I Dare You (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 16

"Happy Birthday!" Kate and I scream in unison as we burst into the youngest Emmons sibling's bedroom.

Juliette glares at us in her vanity mirror, hair clamped in a curling iron. Usually she's still sleeping like the dead at 10am but her birthday has always been the exception, she's usually up by 8 at the very latest.

"I told you you're not allowed in my room without permission," She says.

"Don't be so rude Jules, we are being good sisters and you're being a bitch," Kate says as she picks up a pair of lacy underwear off a nearby chair with a raised eyebrow.

Juliette puts the curlers down and stands up, snatching the underwear of Kate.

"I do not appreciate that look Katherine," She says as she tosses them to the side.

"Well unfortunately for you, you received the look," Kate says and unplugs the curlers from the socket.

"Everybody out then, I'll be down in a minute." Juliette guides us to the door and shuts it behind us.

"Well that was rude," Kate says as we descend the stairs together.

"What did you expect, it's Jules," I say and Kate shrugs her agreement.

We settle into the seats at our island and I sip my hot chocolate, scalding my tongue in the process. Mum is off getting Jules' presents and we wait for them both to return. Kate and I banded together this year and got Jules a joint present, a Michael Kors bag and some Kylie lip kits.

We hear someone coming down the stairs and both turn to look, hoping it's Jules. They round the corner and it's just mum, with a large bag filled with expertly wrapped presents.

"Is she coming down then?" She asks us as she sets the bag down on the island.

"She said she'll be down in a minute," Kate tells her.

The squeak of Juliette's door open perks us all up and we turn to wait for her to arrive. She's wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a black crop top with an oversized black cardigan.

"Why are you ready already?" Mum asks her.

"You take photos, I want to look good in them." She shrugs and I roll my eyes.

"Open your presents then!" Kate prompts her and Jules takes a seat next to us as she reaches for the present on top of the pile.

We sit there for 20 minutes as Jules works her way through her pile of presents painstakingly slowly. Each one if met with a small squeal of delight and a wide grin. When she finished we sit surrounded by wrapping paper.

"Are you happy with your presents, then?" Mum asks her as she nurses a cup of tea.

"I love them all, thank you so much," She reaches over and embraces her tightly.

"I'm glad," Mum responds.

"What are your plans for today then?" I ask her, curious.

"Shopping with my birthday money," She says with a grin.

"Because you haven't got enough," Kate says with a gesture to everything she just opened.

"Nope," She says with a wicked grin.

"What time train are you catching?" Mum asks her.

"11:01," She tells her.

"Well you'd better make sure you're ready then, I'll need to drop you there soon," Mum says and Jules glances at the clock then turns and sprints up the stairs.