did you think I wouldn’t mind?”
“Well, you had a date. I figured maybe you’d get lucky and not come home.” Her rationality was truly amazing. “What’s the
big deal anyway?”
“The big deal is that I’ve had a long night and all I want to do is go to sleep, but there are fifty freaks sprawled around
my living room.”
Oh, man, I sounded like my father. I, Maddy Madison, was officially a party pooper.
“They’re not freaks. They’re my friends.”
“And you’re drinking! Is anyone here even of age?”
Lulu shrugged. “I think Bill is. He bought the beer. Though I guess he could have a fake ID. . . .”
I couldn’t believe this. I had to stop the party. Now. The cops could come and bust me for allowing underage kids to drink
in my home. And they probably wouldn’t believe me when I told them I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
“What’s your problem?” Lulu whined. “I always thought you were cool.”
Oh, man. She was actually pulling out the “cool” card? Her words hit me hard. I am cool , I wanted to protest. Really!
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want Lulu to hate me, but at the same time I couldn’t allow this type of thing to go on. It was
for her own good, after all. I had to be the adult, as much as it pained me. She’d thank me someday. Maybe.
“Lulu, if you’re going to live in my house, you need to follow some rules. You can’t walk all over me, trash my house and
completely disrespect me and then tell me I shouldn’t mind because of some warped sense of coolness you think I have. It’s
not acceptable.”
“Fine. What-EVER. I’ll stop the party. Geez!” Lulu opened the front door, then turned back to shoot me an evil glare. “You
know, I was totally wrong about you.”
“Sucks to be you then, doesn’t it?” I snarled back. As soon as the words came out, I regretted them. As a rule, responsible
adult types should not say phrases like “sucks to be you.” But hey, I was parenting on the fly here.
To her credit, it took her less than ten minutes to clear everyone out. Of course, she wanted to go with them to the next
party, but I, the loser adult, told her to go to bed. Actually, I told her if she went to bed I wouldn’t tell Dad about the
party, but hey, whatever worked.
After giving her a blanket and pillow and settling her on the couch, I headed to my bedroom, which unfortunately hadn’t been
spared from the party mess. Worried about potential teenage hormone-induced action between the sheets, I stripped the bed
and made it again.
When had my life spun so out of control? It used to be so deliciously boring. Not that I was uncool as Lulu said or anything.
Was I? I mean, coolness shouldn’t be judged by one’s acceptance of an underage rave at her apartment, should it?
I crawled into my newly made bed and blocked the troubling thoughts from my mind. A good night’s sleep and everything would
be okay.
I hoped.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FROM: “Laura Smith”
TO: “Special Projects Group”
SUBJECT: Sweeps Story List
Hi Guys!
After much planning, Richard and I have finally finalized the story list for May. I think we’ve got some good ones this time!
Please review the following stories:
• Spray-on Nylons - A new spray makes wearing pantyhose passé.
• Cellulite Sneakers - Special sneakers help you lose weight while you walk.
• Pudgy Pets - Now it’s Fido and Fifi’s turn to go low-carb.
• The Fast Food Diet - Big Mac can mean BIG weight loss.
• Nocturnal Positions - The positions you sleep in can predict the future of your marriage.
• Nail Salon Nightmare - How acrylic nails can lead to amputated fingers.
We will also be kicking off our latest Household Products That Kill series. Maddy has been working on our first segment—“Cosmetics That Kill” which edits tomorrow. We’ll also be assigning Deadly
Doorknobs, Kitty Killer, Bad Beanie Babies, and
“Well, you had a date. I figured maybe you’d get lucky and not come home.” Her rationality was truly amazing. “What’s the
big deal anyway?”
“The big deal is that I’ve had a long night and all I want to do is go to sleep, but there are fifty freaks sprawled around
my living room.”
Oh, man, I sounded like my father. I, Maddy Madison, was officially a party pooper.
“They’re not freaks. They’re my friends.”
“And you’re drinking! Is anyone here even of age?”
Lulu shrugged. “I think Bill is. He bought the beer. Though I guess he could have a fake ID. . . .”
I couldn’t believe this. I had to stop the party. Now. The cops could come and bust me for allowing underage kids to drink
in my home. And they probably wouldn’t believe me when I told them I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
“What’s your problem?” Lulu whined. “I always thought you were cool.”
Oh, man. She was actually pulling out the “cool” card? Her words hit me hard. I am cool , I wanted to protest. Really!
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want Lulu to hate me, but at the same time I couldn’t allow this type of thing to go on. It was
for her own good, after all. I had to be the adult, as much as it pained me. She’d thank me someday. Maybe.
“Lulu, if you’re going to live in my house, you need to follow some rules. You can’t walk all over me, trash my house and
completely disrespect me and then tell me I shouldn’t mind because of some warped sense of coolness you think I have. It’s
not acceptable.”
“Fine. What-EVER. I’ll stop the party. Geez!” Lulu opened the front door, then turned back to shoot me an evil glare. “You
know, I was totally wrong about you.”
“Sucks to be you then, doesn’t it?” I snarled back. As soon as the words came out, I regretted them. As a rule, responsible
adult types should not say phrases like “sucks to be you.” But hey, I was parenting on the fly here.
To her credit, it took her less than ten minutes to clear everyone out. Of course, she wanted to go with them to the next
party, but I, the loser adult, told her to go to bed. Actually, I told her if she went to bed I wouldn’t tell Dad about the
party, but hey, whatever worked.
After giving her a blanket and pillow and settling her on the couch, I headed to my bedroom, which unfortunately hadn’t been
spared from the party mess. Worried about potential teenage hormone-induced action between the sheets, I stripped the bed
and made it again.
When had my life spun so out of control? It used to be so deliciously boring. Not that I was uncool as Lulu said or anything.
Was I? I mean, coolness shouldn’t be judged by one’s acceptance of an underage rave at her apartment, should it?
I crawled into my newly made bed and blocked the troubling thoughts from my mind. A good night’s sleep and everything would
be okay.
I hoped.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FROM: “Laura Smith”
TO: “Special Projects Group”
SUBJECT: Sweeps Story List
Hi Guys!
After much planning, Richard and I have finally finalized the story list for May. I think we’ve got some good ones this time!
Please review the following stories:
• Spray-on Nylons - A new spray makes wearing pantyhose passé.
• Cellulite Sneakers - Special sneakers help you lose weight while you walk.
• Pudgy Pets - Now it’s Fido and Fifi’s turn to go low-carb.
• The Fast Food Diet - Big Mac can mean BIG weight loss.
• Nocturnal Positions - The positions you sleep in can predict the future of your marriage.
• Nail Salon Nightmare - How acrylic nails can lead to amputated fingers.
We will also be kicking off our latest Household Products That Kill series. Maddy has been working on our first segment—“Cosmetics That Kill” which edits tomorrow. We’ll also be assigning Deadly
Doorknobs, Kitty Killer, Bad Beanie Babies, and
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