Winged Girl

Chapter 21

   Well, life dragged on and 6 years were just a small, blurry splotch on my lifeline. Those years were uneventful yet peaceful and promising. Today is my birthday and I'm riding high, hair is dripping, hiding that I'm terrified. #notevenquoting
   I am terrified.
   What if they find out? What if something I do will reveal the truth behind the curtain of my joyful self?
   I forced the thoughts away and scolded myself to be positive. They're your friends! I assured, although every instinct told me that friends are the people who have the greatest opportunity to hurt me and send daggers of death to straight to my heart. They were the ones who can hit bullseye every single time.
   I shook my head and squeezed my eyes tightly shut and opened them once again until I felt like the corners of my eyes would break and my eyeballs would fall out. I always did that to brainwash myself. How could I think that? They were friends. And I trusted them. WTF?
   I flashed a confused closed smile at nobody in particular and waited for Ian to text me. I glanced down from the TV and bit my nails in anticipation as I waited impatiently.
   Maleficent was on. Yes, I'm still watching that dumped movie. I ought to be ashamed, but teh thing is I ain't. Can't blame me on that.

   Another five minutes past and I picked up my phone and checked for notifications. Finding that there were min, I rolled my eyes and dumped it back onto the couch. Then it buzzed.
   Duh!
   I complained and picked my iPhone up again.
  
   Ian: comin' ova right now. :)
   Me: too late, I'm already there at the park. ;)
   Ian: wtf?!
   Me: yup.
   Ian: what the hell gurl.
   Me: sowwy ;( (sarcasm overload)
   Ian: such a bitch...
   Me: don't tell me you just found out.
   Ian: nah, not rileh
   Me: good, then.
   Seeing that he wasn't replying, I quickly typed and sent him another message.
   Me: you didn't really head for the park already, did you?
   Ian: huh?
   Me: oh, Ian, you can be so gullible at times.
   Ian: WUT. SO YOU WERE ACTUALLY JOKING.
   Me: ofc wtf.
   Ian: I swear, I will kill you with kill you with fire when I get the chance.
   Me: which is never going to happen because you're driving while texting.
   Ian: nope, Lara's texting for me.
   Me: oh.
   Ian: GATTEEE!
   Me: 🙄😑
   Ian: 😏
   Me: okay ttyl
   Ian: k.

   I smirked with amusement and stuffed my phone in my pocket and leaned backwards onto the couch, anticipating the familiar honking of Ian's car.
   Mom was in Paris visiting an art museum. Rather much being the tourist actually.
   She would be gone for a few weeks and she told me not to miss her, and that she would be home in no time at all. How could she know exactly what I would think when she was away? How could she know that I would miss her? Yes, I would, but how? I never really told her how much I loved her and how much I needed her, especially with my father gone and my soul torn away and stolen.
   My eyes flew open at the car honk and I hurried out the door, glancing back to double check I haven't left anything important behind.
  Wallet. My brain screamed.
   Whatever, it's in my room who would care to go and steal it anyway? Twelve bucks. I scoffed and had a mental debate.
   The loud blasts from the car suddenly grew rapid with impatience. I rolled my eyes and decided to go with my instincts, which were to just leave it.

   I flung open the car door and climbed in next to Lara, images of the past of moving away from home seared painfully through my memory. I couldn't believe that they could still hurt me lies that, to still threaten tears to fall.
   "Well, what took you so long." Lara complained.
   "Ehh...just having a debate."
   "Of wot?"she faked her horrible British accent, but giggled.
   "Of whether to tell you I was cheating on my boyfriend or not." I mocked her string Texas accent in return, earning an entertained glance from her.
   "So where--are...the others?" I asked, unsure.
   "Oh they said they're going themselves cos Beatrice and Rachel are with Jason, so Jay's gonna drive Bea and Rach over."
   I nodded, not caring that Ian could definitely not see me.
   I went back to my phone and discovered that I've received a text from Jason saying that they've arrived.
   "They're there already." I stated flatly, hiding my surprise.
   "Already? That was fast..."
   "We would be even faster than them if Maleficent over here, hadn't decided to troll us." Ian glared at me through the mirror, only to meet my eyes which were tinted with humour.
   "You should know her by now though...how many times, exact,y has she done something similar before?" Lara defended stubbornly, taking me quite by surprise.