Chapter 20: Late Night Rosebush
"Happy birthday!" Avery sang as I stepped out of my room. Aside from the fact that she said it at midnight last night (alongside my parents), waking me up from a very deep sleep, she felt the need to say it again this morning.
I looked at my phone, noticing that the first three people to wish me a happy birthday, aside from my noisy sister, were Phoenix, Alice, and Cam. Remind me to thank them when I get to school. Speaking of which, I should probably start getting ready.
When I arrived, my brother complained he needed to use the bathroom, seeing as he woke up late and didn't get a chance to. I remained by the car, slowly getting my stuff from the trunk. When we were pulling out of the driveway, I saw Phoenix leaving his house, so that means he's probably parking now. "What's taking you so long?" my sister asked me and I looked around.
"Do you see Phoenix anywhere?" I asked her and she craned her neck, slowly pointing at his car. I nodded, thanking her before approaching him. He had his hands tucked in his pockets and he wore a familiar grin. I approached him, grabbing his hand from his sweater and yanking him behind a truck and out of my brother's line of vision, dare he look back. I hugged Phoenix tightly, earning a laugh from him.
"Happy birthday," he announced.
"Thanks," I responded and he rested his chin on my head.
"How does it feel to be 17?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.
"You know, it doesn't feel any different," I responded.
"Paige and Alex said happy birthday," Phoenix informed me. "Brooke and Piper said it too...and my mom."
"Any other relatives pass on the greeting?" I asked him.
He narrowed his eye as he stared at the sky. Slowly looking back at me, he shook his head. "Nope, not that I can think of."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Let's get going before we're late to class."
As the day droned on, I was thinking of places I'd rather be- home, with my friends at the mall; with Phoenix on a date; with my family at our house. In the end, I figured that there are many places I'd rather be than school. Aside from lunch, when my brothers friends and my own banded together to sing me and Leo an awkward happy birthday song, today was boring. As the day came to a close, I received a text from my mother. She wanted me and my siblings to run to the store to get a few things before she got home from work. I sighed and informed my brother and sister, earning a snort from Avery.
"I have practice today. I'll just have mom swing by and pick me up," our sister explained. I noticed Phoenix's car still in the parking lot of the school and I quirked an eyebrow. Weird, he usually left before us. Well, he's been doing that lately seeing as he has no one to wait up for anymore, even after football practice.
I looked at Leo, who shrugged, and walked towards the car. He hasn't said much since my phone appeared on my bed and I have a feeling he knows I've been hanging around with Phoenix secretively. Now, we're going to have to deal with the awkwardness of sitting in a car and going shopping together. As I sat in the passenger's seat, I looked at him. "So, uh, how has your day been so far?"
"It's been fine," he answered shortly and I internally cringed. He knows. "I hung out with the guys and made plans with a girl I've been talking to." Or maybe not. Maybe he's just has an attitude like he usually does.
"Really?" I asked him. "That sounds like fun."
"What about you? How has your day been?" he asked curiously.
"It was fine, you know, I hung out with Alice and Cam," I told him.
"No one else?" he inquired and I swore mentally. Does he know?
"Well, I mean, I had a class with Elliot," I responded.
"I had a class with Andrew, you know, from the football team," he trailed. "And he says he saw you with Phoenix. Did that happen?"
"Well, he wished me a happy birthday but other than that, I didn't see much of him," I smoothly lied.
"Really?" my brother questioned and I nodded.
"No hugs or anything?" my brother inquired.
"A friendly one," I replied to Leo, who nodded slowly.
"You know, you usually don't hug guys you're supposed to be getting over," my brother announced and I wanted to roll my eyes so hard they'd get stuck in the back of my head. Here we go.
"Leo..." I trailed, growing tired of him.
"No, I'm just saying. I mean, personally, I wouldn't hug a girl that I was getting over," he told me. "And I definitely wouldn't be at her house."
"What are you talking about?" I questioned, earning a snort from my brother.
"You know, I'm not stupid," my brother replied.
"I beg to differ," I muttered and Leo glared at me.
"I'm the one who returned your phone," he replied.
"Thanks, I thought I lost it," I told him.
"In Phoenix's room?" he questioned and I decided to put my practices to the test.
"I left it on the porch of the house, along with your gift, and I ran to the backyard to grab the spare key but by the time I got back, they were both gone. You can ask mom; I was freaking out," I told my brother. Hopefully he doesn't ask my mom before I could ask her to lie for me.
"So why did Phoenix have them?" he inquired.
"I don't know. Maybe he took them so they wouldn't get stolen. He probably assumed I'd stepped out or something and left them there," I told my brother, who looked at me suspiciously. "I need to talk to him to see if he has your gift, you know, if that's okay with you, Master Leo," I lied. I have the present shoved in a gift bag in my room, but any time spent with Phoenix, no matter how short, is significant. I don't see much of him anymore.
My brother rolled his eyes at me. "I'm just doing this to make your life better."
"Doing what?" I asked him, waiting to see if he'll admit his faults.
"Keeping you two apart," my brother responded.
"I don't see the purpose of doing it, but okay," I replied. And you're not doing that good of a job at it seeing as we're still sneaking around. What you're doing is keeping us from your eye.
"Because..." my brother trailed off.
"I just think you're doing it so you won't be put in an awkward situation," I announced while staring out the window.
"It's more than that," my brother explained. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"You don't trust Phoenix?" I asked him.
"What? I never even said that," my brother argued.
"That's what I'm hearing. You think Phoenix is going to hurt me," I clarified.
"I don't want to talk about this," my brother sighed as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot.
"Because you know you're wrong!" I snapped and he glanced at me with an annoyed look on his face.
"Even Phoenix said it, he doesn't want to overwhelm you with his feelings," my brother expressed. "In case you didn't know, he loves you and you haven't even been with a boy who's liked you back, so you're definitely not ready for a boy who's in love with you."
"Why not? Because he's not just attracted to me? Because he doesn't want me just for the way I look? Because he generally thinks I'm a good person and likes who I am? Oh, my gosh, Leo, how dare I think that I, a lowly peasant, deserve that?" I replied.
"Well, what if he wants more out of a relationship? Things you're not ready to provide?" he asked and we both knew what he was hinting at.
"If he loves me, then he'd be willing to wait and he won't pressure me into doing things I don't want to do," I told my brother, who was cringing at the idea.
Parking the car with a jolt, he looked at me. "We're not talking about this again."
"You don't have a right to say what I can and can't do!" I called. "And the same goes for Phoenix!"
"Apparently I do if you two aren't together, right?" he asked before slamming the door behind him.
I got out of the car and followed my brother into the store, breathing heavily as I repressed the urge to scream at him.
+ + +
The drive home was awkward and tense and I would've preferred to walk had it not been ten miles away. When we arrived at the house, I unlocked the door and pushed it open, slamming it shut as my brother stood there with the groceries in his hand. He opened the door. "You're so stupid, I swear. You're more immature than anyone I've ever met," my brother snapped.
"Well, you're a piece ofâ," I was saying before I was cut off by a loud chorus of "SURPRISE!"
I looked around, shocked to see my friends sitting on the couch, alongside Phoenix, Elliot, and Avery, and then my parents. They all looked slightly shocked. They probably didn't expect us to come inside, swearing at each other and fighting like children. "Hey..." I trailed slowly.
"Happy birthday you two," my parents greeted us and I watched as Leo stormed into the kitchen, still annoyed at our argument. I watched as Phoenix got up, approaching Leo, who was packing away the groceries. Elliot followed, but I think it was because Cam was practically breathing down his neck.
"How long have you guys been planning this?" I asked my friends and my sister as I sat down on the couch between them.
"A week," Alice admitted. "I made the brownies."
"Now's not the time to advertise your snacks," Cam responded. "What happened?"
I sighed as I leaned forward, removing my shoes. "He's an idiot, that's what happened."
"Was it about Phoenix?" Avery whispered and I nodded.
"He's such an idiot," I grunted before sighing. "Anyway, what's on the agenda?"
"Well, I thought we could talk, eat, open gifts, play monopoly," Avery announced.
+ + +
"You're cheating!" Cam insisted. "I just watched you take money from the bank!"
"I'm the banker! That's allowed!" Elliot responded.
"Actually, it's not!" Cam replied. "You can't take money from the bank whenever you please!"
"Oh yeah?" Elliot replied.
"Yeah!" she responded.
"Watch me!" Elliot retorted, pulling the head hole of his shirt and letting the bills fall into his shirt before rolling around in the mess that piled on the floor among us.
Everyone else playing the game simply watched, not interested enough in the game to stop him from wrecking the set up. I was sitting cross-legged with my back to the couch. Alice was on one side of me and Avery was on the other. Cam and Elliot, however, were sitting as close to the board as they could get. Leo and Phoenix were on the other side of the board watching in amusement as our mutual friend rolled around in the fake money.
"He's ruining the game!" Cam announced in annoyance, watching as the board slid, the pieces flew around, and the few houses scattered about.
"Well, I guess that means the game's over," I told her, tossing my money at the board. Everyone else followed, allowing their money to fall at the center of the board. Elliot sat back up and began organizing the money, slowly putting it away. I dropped back on the couch, letting out a sigh. Slowly, everyone allowed themselves to slump on the comfortable surface, except Elliot, who was putting the game back on the floor.
"My mom's on her way," Alice announced as she looked up from her phone.
"Is your mom still giving me a ride home?" Cam inquired and Alice nodded.
"We still have to open gifts!" Avery announced and I wanted to sigh. I was hoping to avoid this event. I have having everyone's attention on me. As if having to sit around while everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' again wasn't enough, I was going to have to sit through everyone watching me as I open their gifts. Great.
First I opened an envelope from my parents. Inside was a card which they both wrote paragraphs on. After reading them, I turned my attention to the money that fell across my legs. I lifted it, shoving it back in the envelope before turning to the gifts from my friends. I'll count it later. "I'm going to open this one first," I muttered as I grabbed a pink bag.
I grabbed the bag and dipped my hand inside, pulling out the card first. "Don't read it out loud!" Alice practically screeched. I nodded my head before turning my attention to the card. While I was still on my first gift, my brother was opening his last, which was the customized football Phoenix got him.
"You're welcome," Phoenix said triumphantly from across the room. He was leaning against the wall eating cake, seeing as my mom insisted that no one was to sit on the couch while eating, especially not ice cream cake.
I placed my hand into the bag, pulling out the perfume, lotion, and body wash set. "You said it smelled amazing that time we went to the mall, so I got it," Alice explained red faced. "I'm not good at getting gifts so I went with something I knew you'd like. You like it, right?"
"I love it," I told her. "Thank you Alice."
My face was also the shade of blood as I moved on to the next gift. "Open mine!" Avery practically shrieked from beside me and I placed the other gift I was lifting back down, watching as she grabbed hers and shoved it in my hand. I opened the bag and reached in, ignoring the furry thing until I grabbed the card. Opening it, I looked at the words, ignoring the gift that fell into my lap. "You can read it aloud. In fact, I think you should." I skimmed it, my eyes falling on words such as 'Idiot', 'Phoenix', 'Leo' and especially 'Dating' so I decided against reading it aloud.
Leo, you're an idiot. I like Phoenix. Phoenix likes me. We are secretly dating. Let us be together.
Dear Grace,
Did you fall for it? Did you say it out loud? Well, if you did, you're probably battling Leo in hand to hand combat for the sake of your (not so secret) relationship. In all seriousness, I just want to wish you a happy seventeenth birthday, you baby. I hope you have a great day.
- Love, Avery
I rolled my eyes as I shoved the card back into the envelope, placing the gift card with it. Placing it aside, I reached into the bag, pulling out a cute, brown teddy bear with a bow on its head. I looked at Avery and smiled, holding the teddy bear to my chest. "Thanks, Avery."
"You might want to open my gift, you know, I'm leaving soon," Cam announced from the floor. "It's the baby blue one."
I opened it, reading the card mentally before placing it aside with a small smile on my face. As I placed my hand into the smaller bag, I smiled when I found a box. Opening it, I discovered a friendship ring. 'Partners in Crime' was inscribed on the metal piece of jewelry. I decided to put it on, slipping it onto my fingers. Cam held her ring finger up, showing me the matching ring.
"Boy, do I feel left out?" Alice blurted and Cam sighed, digging into her pocket. She tossed something at Alice, who let it fall to her side before looking at it. She squealed loudly as she lifted it up and placed it on her finger.
I came upon the last gift, blinking as I stared at the wrapped item. "Now before you open that, I'd like to explain..." Elliot announced as he sat up on the couch.
"Let me see if I understand it first," I told him as I unwrapped the gift that was sitting on my lap. The more paper I peeled off, the more I began to understand the present but the more everyone around me got confused.
"A fortune cookie maker?" Avery inquired from beside me.
"Do you get it?" Elliot asked.
"Yes, I get it," I told him as I chuckled. The idiot talks like a fortune cookie.
"My mom's outside," Alice sighed as she got up. I got up too after I placed my new machine to the side. Cam rose from her place on the floor too, following Alice as the three of us walked to the door.
"Thanks for coming," I smiled before hugging each of them.
"Happy birthday," they responded together.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," I replied happily, about to close the door.
"I have to go, too," Elliot announced as he approached me. I reached out and hugged him. "I hope you had a good birthday."
"I did, thank you," I smiled as he stepped outside. I waved while he hopped down the steps. With a sigh, I closed the door and approached the couch. I began gathering the trash and shoving it in the basket my brother had retrieved from the kitchen. I looked at Phoenix, who kept glancing at my phone. Eventually, I caught on that he had texted me.
I stopped cleaning, looking at my phone as I skimmed the messages I'd received since lunch. I noticed his name and clicked on it. Don't go to sleep early tonight. I stared at it, unsure of how to respond, so I went with a simple: okay??? He glanced at my message and before he could respond, my brother's voice interrupted. "You know what would be nice, Grace?"
"What?" I asked.
"If you could actually help me clean instead of staring at your phone like an idiot," he responded.
"Gee, thanks, Leo," I responded as I shot him a glare. "Because of that, you're cleaning up the rest of the room."
"Oh, no, I'm not," my brother announced, prepared to argue.
"I'll help you," Phoenix responded, taking my place.
My brother glared at me and I scoffed as I went upstairs with my gifts. I plopped them on my bed before going into my closet and grabbing my brother's gift. Though he doesn't deserve it, I spent good money on it and I lost the receipt, so I can't return it. I barged into his room, tossing the gift on his bed before slipping back out, returning to my room where I could shower in peace.
+ + +
Seeing as my brother is also not one for sentimental moments, I found my gift bag on my bed when I got out of the shower. I sat down, still wearing a towel around my hair, and began emptying the bag. I found a leather-bound diary with an actual lock and key. Along with the journal was a note that read: I promise I didn't make a copy of the key. I stared at it and nodded, running my hand along the journal. It was nice and it'll definitely keep people out of it.
Placing all of my items on the floor, I got in bed, staring at my phone as I waited for Phoenix to tell me why I couldn't go to sleep. At quarter to eleven, he sent me a message telling me to go outside on the front porch. I stared at the message before getting up and slipping down the hall. My sister was on the couch watching television and looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. "Where are you going?"
"Phoenix asked me to meet him outside," I told her in a whisper.
"Okay, don't get kidnapped," she responded and I rolled my eyes, stepping outside into the night. The porch was illuminated just enough so I could see Phoenix leaning against the porch railing with a smile on his face.
"I had to wait for Leo to fall asleep," he told me sheepishly and I nodded.
"And you made me stay up until the late hours of the night for?" I asked him curiously. He held out a small box and I took it in my hands, staring at it curiously. "What is it?"
"You'll find out if you open it," he replied and I examined it while biting my lip. "Just open it."
"Okay..." I trailed as I placed my hand on the top of the box.
"Open it or I will," he insisted and I lifted the top before staring at the gift. It was a bracelet, a charm bracelet. I smiled as I raised it, examining each charm.
"A book?" I asked him curiously.
"For all the times I've read your diary," he replied.
"A dress?" I inquired. "Homecoming?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
"A...dog bone?" I asked him.
"Look, it was hard to find an arm bone or a cast," he told me. "It's from the time you broke your arm. Or should I say I broke your arm? Either way it was the turning point in our relationship...or lack thereof. Keep looking."
"Stairs?" I asked him as I squinted at the small charm.
"You don't understand how hard it was to find that charm," he told me. "I looked for two weeks straight just for that stupid little charm."
"You could've always got a set of lips," I told him with a shrug.
"But that's not thoughtful enough," he responded and I raised my eyebrows, causing him to look away in embarrassment.
"A heart?" I asked.
"Because I...like you," he told me as he rocked back and forth on his feet. Love. He was going to say love.
"The letter G," I spoke with a smile. "For Grace, I'm assuming."
"Yes," he nodded.
"And lastly, a bird," I replied with furrowed eyebrows and he pointed to himself.
"Phoenix," he informed me, earning a roll of my eyes.
"You really put a lot of thought into this bracelet," I told him as I continued to examine it and he nodded.
"Do you like it?" he inquired and I allowed my head to bob up and down.
"I love it," I responded as I placed it back into the box, closing the small container. I reached out and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I sighed into his collar before pulling back and kissing him.
"You should go. You have school tomorrow, you need to sleep," he replied.
"Yeah, so do you," I retorted.
"And I still have all of my homework to do," he grinned at me. "So I don't think I'm going to get any sleep."
"Why didn't you do it earlier?" I asked him.
"Because I was at the party," he told me. "And then I had to make Brooke and Piper dinner after my mom left. And then I had to do chores." I frowned and he immediately began speaking again. "But I don't regret the party. In fact, I enjoyed it. I just wish we could've talked more. Well we didn't talk at all. But you seemed to have a good time with your friends, even though you kept staring at me. I'm rambling now."
"You're weird," I told him with a stupid grin on my face. Do I really make him that nervous?
"I know. I like you. Isn't that an explanation in itself?" he asked jokingly. I shoved his shoulders and scoffed.
"Let's not get into that. You go home and get your homework done. And get some sleep," I told him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he trailed. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Only if Leo allows," I snorted. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."
I opened the door to my house and stepped inside, only to hear my brother's voice. "What were you doing out there?" I immediately ducked my hand behind my back to hide the gift from Phoenix. "What's behind your back?" I slipped the small box into the waist band of my sweatpants before bringing my hands in front of me.
"I was getting some fresh air. Any other questions?" I asked him.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked me and I furrowed my eyebrows at him. How did he hear through the door? "You didn't close the door all the way." Ah, that's it.
He walked over and yanked it open. I immediately felt my heart fall into my throat as I stared out from behind him. Nothing was there. There's no way Phoenix escaped that fast. When my brother closed the door, I noticed the confused look on his face. "I was singing. Is that such a bad thing?" I asked him with my hands on my hips, still shocked that Phoenix wasn't discovered out there, wherever he may have gone.
"With your voice, yes," he snorted. "Go back to bed."
"Take your own advice," I scoffed as I walked upstairs, exhaling quietly as I made my way up the steps. That was close.
Just as I was getting into bed, my phone went off and I got a text. I have rose thorns in places where rose thorns to not belong. So that's where Phoenix went- into mom's rose bush.
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