Head Over Heels

Chapter 31 - Birthday Surprises

"Hey now, we didn't sound that bad!" Payton rebuttals.

"You sure about that? Let's just say there is a reason you're a great cheerleader but weren't asked to join the school choir Pay. You're definitely....uh.....loud....." Rachel starts trailing off in laughter.

"Very funny." Payton deadpans and the rest of us join Rachel laughing.

                                                ***

I wake up to the sound of my phone vibrating against my mattress.

"What time is it....who the heck is calling me this dang early...." I muddle to myself while I feel around my bed blindly for my phone which is somewhere in my covers.

I finally grab the phone and peek with one eye to see it's Charlie facetiming me. Of course. He's just enough of an annoying big brother to call me before 8am on a Saturday knowing I idolize the chance to sleep in on weekends.

"Happy Birthday little sister!"

Charlie's voice echoes through the phone when I answer. I'm still squinting while I wait for my eyes to adjust to the bright screen.

"Thanks. It is my birthday all day you know....you could have waited a little longer before calling me."

Charlie laughs. "Yeah, but I couldn't wait to do this..."

Charlie disappears from the phone screen.

"Huh? Do what?" I ask but he's gone.

A few seconds later my bedroom door flies open. Barreling inside my room is not only Charlie, but Lucas and Tucker along with him too. They dogpile on top of me, smothering me in a giant suffocating hug, tangled between limbs and blankets on my bed. My parents stand at the doorway videoing the whole thing. My mom doing a poor job of holding back tears at the sight of all her kids back together again under one roof.

"You surprised baby sis?!" Charlie beams as the guys untangle themselves from each other and me.

It takes me a second to catch my breath before it really sinks in that all three of my brothers are standing in my room after months of not seeing them.

"I can't believe you all are here! How? When? I have so many questions!" I look at my parents in the doorway "Did you both know they were coming? For how long?!"

"Charlie had the idea a few weeks ago. He called me and Tuck up saying you were down in the dumps over some loser dude breaking your heart or something and we needed to do something to cheer you up. So we made plans to surprise you for your birthday and stay through Thanksgiving since each of us have some time off school right now anyways." Lucas explains.

I realize at that moment I've been so caught up in the fairytale of getting back together with Tyler last week that I haven't even called Charlie to tell him we made up. If I'm honest, I also wasn't entirely sure how to break the news to him either.

"We always told you high school guys suck, Lila. Hopefully now you believe that they're no good for you. But no worries, we're here now, we can take care of this Tyler prick for you. He'll think twice before ever messing with you again." Tuck straightens to his full height. From my seat on the bed he looks even more giant then I remember him being. Did he get bigger biceps too?

My mind begins racing, I give my mom a look of panic.

"Easy boys, no need to send out the bloodhounds on Tyler. He's actually a very sweet boy, you should hear what he did to make things up to Lila. Their first date was basically straight from a fairytale–"