The Sleepover

"This is boring," Spencer Martin groaned. Adam felt his face flush as Spencer rolled his eyes and pretended to gag. The two other boys in their group laughed and added puking noises to Spencer's theatrics.

Adam's sixth birthday party was off to a rough start. He had thought a sleepover with pizza and the latest Nick Chorris movie would win over the ever-popular Spencer, but his plans were quickly going down the toilet.

"Well, what would you rather do?" Adam huffed, crossing his twiggy arms over his chest.

A grin spread across Spencer's freckled face."Let's play 'nightclub!'"

"Is it scary?" Adam asked with a frown, "I don't like scary games and this is my party."

"Of course it ain't scary!" Spencer scoffed.

"Well...how do you play?"

Spencer rubbed his chin as he thought, "Well, my mom and dad sometimes go. I've heard'em talk about it before. There's bouncers and bars and music and dancing and drinks..."

"Okay. But if we're going to play nightclub, I want us to all dress up like aliens."

Toby pushed himself between the two boys, "I'll be Jabba the Hutt!"

Spencer snickered, "You're fat enough to fit the part perfectly, Toby."

"My mom says I'm big-boned," Toby glared.

"Fine," Spencer turned his baby-blues to Adam, "We'll pretend it's an alien nightclub...and Toby's Jabba the Hutt. I'm gonna be Burp from Planet P."

Adam and the boys all giggled.

"Okay, Spencer. I'll need a drawing of Burp to scan for the Imagination Engager," Adam pulled a purple remote from his pocket and aimed it at Toby. In an instant, Toby was turned into a three-foot version of Jabba. Adam grinned at how realistic his friend looked. By the time Adam had finished cloaking the other boys in their alien illusions, Spencer had sketched out a picture of Burp. Adam scanned the drawing, aimed the remote, and transformed Spencer into Burp.

"So what does a nightclub look like?" Nert, aka Bartholomew Jones, asked. His one green eye slowly blinked and his antennae reached out to poke Burp.

"It's bright...full of flashing lights, I think," Burp said.

Adam tapped a few buttons on the Imagination Engager and pointed it at his bedroom. The posters of monster trucks on his wall and his dream catcher vanished as the room burst into bright colors.

"It looks like a unicorn threw up in here," Jabba's nostrils flared in disgust, "Is this right?"

Burp nodded, "Almost. We need a stage."

"What for?" Adam asked.

"To perform, duh," Burp sneered.

"Like...a play?" Nert asked with a flinch, "I don't do plays."

"No. Like a talent show," Burp corrected, "And the one with the best talent gets one of Adam's birthday presents."

"Wait a minute--" Adam started to shout, but the other boys jumped on the idea, drowning out his voice with their enthusiasm.

"I can spit across the room!" Jabba boasted.

"Yeah, well I can fart the alphabet!" Nert countered, causing Jabba's face to fall in defeat.

"I'm not giving up my presents!" Adam yelled. The other boys groaned and booed.

"Just make the stage," Burp sighed, "We'll figure out the talent show later."

Adam shrugged and aimed the remote, creating a stage where his bed used to be.

"What now?" Adam asked, looking around at the flashing rainbow lights and the stage.

"Didn't you say something about a bar?" Nert asked. Drool was dripping down his fanged mouth. Adam perked up.

"My mom made cookie bars! I'll go get them!" He dashed off to the kitchen and came running back with the desert. The alien boys descended on the platter like locusts. Not one crumb was left behind. Jabba made certain of it by licking the plate clean with his long tongue.

"Drinks!" Burp commanded, and Adam scurried back to the kitchen for a bottle of Rocky Rain. The boys filled plastic cups altered into goblets with the syrupy, green soda and clinked glasses before drinking.

"Now we need a bouncer so..." Burp pointed, "Jabba, you're the bouncer."

"What do I do?" Jabba whined, "I don't know how to be a bouncer!"

"You just...bounce," Burp told him. The boys watched as Jabba gave a tentative jump.

"That's right," Burp encouraged, "Just...keep doing that."

Jabba jumped again and again and each time his flabby skin wiggled and jiggled. Adam had a hard time not laughing at the sight.

"This is fun!" Nert slobbered, "But...isn't there supposed to be music?"

Burp frowned, "Well, that's the hard part. I heard dad talking about a DJ but--"

"But D.J. couldn't make it to the party!" Adam interrupted.

"We can't have music without D.J...." Nert sighed.

"And without music, we can't dance," Burp threw his tentacles up in the air in exasperation. He glared at Adam.

"This is all your fault. The whole game is ruined now."

"It's not my fault D.J. couldn't make it!" Adam snapped.

Nert stepped between the two boys, "Let's just play something else."

"Oh, good!" Jabba gave one last leap before crashing to the floor, "'Cause I'm getting tired of bouncing!"

"I don't know why your parents like this..." Adam shook his head in confusion, "Besides the bar and drinks, this whole thing is just weird."

Burp grinned and tussled Adam's hair, "That's one thing we can agree on, dude. Grownups are really strange."

"So...are there any bars left?" Jabba drooled.

"In the kitchen," Adam said.

With a whoop, the aliens raced out the door.