LEGO Friends: The Birthday Surprise (Chapter Book #4) Read online

  Lacy. “Come with me.”

  51

  Over at the pool, Olivia, Andrea, Emma, and

  Mia were panicking. Boys and girls were arriving,

  ready for the party to begin. But they couldn’t start

  without the birthday girl!

  “Guests are coming, people!” Andrea said

  anxiously.

  “Think,” Olivia said. “How do we get Stephanie

  here without ruining the surprise?”

  52

  “We could tell her it’s

  my

  surprise birthday party,”

  Emma suggested.

  Mia shook her head. “She knows when all of our

  birthdays are.”

  “We need to do something cleverer,” Mia said.

  “What if an animal needed rescuing?”

  Andrea ran toward the pool. “We could say a

  dolphin is drowning in the pool!”

  “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Mia

  asked.

  “Yes, but I’m starting to freak out!” Andrea cried.

  “Me, too,” Emma agreed. “We don’t want the

  party to be a total bust!”

  “You mean, like, our friendship?”

  The girls turned to see Stephanie standing by the

  entrance. She looked angry. Lacy was behind her,

  leading her horse.

  “Stephanie!” they cried.

  “Friends don’t lie to each other,” Stephanie shot

  back. It felt good to get the words out. “And then

  53

  they don’t go off and dance and take secret pictures

  together.”

  “Stephanie, you misunderstood—” Olivia tried

  to explain.

  “Oh, really?” Stephanie asked. “Well, friends don’t

  have swim parties at the pool without you, or . . .”

  She pointed to all the beautiful decorations

  around the pool. And as she did, her voice slowly

  trailed off. There were balloons, and streamers . . .

  and a big banner with her name on it.

  “Huh?” she asked.

  54

  “Surprise!” her friends yelled. “Happy Birthday!”

  They ran up to Stephanie and hugged her.

  “Happy birthday . . . to me?” Stephanie asked.

  She was stunned.

  55

  “Yes, you!” Andrea said.

  “We’ve been planning the surprise all along,” Mia

  explained.

  Stephanie’s eyes grew wide. Everything was

  starting to make sense. “So that’s what all the

  sneaking around was about?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Andrea replied. “You seriously didn’t

  think we were trying to unfriend you, did you?”

  “Of course not,” Stephanie answered. Then she

  looked down. “Well, actually . . . yeah.”

  “Please,” Mia said, waving her hand.

  “We would never do that!” Emma promised.

  Andrea opened her arms wide. “We just wanted

  you to have the best birthday ever!”

  Stephanie looked around. The pool was

  beautiful. Great music filled the air, and all of her

  classmates from school were there.

  “Oh my gosh, it’s amazing!” she breathed. She

  couldn’t believe it. Her friends weren’t trying to

  ditch her after all. They were trying to surprise her!

  56

  She hugged them all again. “Thank you so, so

  much! Just promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Olivia asked.

  Stephanie grinned. “Don’t ever do it again!”

  57

  This is such an incredible birthday surprise!

  Stephanie thought.

  I didn’t lose my friends after all.

  And now there’s this great party!

  Stephanie was so relieved that she didn’t notice

  Lacy inching away from the group.

  Lacy had really been enjoying her afternoon with

  Stephanie. For a moment, she thought that they

  might even become friends. But now that Stephanie

  had her real friends back, Lacy was sure she wouldn’t

  want to hang out anymore. She decided it was best

  for her to head home.

  ter 8:

  Cha

  p

  Best Friends

  Forever

  58

  Stephanie was about to go off when she spotted

  Lacy out of the corner of her eye. “Wait here one

  moment,” Stephanie said to the girls. “I’ll be right

  back.” She ran over to Lacy.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Oh, you know, plans,” Lacy lied. “Sorry. I told

  you I couldn’t stay long.”

  Stephanie smiled and held out her hand. “Look, I

  know you’re totally busy, but can’t you stay anyway?

  As a favor?”

  Lacy hesitated. Then a smile crossed her face.

  “Well, I guess so,” she said taking Stephanie’s hand.

  59

  “Come on, open your presents!” Olivia said

  excitedly.

  Stephanie sat down at the poolside tables where

  all her birthday presents were stacked.

  Emma handed her a purple frame with a photo

  inside. It was the picture of the girls making silly

  faces in the photo booth.

  Stephanie laughed. “Great picture! I’ll put it in

  my room. Thanks, you guys.”

  Then Mia brought over the big white box with

  the red bow Stephanie had seen them carrying the

  other day. Stephanie lifted the lid and gasped. The

  pieces for a beautiful rabbit house were tucked inside!

  Emma grinned and held up one of the blocks.

  “Let’s put it together!” she said.

  The girls snapped all the pieces into place. The

  purple roof had a Happy Birthday sticker on it,

  and they added that next. Then they attached a pink

  front gate. Emma handed Stephanie a bowl with

  carrots in it.

  60

  “For Daisy,” she said.

  “Aw, you guys thought of everything,” Stephanie

  said happily.

  “There’s more,” Olivia said with a grin. She and

  Mia each placed a bunch of roses on both sides of

  the roof.

  “Daisy’s going to love it!” Stephanie exclaimed. “I

  wish I could have brought her.”

  Emma and Andrea winked at each other. The

  surprises for Stephanie weren’t over yet!

  Mia jumped up on top of a table, wearing the

  black top hat.

  61

  “Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your

  attention,” she announced. Mia took off her hat and

  held it out. “While this may look like an ordinary

  hat, I promise you, it isn’t,” she said. She held the

  hat in her left hand, and waved her right hand

  dramatically.

  “Abracadabra!” she cried.

  Mia looked inside the hat . . . and frowned. She

  turned it upside down, but nothing came out. She

  tapped on the bottom of the hat, and still nothing.

  Then Mia smiled. She was just acting! She

  reached into the hat . . . and pulled out a fluffy white

  rabbit!

  62

  “Daisy!” Stephanie cried happily.

  The bunny jumped into Stephanie’s arms, and

  Stephanie hugged her pet. “You guys, this party

  couldn’t be any c
ooler!” she exclaimed.

  “Oh, but it can!” Jacob called out. He ducked

  behind the snack bar and put his hand on a light

  switch.

  “Three . . . two . . . one!”

  He flipped the switch, and dozens of lights

  63

  flickered on all across the pool. Since the girls

  couldn’t decide where to put them, Jacob had put

  them everywhere! The pink, blue, and green lights

  glowed softly against the night sky. The party guests

  ooh

  ed and

  aah

  ed.

  “They’re beautiful!” Stephanie breathed.

  Jacob walked up to Olivia.

  “I like what you did,” Olivia said.

  “Well, I

  am

  the Light Master,” Jacob joked, and

  they both laughed.

  “You guys are the best!” Stephanie told her friends.

  Andrea pressed a button on the boom box. “It’s

  time to get this party started!” she cried.

  Everyone let out a cheer. The girls ran over to the

  side of the pool, and Andrea grabbed Stephanie’s

  hand. Then the five friends lined up. A pop song

  pumped out of the boom box.

  Stephanie realized that this was the dance she

  had seen them practicing. She looked at Andrea and

  smiled. She knew just what to do.

  64

  She joined the girls as they danced along to the

  music.

  Best friends forever,

  forever and ever.

  No matter what happens,

  we stick together.

  Me and my girls,

  we’re best friends forever.

  Stephanie looked at each of the girls. They

  were

  her

  best friends forever—and she knew she would never

  doubt them again.

  Andrea, Olivia, Mia, and Emma are planning the perfect

  birthday surprise for Stephanie: a party at the Heartlake

  City Pool! It’s going to be an awesome afternoon of

  swimming, dancing, and even a light show by Jacob.

  But with all their whispering and secret plans, Stephanie

  accidentally feels left out. Worse, Lacy convinces Stephanie

  that the girls may be trying to

  unfriend

  her! Can Mia and

  the others pull off the best birthday bash ever? Or will their

  surprise party turn into a surprise disaster?

  Build Your

  LEGO®

  Friends

  Library!

  Shh!

  It’s a Secret!

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