Provoke Fate

Chapter 8 part 1.

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Play the song on the side when i say 'PLAY NOW' It's Amah-zing!!

Okay.. Here it is!!

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It took me a while to realize what was going on.

Who knew that seeing strangers in one dance hall, whom all behaved like they knew me, was hard to digest?

People kept coming up to me to congratulate me and give me gifts. I paid May for my little scare by passing all of the gifts to her.

At least, I think it was May. I am not sure. It was too much: the smiles, the loud noise, the flash bright light that stung my eyes. I did not utter a single word, just stuck a plastic smile as people came and went.

It was getting hard to think, hard to breathe. I looked around for a familiar face, but everywhere I looked, I meet eyes that looked at me with admiration.

Though I was confused, the mischief in their eyes was openly displayed, like they knew a secret I didn't. I frustratingly rubbed my eyes, yielding myself not to cry.

"Excuse me" I excused myself from the lady that was blabbering to me about something to do with cake. I searched for May who was on my left side, but she had already disappeared. I ran to the furthest corner of the room where I sat on the L-couch that was there. I brought my knees to my chest, closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down. A few minutes passed when I reluctantly decided to open my eyes and take in my surroundings.

Music pounded from the gigantic speakers that were set up in the front of the living room. The whole room was filled with teenagers dancing, holding their red-plastic cups in the air. One girl wearing unnecessarily tall high heels staggered toward the drink table that was placed near a spiral of stairs. I shook my head. What was I doing here?

On the far side of the room a group of girls surrounded a guy whose back faced me. Next to them, was another guy who was dancing like a madman! If anyone got too close, they were sure to be punched or kicked in the face.

Suddenly an arm enclosed around my shoulders. A squawk of surprise escaped my lips, and I looked beside me. "Ma," I breathed, staring at her incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

She gently smiled at me and said, "Did you honestly think I would miss your eighteenth birthday?"

"My- oh! So, wait, this is for me? It's my birthday?"

She leaned back and laughed. "You surely weren't paying attention when your friends were speaking to you..."

"Friends? Ma, I don't know anyone in this room!" I gestured to the whole room.

"Ah, now that's not true, you just haven't introduced yourselves. With time, you will all be friends!" She clasped her hands in excitement.

"Ma what's going on? This is-"

"Nay darling!" Ma stood up and walked to Nay, lead him to where I sat gaping at him.

"You knew about this?!"

"I, uh-"

I stood up and angrily took his wrist. "You've got some explaining to do." A hand enclosed around my left wrist stopping my movement. I turned around.

"Before you go," Mom started. "I need to speak to you. Nay, just give me a few minutes then she's all yours. Oh! Go prepare for our surprise." She winked at him and led me back to sit on the couch as I let go of Nay's wrist.