Sagittarius

Chapter Two: Don't We All Just Love Birthdays?

My life was just as boring as ever as we all waited anxiously for the last day in November so we could have Aurelie's party. But, finally, the day had come, and Casey, Emma, and Izzy had just turned up at my house. The first thing we did was connect Izzy's phone to the Bluetooth speaker that I kept in my room, and make sure it was charging so it didn't die on us.

An hour and a half of preparation later, we were all ready for Aurelie to arrive in half and hour. We sat on the mattresses we had set up in my room, and Casey ended up playing the American Beauty/American Psycho album on her phone as we waited for Aurelie. The four of us basically had a Fall Out Boy sing off until there was a knock at the door, causing Casey to pause the album, and me to go open the door and let Aurelie in. She was wearing a black and white striped top, with a black pair of shorts and blue Converse. Her blonde curls were loose.
"Hi, Ella!" she smiled.
"Hi Aurelie, happy birthday!"
"Thank you!" I led her up to my room, which I had made sure to leave in total darkness. Luckily, Emma hand't gotten Novocaine or some other Fall Out Boy song stuck in her head, or if she had, she wasn't singing it out loud. I clicked on the light to my  room.
"SURPRISE!" The other three yelled. Aurelie just laughed.
We spent the night laughing and playing games, and Aurelie ended up having to lick Casey's foot thanks to Izzy and her dares.

Four weeks later and it was the last week of term. Cue massive class Christmas parties right about now. I'm pretty sure that was all that dragged me out of bed that Monday. I would much rather spend my fifteenth birthday at home, but Christmas parties called. I pulled on my uniform, and, not nearly so rushed for once, French plaited my hair, before finding waffles in the fridge from mum with enough for the others to have one too. Taking waffles for my friends, I set off to the bus stop, arriving a full five minutes before my bus was due.
On the bus, everything seemed normal... until Casey yelled
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" as soon as I sat next to her.
"Shush Case, do you want all the creepers in the world knowing its my birthday?" I asked her, laughing.
"Maybe. But still. Happy fifteenth Elle."
"Thank you."

At our lockers, Casey suddenly looked surprised like she'd just remembered something.
"Hey, you okay?" I asked her.
"Yeah, yeah. I - uh, gotta go, I'll see you in math Ella, sorry!" She blurted out before running off. I just shrugged and went off to sit with the others in the library. To my surprise, Em, Izzy, and Aurelie were talking fairly loudly.
"Well we know Casey won't show -"
"But Ella? Where's Ella? Shouldn't she be here by now?"
"She'll get here in her own time Iz."
"Which, I believe, is right now." I grinned, throwing myself down into a seat next to Emma. All three of the other girls turned to face me.
"Happy birthday Ella!" They cheered in unison. I just smiled at my best friends. Emma passed a wrapped box, Izzy placed a wrapped rectangle on my lap, and Aurelie pushed a small wrapped box across the table.
"Thanks guys! You didn't have to get me anything you know."
"Yes we did, your best friend doesn't turn fifteen every day." Aurelie retorted. I just laughed, and opened Izzy's present before it fell off my lap. Inside was a pair of Galaxy leggings and a silver jumper with stars on it.
"Oh my god Iz, they're amazing! Thank you so much!" I smiled.
"No problem, I had a feeling you'd like them."
I opened the smaller box from Aurelie next, finding a small red box holding a silver necklace with an E charm hanging on it.
"Turn the E over She," Aurelie told me. She was Aurelie's nickname for me - she had actually thought Emma was calling me her the first time she called me Elle, because elle in French actually means she.I did as she said, and saw my birth date engraved in small print on it - December 20th, 2000.
"Ellie, it's beautiful! Thank you!"
"De rien." She replied in French. "Anything for my Swindon-bred best friend." I smiled, and opened Emma's present. Inside her box was a Galaxy bar, and a photo frame with a photo of the five of us at an aquarium.
"Thanks Em!" I smiled, admiring the photo I hadn't seen in probably a year.
"Hey, no problem Elle."