Happy 10th Birthday!

"Hey, Jerky, I have a surprise for you!"

"When do I get to see it?"

"You'll see it tonight! Just don't make any plans for tonight."

"But it's my birthday... I wanted to go out to dinner."

"Just trust me. You'll LOVE it."

"Fine."

"I'll be over at 6 tonight! Make sure you have something nice on!"

* * *

Fast forward to 6 pm

* * *

*Ding dong* Jerky answers the door wearing a pair of sweatpants and a paint stained T-shirt.

"I told you to have something NICE on! What are you wearing?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot. Can I just do whatever it is in this?" Jerky asks.

"No! You need to look GOOD!"

"This looks good in my book."

"Well, then your book is wrong. Let's go find something cute."

After just a few minutes, Salt Shaker found a dress for Jerky, the ugliest dress Jerky had ever seen. At least it was comfortable enough to tolerate for some unexpected event for Jerky. She hated the look but just wanted to leave and see what Salt Shaker had been hinting at since earlier in the day. The curiosity was eating her alive.

"Is it time for us to do whatever it is that you have been hinting at?"

"Yep!" Salt Shaker replied enthusiastically.

After about 10 minutes, Salt Shaker and Jerky arrived at a nightclub.

"Why were we in the car for like 45 minutes?" Jerky asked with an attitude.

"What? That was only 10 minutes," Salt Shaker replied in a slightly questioning tone.

They walk in and there are so many things that Jerky never expected... An open bar, some strobe lights (beautiful to Jerky but the other guests seemed to dislike them), and all the guests was the biggest shock to Jerky.

"I would thank you, Salt Shaker, but... I hate these people."

"You don't seem to like many people at school, so I invited people I thought you tolerated."

The guest list consisted of Keppra, Levetiracetam, Lamictal, Lamotrigine, Zonisamide, Zonegran, Briviact, Brivaracetam, Onfi, Clobazam, Vimpat, Lacosamide, and two guests that Jerky didn't recognize.

I absolutely HATE these people. Maybe if I drink enough, I will tolerate them, Jerky thought as she walked up to the bar.

Jerky walked up to Salt Shaker and whispered, "Who are those two?"

Salt Shaker grabbed Jerky's arm and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you."

"Jerky, this is Clonazepam and that's his sister, Klonopin. Clonazepam and Klonopin, this is Jerky, the birthday girl."

"Happy birthday!" Clonazepam and Klonopin said at the same time.

"Thank you," Jerky responded in an anxious voice. She didn't like meeting new people. "I'll be back in a little bit. Enjoy the party."

Jerky continued on her path to the bar, avoiding all the other guests.

"Hi. I'd like to get a margarita please," Jerky said, unsure of anything about alcohol. She decided to just get more if one isn't enough.

"So, Jerky, what music would you like? I didn't pick that in advance because I wasn't sure what you would want."

"Any of Icon for Hire's music. Then we can have strobe lights and it'll be a real party. Surprise me with the songs!" Jerky said, suddenly excited. 

Salt Shaker told the DJ to put on Icon for Hire, starting with Enemies and started some strobe lights. This led to Jerky dancing more than ever before and belting out the lyrics to Enemies. Salt Shaker realized that the song was a great choice and that Jerky was drunk.

"Be careful Jerky, you know what happens when you get too hot."

"I don't care, it's finally my tenth birthday. Isn't that a good reason to not ca-" Jerky fell to the ground mid-word, convulsing.

Shit! I should have said something sooner! Salt Shaker thought in a panic.

She turned Jerky onto her side. A long minute and a half passed and she was okay. She just laid on the floor, asleep. All the guests left because they were embarrassed by not knowing what to do.

Salt Shaker stayed there, watching Jerky try to wake up after her post-seizure nap.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm sleepy and don't know what happened," Jerky said, obviously still tired.

"Just the norm... You had a seizure."

"Well that completes the party then," Jerky joked.

* * *

Note: I didn't come up with the names Jerky and Salt Shaker. They were ideas from people in a Facebook group, Epilepsy with a Pinch of Salt. The other guests with few/no lines are all the seizure medicines I have tried in the past decade, both generic and brand names.

Strobe lights, alcohol, and overheating are a few of many seizures triggers so the humor was required.