It would not only mean going back to the drawing board, but I also had no idea what was considered trendy and innovative. Pretty much every theme had been done at one point or another. All you had to do was Google it. Which we’d already done for forty-five minutes before deciding on the black, white, and green theme.
“Okay, did you have an idea?” I asked, careful not to sound rude. I was honestly curious.
If Aniyah had anything good to offer, I’d be more than happy to entertain the option. I’d go with whatever would result in the best turnout and most funds raised. And unlike Aamee, who valued her own opinion more than any other, I thought it was important to gather a mix of perspectives. Even if a few of them would never step foot in a sorority event.
Aniyah thought for a minute, putting her pen to her lips before looking back up at me. “I don’t, actually. But I bet if we all thought about it, we could come up with something better.”
“Okay,” I said, looking to each person in the room to gauge if they seemed like they were on board to brainstorm.
Toby was on the edge of his seat. Literally. He’d probably never been involved in something social at school, let alone a party with so many females. He looked ready to explode with excitement.
Xander, on the other hand, appeared less thrilled. He pulled his beanie down lower so it almost covered his eyes and settled back against the couch cushions. I wasn’t sure if he was preparing to tune us out or take a nap.
“Do you guys really want to help?” I asked.
“Of course we do,” Xander said slowly and with so much sarcasm, it practically bled from his pores. Then he looked to his other group members out of low eyelids. “We’re never finishing this project, are we?”
“Relax,” Drew said. “We’re almost done. I can type the rest of it up tomorrow and share it with you guys to edit.” He looked to me at the mention of typing, which almost made me laugh. But I’d be happy to help him, especially since he’d been so helpful to me.
“Okay,” Xander said. “Let’s think about this logically. Most of the same people who attend Aamee’s party will be the ones attending yours, right?”
“Yeah, I’d assume so. Why?”
“I’m just thinking they aren’t gonna want to go to two parties that close together.”
Taylor looked at him like his head had just fallen off his neck and she was trying to figure out how he was still able to speak. “Do you know anything about college kids?”
“Uh, yeah. I am one. I get that they like parties, but there are a million of them. Sophia should do something different. Something that will raise a lot of money and still have a ton of participation.”
“Obviously,” Taylor said. “That’s the whole goal.”
“Yeah, but I get what Xander’s saying,” I said. “If they pay to get into Aamee’s party and they’re bidding on things or whatever she’s planning to do to raise money, they aren’t going to want to do that again, especially right before Christmas break when people have to put out money for other things, like flights home and presents and stuff. We have to make it something they feel like they’re missing out on if they don’t attend. Something they get something out of if they’re paying.”
“A Quidditch tournament!” Toby said with a level of excitement that directly mirrored everyone else’s level of No fucking way! “Teams could pay to participate. People could even place bets.”
“I don’t think the school would like us gambling to make money,” I said.
“And I don’t think anyone likes Quidditch,” Taylor added, causing everyone else to agree.
Drew looked at Toby. “I don’t even know what that is.”
Toby opened his mouth to speak, but thankfully Aniyah spoke up before he could explain the rules and regulations.
“Maybe not Quidditch,” she said, “but the idea isn’t bad. We could do like a Powder Puff football game or something. Maybe Carter could get the team on board, and each girl could be matched with a different football player or something. Girls could pay to play. I don’t know all the ins and outs, but we could work out the details, I’m sure.”
Drew looked skeptical. “I think that would get an okay turnout, but would we raise enough money? I mean, we could charge people to get in, but how much would people pay to play or