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Chapter 31- Lauryn, the Bearer of Gifts

"I don't believe you," are the first words Ethan speaks when we're done recalling the events from the night before. His blunt reply is shortly followed by our cries of indignation.

"Are you kidding me?" Ryan yells exasperatedly.

"Sorry, dude," Ethan shrugs casually. "I just don't believe you guys."

"Why would we lie?" Jodie exclaims incredulously. It was hard not to laugh at how worked up they were all getting.

"Look, guys, but Cameron? Playing sports? I mean, I've never seen him play but I'm pretty sure he hates everything about soccer."

"That is true," I pipe in. Jodie and Ryan glare at me while Alyssa throws me a 'really?' sort of look.

"Stay out of it, Mai," they tell me in sync. I simply shrug and mime zipping my mouth shut.

"Anyway," Ethan continues, "And now you're all trying to convince he's part of this epic victor tale- which I was being sarcastic about wanting to hear, by the way- and there was a dramatic movie countdown till the end of the match. It sounds like the kind of thing you guys would make up as a prank."

"It does," I agree.

"Whose side are you on?!" Ryan exclaims loudly, causing passers-by to send startled looks in our direction.

I raise a finger for him to let me continue. "But," I say, "They're right. All of that actually happened last night."

"Right," Jodie says impatiently, taking a hold of Ethan's arm. "We're going to find Ethan."

"I am Ethan."

"Cameron. I meant Cameron," Jodie practically growled.

"I think he's in the newspaper's editor's office," I inform her as she walks away with Ryan trailing behind her.

"Thank you!" she shouts angrily as she continues her angry march down the school's hallways.

Alyssa and I are left to watch them disappear down the corridor.

"See," she states after a moment, "I would follow them but I forgot something in your sister's car and I don't want to be late for homeroom." She twists round to face me, "Do you by any chance have a spare set of keys to your sister's car?"

I fish my pockets and dangle a pair of keys in her face. "Luckily for you," I respond with a grin, "I do. Lena got a spare set when she got her car fixed a couple weeks ago."

"Oh, thank God, Mai." Relief washes over Alyssa's face. "I thought for a second we'd have to go ask your sister."

I snort, "No offense, Lys, but you'd be on your own for that, if it involves walking in on a student body meeting." Alyssa laughs at that. "Come on, if we go now, we'll be back before the terror twins are done with Ethan and Cameron."

"Oh my God, the Terror Twins. We should totally bring that back," Alyssa jokes as we walk along, reminiscing on a 5th Grade nickname for Jodie and Ryan in one of their more particularly disruptive years.

"Jo would probably kill us if we tried."

"Oh yeah! Remember that time when Lauryn-" Alyssa stops short. "Wait a minute, where is Lauryn? Doesn't she usually arrive super early?"

I nod, "She does. Except, she has a dentist appointment this morning. And apparently she has a surprise for us all."

Alyssa absorbs all of this as we walk out the main school building and into the parking lot. "Is it just me," she comments, "Or does the sound of a surprise from Lauryn terrify you."