Something Like Romeo and Juliet

Chapter 18

I propped myself up into a more comfortable position on the couch as I watched the street through Daisy's living room window. Daisy was leaning so far forward over the back of the couch that I was worried she would topple over it if someone did actually show up in the next few minutes.

Eva came back into the room with a fruit skewer in her hand, shaking her head at the scene in front of her. Daisy turned around at the sound of her entering before springing to her feet, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

"No eating the snacks before the party!" she screeched.

Eva swallowed a strawberry slice. "It's just one."

"But now the arrangement's probably out of place!"

I watched the showdown from the couch, trying not to laugh.

Eva pulled off another piece of fruit from the skewer. "Would you deny food to the starving? Why'd we have to come over here so early if we don't get sustenance?"

"Yeah," I put in, "having us come over two hours before the party might have been overkill,"

Daisy looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This was the only way to make sure I'm prepared!" she cried. "I'm too skatterbrained to organize all this, and my parents are no help unless I want a party remincent of 1987. I need your collected mind and Eva's  mental hodgepodge of Pinterest ideas!"

"All right, I'm not complaining," I said with a laugh. "Glad to be of service."

"Yeah," Daisy murmured, already moved on to a new train of thought. "Should we check the speakers again?"

"What, in case they've stopped working since the last three times we checked them?" I laughed. "Okay, we need to get you away from the window. Go eat some of the food from that cornucopia you have over there."

Daisy protested as Eva and I led her into the kitchen. "But the arrangement!"

"Thug life, Daisy," I interjected, handing her a chocolate dipped marshmallow.

Daisy stared at the marshmallow, then back at me. "I've never heard you say that, ever."

"Again, thug life," I said, grinning. I  pretended not to notice Daisy having a mini heart attack as I plopped a barbeque chip in my mouth.

"Is that a car I hear?" Dasiy shrieked in a higher pitch than I'd heard her use since she found a centipede crawling on her arm. The three of us ran back to the windows in time to see a silver Nissan Maxima park by the sidewalk in front of the house. Three girls stepped out, looking at each other and laughing as they walked towards the front door.

Daisy pulled out a miniature notepad from her back pocket. "That's Claire, Anna, and Denah," she said, checking the names off of her list. "Should I go open the door? Or wait until they knock? Or--"

They knocked. "I'm going to get that, okay Daisy?" I laughed as I moved towards the door. Once opened, I remembered I'm not nearly as cool as I thought I was for a second.

"Hi!" I forced out. "Um--come on in!"

I stepped back to let them by, thinking I had done okay.

Daisy ran to them and bounced around in excitement, her blond hair bouncing like it had a life of its own. "Welcome to the Fourth of July Valentine's Day party! There's a ton of food down the hallway and we'll have some fireworks later if it doesn't rain, and--oh, the music!"

All three girls laughed as she bolted off to turn on her carefully formed playlist.

"Thanks, for inviting us!" Denah Karamsky yelled after her. No matter how much of a spaz she can be, everyone loves Daisy.