House Party Read Online Free

was going to argue, but she was right. It was my house, and I was the one with the most to lose if this didn’t go right.
    â€œWell, do we invite more people?” she asked.
    â€œMy grandmother used to say
In for a penny, in for a pound
,” I said.
    â€œAnd that means?”
    â€œIt means that we invite some more people.”
    Jen smiled. “I think your grandmother is one smart lady.”
    â€œI don’t think any of this has anything to do with being smart,” I said.
    â€œOkay, maybe smart isn’t the right word. So you’re okay with us inviting more people, right? I don’t want to do anything you don’t want me to do. It
is
your house.”
    I didn’t answer right away. Maybe it wasn’t too late to be smart and call the whole thing off.
    â€œWell?” Jen asked.
    â€œI don’t know. I’m just worried.”
    â€œSometimes, when I’m worried about something happening, I try to imagine what would be the very, very
worst
thing that could happen,” Jen said.
    â€œAnd that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
    â€œIt does. Think about it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
    â€œI don’t know. I guess that something gets broken,” I said.
    â€œYou’ve pretty well taken care of that.”
    She was right. I had done a pretty good job of putting everything away.
    â€œSomebody could spill something on the carpet,” I said.
    â€œOr
throw up
on the carpet,” Jen added.
    â€œThat would be worse.”
    â€œBut either way we’d just clean it up. Anything else?”
    â€œMy parents finding out would be pretty bad.”
    â€œYou’re right, but whether it’s fifteen people or twenty-five, they’re going tobe just as mad, so there’s nothing worse about it being slightly bigger.” She paused. “So?”
    â€œSo we invite some more people.”
    â€œYes, sir!” Jen said. She first saluted me, and then she disappeared up the stairs.
    I took a deep breath. This was starting to feel like it was spinning faster and faster. It almost felt like I was climbing onto a roller coaster. There’s that moment when they strap you in, when you know you’re going on a ride, and you really don’t know how much fun or how scary it’s going to be, but you have no choice. You’re going. Some people loved roller coasters. I didn’t.

Chapter Five
    I sat staring at the clock. The house was so quiet that I could hear the clock ticking from clear across the room. That seemed right. Time was everything now. We had one hour to go before the start of the party—it was almost eight o’clock. Part of me couldn’t wait for it all to begin, to see how it was going to work out. The other part of me was just dreading the whole thing. I didn’t want nine o’clock to arrive. I wanted time to stand still.
    â€œHow do I look?” Jen asked as she entered the room.
    I looked her up and down carefully. I knew she wanted a serious answer. I also knew that whatever answer I gave, it probably wouldn’t make her happy.
    She was wearing jeans— designer, expensive and tight…maybe a little too tight. Her top was low cut, but not too low cut. Her hair was all done up—she’d been working on it for the last hour—and she was wearing brand-new earrings that dangled down.
    â€œYou look good,” I said.
    â€œOnly good? I was hoping for great.”
    â€œI meant to say great!” I stammered.
    â€œNow you’re just lying. I wish I knew about this two weeks ago. I would have started dieting. Do I look fat in these jeans?” she demanded as she turned around.
    â€œYou don’t look fat in
any
jeans. You aren’t fat.”
    â€œI am compared to Sarah Jenkins.”
    â€œCompared to Sarah Jenkins, a toothpick is fat.”
    Jen chuckled. “Maybe you’re right, but don’t mention that to her