Fifteen Candles by Veronica Chambers Page B

notebook but suddenly looked up and said, “That’s it , Sarita. You should have a space-themed quince .”
    â€œIt would be different,” Gaz said.
    â€œDifferent is good,” Carmen said, encouragingly.
    â€œExcept when it’s not,” Jamie countered.
    â€œCome on, guys,” Alicia said. “When are we not fabulous? We can do this.”
    Alicia put her ideas notebook in the middle of the table and began drawing. “Picture this. A stage covered in silver balloons, to represent the surface of the moon. The backdrop is black, with the Milky Way galaxy shown in detail.”
    Alicia showed Sarita the quick sketches.
    â€œIt’s beautiful,” Sarita said.
    â€œStage right, we have a silver rocket,” Alicia went on.
    â€œBut not made out of tinfoil,” Sarita said. “Because that would be so tacky.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Carmen said. “We don’t do tacky.”
    Alicia shook her head. “No, we don’t. A silver rocket, made by my genius brother,” Alicia said. “Most definitely not made of tinfoil.
    â€œWe hook you up to a harness, and instead of descending from a platform, like some quinces do,” Alicia went on, “you’re lying flat on the ground, beneath the balloons. Then we lift you with the harness, because there’s zero gravity on the moon.”
    â€œAnd maybe we do sort of a reveal,” Carmen suggested, growing excited. “You’re dressed in a white lab coat in the beginning, with thick black horn-rimmed glasses—like a scientist.” She grabbed Alicia’s notebook and made a quick sketch. “Then we lift you into the air, and, backstage, you ditch the robe and the glasses, to reveal something like this,” she went on. She had drawn a beautiful minidress with diamond-shaped sequins across the bodice.
    â€œSee, the sequins are kind of like stars in the night sky, but subtle,” she explained. “And it could be silver tulle, to give it a lighter-than-air look.”
    â€œMe encanta,” Sarita said. She had a “pinch me, I must be dreaming” grin on her face. “ This is the hotness. Can I take the sketch to show my mom? She’s going to freak.”
    â€œUh-oh,” Carmen chimed in.
    â€œNo, I mean, freak in a good way,” Sarita said.
    Carmen took out her colored pencils and quickly copied what she had drawn earlier. “Here,” she said, handing Sarita the page. “This one’s for you.”
    â€œI love it,” Sarita said. Then she glanced at her watch. “But I’d better go. My mom is picking me up at two, and I want to run into the store next door before she comes. So, what’s next?”
    â€œWe’ve only got four weeks until your quince , which is, by the way, bananas,” Alicia said, smiling. “You’ll meet with me first, and we’ll make a checklist of all the details. Carmen will start fitting your dress, and we’ll start dance rehearsals.”
    â€œDon’t forget, we’ve got to talk about hair and makeup,” Jamie said. “How do you feel about extensions?”
    Sarita shrugged. “I’m kind of on the short side. Do you think they’d look good?”
    â€œYou’d look good in anything,” Carmen said. “And let’s not forget invitations. As soon as we secure the venue, Jamie will make you the most amazing handmade invitations. We’ve got to get those out as soon as possible. We don’t have that much time.”
    â€œFantástico,” Sarita said. “Who would’ve thought that I could move to Miami and less than a month later meet a posse of cool girls who would help me plan my quince .”
    â€œHey, I’m not a girl,” Gaz protested.
    â€œNo arguments there,” Sarita said, winking as she got up to leave.
    When Sarita was gone, Gaz excused himself and went to the restroom.
    â€œDoes everyone in the