"That's great," murmured Mary Anne.

    "Excellent." Claudia didn't look up from her beads.

    Stacey was the only one of the three who really sounded psyched. I felt like smacking myself on the head. What a jerk! Of course the other two wouldn't be excited about a party. Mary Anne had just broken up with her boyfriend. And Claudia, well, for one thing, she and Stacey weren't exactly getting along. And Stacey would be sure to bring Jeremy to the party, which wouldn't help. I could see it all now. What was the point of a fabulous party if my friends weren't going to enjoy it?

    I sighed.

    Oh, well. I was going to go ahead with my plans anyway. My BSC friends weren't the only ones I was going to invite. And with luck, Claudia and Stacey would work out their issues before the party rolled around, and Mary Anne would be that much more used to not being a couple with Logan. The party could still be a success.

    I checked Claudia's clock. Five fifty-three. Would the meeting ever end? This had to be one of the longest half hours of my life.

    The phone rang two more times, once with a job request from Dr. Johanssen and once with a call from a girl in Claudia's math class who needed that day's homework assignment.

    Finally, finally, the clock clicked to six. "Meeting adjourned!" I cried; jumping to my feet. I couldn't wait to leave.

    Stacey seemed to feel the same way. " 'Bye!" she said, sprinting for the door.

    Mary Anne and I said good-bye to Claudia. She seemed happy to be left with her beads. "Are you still coming over for dinner?" Mary Anne asked me as we left Claudia's house.