The Violin That Started it All

Part 2) Chapter Twenty-Five

            I never knew what people meant when people called their friends “crazy.” I mean, why would you call your own friends psychopathic? Isn’t that a bit…offensive to your friend?

            I finally realized why.

           

After they discussed about a birthday party for me that I refused to go to, Percy and I walked home after bidding our goodbyes to everyone. Percy would never stop smiling when we were on the way home and when we were at home, and I would stare at him with an eyebrow raised whenever we made eye contact. Percy would only chuckle in response to my curious gaze; then he continued to suspiciously smile in no particular direction. It kind of made me feel on guard about everything, as if the Percy I was walking home with wasn’t the real Percy. But hey, when is Percy not happy?

The day was soon ending, and it was around dinner time in the evening. I assumed that I was eating at home (calling Percy’s house my home has become a habit of mine now) with Percy’s family, but I guess Percy had other plans. Plans that he decided to not tell me about until the time arrived.

I was walking downstairs at around seven for Sally’s dinner—which always seemed to amaze me every single time I ate. When I arrived at the dinner table in the home’s dining room, I raised an eyebrow. There were only three plates set up on the dining table. Was someone not eating?

“Why are their only three plates?” I decided to ask to no one in particular as I stared questioningly at the three plates. “Is someone not eating tonight or something?”

Sally’s head peeked out of the kitchen. “Percy didn’t tell you?”

“Didn’t tell me what?” I glanced behind at Sally over my shoulder.

Sally softly laughed. “I guess he’s trying to keep it a surprise. Then, I guess I won’t say anything.”

I had so many questions floating through my mind that I thought I would explode.

“Percy has been nonstop smiling this whole day, and it kind of freaked me out. I’m guessing you know the cause of it?” I questioned her.

Sally nodded, a smile still evident on her face. “I do.”

There was a long silence between the two of us before it clicked in my head.

My eyes widened, and Sally most likely knew that I found out the cause to Percy’s nonstop smiling.

“It’s not the birthday party, is it?” I fully turned around towards Percy’s mother, shoving my fists deep into my front pockets. “I thought they were just joking. I didn’t think they’d actually made one. I mean, I didn’t think they’d have the time. And anyway, why isn’t my birthday party on my actual birth date? Why a day before?”

A pair of muscular arms hugged me from behind by the waist and pulled me towards him. I didn’t even have to think for a millisecond about whose arms those belonged to.

“You don’t remember about our date on your birthday?” Percy’s voice whispered into my ear. I shuddered at his warm breath.

“Oh yeah,” I said blankly. Wow, I was forgetting a lot of things this week. Usually I don’t pay any attention to my birthday, which was probably why I kept forgetting. I usually treated it as it if was a normal day, but not this year. Not anymore for the next coming years I assume.

Percy chuckled. “Your birthday isn’t just a normal day anymore,” he said, as if he was reading my mind.

I sighed. “I guess not.”