It was a birthday eve to remember: dancing (with a semi-pro DJ cherub) and a brief intermission for firefighters to clear the dorms.<\/p>\n
The event was billed as \u201cIzzybiza and BarceLogan\u201d\u2014a mashup of honorees Isabelle (Izzy) Abadie of Durham, North Carolina and Logan Kreisberg\u2019s of Stamford, Connecticut names with Ibiza and Barcelona. While those cities might be famous for\u00a0 parties and electronic music, nothing could compare to this.<\/p>\n
The morning of the party was pure grassroots marketing. I spent 30 minutes creating a Canva flyer, dragging cutouts of Izzy and Logan\u2019s faces beneath a giant yellow headline: \u201cTONIGHT \u2013 9:30 to 12 \u2013 GREAT ROOM \u2013 BE THERE.\u201d<\/p>\n
By 9 p.m., the Great Room was lit by a YouTube video looping flashing rainbow lights on the TV. Nikhil \u201cDJ Nikhi\u201d Daniel, who freelances as a DJ at home, set up a booth on the balcony<\/p>\n
Realizing our JBL\u00a0speaker\u00a0wasn\u2019t loud enough for a crowd of 40, cherubs took action. One team grabbed the DJ booth (a plastic folding table), and the other guided them down the stairs.<\/p>\n
The party was back on. Leo Beirne, dressed in a flamingo patterned button-down, climbed onto the table. The cherubs bounced to the 2000s-era music. But suddenly, \u201cUnwritten\u201d<\/i> by Natasha Bedingfield sounded different<\/i>. Were sirens usually in the background? Was that a remix?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
Some cherubs ran, some took their time, but everyone evacuated as the fire alarm blared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party never ends!\u201d one cherub shouted, hoisting the JBL over her head. A nearby instructor\u2019s glare quickly confirmed: the party does, in fact, end.<\/p>\n