"You're such a little party animal all of a sudden!" Hannah screamed down the 'phone-line. "I love it! So when and where, Mouse? Gimme a time and a place."

Shelly watched her from the bed, where they'd been reading the letters in the newspaper - or Shelly had been reading them, out loud, and Hannah had been listening and laughing - before the 'phone had rung.

"No, I don't need to get a pen and paper" Hannah said into the 'phone. "I never forget a party."

Shelly rolled her eyes because she knew for a fact that wasn't true.

"I'll tell Sacha, too" Hannah said, not asking permission but stating a fact. "Maybe she can bring her new boyfriend!"

There was a squeal of excitement from the other end of the line, Shelly could hear it even from across the room.

"No, not 'officially'" Hannah said. "But something's totally going on, I can tell. I can tell these things."

"Hannah . . ." Shelly warned her, but Hannah wasn't listening.

"What's the occasion?" Hannah asked the 'phone. "Just 'cause! Perfect. That's the best occasion."

"Is that Rona?" Shelly asked, belatedly.

"I'll bring Shelly too. She says she'd doing the February Fast thing, but I know she's not. Just watch, I'll get her drinking."

"You'll be lucky" Shelly said. She was two days into her month without alcohol and so far she was feeling good about it. "Ask her how she is, Han" she said, trying to remind Hannah to think about her friend.

Hannah covered the mouth-piece with her hand and turned her head away from the 'phone and towards Shelly. "She doesn't want people to ask that" she whispered. "She wants to forget all about it."

Shelly doubted that very much, but she reasoned that Hannah knew Rona better than she did.

"Do you want me to invite anyone else?" Hannah asked Rona. "Oh, I know it's not a 'party' party. But it's a night out, right! Okay, okay, I'll let you take care of it. You're in charge, Little Miss Social Officer. Hey, Rona" she said almost as an after-thought before signing off, as if it was a bit embarrassing , "it's great to see you taking charge of something and, you know, organising something again. We need more of it."