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Jacob glanced at Scarlett.

She shook her head.

“Don’t bother,” I said. “I already shot Mr. Tanner a text. He’ll respond soon. He never says no to helping plan an epic party.” I jotted down a reminder in my notebook to call him if he didn’t text me back soon. And then smiled at Mr. Halifax’s pen in my hand. I’d been using it nonstop. I was never using a normal pen again. It actually looked very expensive. The gold pen had his initials on it. This was the kind of pen you definitely asked to get back. But Mr. Halifax had seen me biting it in class today and hadn’t say a word.

“Soph, it’s a little last minute to change the theme,” Jacob said.

“But it’s going to be jungle chic. Everyone who’s anyone will want to be there.”

“We already bought all those Christmas trees,” Scarlett said.

“Well, we can donate them to a church or something.”

“So you have found religion?” Axel said with a smile.

“No, she hasn’t,” Liam said. “Because if she knew anything about Adam and Eve, she’d realize that if this party really was about no inhibitions, worries, or judgements, then the fig leaves make zero sense. Because they only wore those after they ate the apple.”

I nodded. “Right. People can come nude if they want. Let everyone know.” I closed my notebook.

“No one is coming naked to the apartment under mine!” Scarlett yelled. And then her face turned red when she realized how loudly she’d just spoken. “Sophie, are you trying to get me and Liam grounded for the rest of our lives?”

“We’re not going to get caught. Your parents are going out with the rest of our parents. It’s already arranged.” We’d all teamed up and gotten our parents an early Christmas present to go see the Nutcracker. The plan was foolproof.

Scarlett did not look appeased.

“Are you mad at me or something?” I asked.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? We just have yards of Christmas garland, a dozen Christmas trees with ornaments, string lights, and fake snow that we no longer need.”

“I think we can use the lights in the jungle. It’ll be hot.”

Scarlett sighed.

“And if the whole point of the party is that Adam came before Eve...why should anyone dress up as Eve?” Jacob asked. “She doesn’t exist yet in this scenario.”

I stared at him. “Well, unless you want it to be a real sausage fest, we have to be lenient with our interpretation of the bible.”

Axel laughed.

“Sausage fest,” RJ said and chuckled. “Yeah, no one wants that, Jacob.”

“I didn’t say I wanted it.” Jacob laughed. “I just said none of this really makes sense. And technically a sausage fest is where you go to town on a bunch of actual sausages. It’s a deliciously good time. My abuelo has taken me to several.”

Liam and RJ both burst out laughing.

“Bro,” Liam said. “That is not what a sausage fest is.”

“Yes, it is. Why do you guys have to make everything dirty?”

“Go to town on a bunch of sausages.” RJ giggled.

“Literal sausages, man!”

“Shush, you big beautiful beefcake,” I said.

Jacob laughed and shook his head.

“So are we all in agreement?”