Gills

Gills- Chapter Seven

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Luke's POV

I roll out of bed, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

My birthday. Great.

I'm not just in the mood to have my birthday today, if you get what I mean.

After finding out all this stuff about Annie, and her Grandma dying and everything... well, I guess having my birthday today feels a bit inadequate.

What's the birthday form of 'Bah, Humbug'?

I dress and wash up. When I get downstairs, both my parents are already up, and are looking a little... edgy.

Weird. My parents are never edgy. They're always calm, and in control.

"Happy Birthday, honey!" My mother tells me this sincerely, but the grin on her face looks a little forced.

I smile at her, grab an apple from the bowl, and head for the door.

"Um, where are you going?" Dad calls, from where he's seated at the kitchen table.

"Annie's. I promised her I'd be there first thing."

"Oh, okay. We wanted to talk to you, but never mind, we'll wait until this afternoon."

Was it just me, or does she seem...relieved?

Huh. I shrug, and start the walk to Annie's house.

*

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" Annie screams, as she throws open the door, and flings her arms around me in a bear hug.

I nearly choke; she's squeezing me so hard. I laugh, hugging her back.

"So, where are my presents?" I tease her.

"Upstairs. Come on." She closes the front door, grabs my hand, and drags me up to her room.

As we pass her parents room, they regard us with amusement. I can barely give them a quick wave before Annie drags me away.

She shoves me down onto to bed, disappears under it, and then reappears boring two presents. She sets them down on the bed.

"Whoa, whoa, I was only joking, you didn't have to get me anything."

She just rolls her eyes, and hands me one of the presents. I carefully unwrap it. Inside, there's a pair of converses, the ones I really wanted.

They're black, and they have a badge on the side. I give Annie a big hug.

"Thank you. I love them."

She grins, and hands me the second present. It's very weirdly shaped.

It's a pair of snorkels. I look at Annie. She is grinning wickedly.

I start to laugh, and then I can't stop. I fall back on the bed, holding the snorkels to my chest, laughing. Annie falls back beside me, and she's laughing too.

Eventually our laughter dies down, and we just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, thinking.

I turn my head to look at her, and I see how beautiful she is.

I realise this would be a perfect moment to kiss her, but I can't.

I don't know if she feels the same way I do.

I have to know, before I do anything.

But I can't try now. It's my birthday, for goodness sake. If she doesn't like me the way I like her, then that'll be my birthday ruined.

After a while, we get up, and go downstairs to her kitchen. I make some polite conversation with her parents, until they go out to town.

As soon as they've gone, Annie turns a bit serious.

She tells me about the other diary entry, and what her mother said. When she finishes speaking, I sit back, slightly stunned.

Well, at least it explains why Annie never met her Grandma.

We discuss it for a while, but then we make lunch, and our conversation turns to more light-hearted subjects.

We chat for about an hour before I have to go home.

I give Annie a big hug, and thank her again for my presents.

I'm reluctant to leave, but I'm curious about my parents, and what they want to talk to me about. It's not like them to behave like that.

When I get home, my parents are seated in the same place they were this morning.

They are also very deep in conversation.

When I enter the room, they both jump guiltily, startled.

"Oh, you're home." My mom says, stating the obvious.

"Sit down, son." My dad adds.

I plonk myself down on a chair.

"Now, we've got something to tell you, something very important. We weren't planning on ever telling you, but because you're 18, we have to."

I look at them, confused, and mom resumes speaking.

"Luke, I don't want you to be upset, okay? We never set out to hurt you, I promise. Okay. Luke. I'm really sorry, but we're not your parents. You're adopted."

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What do you think? Please don't think that this is predictable, because I have a trick up my sleeve. :)

WickedLovely. x