The day was going exceptionally good. Everyone was enjoying themself and surprisingly even Celine didn't bother us today. It was only the seven of us as Max and Liam wanted to celebrate their 18th birthday with just us.
As the night was coming closer and the party was reaching it's end, I was becoming more and more anxious.
"Chill, will you?!" Charlotte plopped down beside me. "What if he didn't like my gift?" I asked for the tenth time today.
"Jennifer, you really annoy me a lot sometimes. Of course he'll like it!"
Unlike me, Charlotte was very confident about her gift for Liam.
"Max! Get here you little shit!" Liam yelled and chased after him with a bottle of water in his hand. Max had spilled a whole bottle of water on Liam's head as it was their 'bff birthday tradition'.
Humans.... Are weird.
After a few hours, everyone was just chilling around, eating and chatting about random things.
Damien and Celine were sitting together, talking about who knows what while Liam and Charlotte were trying to dance.
Zack was bobbing his head up and down with the music as he munched away on whatever food he could get his hands on.
Max sat down on the couch with me with a slice of pizza in his hand. "Hey sis!" He cheered and took an impressively big bite of pizza.
It was finally time.
I got up from the couch and clapped my hands to get everyone's attention.
"Guys!" I yelled when no one except Max had paid attention to me.
I felt all six pairs of eyes on me.
Why am I doing this?
What even am I doing?
"There's something I.. I.. Have to do." I said and awkwardly walked towards my room.
That wasn't the best way to say it.
I know.
I took the box in my hands in which Snow was sitting peacefully, licking her paws.
She tilted her head up and happily meowed when she saw me.
"Hey snow!" I petted her as she purred. "Let's gift you to Max now." She meowed again.
I went out of the room towards Max and handed him the box.
"Happy Birthday brother." I smiled at him.
"What is this, Jennifer?" Max looked shocked but smiled nevertheless.
He opened the box and all the other three boys came over to us, looking over his shoulders to peek inside the box.
"Awww" Max cooed as soon as he saw Snow. He was looking at her with so much adoration.
He kept the box down and picked Snow in his arms.
Then I recalled something.
Julia said that Snow doesn't like everyone. She can attack peopl-
"Meow." She meowed cutely at Max as he caressed her.
Then she did a very cute thing. She reached her paw out to touch Max's cheek and meowed.
"She's too cute!" Max grinned at Snow.
He looked up at me and hugged me with one arm. "Thanks, Jennifer. You're awesome!" he said and sat down on the couch, talking to Snow.
"Where did you even get it from?" Zack asked me, looking amused. I just shrugged and grinned at him. "I'll tell you later."
"What are you going to name her?" Liam asked Max who was still talking to Snow and she seemed to understand what he was saying.
"Coco!" Max said and Snow meowed. "She liked it!" Max was grinning so widely that I feared his mouth will hurt later on.
"Well, she already has a name..." I muttered but no one heard me, they were all just so interested in Snow and she seemed to like everyone.
Everyone except-
"Meow!" Snow, now Coco, hissed and tried to scratch Celine when she tried to touch her.
Charlotte chuckled loudly, ensuring that Celine heard her.
"Okay, it's time for my gift now!" Charlotte announced and left. "Another one for me?" Max asked me, looking excited.
I smiled and shook my head. "This one's for Liam." I winked at Liam who looked excited.
"Happy Birthday, Liam!" Charlotte yelled as she brought the new guitar to him.
Everyone froze together. No one had expected that.
No one except me.
Liam hesitantly took the guitar and opened the cover to reveal a new shining black guitar. By the look on his face I could tell that he was really overwhelmed.
He played a few strings to check and looked gratefully at Charlotte. He handed the guitar over to Zack and pulled Charlotte in a tight hug. He whispered something in her ear and Charlotte smiled.
They stayed like that for a long time and then both of them hesitantly pulled away, looking like tomatoes.
For the rest of the night, Liam played his new guitar for us before he and Charlotte went outside to spent time together. I was the happiest person to see them both together. Max just disappeared to his room with Coco and Damien and Celine were in the kitchen.
That left Zack and me alone.
"So, kitty cat, what will you gift me for my birthday?" He said and put his arm around my shoulder pulling me close.
His scent was amazing. He looked handsome as always and that grin he gave me left butterflies in my stomach. His beautiful eyes stared deep into my soul and I melted in his touch, putting my head on his shoulder as he gently caressed my arm.
"You'll have to wait for that." I replied.
"I don't need any other gift, Jennifer. Life already gave me an amazing gift." he mumbled. "And what's that?" I asked curiously. He just smiled at me and shrugged it off.
***
"Please be careful, Jennifer!" Charlotte yelled at me from the kitchen.
We had spent the entire day yesterday baking cookies and pastries for Nichole's birthday and it was finally time for their delivery now.
"I am always careful, Char!" I yelled back.
"Please don't trip over anything and ruin our hard work!"
"Don't you trust me, Char?"
"I trust you, Jen. But I don't trust your body!"
"Yeah. I don't trust my body either." I mumbled to myself.
I was walking with the boxes of pastries in my hands when Celine approached me. "Smells delicious." She commented but I chose to ignore her.
She gave me an evil smile and stuck her foot out in front of me. I tripped over her foot and stumbled. As I was about to fall down with the boxes, my eyes widened and my mouth opened to let out a scream but Zack came to the rescue and held me still. He had securely held me in his arms as he glared at Celine.
Zack took a few boxes out of my hands and snapped at Celine. "I saw what you did there, Celine. Why did you do that?! What if I hadn't reacted in time? Jennifer would have fell down and everything would have been ruined!" He yelled at her.
"I-i am sorry, Zack. It was just a-"
"Shut up! I know you did this on purpose. You broke Charlotte's bracelet on purpose too and it was you who had called the police! Isn't it, Celine?"
Celine hung her head low and started sobbing. She didn't reply to Zack but he kept shouting and screaming at her. I wanted to stop him but why should I? This witch deserves this.
"I swear, Celine! If you try to hurt Jennifer ever again, it won't end well for you." Zack threatened her and by now, she was crying loudly.
"Watch your mouth, Zack. I am warning you, don't ever talk to my girlfriend like that!" Damien thundered as he came out of the shower.
"And I am warning your girlfriend that if she tried to do any harm to my girl- I mean Jennifer, she will pay." Zack yelled back and went out of the house with the boxes in his hands.
I quietly went into the kitchen to fetch other boxes and Charlotte was looking at me in amusement.
"What?" I asked her when she still hadn't stopped staring at me.
"Nothing."
***
"They all loved it so much! I got so many praises from everyone! Ahh!" Charlotte's exclaimed happily after we had returned home.
Liam was beaming at her with pride. "I have decided what I want to do in life. I will open a bakery of my own!" Charlotte stated as she went away to her room with twinkling eyes, dreaming about her future bakery.
What will you do in the future, blob fish?
I told you not to call me that.
Just answer the question.
I- don't know?
Expected.
"What are you thinking, baby bugga boo?" Zack snapped me out of my thoughts.
"That was the worst nickname you gave me." I cringed.
"What do you want me to call you then?" he asked while playing with a loose strand of my hair.
"I don't know.. I have a name? It has a purpose?"
"But that's no fun. Everyone calls you that."
"Why did you lash out at Celine like that in the morning?" I asked instead as he placed his head on my lap, still twirling the strand of my hair.
"I saw what she did. Why is she doing this to you and Charlotte? This is so not like her at all." He asked me as he gazed into my eyes.
"She told me that she will get rid of me and Charlotte so that you boys are all hers." I rolled my eyes as I pictured her saying these words to me.
"I won't let her do anything." Zack said confidently as he winked at me.