Queen of the phandom

Party time

Charlie's POV...

I sat on the window seat, almost as though I was waiting for my parents to come speeding round the corner. My old parents. Before my dad got sacked and before my mums operation. When I was a normal ten year old, a happy one. I heard rustling from behind me, I quickly wiped the single tear that had made its way down my cheek and spun round. It was Shan, as I turned i caught a glimpse of something orange, but she whipped it behind her back. I squinted at her suspiciously. "What's behind your back?" I asked her.
"Oh...erm...its, it's just a birthday badge...." She stumbled over her words like she had something to hide. She handed me a purple badge with 'birthday girl' written on it in pink sparkling font. "Thanks..." I said, realising she still had a hand behind her back. I turned back around to face the window. Pinning my badge to my navy blue school jumper, I heard more rustling and the slam of a drawer. When I turned, she pulled her hand away from the handle. "Erm, are you ready to go...?" I asked slowly, glimpsing intently at the drawer. Stepping in front of it and blocking it from my glance she said, "yeah, come on let's go." She tipped her head toward the door and started walking. On the way out I grabbed my bag and followed her out the room, stopping myself from opening the drawer. Maybe it was a birthday present?

We walked down the stairs giggling over Dans new YouTube video.
"Is it true there really adopting...?"
"Err," she laughed nervously "no, I-err, I don't think so." I nodded.

"Charlie!" Zoe said as I reached out to grab the handle, I pulled back and looked at her. "Happy birthday..." She said handing me a £10 note. "Thank you!" I said opening the door and sliding the money into my coat pocket.
"Have a good day!" She said as we both walked out the door.
"Let's go buy some sweets." I said to Shan.
"But we'll be late..."
"And?" I asked, linking my arm into hers. She smiled widely. "Come on, we'll take the shortcut." She pointed down the overgrown alley way. Even in the daytime you could barely see down there. I tightened my grip and we walked into the alley. The alley used to lead to the old train station but they closed the station down after a train collided with a car on the tracks. It leads to a dead end now, they blocked the end off for safety purposes. It's overgrown with stinging nettles and poison ivy, I scratched my leg on a bramble. "Ouch!" I said.
"You alright?"
"Yeah."
We reached the end of the alley way and, as always, there were bricks scattered on the ground. They had been kicked in a few months ago. If your small enough you can squeeze through the hole and come through just round the corner of the corner shop. It normally takes about 20 minutes to get there from the home, unless you take the shortcut. When we bought the sweets we still had 25 minutes to get to school. We had already missed the bus, so we were going to be 5 minutes late. We ate all our sweets on our way there and saved some for later.

When we got to school there were a few people still piling in, we walked in without receiving a detention. For once. Miss Andrews, our form tutor, hadn't started the register yet so we technically weren't late. We sat In our places and waited for form time to be over, to meet outside our class room and walk to Spanish together. "Shan!" I called.
"Come on." She said. We walked into Spanish and Miss Kate was standing at the door telling everyone to go into the classroom. I sat in my place, Shan was talking to miss in the corner. She walked towards me and I lasted "what was that about?"
"Oh, I just asked if I could go to the toilet, she said no." I nodded. I reached into my bag to get out my Spanish book. It wasn't In there.
"Damnit..."
"What?"
"I haven't got my book..."
"You need to tell Miss, you know what she's like." I nodded and hand.
"Yes Charlie?"
"Miss, I can't find my book, I thought I had it this morning..." Something orange. The drawer. Could it have been my Spanish book? I could have sworn I packed it this morning.
"Well Charlie, birthday or not," she nodded towards my badge "it's a detention, sorry."
"But, miss..." I complained.
"No. It's your fault for not being organised."
"Ah, Miss please?"
"Carry on and it will be an hours detention instead of half." I rolled my eyes and slouched in my chair.

"Don't wait for me, I have a detention, remember?"
"Yeah." Said Shan, she waved at me and began walking home.

Phil's POV...
"Dan, I can't believe that in a few hours we'll be parents."
"I know right, neither can I." He said smiling widely, he gave a me a hug. "Have you got the present?"
"Yep." I said.
"Right. Let's go." He said, taking a deep breath. We took the underground and got off at the station, where we were meeting Shan. Dan kept looking at his watch anxiously, so did I. Bang on 3:30, when we organised to meet, Shan jumped out a taxi and ran towards us. She hugged me first and then hugged Dan. She looked up to Dan so much, he was like, well, a cousin. "Um...Phil..."
"Yeah?" She pulled me away from Dan.
"Thank you so so much for this, I can't wait to see the look on Charlie's face." She smiled gleefully.
"Your welcome."
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"Have you...erm... Have you heard from my mum?"
"Erm, no- no I haven't. Sorry."
"Nothing. For 5 months." She said, her eyes were welling up.
"Look, Shan, if there was anything wrong Zoe would have told you."
"No! Well, I mean, yeah, but it should be me, not Charlie...." A wave of guilt flushed over my body, I pulled her in close.
"Shan, you know we would adopt you if we could but we know what your mums like." I said into her blue hair.
"Yeah, sorry, I just get a bit upset about it sometimes..."
"I know." I kissed her on her forehead, I told her hat everything will be okay.
"I'm sorry. Charlie deserves this. More than anything." She said smiling, wiping the tears away.

"Is she okay?" Dan asked as we strolled back to the home.
"Yeah she's fine, just worried about Cath, neither of us have heard from her for a while." Dan nodded. "Anyway, for today at least try and focus on the positives." I said trying to reassure him.
"I'm so excited!" Said Dan.
"Me to." I said grilling onto his hand, we walked arm in arm smiling widely if we ever exchanged glances. "Oooohhh...." Shan said laughing as she turned around and saw us. She wolf whistled, Dan blushed and pulled his hand away from mine. "Shannon Lester. Your worse than he is!" He said laughing. He ran over to her and began ticking her. "No Dan! Get away from me! Dan that tickles!" Her high pitch laugh and a few squeals pierced the air.

As soon as we walked through the doors people were crowding around us. "Right, She'll be here any minute!" Yelled Zoe."so you two need to get in the boxes!" She said to us, pushing through the crowd and leading us to the kitchen to where the two cardboard boxes were on the floor, under the boxes was wrapping paper so that when we were in the box they could wrap it. "Go on, climb in." Said Shan giggling. Me and Dan both got into the boxes but just before they closed they lid and plunged us into darkness Shan said "now, me and Zoe will be standing by the boxes and when we want you to jump out we'll tap both boxes with our feet. When you hear that noise you jump out. Got it?"
"Got it." And before we knew it, it was pitch black and there was wrapping paper surrounding our boxes.

"She's here!" I heard Shan yell as quietly as possible. "Everyone action stations!" I then heard the switch of a light and it got even darker, next I heard a series of 'shushes' and silence.

"Hello? Hello?" To hear her voice at last. Charlie's voice, was a sudden smack of reality. This was actually happening. This was the file who was coming to live with us. I heard the click of a light switch and everyone jumping out and screaming "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" There was happy laughter coming from everyone and Shans voice broke the silence. "Hey, come open your presents."
"Oh my god, you shouldn't have..." She said happily. I could feel her blushing from the excitement from here. Frankly so was I. There was a slight tap at the bottom of my box and straight away I jumped up, my body pierced through the cardboard and wrapping paper and I let off the streamer in my hand. "Happy birthday!" Phil and I said.

Charlie's POV...
"Happy birthday!" The two familiar faces said, I couldn't quite put my finger on who they were for a minute because I was so shocked. Then I realised. Dan and Phil....
I felt my face crumple as he tears of joy and happiness started streaming down my face. "Oh my god is it really you?" I said still crying.
"Yeah, it's us." Said Phil smiling like the little ray of sunshine he really is. "Dan..." Said Shan. She nodded towards his pocket, he pulled out a slip of paper and held it out towards me. "Happy birthday." He said. The tears were still streaming and my hands shook as I reached out and took the paper from his enormous hand. I unfolded it; i let my mouth drop open in shock as I read the information on the page. Adoption....
"Oh.my.god." I said, running towards then and hugging them big tightly. "Is this a dream?" I said crying more and more. They just kept coming. "No, at least I don't think so... " said Dan.
And that's my story, I went home with them that night...