~Yolanda's POV~
"Good morning sunshine!" My dad exclaimed, awaking me from slumber.
I groaned and turned away from him, pulling my blanket over my head. Too chilly. I think staying in bed right now is the best choice.
Chase hopped on top of me and shook me playfully. I pulled the blanket off my face and threw daggers at him.
"Chase get off-"
"Wake up birthday monkey!!" My brother exclaimed.
Before I could utter another word, my parents bargged in, with goofy grins plastered on their faces, singing happy birthday joyfully. I propped myself up on my elbows, smiling at them as they sang and swayed along.
"Aww thanks you guys. Get in here!" I exclaimed, opening my arms out for an embrace.
Without a hint hesitation, they immediately engulfed me in a group hug. I've never felt happier in my life. With my stalker out of the picture, I can live my normal life again, with my crazy friends and amazing family. I wish this moment never ends.
~Dectective James~
I walked up their front porch and rang the doorbell. Quinn and I stood patiently until a beaming girl greeted us.
"Quinn? James? Good morning!" She greeted with a bright smile on.
"Good morning Yolanda. You look quite fresh and hyped" Quinn commented.
"Well, I guess the occasion is such.." she trailed off, glancing behind us then back at us.
"Sorry. Come in" she held the door open until we got in.
"Thank you. What's the occasion?" I asked, looking around at the boxes of decorations.
"Well, one is that my nightmare has finally ended and the other-"
"Its the monkey's birthday" Yolanda's younger brother, Chase teased, making Yolanda glare at him.
"Well happy birthday!" I wished Yolanda who smiled in response.
"Dectectives.. Good morning. What brings you all the way here? Oh please do take a seat" Mrs. Woods gestured us towards the lounge.
"What can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Wine?" Mrs. Woods asked politely.
"We're fine, thank you" Yolanda and Mrs. Woods took their seat across us.
"I won't take much of your time but I've got news" Quinn started off. I immediately sensed the change in atmosphere.
"Good or bad?" Yolanda asked, nervousness plain on her face.
"Its not good. James?" Quinn gestured me to break the news.
"We found Mr. Cain's body-"
"Alive?" Yolanda interrupted, her eyes sparkling with hope.
"Unfortunately no. He was found in an alley a few blocks away from your school"
"This can't be... he didn't deserve it. His family will be devastated. He was just mean.. that's all. Yet..." she trailed off, looking away with moist eyes.
"Do you remember what he said to you?" Quinn asked. I knew what he was hinting at.
She held her chin in deep thought.
"How about pathetic?" I asked, as her eyes lit up.
"Yeah.. that's one of the things he said..." she informed.
"Well, now we know why that word was engraved onto Cain's chest and forehead" Quinn mumbled and thankfully the ladies didn't hear it. It's better not to mention it, at least for now.
"Ok. Next, Adam isn't owning up to it. Though the evidence proves it, he still denies all. He refuses to even speak" I proceeded to inform.
"He requested to speak with you.. only" Quinn spoke with a hint of hesitation.
Yolanda's whole demeanour immediately changed into a more anxious one.
"If you're ok with it, we can-"
"Alright I will talk to him but not today..." she cut me off, with a hesitant expression.
"I totally understand. Enjoy your day for now. You can give me a call once you're ready" Quinn stated, standing up to leave.
"Alright then. Thank you for your time. We'll inform you of any better news in future" Quinn strode towards the door, with me following behind. He smiled brightly at Yolanda before exiting the house. I turned to face Yolanda once again.
"Many happy returns of the day... again" with that we left the premises.
~Yolanda's POV~
"Why are we here again?" I asked Logan, who had been driving for the past hour and finally halted on the side of the road.
The view outside my window displayed thick, lush green forest. I'm a nature person so I'm at awe at the sight. Though it appeared exquisite, it had an eerie look to it as well.
"Logan?" I asked hesitantly as he got out of the vehicle and over to my side.
He opened the door and awaited patiently for me to step out. I gave him a questioning look, hesitating to step out. What's he up to?
"It's a surprise..." He gave me a cocky grin, gesturing me to out.
"This better be good" I said sassily, rolled my eyes at him.
We walked through the shady, dense forest. The lofty cedar trees stood proudly while the douglas fir tree swayed magnificently with the fresh, earthy breeze. Oh how I wish I could stay here. Maybe I will in future. Being close to nature. Away from the hustle and bustle of life.
I inhaled the clean air and closed my eyes to feel the distinct atmosphere in the wild.
"Sugarplum, you coming?" Logan asked, interrupting my bonding with mother nature.
I gave him a bored look and continued trailing behind him.
It felt like an hour, even though thirty minutes had just passed.
"Logan! Where are we going?" I whined for the fifth time, irritated by his ignorance.
"Fine. I'm going back" I started, turning my back towards him. I turned to face him again, expecting his forest eyes to be fixated on me.
However, he vanished. Phoof. Gone. He disappeared. Panic surged through me as I thought of where he might be. Is he hiding? Did he leave me and not realize I'm not following behind him anymore? Where did he go?
I swallowed my fear and took a few cautious steps foward, towards the thicket.
I came to an open clearing, my gaze scanning the wonderful scenery. A three foot- wide waterfall descended gracefully into a opaque tan plunge pool of fresh water. It appeared stupendous.
The waters sparkled under the sunlight, making everything bright and scenic. Too engrossed in the moment, I was startled by the screams and applauds coming from my left side.
My gaze shifted towards my whole gang, each with goofy grins on.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" they exclaimed in unison.
I placed a hand over my heart, feeling extreme joy and warmth in my heart. Wiping away a stray tear, my gang, all surrounded me for a group hug.
"Kids grow so fast" Blake joked, wiping away invisible tears.
"Uh... guys... I can't breathe" they immediately pulled away.
"Oh you.... I love you guys. You are the best" I couldn't control the emotions bubbling in me.
I received individual hugs from my buddies as each of them quickly changed to dive into the cool water. I walked up to Logan and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"And I was wondering why on earth my boyfriend made me wear a bathing suit especially to the woods" I stood on my toes and pecked his nose.
"Well at least I didn't make you wear a bikini" he winked at me before lifting me up bridal style.
"Ready?" Logan asked, as I adjusted my bathing shorts.
I simply nodded as he ran with me in his arms and jumped into the chilly water.
Best birthday ever! Have a day out with my gang in nature? What more could I want?
We spent over an hour, savoring the entire moment.
I wish this moment never ended. It had been a while since our group day out, the last one was at the diner.
We sat around in a circle, each one tempted to dive again into the rich, pure water. I chewed the chicken sandwich that Caleb and Brian prepared. At least they can make a sandwich.
"I know, the sandwich is mind blowing, right?" Brian asked with a triumphant look on.
"Uh... yeah you got that right" Lily said sarcastically making Brian and Caleb chuckle.
I had a feeling Lily wanted to say, "Just because you made a sandwich, doesn't mean you made pizza...."
That would be an awful comment. I giggled to myself, catching everyone's attention.
"What's funny birthday girl?" Bryce asked with a look I couldn't decipher.
"Oh nothing..." I concluded.
In the silence, six phones vibrated. I glanced at them, each reading a message that I assume is about the 'surprise'.
"Um... so. Sugarplum? I'm glad you enjoyed this day out and we're so happy to share it with you but something came up and..... I have to go. Bye guys!" Logan spoke meekly, trying to hide the obvious.
I have a feeling they planned a surprise at the diner. That's for sure. Or at my house at Dunhill?
"What came up?" I asked abruptly, with a smirk on, making him halt in his tracks.
He glanced my way, brow raised.
"You can hitch a ride with Brian, Yolanda"Logan stated, ignoring my sarcastic remark.
"Uh... no I can't. Um.. I thought I was tagging along with you?" Brian said, giving a knowing look to Logan.
Logan nodded thoughtfully then asked Caleb and Bryce to leave with him as well. Since everyone was dispersing, might as well leave.
"Well, why can't I come with you?" I asked, standing up to leave.
"No! You can't.... cause... cause...." Brian stuttered, unsure of what to say.
"Cause Lily's got a surprise for you and you need to leave with her" Logan beamed sheepishly at Lily who almost chocked on her drink. She threw daggers at Logan but quickly gave a toothy smile my way.
"Brian, can you give me a ride please?" Blake asked Brian.
They're so bad at hiding the obvious....
"Sure" everyone dispersed too swiftly, as for me, I left with Lily who apparently didn't have a surprise for me.
Like that wasn't obvious enough...
~
"Don't tell Logan that he lied about me having a surprise for you" Lily requested as we walked up towards my family house front door.
"I won't. It was obvious actually" I deadpanned.
While the others left, Lily and I went back at her place and watched movies to pass time. I don't know what they all planned but I guess my patience is being tested. We left the waterfall at 2pm, it is now 6pm.
I'm not even dressed! I'm dressed in Lily's t-shirt and shorts for crying out loud! It's ok. It's your birthday. Just grab something decent to wear, and head to Dunhill. I didn't even purchase anything decent to wear!
I face palmed myself in annoyance. I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
It was dark and irritatingly quiet. Suddenly, bright light lit the room making me cover my eyes.
"SURPRISE!!!!!" voices exclaimed loudly.
I peeped through my fingers and saw my family and friends, all dressed for the occasion, with bright smiles plastered on their faces. Well, what do you know....
I was at lose of words at this point.
Tears of immense joy poured down my cheeks.
"Oh.. you guys.... you-" I spoke I'm between tears.
Lily came and embraced me from behind and so everyone else joined in.
I'm so glad everything's back to normal. Peace at last.
"And I'm thought it's back at Dunhill. You sneeky humans" I spoke as we all broke off.
"Thank you.. all of you. It's a surprise to remember especially after the storm I've been through..." I beamed.
"It's quite unfair that you're dressed all elegantly and here I am.." I pointed at the clothing I was wearing before continuing.
"In this.." I stated, as my mother snickered.
"Hey! Thats my clothes you're wearing! I'm also not dressed for the occasion but I'm not complaining!" Lily exclaimed defensively.
"Well... go and get dressed will ya cause there's more to come" my father stated, sending a wink my way.
This will be a birthday to remember...
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Hey lovelies...
It's been a while huh? I am sorry. It's been a very hectic week😣😩
I'm all free now. I'll update as soon as I can. I know this chapter didn't have much suspense.
100% Fun & Adventure
0% (Maybe 3%) Suspense.
Well, you can't expect suspense in every chapter now huh? Yolanda needs a bit of normalcy after the "nightmare" but I assure you... jump to the next chapter and you'll definitely find Yolanda's birthday "one to remember".
If I added in the suspense in here then the chapter would be quite lengthy so I divided it. You can check out the continuation in the next chapter 🤗
Also, let me know if you spotted any spelling or grammatical errors 😉
If you liked this chapter them do consider voting and commenting. If not, thank you for reading.
Take care everyone. Thank you all for your wonderful support. God bless 😀😀
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee😎