CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
august 28, 2021
"It's your birthday??" Toby shrieks.
"WHAT?!" Ranboo calls out from the living room. Giulia swears and mutters something indecipherable under her breath.
I shoot daggers at Will. "I told you not to mention it!"
"Excuse me for wanting to celebrate your eighteenth birthday!"
"Shit, man, you're an adult today? Fuckin' wild." Tommy leans his forearms on the kitchen counter.
"Shit, June," Giulia moans. "I left your birthday present at home."
"Giulia, it's fine."
"No! You're turning eighteen, June, for Christ's sake. You deserve a birthday party."
"Guys, I really don't want to do anything big. I just want to, like, eat some ice cream, and I was planning on streaming later."
"I mean... if you'd really like, we don't have to throw a party or anything. Just the lot of us could hang out here," Tommy suggests unsurely.
"Yeah, I think I'd prefer that." They nod, almost in sync.
"We can do that," Ranboo says.
I hesitate. "...Good. I'm gonna go change out of my pajamas. Don't do anything... out of sorts. I'll be right back."
I leave the kitchen to retreat shortly back to my bedroom. They start murmuring once I turn the corner.
"I can hear you, morons!" No response. They hush their voices to a soft whisper, instead. I decide this isn't worth stopping. My phone, laying on my nightstand, has its screen illuminated. There are a couple birthday wishes from Mum, Dad, and the CaveSMP groupchat. I send my thanks and thumbs-up selfies to all of them. I change into knee-length corduroy shorts and a patterned white t-shirt.
When I return from my room, Wilbur is clutching the front doorknob, jingling his keys. Giulia stands grinning and crossing her arms.
"Get in, loser," she quotes, "we're going shopping."
— — ✮✩✮ — —
"I can't believe you kidnapped me to go junkfood shopping at Tesco," I sniff, joking.
"Oh, you don't get to complain, we're shopping for your birthday party." Giulia elbows me in the shoulder.
"I'd like to clarify, I'm not having a birthday party," I refuse, elbowing Giulia back. Ranboo shoots me a thumbs-up and affirming glance. We're standing in the frozen aisle of Tesco, debating over which ice cream flavors to buy.
"Anyways, back to the actual conversation, do you think rocky road or cookie's n' cream is better?" Toby redirects. "Like, I know rocky road is a bit unconventional, but it is really good."
"Dunno. Rocky road's my favorite, but we can always get multiple flavors if you'd all like," I shrug. Toby nods and tosses a carton into the shopping cart.
"I'll get a strawberry, too, just in case," Wilbur reasons, adding another carton of ice cream to the pile.
My phone buzzes with a messenger notification.
YOU ARE READING
all our stars, bench trio
Fanfictionmusic runs through june gold's veins. so, it doesn't surprise her when fate leads her to start a band with three of her online friends. but when grief she had pushed down for have a decade begins to remind her of a boy she wished she could leave in...
