Chapter One
It Happened!
It did, it did happen, I got my ears pierced and it’s my birthday and another thing, it is summer! I walk into my room and lie down, I was so happy! I lay down for a little nap. I always wanted to get my ears pierced since I was 7 years old, and now I am turning 12.
I walk down the stairs to get a drink in the kitchen. I was so thirsty, because I had not had a drink in a few hours so I had one. I think that this time I will have some Sprite, because it is my favorite drink. Just then Mom comes into the room. ”Chloe, honey, you still happy about the earrings that you picked?” she says and gives me a wink.
“Of course I am, Mom!” I answer to her like she is crazy.
Then I go back up to my room and sit at my desk to read my favorite book, Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. After I read the second chapter I stop to think about how my aunt got me it when I turned 10 and I hated it, but when I turn 11 I read it again and liked it a lot so, now I read it a lot. I walk to my little sister Amanda’s room. (Just so you know I tend to walk around a lot when I am happy, as you can see.)
She is lying on her bed that I used to have when I was her age and then I didn’t want it, so I gave it to her to her.
I ask her, “What are you doing?”
“I am reading Darla Decker Hates to Wait by Jessica McHugh.”
“What is that book?”
“Well, it is about a girl named Darla Decker, and how she survives her first year of middle school.”
“Cool. Can I read it after you finish?”
“Of course you can.”
Then I walk out of the room into the hallway. I was starting to think that nobody cared about how I was turning 12, that was a big age for me to turn, and every birthday that I have had they all were talking about it so much, this was not like them to not talk to me about my birthday.
Chapter Two
Spoiler Alert!
Just then Amanda pulls me into her room to tell me something I think. I am not sure though.
“Chloe, I should not be telling you this but-I just won’t…” she pauses. (She is really bad at keeping secrets.)
“But I really want you to,” I say and give her one of those boo hoo faces.
“Well I guess I can.”
“OK then tell me.”
“Well, we are planning-”
“A surprise party?” I ask.
“Well yes, how did you know?”
“Well it was pretty easy to tell.”
“Since I told you, you have to promise me a few things.”
“OK, what are they?”
“Well one of them are that tomorrow when we all say surprise! You have to pretend that you do not know?”
“Okay, what else?”
“Well, you also can not tell them that I told you ever, ever, and forever.”
“I promise.”
“You really do?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Now go somewhere else in the house so Mom and Dad don’t find out.”
“Okay, I will.”
I go back out to the hall and surprisingly I see my younger brother James at the top of the stairs, he is only 1 year old so he can only say words like mama, and gaga, and that kind of stuff that babies say.
This time he says, “Mama, Mama.”
And I say back, “Here, follow me.” I think he actually heard me because he followed me down the steps really slowly, of course. As we were walking down the steps I looked up at the cleaning and started to think about what Amanda said to me and how I could not tell my parents about it, but we reached the last step I tripped! Then Mom came over. This was the hardest part. My stomach had butterflies in it! I could not tell her that I knew. She walks to the couch with me in her arms, I am pretty light I have to say.
“Sorry about that, honey.”
“No, that’s OK. It was my fault, I was looking up at the wall while walking down the steps.”
“Why were you looking up at the wall?”
“Well, I was thinking.”
“And exactly what were you thinking about?” Mom says, like she is weirded out.
“Well I forget,” I say, really anxious about the answer to that.
“OK, well you better be careful next time. But remember to tell me when you find out,” she exclaimed, I felt like what she said was from a movie.
“OK, I will tell you when I find out,” I say shaking, but the bad kind of shaking.
“Good, and you know I want the truth.”
Chapter Three
What Party?
After that discussion I go to the kitchen to get something to eat. I look in the refrigerator and see some bananas, apples, and some other things. I think I will go with a banana I think. I eat my banana and then go to the couch to rest for a few minutes. After about five minutes go by, and I think how I am going to survive through this.
Mom was the first step to it, and if I lied to her I would probably be in big trouble. I go to Mom and Dad’s room to check if either of them were there they were not, because I wanted to learn more about the party by spying on them.
So I look out the window to see if they were outside, they were, they were on the bench talking, maybe I could spy on them by looking out the window from the dining room. The only thing was that they might see me, and I would get in REALLY big trouble for doing that, and that would be even worse since it is my birthday.
I think I will just try, and if they started to look the way that I was I will just go and hid behind the big vase that is right next to the door.
Yes, I am pretty smart in that way. I walk down the steps quietly so that if Amanda or James, well not so much James because he can’t talk, don’t hear my footsteps and then ask me what I am doing and if they did then I would be in really big trouble, but not as much trouble as I would be for sneaking up on my parents.
After I hit the last step of the stairs I tiptoe to the opening living room to see if they were there, I hid behind the wall and poke my head in there, but I could see no one. I listen to see if I can hear anything suspicious going on in there, nope know one in there. That is good because that is the closest room from the door.
Chapter Four
Really
The next room I will have to check in the kitchen to see if they are in there, as Mom says, “Check everything before you do what you want to do.”
I always thought that it was so annoying whenever she said it, but now, it is actually really useful to me at least. But Mom and Dad, it would make no sense for them to use it at this point.
I just realized that I am trying to hear them talk, and I was just trying to look out the window for the answer!
I rush back up the stairs, this time not careful at all about how maybe Amanda or James would hear me, and even if they did it would not matter to me. I go to Mom and Dad’s room and open the window now I did not have to worry, and could find out what they were talking about! I first don’t really hear but then I catch on.
Mom first says, “Honey, I am not so sure if we should still have the party or not.”
“Well, maybe we will just tell her that there will be a party.”
“I don’t think so, I have a funny feeling that she knows that we are planning a surprise party.”
Just now I got a funny feeling that they are going to find out, but also that I will not have a surprise party. I was really excited about it, and now they may not do the party!
Also I wonder if Amanda knows to, and if she knew that it was not going to happen before she told me, and it was a trick so that I would be excited. But I also did not know why they may cancel the party and if they were actually going to tell me, I would have to act out being sad, and as they know I am really bad at acting. I think I will go downstairs and ask Amanda if she knows.
I walk down the steps and go to the living room to see if she was there playing with her dolls. She was, which was a good thing for me, also I am relieved that I did not come down to spy on Mom and Dad now because then Amanda would be here and that would be really bad.
I go and sit next to her.
She is still playing with her dolls, and does not care about me sitting here next to her maybe I should just ask her.
Chapter Five
The Answer
“Amanda, did Mom and Dad tell you that they may cancel the party?” I was kind of hoping that she would say that she knew about it, because then I wouldn’t have to tell her all about it again.
“Well, they just walked outside after they told me that they may cancel the party.”
“So you do know that.”
“Yeah, I guess. How do you know?”
“Well, I kind of looked out of their window because I wanted to see what they were talking about,” I say with a sorry kind of face.
“Did you hear anything else while you were listening to them? Because all I know is that they may cancel the party.”
“No I did not, all I know is that they may cancel the party too.”`
“Well do you know why they are canceling the party?”
“No, but I think that it maybe because James has a little cold and they do not want anyone to get sick at your party.”
“But, I thought that only family is coming.”
“That is one thing that I did not tell you about the party.”
“What is it again?”
“It is that all your friends are coming to the party too if we still have one.”
“Oh that will be fun to have my friends here.”
“Yes it will if we get Mom and Dad to have the party still, but remember that you can not tell them about how you know.”
“Okay, I will not tell them ever, I already told you I was never going to tell them.”
“Thank you.”
After about five minutes of that I go outside and ask Mom like I did not hear them talk before what they were talking about, “What are you talking about I say.”
“Well we were talking about…”She paused for a minute, I bet it was because they were afraid to tell me.
…To be continued…