Ladies Night! [Open to the girls of Asher]

[eire]

It was odd, really. Aoife O'Neill had recently come to the realisation that most of the people she spent time with at Asher Academy were... guys. Mostly her family and her sidekick Tino. The only exception was Ana Maria, her Mexican friend. But other than that, she hardly knew any of the female students. Well, tonight Aoife was going to change that! Oh yes; the girls were going to have a sleepover!

...Maybe it wasn't exactly a sleepover, as they all boarded at the school anyway... But still! It should be fun. Aoife had been planning it for a while now: making invitations during free periods, planning the food and drinks, choosing movies they could watch... With homework and nearly burning down the dorm a couple of times when decorating, it had proven to take much longer than she originally had thought. But now, today was the day!

"I hope the other girls can come..." she muttered whilst quickly reorganising the sleeping bags that were laid out on the floor one last time. The Irish girl had posted invitations under the doors of all the dorms in the girls floor a week in advance, so people should know the sleepover, right? ...It would be a shame if nobody did come...

"You're worrying too much, Aoife" the redhead hummed to herself, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she stared at the door expectantly. "Ana Maria will probably come... Maybe that nice Belgian girl too~"

Yes, if all went according to plan, tonight should be a success!

[ANA MARÍA CAMPOS HERNÁNDEZ]

There was one thing that Ana María loved about this school more than anything else. She always found it utterly fascinating how it brought people together from all over the world. You could hear the different languages being spoken, the different cultures and beliefs and customs. It was like everyone brought something from their home and made this place unique. Different nationalities and out of nowhere they are together, interacting, socializing without the burdens that separate them. Ana María could never quite describe this feeling. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. When her father asked her how she was doing, especially that first year, when she knew no one, she had failed to express the way that all this made her feel.

It made everything different. The people where never alike. One of a kind. And getting to know them, in their individuality, in what made them special, always amazed her. Which was why she loved hanging around people. It was a pity though, that there where other students who ceased to enjoy what Ana María treasured the most about this school. It was like they were missing the whole point of being an international student. Understand the differences while embracing the similarities. The girl had to learn that she couldn't control how those people acted, no matter how much she wanted them to be- to be, well, like her, if she were to be completely honest.

Needless to say, Ana María was beyond excited when she had found a party invitation resting on the floor. It was from Aoife. Ah, Aoife. The girl with the precious red hair and mesmerizing emerald green eyes. Yes, it was someone she liked and had such a great time talking to during their first meeting at the edges of the beach. She had spent the whole week thinking about the sleepover and how fun it was going to be. Ana María didn't know most of the girls in the school. She somehow always ended up meeting with boys. It didn't came as a surprise to her. She had spent most of her life hanging out with boys. It was just something that was simple to do.

Ana María walked over to Dorm 201, where Aoife had asked them all to meet. She had brought a basket of strawberries to share along with some chocolate, because no one goes anywhere invited without bringing something to the host. At least that's how she had been raised. It was considered utterly disrespectful to show empty handed. She really hoped they would like it, and why wouldn't they? She always thought that chocolate was the perfect ice-breaker. Who would say no to it? Well, a lot of people, but that wasn't the point. The point was, she was excited.

Ana María knocked on Aoife's door in order for her to hear her. She had arrived slightly early, much to her own surprised, to see if Aoife needed any help. Ana considered herself to be a good decorator, she may not have her things neatly organized but they sure looked pretty.

[Deleted]

She loved this school. This school allowed her to meet people from all over… and most of them were friendly. Of course, in the midst of studying and classes and extracurricular activities and trying to figure out how in the world she could make clothes to shift with her… Maybe she should bring that up with some of the other students. They might have ideas she hadn’t had yet. That would be so, so helpful.

What she hadn’t expected, even though she was on speaking terms with most of the girls here, was the invitation on the floor, addressed to her. A girls’ night? That was… brilliant. Utterly brilliant. They could all play with nail polish and do each other’s hair and gossip. She’d scooped up the invitation and marked it on her calendar – that way, there was no nagging guilt about homework. She’d have it all done beforehand, so she didn’t have to scramble afterward.

The night of the party arrived, and Mei had a small bag packed with all her nail polishes, a few hair accessories, her night clothes and a pillow with her blanket. She also had a small bunch of peonies – it was something small that she could give to Aoife. They were the king of flowers, after all, and they’d brighten up the room. And besides, it was a good conversation starter – she could explain all about the symbology of flowers in Feng Shui.

As the time for the party closed in, she left her dorm and locked it (and her completed homework) behind her, then crossed to dorm 201. Ana María was there, and it looked like she’d just knocked. “Li ho, Ana María.” She greeted, smiling brightly.