in my head at all. She nodded toward Dad—now was the time.
"So, Dad," I began, diving into yet another script Trista had written for me, "I wonder if I could ask you a favor..."
"Anything, baby. Anything."
"Wow, okay, um ... we were all talking," I said, "and we really wanted to have a spring party, but we couldn't figure out a good location..."
I was already off-script. I was hemming and hawing and hedging and trying to get back to that No Emotion place in my head, but it was hard. I was riddled with emotion. Guilt that I was being nice to Dad behind Karl's and Mom's backs. Guilt that I was using Dad for his house. Anger that I was feeling guilty when Dad deserved for me to use him. I could barely get my tongue around it all to speak.
"What, you want to use the house?" Dad asked.
I scanned his voice for indignation. There didn't seem to be any. In fact, he seemed to be more offering than asking.
"Um ... yeah. I mean, if we can..."
"We'd love to!" Trista said. "Thanks so much, Lenny!"
"No problem," he said. "Just let me know when so I can make sure Lise and I don't already have it booked."
"We'll work around you, of course!" Trista said. "A Saturday night would be best. Whatever one's good for you."
Dad pulled out his phone and tapped a quick note. "Done. Just e-mailed Lisa." He looked at me. "I'll call and let you know what she says."
Dad wasn't the one who called me. Lisa called me.
"This is not your house," she said. "Do not think this is ever going to happen again."
That's what she said. What I heard was that I was having a party at the house!
"Got it. So what day would be best for you?"
"April twenty-fourth."
I had already hung up and was about to call Trista when I realized the horror of that date. It was the day before my lunch with Dean Jaffe of Northwestern. The interview had always been a huge deal, but ever since my less-than-stellar report card, Karl had been drilling into my head that it now meant everything. Only the strongest recommendation from the dean, plus an immediate upswing in my GPA, could secure my place at the one college that held the key to my future. There was no possible way Karl was going to let me out of the house the night before. I wouldn't be surprised if he had that whole Saturday mapped out with a full slate of prep sessions followed by an early bedtime.
I briefly considered asking Lisa for an alternate party date, but there was no way. She'd see a request like that as the perfect out. I had to just go with it and trust that I'd find a way around the Karl issue when the time came.
Meanwhile, Trista and I had planning to do. We'd agreed that making the party a successful transition of power required finesse. Everyone, including the Populazzi, had to know that I was the one putting it together. Yet to make it magnetic enough, Trista had to secretly call the shots.
Her first priority was my guest list. It was a work in progress. She e-mailed me the first draft while we talked on the phone and played with it over the next couple days until she was satisfied.
There were lots of people on the list I didn't know, but I wasn't surprised by most of her picks. Naturally, I'd invite the Populazzi from every class, including the seniors. All the upper-level Cubby Crews who had made the cut for Eddie's party were invited, though Kristie's now-ex-boyfriend Eric was not. The DangerZones were in, with the notable exceptions of Nate Wetherill and his now-DangerZone girlfriend, Dinah. Even some college kids were on Trista's list, mostly recent Chrysella alums who'd been Populazzi. Some Populazzi from nearby schools made the cut, too. The Pennsbrook Populazzi, thankfully, were too far away to be on Trista's radar.
Everyone on the list would jump at a chance to come to a Trista Camello spring party, but we needed them just as eager to come to mine, even though some key people on the list barely knew me or didn't know me at all. We decided to do a Facebook event invitation that included a totally hot picture of Trista and me together and said flat-out that Trista was canceling her spring party this year because mine would be so much better.