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[Is this part of Maddy's character, or did you legitimately forget the plan we established on page 15? Either way, I guess it could work for her character. I never expected Steph to sleep with a stripper, but it does work for her character.]

"Okay. She's off Saturday, which means we CAN'T do it that day either. Look, even if we found a day where she's busy, but still has time, there's no telling if I'M busy on that day. I HAVE to compare our schedules. And trying to find a day preemptively is probably not a good idea. You should probably leave this whole day-planning thing to me. I think I know what I'm doing a little better than you right now."

"So how about we get off the subject? You mentioned food, right? I know some of Samantha's favorites."

[Wait. They can't eat shellfish?]

"She can't eat shellfish?", Stacy asked confusedly, "That's a shame. I know Samantha really like scallops. Perhaps we can get some shrimp and salmon instead. I also think she liked cheesy bread with dipping sauce if I remember."

She tapped her chin, trying to think of more. "I think there's some more she likes. Just gimme a second."

"I remember that she likes spaghetti.", Stacy said, "And I could really go for a pizza right now. Should we get pizzas too? OH! You know what would she'd really like? Some quesadillas or some burritos!" She continued on with more food options mined from her mind. As she did so, she noticed her own stomach growling. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to plan the food while hungry. Or perhaps it was. She channeled her inner fat girl to come up with a plethora of ideas. "Remind me to lose some weight.", she shamefully mumbled to herself.

"ANYWAY, do you think we have some good ideas for the food? I don't know if we can have it all, but we can get the more important stuff. You're rich, so you may be able to buy it all from a caterer or something, right?"

"Alright. That sounds good. I think we've tackled everything we need to right now. Let's talk again when we have more to plan, alright? Bye, Maddy." Stacy hung up the phone. From looking through the taxi windows, she could see the pathway leading up to her house. It wasn't long now until she would prepare herself for slumber.

The taxi had stopped near the sidewalk. He signaled her out, and Stacy left the yellow vehicle. "Thank you so very much!", she said to the driver. The driver returned her no word, simply making a U-turn before leaving the area.

Once inside her house, she had quickly changed into her dust-filled pajamas. With the sheer amount checkered all over, it almost looked as if she were wearing a dirty quilt. She laid down on the bed as she began to call Samantha. She still had to be awake by now. Perhaps now would be the perfect time to call her.

"Sammy!", excitedly yelled Stacy as the phone picked up, "Yesterday was pretty fun, wasn't it? I wanna hang out with you like that again. What's your work schedule this week? It would be great to find a great time to go shopping and stuff for your wedding."

Though she did want to spend more time with Samantha, this question was partially a ruse. This way, she could get her work schedule without giving any hints to the party she's planning. All she needed was a busy day for Samantha, while Stacy had the day off.

[Sunday has already passed. Monday is just ending right now. Samantha's gotta see the planner on Tuesday, and then go see a show with Steph.]

[Samantha's got a date with Paul on Friday. And she's off work this Saturday.]

[That means the only days available for this party would be Wednesday and Thursday. Samantha's already implied that she's working these days, so this may be the thing that Stacy's looking for.]

The phone hung up quickly on Stacy's end. "So her only days off are tomorrow and Saturday, huh?" Stacy placed it next to her alarm clock as she went to look at the calendar. "If Paul's taking her out on Saturday, then we MAY have time on that day. Let's see what the calendar says."

"S***! I have work on Saturday! How about Friday? S***! That day's busy too!" She turned her head away from the calendar to think. "I could call into work, and let them give me a day off. But I don't wanna do that. I need all the money I can."

"Wait, I'm free this Thursday, and Samantha's gotta work. That's perfect! ... Then again, that only gives us three days to plan the party." She moaned. This was not going to be easy. "Can we arrange a whole bachelorette party in just three days? Poor Maddy's gonna have her work cut out for her."

She quickly dialed her phone to call her. "Hey Maddy, would you mind meeting me at the Sandwich Barn tomorrow morning? I'd like to discuss something in person if we could."

[What do you think? Three-day planning until Thursday? Or scheduling a day off for Friday or Saturday?]

***

The sun had risen again, just as it always had, onto Tuesday morning. Stacy had awoken groggily, the strong flavor of salt in her mouth. She had to pry her body off the mattress before getting a shower, and then her clothes. Her outfit for the day? A green shirt with large cheese stains. It reminded her of the time she pigged out on fondue a few years ago. After washing up and a good breakfast, she was ready to go. She still had a little bit of time to spend before meeting Maddy at the Sandwich Barn to plan the party. Until then, she was roaming the sidewalk of her street, checking out the latest happenings.

Her neighborhood would have been best described as a "white ghetto". For miles, all there was to be seen were broken houses, and even more broken people. And Stacy knew them all by name. There was Charlie, an unwashed man with a red beard. He'd often be seen begging for change. Then there was Bob, the resident tough guy, coated in tattoos. He'd pick a fight with anyone, unless you were a woman. And even then, you had to be cute. There were Harold and Gerald, two drug addicted brothers who lived with each other as adults. Of course, there was Stacy. One of the more decent ones, she never had anything clean to wear. She was also the only one with a legal job(note I said "legal" ) and was not dependent on government welfare.

She passed by a large house, just right next door to hers. In the past, this place had belonged to a morbidly obese man. He had barely come out of his house for the years he had lived there, and left the interior a hoarded mess. He died last year of a heart attack, and nobody had bought this property since. Stacy pinched her stomach as she remembered that incident. She always hoped that she wouldn't be next.

All of a sudden, a voice had sprung up from behind. It began to sing, "She was so cute, but she was so small! Out in the streets, she begged for it all! I checked her out, and took her to the loo! That's where we shared a port-a-potty for two!" Stacy, disturbed by such vulgar lyrics, turned around to see that familiar face. It was Nathan. He was a man about her age, always singing with that hat and guitar of his. "Egh, not you again, Nathan.", Stacy disgustedly said to him, "Why'd you decide to stalk me today?" "Chill out sweet pea. I'm just trying to find someone to hang with. What's the point in singing if nobody's gonna hear me? That's why I've got an audience like you, Stace." He brushed his hair to the side, tuning his guitar some more. "I have no time for this.", she said to him, "I've gotta meet with a friend in a few minutes. And then I have to go to my job. You know, a job, something I think you should look at. It could keep you busy, and get you out of my life!" She began to walk back to her house. Though Nathan wouldn't stop, pursuing her all the way.

"All my life, all I've known is rags! I've walked the streets, and I've smoked the smack! I'm nothing special, don'tcha see? There's plenty of others just like me! But perhaps one day will come our chance! God will intervene, and let us advance! And maybe then, I'll know more than the poorhouse! I've just gotta waaaaaait!" Many others in her neighborhood shared the same philosophy. Just wait, and good will happen to you. They don't try to get an education, or skills, or even an occupation. They just waste their time, leeching off the state, hoping that something some day will whisk them from poverty. Stacy was the only one without such an idea, and perhaps that's why she lived a better life than her neighbors.

As she drove her car from the house, she thought again of running Nathan over. He wouldn't be missed, right? It'd just mean one less bad person in the world. Though she also knew that killing a person would make her just as bad. She could never do such a thing if she wanted to avoid prison. So instead, she just drove her way out of the place, and to the Sandwich Barn to meet Maddy.

***

Stacy parked her car in the first open space she could find. Business seemed to be doing rather well at the Sandwich Barn today. Hopefully, she would be able to find a seat.

It wasn't long before she saw Maddy waiting out there in the front. She approached her with a smile. "Good morning. I hope you didn't have to travel too far." She lead her wealthy friend into the big, orange building behind them.

The two of them sat beside one another at the bar, awaiting the chance to speak with the cashier. As could be seen by the sheer number of seated customers today, it would probably be a little while before they can order.

"There's a few things I wanted to discuss with you this morning.", Stacy said, "It's about Sammy's bachelorette party. Last night, I called her about her schedule. She's off today, as well as Saturday. Though she said she has that date on Saturday. My work schedule only gives me the day off on Thursday, but I was thinking of maybe taking the day off this Saturday. Y'know. To prepare the party."

"Do you think Samantha's date will keep her busy long enough to set everything up?"