Pearls

Chapter 20

....Something's strange...

Phoenix sat on the couch, coffee in hand and phone in the other. His thumb tapped away on the buttons, stopping and tapping every 10 seconds or so. Each time his thumb stopped, his face would turn upwards into a goofy smile before tapping again, stopping, smiling, tap, stop, smile.

Tap. Stop. Smile. Tap. Stop. Smile. Tap stop smile tap stop smile tap stop smile tapstopsmiletapstopsmiletapstopsmiletapstopsmiletapstopsmiletapstopsmiletapstopsmi—

"Arrrrgghhh!!! Niiiiiiiiiiccckkkkk!!!!!"

"Ma-Maya?! AGH!"

I charged and jumped onto Phoenix, squashing him underneath. "Nick! Tell me what is making you so happy! You were never this happy at work so spill the beans!"

I try to pull his phone out of his grip, both hands wrestling with his one as he tries to keep what little coffee remained in his mug, the rest already soiling his clothes and parts of the couch. "Maya, stop it! I'm not smiling at anything!"

"Yes, you are!"

We fought for his phone, 2 hands on one side, 1 on the other. Grappled in our petty fight, I almost didn't hear Pearl call out to us. "Mystic Maya, Mr. Nick? What're you doing?"

"Pearly! Come here and help me!"

"Don't listen to her! Pearls, please stop her before she breaks my phone!"

"Um...uh..." Pearl looked back and forth between me and Phoenix. Fear turned into anger as she rushed between us. "STOP IT!"

*SLAP*

"OW!"

"Owww...."

Our hands stung. Small, distinct red marks were visible and matched the size of Pearl's hands which now held Phoenix's phone. "Why were you two fighting? No one gets Mr. Nick's phone until you tell me why you were fighting."

"Pearls, please give back my phone." He shook his hand a little, his coffee mug long forgotten as there was nothing left in it, all its contents now on him. "We weren't fighting over anything."

"Oh, that is so not true, Nick! Pearl, we were fighting because he wouldn't tell me what was making him smile!"

"What?!" Pearl scowled at Phoenix, rolling up her sleeve. "Mr. Nick, is this true?"

"Pearls, please. There's a reason why I didn't want her to know."

"Know what? Mystic Maya, what didn't he want to tell you about?"

"Whatever is on his phone is making him smile and he won't tell me what it is! Pearly, could you look at it and tell me what it is he's smiling at?"

"No! Pearls, don—!"

I tackled him on the couch, stopping him from grabbing his phone. Dumbfounded, Pearl did as I said. "Um, Mystic Maya?"

"Rrgh, hold still, Nick!" I flicked my hair back with one hand, the other holding down Phoenix. "Hah, what is it, Pearly?"

She held her thumb below her lips. "I can't read what it says."

"...Can't read?" I turn to Phoenix who is still struggling underneath. "Pass it here, Pearly. I'll read it."

"Don't pass it to her!"

Too late.

I held his phone in my hands, jumping off of him and running to the other side of the room. "Let's see here........!"

I couldn't believe what I was reading. I turned a deep red before throwing the phone back at Phoenix. "What on earth, Nick?!?! What have you and Edgeworth been doing?!"