The Memory Of Us

Chapter 5

"Surprise!" A chorus of a thousand voices shouted as Mina opened the front door to her grandmother's house and stepped over the threshold, squinting her eyes against the harsh overhead light that had suddenly been flipped on as soon as the door had squeaked open an inch.

Sahil, despite knowing what had awaited her as soon as she had pushed the front door open, yelled out "Surprise!" behind her too, his voice echoing the crowd's and she found herself jumping at the sheer proximity of the noise. She hadn't realized he had been standing so close, but she was suddenly distinctly aware of the sensation of his breath sliding over the back of her neck.

Instinctively, she took a few steps forward to put some distance between the pair of them and, in doing so, brought herself toe to toe with Noah, who had seemingly teleported from the deep depths of the crowd behind her whom, Mina was just now noticing, was full of the familiar faces of Palm Valley Prep.

Standing just behind Noah was the boy who had told her she "belonged in prison," just like her mom. Beside him was one of the girls from the cheer team who had started an obscene rumor that murderous genes were hereditary and that everyone should stay away from her for fear of ending up like Khalil's parents and beside her was yet another girl who Mina was pretty sure was responsible for setting her desk on fire in the middle of the school day.

Mina had to admit, as angry as she had been, the act had been extremely poetic.

"Happy Birthday MJ!" Noah explained, a mile long grin stretched across the length of her face, but it quickly fell when she realized that Mina wasn't obliged to mimic the action.

"You're not surprised." She stated matter-of-factly, an expectant purse lipped look replacing the smile that had once been there and, when Mina refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction, she shot an accusatory glance over her shoulder towards Sahil who still stood holding the grocery bags by the door.

"You told her, didn't you?" She asked insinuatingly. Something in his features must have given guilt away because, the next moment, yet another shout rang through Mina's eardrums as she shouted, "Sahil!"

"She figured it out." Mina didn't have to turn to hear the shrug in his voice.

"No matter." Noah said, forcing yet another smile and pulling a tiny crown that Mina hadn't seen before, from thin air. "Happy Birthday!" She echoed excitedly once more, placing the crown atop Mina's head. "I know you've been a bit-" She paused, focused on straightening the sparkly silver crown. "-off lately-"

Mina fought the overwhelming urge to snort out sarcastically at Noah's verbiage.

"-but hopefully this will make you feel a little bit better." Noah finished, her arms falling to her side once more as she critically studied her handiwork.

"No, yeah." Mina nodded in mock enthusiasm. "Definitely." She said. "I think this-" She gestured to the decorations of balloons and streamers hung from every inch of free ceiling and wall space and the crowd that was standing in awkward silence behind Noah's small figure.

"-this honestly makes me forget all about my incarcerated mother." She smiled, before adding, "Not to mention my dead dad."

"MJ." Sahil barked out behind her, but Mina only ignored his beration, the smile on her face merely stretching wider and more sadistically as she watched Noah tear her eyes away from the crown she was still analyzing and finally meet her eyes.

"What are all these people doing here?" Mina asked, nodding her chin in the direction of the crowd of onlookers, a few of which had pulled their phones from their pockets and were steadily recording the encounter. Flash on.