Payback [ON HOLD]

Chapter 6

"LILLY! Finally!" Dakota said with a laugh as she gave Lillian a big bear hug and guided her into Jessica's house. The other first arrivals and Jessica quickly ran in to join the hug.

"CAN'T... BREATHE," Lillian managed to choke out. The girls immediately let go, but all burst into a fit of giggles. How could sleepovers do this to a girl? It was like some magic spell to make everyone go crazy.

Real quick, Lilly mentally checked off who'd already arrived; Dakota (of course), Sophia, and Maddie. Jessica, of course, was present as well, and her twin brother Calvin ("It's Cal," he always corrected. "Calvin makes me sound like some old loon." Jessica would always agree with a smirk and say that's exactly what he was).

Calvin only stood their squealy get-togethers because he had a massive, obvious crush on one of them, Jessica said. Which one of them, she wasn't sure in the slightest. But that wasn't a matter begging for attention. There was something else that everyone wanted to talk about much more.

"Why didn't you tell poor Maddie and Soph about Tim?" Jessica asked, working her annoyingly believable gift of puppy eyes.

     "What about Timmy Tim Tim?" Sophia asked, flashing a curious, conniving smirk. "Has Lill Lill professed her undying love for him?"

     "Actually," she spat out before she could change her mind but felt her cheeks flush red anyway, "yeah...?"

     She hadn't meant it to come out sounding like a question, but her voice had become so unsteady it came out that way against her will.

     Sophia and Maddie both squealed.

     "NO WAY. NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY!" Maddie said through her squeals.

     "I knew it! I always did! No one can deny it. I so called it. I said something about it to Lilly last year before I left, I think. Right?" she asked, looking to Lillian for confirmation of her win.

     Lilly wracked her brain, then snapped her fingers and said, "Yup! I remember that. It was right. In. Front. Of. Him."

     Sophia sighed happily. "Ah yes. Good times."

     "So," Maddie said excitedly, "what'd he say?!"

     "Actually," Lillian said to the wall, "he said it first."

     "WHAT?!" Maddie squealed again. "THAT'S SO INSANE AND AMAZING AND SINCE WHEN HAS HE LOVED YOU?!"

     "Hang on," Dakota said, "Lilly's forgetting the catch."

     "Oh no," Maddie groaned. "There's a catch?"

     "Yup," Jess jumped in. "He's broken her heart like a billion times."

     "I thought it was only once? But hey, I only knew they said they liked each-other, so I guess I've been missing a lot," Maddie commented.

     "It HAS only been once," Lillian clarified, shooting Jessica a dirty look to which she shrugged and mouthed an oh-so-not-sorry "Sorry."

     "What's only been once?" Ria asked from the still-open-from-Lilly's-arrival door. She glared playfully as she sauntered inside and plopped down on the sofa where everyone had sat down after she shut the door. "Did someone start swapping secrets without me?"

     "It was THEIR FAULTS," Lillian said, gesturing at everyone else. "I wanted to wait for you. But did they listen? Nooo."

     Jessica and Maddie feigned hurt, innocent gasps while Dakota and Sophia rolled their eyes and laughed.