Keep it Secret!

“Over here is where we'll set up Pin the Noun on the Grammatically Correct Sentence. And if you click on this little button you'll be directed to the Merit Badge Toss. It's based off a circus game, you know the one where you throw the ping-pong ball into the jar and win a goldfish? Only with this game, players will win gift points!" I beamed at my daughter and waited for her to gush at my wonderful ideas and page layout. I had spent hours bouncing back and forth between coding the big birthday bash and making sure the kids stayed on task with chores and lessons.

Abby Gayle was giving me “the look”. The one that teenagers give when one or both of their parents have done something completely stupid.

“What?” I frowned and pursed my lips. “You don't like it?”

Abby Gayle sighed and tossed her long red hair out of her face. I could tell she was fighting a major eye-roll.

“It's just —“

“Lemme guess. You think I should take out the Genre Charades, right? Look, I know it's embarrasing for a teenager to get up and act silly around other people but this game is going to rake in some serious fun!”

“It's not that. You know —“

“This thing is being stubborn,” I interrupted, turning back to the computer and frowning at a piece of coding that wouldn't cooperate. “Can you see what I did wrong?”

Abby Gayle reached a hand past my face and tapped the screen. “Right there, Mom. You forgot to end the size. Anyway, I was trying to say —“

“Better now?” I asked, completing a few quick clicks. I hit “save and view” for the umpteenth time to check out how it looked without all the Writing ML.

“It looks good. But —“

“Do you think I should ask some of the other writers if they want to contribute? We could create a Cake Walk which, you know, would really be reviews. Or maybe...” I trailed off and bit my bottom lip, lost in thought. My daughter shook my shoulder and I turned, annoyed.

“What?”

“You forgot something, Mom!”

I glanced at the screen and shook my head. “What did I forget?”

“This is supposed to be a surprise party!”

“So?”

She smirked and pointed at the screen. “Well, you just saved that as 'public' rather than 'private'. Now WDC knows all about your plans.”

I could feel a burst of heat travel to my face as I realized she was right. Fumbling for the mouse, I hurried to edit my mistake as Abby Gayle sauntered away, chuckling.

“Dang teenagers,” I grumbled, “They think they know everything!”


Word Count and Stuff ▼

Written for: Pretty Pesky Prompts
Prompt: WDC is turning 18! It is your job to plan a surprise party! Write a story detailing the events that will take place at the party! Remember: It is a surprise! You can't tell WDC!
Word Count: 436