Wishes on Birthday Cake Candles

Bob's car was parked right in front when school was over. I hopped into his car without a second glance back and smiled at my Dad. He drove off down the road and turned down the stereo.

"How was school?" he asked.

"Good," I replied.

"Meet any friends?"

"A few."

Bob smiled at me and ruffled my hair with one hand. I grinned, chuckling to myself. As we drove home, I stared out of the window. The nice, rolling hills soon changed into busy streets packed with cars and impatient drivers. Bob rolled his eyes and honked his horn a few times. I chortled.

Gerard was at our house when we got back. I looked questioningly towards Bob.

"He wanted to catch how your day was right after you got back and he had also been here for endless coffee," Dad explained, laughing.

I smiled and dropped my backpack off down on the ground. Gerard patted the seat beside him on the black couch and grinned, setting his cup of steaming hot coffee down. I wondered which cup he was on. Probably somewhere between five or six.

"So, how was it?" he asked.

"Good," I replied.

Gerard frowned. "More info, please."

I laughed loudly. "Alright."

"New friends and their names," he demanded.

"Lexi, Ian, and," I said, hesitating. "Brendon."

Gerard's eyes went wide and he laughed, his mouth forming a grin. Bob turned around from the sink, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Oooh!" Gerard said loudly.

"No! Not like that!" I yelled, covering my mouth.

"Who's Brendon?" Dad asked.

"No one, just some kid who had to show me around today. I don't like him like that," I hissed at Gerard, who was still cackling.

"You better not," Bob huffed.

I rolled my eyes and threw one of the couch pillows at Gerard, telling him to shut up. I smiled, but tried to hide it. Gerard finally calmed down and took a deep breath, throwing the pillow back at my face.

"Okay, umm, who'd you eat lunch with?" he asked.

"Lexi," I said.

"Why didn't you sit with that Brendon kid? If he ditched you, I'll-" Bob said.

"Whoa there, slow down!" I laughed. "He didn't go to lunch."

Gerard frowned. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "I guess he wasn't hungry."

Bob and Gerard shared looks. I raised an eyebrow and hugged my pillow, wishing the silence would just end. Luckily, it did. Gerard asked me more about my classes, what my teachers were like, and what they served for lunch. He let me stop answering questions since he knew I had loads of homework already. I grabbed my heavy backpack and raced up the stairs, throwing it forcefully onto my bed. I landed with a thud next to it, shutting my eyes.

Eventually, I did open my eyes. I got to work on my homework and finished it quicker than expected. When I heard my phone buzz from my phone. It wasn't from Mom or my friends.

Instead, it was a unrecognized number. I raised an eyebrow and clicked 'Accept' on the phone.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Get your butt down here!" they yelled.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Come downstairs!" they demanded.

I nodded and hung up the phone, racing down the stairs. When I looked at the couch, I saw Lindsey sitting there, a grin on her face. I looked from her to Gerard, over to Dad, and back to her.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Brendon is what's goin' on!" she answered gleefully.

I glared at Gerard who smiled sheepishly. Lindsey pulled me down on the couch and spat out questions at me, never stopping. I finally put my finger over her mouth. She cocked her head to the side.

"I don't like him. I don't even think he wants me as a friend," I said.

"Why?" All three asked.

I rolled my eyes. "He didn't really talk to me much. No big deal."

Bob laughed, but it wasn't friendly. "If I see that kid, I'll seriously put a dent in his head."

"Don't!" I yelled.

"But-" he objected.

"No, no buts."

Bob scowled at me, but let it go. When he left the room to go to the restroom, Gerard and Lindsey scooted in closer to me. My eyebrows raised and I backed up a bit.

"Now really, what happened?" they asked.

I laughed. "Nothing, nothing at all."

"Oh, I thought you just said that so Bob wouldn't get mad," Gerard mumbled, rubbing his head.

I shook my head. "I speak no lies."

"Dang it," Lindsey muttered.

I laughed at the two of them and got up. The two chuckled and got back to talking, sipping their coffee. I smiled and began to walk up the stairs again. Venom rubbed at my heels. I picked him up and carried him to my room. When I hit my head, I ran a hand through my hair and looked out of my window. The sun was beginning to disappear. I smiled and shut my curtains.

"Bye bye, Sun," I mumbled.