Cora groaned from the couch.“If you say ‘permit’ one more time, I’m taking your pens away.We don’t need a permit for a water slide.”
“We’re doing it here, right?”Raven asked and tossing popcorn at Cora and missed.
“Here,” Alice said immediately.“The farm is a sanctuary for bovine peace.The cameras are restricted to the road.”
“Sanctuary,” Mayra laughed and emerged with a tray of mini quiches that smelled like butter and promise.“Eat first, plan second.Everyone knows the Girl Gang runs on carbs.I could take credit for these, but we all know that Carnie made them.”
We swarmed like polite piranhas.I took a quiche, a napkin, and a deep breath.
“So, theme,” Karmen said, and chewed.“We have options.Classic black-and-gold grad.Or, hear me out, Eden’s Actual Personality.”
Eden narrowed her eyes.“Which is…”
“Books.Plants.That weird playlist you won’t admit is ninety percent sad girl bangers,” Calla supplied sweetly.
“Hard pass on plants,” Nikki said, and marked something.“Half of you will steal the centerpieces and the other half will knock them over during the Electric Slide.”
“Fact,” Raven said.
Alice waved a page.“What about cowgrad?”She blinked innocently when we stared.“Black and white with gold accents.Cute cow-print balloons, diplomas with tiny horns.Adley, don’t make that face.”
“I didn’t make a face!”I insisted.
“You made a face,” Bell whispered, delighted.
“Cowgrad,” Eden repeated slowly, like she was tasting a new word.“If there are any inflatable udders, I’m leaving t-t-town.”
“No udders!”Alice said as if that was crazy.“This is high concept.”
Karmen scribbled “COWGRAD (tasteful???)” on the board and underlined the question marks three times.
“Games?”Clove asked, and propped her chin on her fist.“Cornhole obviously.Maybe we can borrow the giant Beer Pong from the Social Club?”
“We could do ‘Pin the Cap on the Graduate,’” Calla offered.
Eden groaned.“I’m not five.”
“Okay,” Karmen said, totally unfazed, “then scavenger hunt of Weston nostalgia.Polaroid cameras.Teams.First group back wins… a nacho fountain bath.”
“Denied,” Carnie said, without looking up from her notes.“No bathing in cheese.”
“Thank you,” Nikki said, and wrote NO CHEESE BATHS in tiny letters at the bottom of the page like it was a law.
Junior, who had been silently enjoying the chaos with a glass of iced tea, cleared his throat.“I will put the pool table away if you psychopaths try to use it as a buffet.Do not test me.”
“We would never,” Raven said, offended.Then, after a beat, to Wren: “Would we?”
Wren considered.“We could make it work with chafing dishes if-.”
“No,” Junior barked.
I caught myself glancing at a camera bubble and felt my shoulders notch up again.“So we’re really recording… all of this?”I didn’t know how they were all acting normal when I just couldn’t stop thinking about the cameras.I knew I would get used to them, but it wasn’t happening as quick as I had liked.
“They’re everywhere,” Nikki confirmed.“But honestly?Half the time I forget.It’s not like we have to wear mics or anything.Mac said the cameras pick up pretty much anything we say unless we whisper.”
“Fantastic.”I aimed for dry and probably hit nervous.“Love that for us.”
“Look.”Alice leaned forward, eyes bright.“We’ll ham it up a little where it’s fun.But we’re not putting your business out there.If they want drama, they can film Wrecker talking to Priscilla in the pasture again.”
