Lydia Takes the Leap
Chapter 22

Little did the girls know, Mrs. Wyley had planned a party in secret while the girls spent the past week in a craft crazy daze.

“Let’s take them out to the mall, what do you think?” asked Lydia’s dad.

“That’s too boring, darling. We have to do something extraordinary, just like them,” she insisted. “What do you say we turn the regular slumber party into a big bash in the house and invite all their family to celebrate with them?”

“Great idea. I kinda like that. It will afford them the opportunity to spend quality time with their loved ones and take a break from sales chatter that evening.”

“Brilliant!” Mrs. Wyley exclaimed.

The girls were away at the Annual Craft Crawl downtown and had no idea what awaited them at home. Luckily for Mrs. Wyley, Mr. Wyley was able to sneak in a quick text to let her know they were on the way.

Lydia, Veronica, and Karen bounded into the house singing, “We are the champions…OF THE WORLD!” When they were surprised with the sound of Michael busting up with laughter.

Startled and slightly embarrassed, they were shocked to replace Mr. Hackett, Charlie, Michael, Jacob, and Veronica’s parents holding a banner

“ALL PLAY AND NO WORK SLUMBER PARTY”

The girls jumped up with joy and excitement in their eyes as they caught sight of even more decorations. This must be the best day of their lives, they thought. When up close to the balloons hanging in the living room you could see handwritten notes from their family with encouraging messages. The dining room table was used as a treat buffet with bowls of cookies, platters of pizza bites and a popcorn bar with candy toppings.

After the food and fun, Karen and Veronica’s family bid them goodbye and told them to enjoy their party. The girls lay out on the living room floor snug in their sleeping bags.

“Did you see the booth with lights dangling from its roof? Made me feel like Christmas came early?”

“Oh, my gosh did you taste the cookies handmade by Lydia’s mom? They were amazing!”

“I had such a great time with you guys, I can’t wait for the next show! Now that I have a lot more extra cash, I can invest in bigger and better products. Like, what if I sell my own makeup line?”

WHACK! SMACK! The other two club members threw pillows from the couch which thumped into Lydia’s chest and face. Veronica and Karen groaned, then burst out laughing at Lydia getting ahead of herself, yet again.

“Whatever, nothing can stop me now!” she smirked and clicked off the end table light. In the dark room, Lydia couldn’t stop grinning to herself. She’d found true best friends who shared her interests. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them.

To be continued...