Salvatore

4. Bachelorette Party

Eventually, we get home and surprisingly, Mom doesn't make me help her carry anything, instead sending me upstairs because she needs to talk to our downstairs neighbor. I don't complain because I hate carrying things, instead going straight upstairs.

As I walk in, I'm met with a loud "SURPRISE!"

I scream.

As the lights turn on, I see my friends in front of me surrounded by balloons. Matteo and Moose are there too because I swear they're siamese twins, where one is the other is. Suddenly Marry You by Bruno Mars is blasting and they're whisking me forward and putting a dollar store tiara veil and a bride sash on me.

I'm laughing and crying at the same time as Samirah explains, "We wanted to do more before your wedding but since we didn't have time we threw you a surprise party."

I hug all of them and wipe my tears. "You guys made me a balloon arch? We hate making balloon arches?"

"We did it for you," Maddie says proudly.

"You guys didn't even do it," Matteo pipes up. "You made me and Moose do most of the work."

Maddie turns to him. "You started gasping for air after blowing up a single balloon 'cause your lungs suck since you're hitting your vape more than you breathe actual oxygen."

Matteo makes a fake offended face. "My lungs are perfectly fine."

"Yeah right," Maddie says. "You were coughing as if your lungs were going to give out on you any second."

I watch their interaction with interest. Maddie's had an on and off crush on him throughout high school, I'm not sure if it's on again. Meanwhile, Matteo was kind of a slut in high school, but he stopped his manwhore ways his junior year after he got into a serious relationship and then got dumped by a girl he really liked. Lately, he's seemed interested in Maddie, like he'll always ask if she'll be there when I talk about going places but he'll deny it if you call him out.

Samirah and Jocelyn notice me watching their banter. "Don't meddle," Jocelyn says.

"I'm not," I defend.

"You have the meddling face," Samiah says, siding with Jocelyn.

I shrug. "I just think they'd be cute together."

"They would," Jocelyn agrees. "But don't you think it'd be weird?" We notice Moose/Mustafa standing nearby so she turns to him. "What do you think?"

"About?" He looks at us confusedly.

I gesture towards Maddie and Matteo who are definitely flirting. "Them two. Together."

He examines them too. "Honestly, I think it'd work. Between us, Matteo did say he thinks she's cute."

I clap my hands together and squeal, jumping up and down. "Oh my gosh I knew it, we need to get them together."

All three of them look at me, and as one they say. "Marty, don't get involved."

I frown and cross my arms. "Fine." I look around the room, noticing the mini karaoke machine set up and drag Jocelyn over to sing with me. What I lack in talent, I make up for in spirit.

My friends made me a slideshow of some of our best moments over the years. I use the term best loosely because there are multiple clips of me yawning or sneezing or passed out in the back of class.

There's one of me throwing up after the time I got drunk after a Halloween party and there's a clip of that time Jocelyn and I were running from the hall monitor at school.