One week before the surprise detective party, Bree and I handed out invitations. It said:

TOP SECRET

Your mission,

should you choose to accept it,

is to help celebrate Aja Dalal’s birthday.

It’s a surprise,

so don’t tell him about it.

The invitations had two giant fingerprints, one human and one fake alien. I wanted to use my real fingerprint, but Dad wouldn’t let me.

We passed out invitations on the bus, in homeroom, and at recess, until every kid in third grade was invited. Except Aja.

Aja is a detective.

Aja noticed.

At lunch, Aja plopped down his food tray and slumped onto the bench. “Hey, did any of you get an invitation to a party?”

“What party?” I asked.

“Some one is doing a birthday party next Friday. Is Aliens, Inc. doing a party? What’s going on?” Aja said.

I looked at Bree. She hates when people lie. Her mother is a lawyer, and she believes you should tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. All the time. But we had to tell a lie! Aja couldn’t know about his birthday party because it was a surprise.

“What makes you think Aliens, Inc. might be doing a party?”

“I hear kids talking,” Aja said. “But when I come up, they stop talking.”

Bree said, “Yes, there’s a party.”

Aja said, “Am I invited?”

“No,” Bree said.

“Oh,” Aja nibbled at a French fry. He dropped it onto his plate. “Whose party is it?”

Aja looked so sad that I wanted to tell him. But I couldn’t. “Does it matter?”

“Don’t worry.” Aja lifted his chin and looked grim. “I’m a detective. I’ll figure out why I’m not invited.”

Bree opened her mouth, but I frowned and shook my head.

Aja stood and carried his food tray to the trashcan. He dumped it all out—even his French fries. He never lets anyone throw away French fries. He was upset.

Aja shoved open the cafeteria doors and went out to the playground by himself.

Bree said, “Can’t we tell him?”

“Mrs. Dalal was very clear. If Aja finds out about the party, she won’t pay Aliens, Inc.,” I said. “And my family needs that money.”

To change the subject, Bree nodded to my cell phone. “Can I see the Egg Cam?”

We looked at Greenie Boy. Nothing had changed. He was pretty boring.

I told Bree, “I know Aja is upset, but I’ll figure out something.”

“Good,” Bree said. “You’re great at figuring out things.”

All that week, we worked on Graffiti Day. During art class, we went outside to the playground wall. Mrs. Crux showed us the third-grade section, and we drew out our designs. By the end of the week, drawings filled the wall. From twenty feet away, the drawings were hard to see. That was OK. Everything was ready for Graffiti Day when we would put color on that boring wall.

At night, Bree and I worked on Aja’s party.

“Do we have to have cake?” I asked.

“No. It is tradition, but we don’t have to,” Bree said. “Did your mom find out what kind of cake Aja likes?”

“His mom says that he likes sugar cookies, not cake.”

“Then let’s do sugar cookies shaped like mustaches,” Bree said. “And ice cream. And that’s enough.”

It was good to have that decided. The Surprise Detective party planning was going well. We had food and games and almost everything figured out. Except Aja was sad, sad, sad. His feelings were hurt because he thought everyone was invited to a party except him.

Aja, one of my best friends, was hurting. And I had to let him hurt.

Maybe Earthlings shouldn’t do surprise parties.