Oh, Brother!

Chapter 19

It was three days before Riley's birthday, on April 6th, and Rachel was making a list of everything she needed for Riley's surprise party.

"Hey, mom!" Riley said when she came home from school.

"Oh, hi, honey! How was school today?" her mother asked and hid the list behind her back.

"Um, fine... What are you hiding there?" Riley asked as she put down her backpack.

"N-Nothing... Just a... grocery list, see?"

"Oh, ok... So don't forget to add orange juice, ok?" Riley said and went to put her backpack in her room.

Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, now... I only have to call Robbie about the cake, and then just wait two more days without Riley finding out about the party..."

*****

Riley was writing a new song in her diary, and she was humming the melody she had in her mind for it.

"You know, this could be a great hit for a party..." she said to herself.

"...or maybe, for my birthday party. Yeah, I can have a party and invite everyone and sing it there!" she got up and went to find her mother.

"Mom! Mom!" she called her.

Rachel quickly hid the list again, this time under the couch cushions.

"What, sweetie?"

"I know what I want to do for my birthday. I want to have party here, and invite all my friends, and-" she told her mother with excitement, but was cut off.

"Oh, honey, didn't I tell you? Robbie, you and I are going to Aunt Mary for you birthday," Rachel lied.

"Oh, really? You didn't tell me that..." Riley's face fell with disappointment.

"Sorry, hun. But maybe we will be able to do something when we will be back," Rachel tried to cheer her up.

"No, it's ok mom, never mind..." Riley said and went to her room.

"Oh, boy... and there are still 3 more days to go."

*****

The next day, Riley went to school. She was still sad that she isn't going to have a party with her friends for her birthday.

"Are you sure she doesn't know anything?" Carolina whispered to Nathan.

"Yes, I'm sure. Her mother said that she's really sad because she wanted to have a party, but she told her that 'they are going to Aunt Mary' instead," Nathan whispered back.

"Oh, there she is!" Nathan said when he noticed her near her locker.

"Hey, Almost-Birthday-Girl!" He came and hugged her from behind.

"Hi," she chuckled.

"So, excited for tomorrow?" Carolina asked her.

"Nope."

"What, why?" Nathan and Carolina asked at once.

"Because," Riley locked her locker, "instead of letting me decide what I want to do for my birthday, she decided that we will be going to my aunt. And just now, when I already have real friends to celebrate my birthday with..." she looked at them, and left to her class.

"I really hope that Rachel knows the consequences of this surprise party," Nathan told Carolina and the two followed their friend to class.

*****