it was really difficult to talk to him during class with MacKenzie always butting in.

  And if I asked him to meet me in the janitor’s closet for a little privacy, he would think I was a WEIRDO.

  Chloe and Zoey agreed with me 100%. Not about it being hard to talk to Brandon during class, but about him thinking I was a weirdo.

  Then Zoey said she had overheard MacKenzie bragging in gym class that the editor of the school newspaper had assigned Brandon to cover her birthday party as a personal favor.

  That’s when Chloe said, “Hey, I have an idea! If Brandon is going to be at MacKenzie’s party, why don’t you just talk to him there? It’ll only take a few minutes and then you can leave.”

  “Are you KA-RAY-ZEE?!” I screamed. “There is no way in HECK I’m going to a party by myself with MacKenzie and all those CCPs!!”

  That’s when Chloe got this big sly grin on her face and started doing jazz hands!

  I was like, UH-OH!! Not another of her WACKY ideas?!!

  “Nikki, you’re not going there ALONE! Because WE’RE coming with you!” Chloe shouted excitedly.

  I could NOT believe Chloe and Zoey both volunteered to go with me to MacKenzie’s party!

  They said it was for moral support and because they’re my BFFs.

  And NOT because they wanted to have fun, dance, or flirt with their secret crushes, Jason and Ryan, who, BTW, might ask them to the Halloween dance.

  NOPE! We all agreed that MacKenzie’s party was going to be strictly BUSINESS!

  I had originally planned to use the $150 check from Mrs. Hargrove to buy a new cell phone.

  But when I checked my closet, the only superfancy party dress I owned was from second grade and had buttons and bows all over it.

  And I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that plain old dress from the awards banquet.

  So I decided to use my cell phone money to buy a glamorous, designer, semiformal dress to wear to MacKenzie’s party.

  And for once my mom actually agreed to take me to the MALL instead of our usual discount department stores!!

  I was like, YES !!

  While Mom helped Brianna shop for a Halloween costume, I went from store to store trying on the most fabulous dresses. I even found shoes, jewelry, and other cool stuff to match each one.

  I actually felt like I was doing a photo shoot for America’s Next Top Model! All I needed was for Tyra Banks to suddenly appear.

  She’d smile at me and another model very warmly and say, “I hold two photos in my hand. But only ONE of you can continue in this competition. The ugly, lazy girl gotta pack and go home, y’all.”

  OMG! I just LOVE that girl ! I think she’s a wonderful role model for teens.

  Anyway, I had a BLAST trying on all those clothes!

  Unfortunately, none of these styles reflected the real and true me.

  The mall was going to close in less than an hour and I was starting to panic. If I didn’t find a dress, I couldn’t go to MacKenzie’s party.

  Suddenly . . .

  THERE IT WAS!!

  But the only dress in my size was on this very snotty-looking mannequin in the window.

  So I rushed over to this very snobby-looking sales clerk and tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, ma’am. But I absolutely LOVE that dress in the window! Could you please take it off the mannequin?”

  But she was very busy putting out a very colorful display of toe socks.

  And I’m guessing she did NOT want to be disturbed, because she just glared at me and said, “Young lady, can’t you see I’m busy? Now SHOO! Before I call security!”

  I was totally shocked by her totally inappropriate behavior!

  I even considered lodging a complaint with the manager since this was supposed to be an exclusive store for upscale customers.

  Like, WHO in their right mind would even want to buy a pair of toe socks?!

  I’m just saying . . .

  Anyway, I really, really LOVED that dress!

  And there was no way I was leaving that store without it.

  So I decided to sneak inside the window display and take the dress off that mannequin myself.

  I mean, how hard could it be?

  Lucky for me, the only other person around was a little old lady browsing the support panty hose.

  Things were going really well until I accidentally knocked her over and her head popped right off.

  Not the little old lady’s head, the mannequin’s.

  I was like, “Oh, CRUD!”

  Every time I tried to stand her up, she would just teeter back and forth and fall right over again. And her head would roll across the floor like a bowling ball.

  To make matters worse, a crowd of people had gathered around the window and were staring at me.

  And this toddler was crying really loud because that headless mannequin must have looked pretty dang scary.

  Anyway, after what seemed like forever, I finally got that mannequin to stand up. I also found a new outfit for her to wear.

  Then I paid for the dress and got the heck out of there.

  Before that mean sales clerk called security and had me arrested me for vandalizing the window display.

  Believe me, I WON’T be shopping at that swanky department store anytime soon.

  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

  OMG! I can’t believe what just happened to me at MacKenzie’s party. I have never been so humiliated in my entire life !

  Her party was at a ritzy country club and looked like something straight out of that MTV show My Super Sweet 16.

  A humongous room had been converted into a dance club, complete with a stage, a DJ, and strobe lights.

  And to really make things upscale, a private chef was preparing sushi and freshly baked pizza while a Starbucks barista served mocha Frappucinos, caramel lattes, and strawberry-banana Vivanno smoothies.

  All the guys were decked out in suits and ties, and the girls w
ere wearing party dresses by all the most famous designers.

  There must have been two hundred kids there, and everyone was dancing and having fun.

  I was like, WOW!!

  Chloe and Zoey looked FANTASTIC! And they said I looked like a glamorous Hollywood celebutant.

  The three of us felt supernervous and totally out of place being there with all those CCP kids.

  We placed our presents for MacKenzie on an overflowing gift table and then tried to act coolly nonchalant.

  You know, like we really WEREN’T dorks and it really WASN’T the first and ONLY middle school party we’d ever been invited to.

  But Zoey kind of messed up our “very cool party girl” cover.

  Suddenly her eyes widened to the size of golf balls and she let out a high-pitched “SQUEE!”

  On a nearby table was this huge chocolate fountain.

  It had a fancy crystal platter piled high with an assortment of fresh cut fruit for dipping into the warm chocolate.

  The three of us practically ran over to take a closer look.

  It was the most AWESOME thing ever!!

  And while we were standing there, the strangest thing happened.

  Jason and Ryan walked right up to Chloe and Zoey and asked them to dance!!!

  The three of us just froze and went into total shock.

  I thought for sure we were going to need one of those defibrillator thingies that medics use when people have heart attacks.

  Chloe and Zoey just stood there blinking, with their mouths dangling open, like deer caught in headlights or something.

  They looked at me and then the guys, then back at me, then at the guys, then back at me, and then at the guys again. This went on, like, forever!

  Finally, I spoke up.

  “Actually, they’d LOVE to dance!”

  That’s when Chloe and Zoey started blushing profusely.

  “Um . . . sure!” Zoey squeaked.

  “Okay, I guess!” Chloe giggled.

  Then they both squeezed my arm. And because I’m their BFF, I knew just what they were thinking.

  That maybe the guys were going to ask them to the Halloween dance.

  I kind of winked and said, “Hey! Go right ahead! I’m going to try this yummy chocolate fountain. Have fun, ’kay?”

  Chloe and Zoey smiled nervously as the four of them made their way to the crowded dance floor.

  I was SO happy for them.

  I couldn’t make up my mind which fruit I wanted to try first—strawberry, apple, pineapple, banana, or kiwi. However, since it was free, I just piled a few of each on my plate and then drizzled warm chocolate over the whole thing. I couldn’t wait to dig in!

  It was hard to believe I was actually enjoying myself at MacKenzie’s party. If only I could find Brandon and finally get to talk to him about that interview or whatever, it would be a PERFECT night.

  I was a little surprised when MacKenzie and her BFF, Jessica, walked up to me and started talking.

  “OMG! I can’t believe you actually came!” MacKenzie said, smiling at me. “And your dress and shoes are supercute! Wait, don’t tell me. You raided lost and found?!”

  I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath, and then plastered a fake smile on my face.

  “Happy birthday, MacKenzie! And thanks for inviting me!”

  I didn’t want to waste any of my energy dealing with her drama. The ONLY reason I had come to her stupid party was to talk to Brandon.

  Suddenly Jessica stared at me and then scowled.

  “OMG! What’s that on your fruit? Eww!”

  “What?!” I looked down at it, expecting to see a bug or a hair or something stuck in the chocolate.

  “THAT! Don’t you see it? GROSS!” she exclaimed, pointing and frowning like she saw something slimy with eighteen legs.

  I brought my plate up for a closer look.

  “What? I don’t see any—”

  But before I could finish my sentence, Jessica slapped the bottom of my plate.

  WHACK!

  As the plate went airborne, a few stray pieces of fruit landed in the chocolate fountain with a kerplunk, splashing chocolate on my face.

  However, the vast majority of the gooey mess landed on the front of my dress in chunks and stuck there.

  I froze and stared at it all in HORROR!

  My beautiful designer dress was totally ruined!

  MacKenzie and Jessica doubled over in laughter, and a half dozen other CCP girls joined in.

  “I am SO sorry, Nikki! It was totally an accident!” Jessica sneered.

  “OMG, Nikki! You should have seen the look on your face!!” MacKenzie shrieked.

  “It looks like you were in a food fight. And LOST!” Jessica snorted.

  The lump in my throat was so large I could barely breathe. Tears filled my eyes, and I tried to blink them away. I didn’t want to give MacKenzie and Jessica the pleasure of seeing me cry.

  I grabbed some napkins and wiped my dress until all that remained was a large faint brown stain.

  It suddenly became very clear that the only reason MacKenzie had invited me to her party was to publicly humiliate me.

  And, like an idiot, I had taken the bait. How could I have been so STUPID?! I didn’t care about talking to Brandon anymore. I just wanted to go home.

  Suddenly MacKenzie gasped and whipped out her lip gloss. “OMG! Jess, isn’t that the photographer from the Westchester Society Page? I think it’s time for our close-up!”

  That’s when I noticed that the fountain was vibrating and making a strange gurgling sound.

  I guessed that the pieces of fruit that had dropped inside were clogging things up or something.

  “What a beautiful fountain! Let’s get a shot with the birthday girl and her best friend standing right beside it,” the photographer guy said as he dunked a huge strawberry into the chocolate and popped it into his mouth.

  Okay, I had a really bad feeling about their taking a photo for the Westchester Society Page right next to that fountain.

  Mainly because it was making a low rumbling noise that sounded like a twist between a clogged-up garbage disposal and a plugged-up toilet.

  It was NOT a happy sound. I was outta there!

  I admit, that big smudge on my dress looked bad.

  But MacKenzie and Jessica looked like they’d been mud wrestling in a vat of chocolate fudge and then tried to clean up by showering in chocolate syrup.

  Which, BTW, made me feel a whole lot better .

  I wrapped my shawl over my dress and then hurried to the front desk in the lobby to call my parents.

  I decided not to tell Chloe and Zoey I was leaving. They were still dancing with Jason and Ryan and seemed to be having a really great time.

  And if they were lucky and landed “real” dates for the Halloween dance, they wouldn’t have to do that phony “My date’s a band member!” thing.

  I was standing outside the main door, waiting for my parents and trying to ignore a really bad headache, when I heard a familiar voice.

  “Hey, are you leaving already?”

  It was Brandon. Just great !!

  I adjusted my shawl to make sure that stain wasn’t showing and just stared straight ahead.

  “Yeah, I am. Actually, I don’t even know why I came.”

  “I’m outta here too. I just needed shots for the newspaper.”

  “Um . . . that’s nice, I guess,” I said, trying to muster a smile.

  Our eyes met, but I quickly looked away. We both just stood there not saying anything.

  I kept fiddling with my shawl, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him staring at me.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yep. Just supertired.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. . . .”

  “Oh! Here’s my dad. See ya.”

  I rushed to the curb to meet the car as it pulled into the U-shaped driveway.

  “Hey, wait a minute, Nikki! I just—”

  Without looking back, I op
ened the car door and collapsed into the backseat.

  I was exhausted, angry, humiliated, and confused.

  And to make matters worse, I think I was having my first migraine.

  More than anything, I just didn’t have the energy to chitchat with Brandon right then.

  As my dad pulled away, I peeked into the rearview mirror.

  Under the glare of the street light, I could see him just standing there in the middle of the street with his hands in his pockets and a hurt look on his face.

  I suddenly felt like the most CRUEL and HEARTLESS person in the world.

  I buried my head in my shawl and had a really good cry right there in the backseat.

  WHY was I acting so crazy?

  WHY was everything so confusing?

  WHY was I hurting a person I really cared about?

  It was just another DREADFUL day in the PATHETIC life of a not-so-popular party girl !

  SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20

  When I woke up this morning, I was in a decent mood.

  For about thirty seconds.

  Then all the HORRIBLE memories from MacKenzie’s party came flooding into my brain like a massive tidal wave.

  I just wanted to crawl deep under the covers and hide there for the rest of the school year.

  Now I’m feeling hopelessly depressed .

  I checked my answering machine and was not that surprised to see Chloe and Zoey had each left me, like, a dozen messages.

  But I decided NOT to call them back. The last thing I felt like doing was blabbing on the phone for three hours about how MacKenzie and Jessica had tortured me and destroyed my dress.

  Although, I can’t blame Chloe and Zoey for being supermad at me for just disappearing into thin air like that.

  I’d wanted to get the heck out of there as fast as possible. I guess I completely BUGGED OUT!

  Anyway, around noon my mom came bouncing up the stairs to tell me that lunch was ready. Then out of the blue she smiled really big and said, “Guess what, honey?! I have a little surprise for you!”