Pushing windblown curls out of her face, Alexandra Albright strolled down the sunlit steps of Lakewood Middle School. Her backpack it the ground with a thud as she stopped to look for her best friends, Samantha and Charlotte. They can't be late! She thought to herself as an anxious expression took over her face. The three of them were supposed to hurry to the public library after school so they could grab a computer before they all got taken. Out of the corner of her eye, Alexandra saw two girls laughing as they traipsed through the schoolyard.

"I bet they forgot," Alexandra mumbled to herself.

"Sam! Charlotte! COME ON! We're going to the library, remember?"

Looking up, the other girls realized their mistake and sprinted over to Alexandra.

"Sorry, Alex," apologized Samantha.

Alex abruptly realized that their other friend, Amy, who was supposed to be joining them, was nowhere to be seen. They figured she had some other important priority, and decided they would have to go without her if they wanted a spot at a research station.

"Let's go!" Charlotte shouted, "I'll race you!"

The other girls walked briskly behind her, amused because they knew they had no chance of beating her.

Almost every student at Lakewood Middle School knew that passing notes was risky business in Mr. Carson's class. Alexandra and Charlotte whispered to each other before he came in, catching up on their weekend happenings. Oddly enough, Charlotte saw her good friend Amy, who sat directly in front of her, passing a note to Brianna. Brianna was a girl in the "popular" group whom she never thought Amy would have a reason to pass a note to. Their note was bigger than a normal sheet of paper; it looked like typing paper. Why would they write a note on typing paper, she thought. That's weird. Checking the clock and realizing she had a few more minutes before the bell would ring, Charlotte decided to ask Amy if she could read the note.

"Hey Charlotte," Amy greeted her calmly, "What's up?"

"Um, I was just wondering what that note was about. Can I read it?"

"No, you can't. I'm sorry." Now Amy's voice was more passive, and feeling a tingle of hurt, Charlotte dejectedly sat down. But Amy always lets me read her notes!

Apparently, Amy and Brianna had forgotten Mr. Carson's rule about finding notes. If he found one, he would read it aloud to the whole class. This note was no exception.

"Miss Brianna? I think I need to take a look at that note!"

Smiling sheepishly, Brianna handed the note to the teacher and sat back, her face red with embarrassment. He read, "Amy and Brianna's Par-tay. The Best End of the Year Party Ever. At the public pool, from 2 in the afternoon to 11 Saturday. Bring your swim suit and towel." He sighed. "An invitation. Girls, if I were you, I wouldn't pass out invitations at school." Charlotte glanced over to Alexandra. They smiled, knowing that they would be invited if it was partly Amy's party. This par-tay was going to be tons of fun.

The next morning, Samantha joined Alexandra and Charlotte as they sat down at the school's computer lab to find more information for their project.

"Hey, where's Amy?" asked Samantha. "She always sits with us!"

A giggle could be heard from across the lab. There was Amy, sitting and conversing with Brianna and her popular friends. Alex, Sam and Charlotte stared at each other in disbelief.

"I am going to talk to her," declared Charlotte.

"Hey Amy! How come you aren't sitting over with us?"

"I don't know, I was just bored and thought I'd come over here!" Amy smiled at Charlotte, and then turned and gave Brianna a look that said what does she think she's doing over here with us?

"Oh, okay," replied Charlotte. She knew this was not at all like Amy, but decided not to bother her about not sitting at her normal table.

"Oh, before I go back, I was just making sure about the time of the party. It starts right after school, right?" Then, Brianna butted in.

"What makes you think you're invited?" she snapped. "There is no way you and your little friends are coming to my party. Amy did not even try to stand up for Charlotte! Jaw clenched, she dejectedly walked back to her computer. She told Sam and Alex the news between tears of bewilderment. Charlotte didn't even care who was staring at her; one of her best friends had just been sitting there when she should have been standing up for her and her other friends.

"You know, I think we should write a note," suggested Samantha. Then, we could tell Amy how we feel without actually talking to her, you know?"

The other girls agreed and Alex grabbed some paper out of her notebook. The finished letter read:

Hey Amy &endash;

We were just wondering why you didn't stand up for us when Brianna told Charlotte that we couldn't come to the party. We thought since it was partly your party that we should be invited. Are we still best friends? You haven't been hanging out with us lately. Please write back.

We miss you,

Charlotte, Sam, and Alex

The three girls decided to leave it in Amy's locker. It would be less awkward than simply handing it to her in public. As the bell rang for class, Alex offered Charlotte a tissue and reassured her, "We'll figure this out. Hey, meet me after school again, and hurry this time!"

"I will," she replied, smiling.

"See you there!" laughed Samantha, running off to her next class.

"She hasn't responded to the note, and it's been a week already!"

"Maybe she just forgot about it."

"I don't think so. I think she just doesn't want to be our friend for some odd reason."

It had in fact been a week since Amy had received the note. She usually responded in a day or so. Maybe that was just when we were all friends, Alex mumbled angrily to herself. After school, Samantha saw Amy walking towards her house. Sam did not have to hurry anywhere, and decided to take the opportunity to confront Amy herself.

"Amy, wait up!"

Amy shook her head, and walked on. Samantha knew that something was wrong.

"Amy, you have to stop. What in the world's going on?"

"Go away!" she snapped, but Samantha pressed on.

"Talk to me, I want to help!" Sam pleaded.

Caught up in the dismay of her dilemma, Amy sat down, streaks of red tearing across her face and her eyes flooded with tears.

"Sam, I don't know what to do! Brianna just told me I couldn't come to my own party, and then she said that I was just an annoying wannabe," Amy stopped to sniff and wipe her face. "I thought I had made a friend, and I just wanted to prove myself to Brianna because I thought she was so cool!"

Samantha had guessed that this would happen all along. She remembered some of what her mom had told her a few years ago.

"Amy, that's why we were so sad, and wrote you that note."

"I'm sorry I didn't respond. Brianna told me I couldn't have anything to do with you or Alex and Charlotte if I wanted to be her friend."

Sam was shocked. Amy was practically taking orders from Brianna, the dictator of their "friendship". Poor Amy &endash; she must be really confused.

"Amy, I knew that would happen with you and Brianna. She just really isn't even worth beings friends with. Are you and me and Alex and Charlotte still friends?"

Amy nodded her head and thanked Samantha for her understanding. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea.

"We could have our own party! With you and Charlotte and Alex! Well, that is, if you want to…"

Samantha loved the idea, and knew Alexandra and Charlotte would, too. That night, the girls went shopping for their party items. Charlotte had suggested a Hawaiian theme, which everyone raved about. There would be flowers and leis galore! As they hunted for decorations, a sense of relief floated in the girls' conversation; they felt the delight of being together again.

SPLASH came the sound of four best friends cannon-balling into Alex's pool. Countless games of Marco Polo and diving contests were played until all the girls were completely exhausted.

"Who's up for some hot dogs and hamburgers?" Alex shouted, "My mom just took some off the grill!"

When they had dried and were munching on hot dogs, hamburgers, and chips, Charlotte asked,

"Mrs. Albright, could you take our picture?"

She got the camera ready and full mouths and all, Sam, Alex, Charlotte, and Amy put their arms around each other.

"CHEESE!" they laughed as the camera captured the moment. And what a great moment it was.