JESSICA:
Mom and Dad are going OUT OF TOWN.
They gave me, Elizabeth, and Steven this big lecture on TRUST and RESPONSIBILITY.
I have only one thing to say: While the parents are away, the Wakefields wil PAR-TAY!
Party time!
I stared at the phone. Lila invited Roary to my party?
"In fact, I've invited a bunch of people. I told Roary to bring some of his friends."
Roary's friends! Roary's friends as in . . . high-school guys? What was Steven going to say? I'd told him it was just girls!
"Jessica, are you there?"
"I'm here," I said quickly.
"It's okay that I invited them, isn't it?"
"Oh, sure," I said. my whole body had gone numb. I don't know why I felt like it would be impossible to ell Lila not to bring Roary and his friends. I just couldn't do it somehow. I didn't want her to think I'd gotten less cool than I used to be.
"I just thought that with no parents around, who's going to mind?" Lila explained. "Not Steven. I mean, some of these guys are his friends too."
"Oh, absolutely," I agreed, my mind racing. Lila was right. How could Steven get mad about guys coming over when the guys were friends of his?
"Besides," she went on, "some of them are really cute. You should be thanking me, Jessica.
I giggled. Cute guys - now that was an argument I understood. Wow. This party was going to be even cooler than I thought.
Boy. Friend.