1.23 It's My Party...

The day of the party. The invitations have been sent, food baked, room cleaned... Naomi paces around the house, staring at the clock and repeatedly adjusting her dress. She flops onto the couch, swinging her legs nervously. Why does time have to go by so slowly? 

She tries to pass the time by playing with Buttons. 

It helps for a while, but after half an hour Naomi feels on edge again. 

It's probably the mess outside. Mess always bothers her mom, so Naomi gets to tidying it right away. 

And then she runs straight inside. Maybe it's 1 o'clock already! 

The clock is stubbornly stuck at 10, so Naomi tries to find something else to do. She stares at their new coffee machine. Her mother insisted that they treat their guests "properly" and bought a high end beverage maker. Naomi has to use it to make tea for the guests once they come. 

Why do they have to wait so long for them to come?

***

Finally 12:50 rolls around. Naomi is jittery with nervousness and excitement in equal measure. 

Seeing as it's Sunday, and a day off, Sage agreed to play guitar for her friends, at least until if or when (probably when) she gets called away for a sound check. Naomi's just happy she can finally see her mom play in her fancy clothes! 

12:55. Sage starts strumming a tune to warm up. 

1:05. No one's here yet. 

Naomi's head whirls with worry; was there some kind of traffic accident? Do all of her friends actually hate her? Did she write the wrong date on the invitation? Did everyone just forget? 

1:10. Sage's phone starts ringing. 

1:11. Sage is angry, but politely so. 

"I see, Love Day is certainly an important holiday to celebrate, and it's only...natural...that this would take precedence over Naomi's party. I'm curious as to why you didn't RSVP like we asked? Anyways, the Love Day festival is lovely, I'm sure. No, don't apologise-I'm not the one who needs it. Have a nice day." 

1:25. Sage has gotten the same call from every single one of Naomi's guests. She sees her dejected daughter and sighs. 

The nerve of some people. 

"So they're not coming?" Naomi's lip quivers, but she holds the tears back. 

"Come now, Naomi. Tears aren't necessary for us. We're ladies, after all! We don't let bad manners affect us. We rise above it." 

Naomi stares at her mother, not even able to fake a smile or understanding. 

"Yeah, sure... I don't need them." 

Sage looks off wistfully, "Soon you'll realize you can't need anyone. I suppose it's better that you learn that now." 

Naomi frowns. Nothing about this feels "better". 

Naomi's the first to get off of the couch. 

"I'll put all of these away then. They'll go bad out here." She stoically gathers the plates and pastries, trying to focus on the cleaning. Everything will be fine once she cleans it up... 

"Yes, good. I'll change into my normal clothes. Once you're done here, I suggest you do the same." 

2:00. Naomi's back in her yellow dress. It's less itchy than the red dress. 

See? Already better, Naomi tries to look on the bright side. She sighs and looks at the clean table. Somehow, she doesn't really believe herself. 

Maybe playing with Buttons will make her feel better.

6:30. Sage is called away for another sound check. The house is empty again. The quiet, which Naomi is used to, suddenly bothers her. 

She tries to forget about it with a good book. 

9:45. Naomi's bathed and ready for bed. 

10:05. Naomi's asleep. 

There's school tomorrow. Can't stay up too late. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN:  I didn't mean for this to be so...depressing. I actually intended for Naomi to hold a small tea party with her friends and for Sage to be overbearing, but then... no one showed up. ;_; I want to give Naomi a hug. 

The title is from Melanie Martinez's song "Pity Party", the full lyric being, "It's my party and I can cry if I want to.'

 The music video, while far more dramatic and violent than this chapter, does fit the theme of "no one showed up to the party' very well.