A Silver Lining

Chapter Thirteen: Permission & Pizza

Chapter 13: Permission and Pizza

At an early age, I read an article about parents around the USA demanding to ban Harry Potter all over the country as their children were turning into wizardry freaks beginning in the twenty-first century. I thought it was gibberish. Seeing my friends and five years old sister waiting for an explanation, I really wished I had Harry's invisible cloak.

And they most certainly didn't seem patient. "Well," Phoebe said. "Are you gonna say anything or let us assume whatever we want?"

She gave me a knowing smirk. I swallowed. How much had they heard? This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. They just told me about it today and I was already failing in keeping the secret? What will they think of me?

You know you're not the only one. Ryan will be doomed too.

Sometimes my inner voice can be really reassuring.

Still it didn't look like they would let me go anytime soon.

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

"Enough to know he told you to keep your secret," Phoebe interjected.

Say what?!

I really liked her a lot more than Natasha but if this continues, my opinion won't be the same for long.

"You can't keep it secret forever," Phoebe continued. "You know what's going between you and my brother. You thought both of you went missing at the same time will go unnoticed?"

They thought we were- oh.

I wanted to add that Caleb and Noah were too, with a lot of others. Moreover, I was lost, not doing stuff.

But for the sake of keeping the truth secret, I played along.

I pretended to be embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Okay I admit. Will you keep it between us?"

"Not until you explain what's all that in your room."

"What's up?" We turned around and see Hannah entering the room.

"Nothings up, but there's something inside," Phoebe told her.

They made room for me to get in. In there, on the bed waited seven boxes of pizza with a note on the top. I opened it and read:

'Sorry for being a jerk last night 😐'

He actually drew that emoji. I wanted to laugh at his cuteness. And mostly from the embarrassment. Who the heck told him to leave it in my unlocked room?

I turned around and found three of them. Only Phoebe and Hannah had a knowing look on their face. Cloe on the other hand, well, trying to imitate what they were doing. I doubt she understood what they were suspecting.

Hold on! How's Cloe here?

"What're you doing here, Cloe? And how did you come?" I asked her.

Cloe uncrossed her arms and sighed. "Aunt Jessica called mom to come ASAP. So we had to cancel Rick's rehearsal, he is sleeping now by the way. And here I am, stuck with these weirdos instead of my friends."

I rolled my eyes when Phoebe started protesting and quarreled with a freaking five years old.

Good thing, they let go of that.

"Okay you two can stop now," Hannah tried to stop them. They glared at each other. Before they could start again, I said, "Who wanna have pizza?"

They looked at me, then the pizza boxes.