As Mila hugged her friends, who had come to celebrate her seventeenth birthday, she couldn't help but want their hugs to smell of peppermints, yet of course, she could only get that by hugging him.
"Happy birthday" Bobby cheekily said, which caused Mila to giggle. "Thank you, I was thinking we could finally watch the movies Alex, Reg and I have been talking about and then my mother made cake, so we can eat that later or now?"
The boys nodded slowly as they looked at each other. "Movie first?" Reggie asked with a gentle smile, which the other agreed to. "Can you three make popcorn and then I will show Bobby around?"
The boys nodded and headed to the kitchen where Mrs. Garcia was in the middle of doing the dishes. "Hello Mrs. Garcia" Reggie said with a bright smile, Mila's mom smiled softly back at him, she tried to remember their names as she looked at the three boys.
"Reggie right?" She asked looking at him, he nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, you're right" Alex cleared his throat. "Mrs. Garcia, uhm Mila asked us to make popcorn," He asked, his voice sounded way politer than normally, which made Luke and Reggie look at each other trying not to laugh.
"Ahh yes, it's in the third cabinet" Mrs. Garcia answered, they thanked her as they went there taking the popcorn beginning to make them.
"Luke correct?" Mrs. Garcia asked as she dried her hands finishing the dishes, Luke nodded with a smile. "Yes ma'am" Mrs. Garcia took a deep breath as she smiled looking at him and then the others.
"You can not tell Millianna that I told you this, but thank you" The boys looked at each other a bit confused and then back at Mila's mom.
"For what Ma'am?" Alex asked, Mila's mom giggled, which caused the boys to smile, her giggle sounded like Mila's.
"Well... I haven't heard my little girl play in a long time and she hasn't gotten detention lately and I can't help thinking that you four have something to do with it. She seems... more balanced, it's nice to have my Mija back" Her mother admitted.
The boys looked almost in shock, not knowing what to say.
"So this is every note you and the boys have been writing with each other?" Bobby asked Mila, as he stood at the wall of notes in her bedroom, Mila leaned against the wall as she nodded. "Yup, every note I save and hang up... I don't know they give me... strength"
Bobby raised an eyebrow as he smiled: "You are weird" Mila laughed rolling her eyes. "Ha... Ha" Mila said trying to sound annoyed yet she couldn't.
"But I'm not on it-" Mila interrupted him. "We don't have classes together, remember?" She asked as she hung up the letter Luke had given her with her present.
"Do you have a piece of paper?" Bobby asked her, causing her to lift an eyebrow. "Over at the desk?"
"All of them have some deep meaning behind them, I want that too... I wanna be on the friend wall too" He went over there and took one, taking one of the pens from her pencil case and wrote down.
becoming your friend, I realized that I was in pride. But the truth is you taught me something, you don't even know. You taught that a friend who can't be truly happy for his friend's success or happiness has never been a true friend.
Bobby took a deep breath as he took the tape from Mila's desk and hung the paper on her wall with a gentle smile on his face. Mila read the paper as she smiled.
"You truly are weird Bobby," She said as she looked at him, he chuckled and shrugged. "I learn from the best"
They went back to the living room, where the boys were sitting with popcorn. Mila placed herself between Luke and Reggie on the couch, while Alex and Bobby took the chairs.
"Okay, so I rented Jumanji..." Mila said as looked at the boys, Reggie smiling like an idiot. "You did... for me?" He asked, she nodded and stood up putting on the movie into the VHS player.
"Don't look at me like that" She answered as she placed herself between the two boys. "Why Jumanji?" Bobby asked a bit confused, Alex laughing: "They had a whole fight between Clueless and Jumanji some weeks ago"
"Oh Clueless a hundred percent" Bobby answered, making Mila smile: "Right?" They gave each other a high five as they laughed.
The movie began, making all five of them quiet. Luke tried to stay focused on the movie, yet his eyes kept going back to Mila, how the light from the tv lit up her face. How her curls gently fell onto her back.
He then noticed Alex who was staring at him, his smile was in a small smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows, making Luke take a deep breath and shake his head. Mila noticing this, she looked over at him.
"You okay?" She whispered as Luke nodded: "I'm fine" He whispered back with a small smile, Mila bit her lip as took her legs up sitting more comfortably, she leaned up against Luke, putting her legs on Reggie.
"Can I sit like this?" Mila asked the boys, who both nodded, of course, Reggie didn't mind at all, yet Luke's heart had never beat faster in his chest, he hesitated yet laid his arm around her, smelling coconuts.
Mila bit her lip trying to hide her smile as she leaned her head against Luke's chest, looking at the movie. Her stomach had butterflies and she tried to calm herself not to get shivers.
When the movie finally ended, after 105 minutes with everyone's comments and opinions while it was playing. They all went to the kitchen to get the cake. Mila took a knife and got the lavender cake out of the fridge.
"Luke, can you take five plated please?" She asked, he nodded and went through all the cabinets until finding the plated and handing them to her. She placed a piece of cake on each plate and handed it to them.
"Wait!" Reggie said before anyone began eating them, Reggie had caught sight of candles laying on one of the counters, he placed it on Mila's piece and lit it with a match.
"Make a wish birthday girl" Reggie said with a bright smile, causing Mila to bite her lip as she smiled. "Hmm" She closed her eyes, folded her hands, and wished, before blowing out the candles.
"Well, what did you wish for? " Alex asked excitedly, yet before Mila could tell him, Bobby interrupted her. "She can't tell you, then it won't happen" They smiled at each other as Mila agreed to Bobby's words.
"Well while we're eating, want your presents?" Reggie asked, wiggling his eyebrows as Mila almost choked on the first piece of lavender cake she ate, getting caught off guard. "S-sure?" Mila asked, almost scared.
She held her necklace, as Reggie went to get her present. It didn't take long before a present was in front of her.
Mila took a deep breath: "You really didn't ha-" Before she could finish her sentence interrupted Luke her. "Stop that humbleness and just open it," Making all of them laugh.
She opened it revealing a gold bracelet with a charm on it, being a music note. Mila smiled looking upon them. "It must have cost a lot," Mila said, as she felt her stomach turn thinking about the price, Alex shushed her and put it on her wrist.
"It's from all of us, we thought you then could add a bracelet every time something happened in your life," Alex said- " the music note being befriending us" Bobby added with a gentle smile. Mila looked at the four of them as they were crazy as her smile didn't fade one bit.
"Thank you, that's such a beautiful gift," She said and went on a hugging spree, thanking all of them, when she got to Luke he leaned closer whispering into her ear.
"I have already bought a book charm for when you publish your masterpiece" He whispered, making her heart skip a beat. This boy made her heart skip beats so much, you should think she had a heart arrhythmia.
As Mila was about to say something, the sound of the doorbell was heard, quite shocking for the five of them.
"Are you expecting more visitors?" Bobby asked, leaning up against the kitchen counter as he ate his lavender cake. Mila shook her head as she walked to the front door opening to be surprised.
"Happy Birthday," Aera said as she held up a pink birthday present. Mila looked almost in shock to see her friend standing in front of her.
You see, Mila and Aera made a deal when they were younger, that they would spend every birthday together. Of course, all of these events that had changed their plans, made Mila think this would be the first birthday with her new friends.
"Thank you" Mila smiled gently as she took the gift. "I bet you're celebrating with the boys?" Aera asked as she nodded towards the visible part of the living room, where she was correct. Alex and Reggie stood and looked at her with crossed arms.
"Yea.. would you like to come in? Have a piece of cake?" Mila asked yet Aera giggled and shook her head. "No Caroline is waiting for me, but I hope you will still like the present" Aera gave Mila a quick hug before walking back to her car.
When Mila returned to the living room the boys looked rather suspicios at their friend. "Are you sure.. you two are okay?" Alex asked, you could hear him being nervous and of course this was understandable.
Mila simply nodded as she carefully opened the present which revealed to be the newest version of a black canon camera. Mila widened her eyes, knowing Aera must have worked at the coffee shop for months to get the money to buy it.
"What is it?" Asked Reggie as he couldn't see the present from the place he was standing. "A camera " Mila answered, still in shock.
Luke leaned over and saw a card laying with the wrapping paper, he carefully leaned over and handed it to her.
My lovely Mila,
I hope this camera will give you inspiration for your stories.
The world deserves to know what talent you have.
Promise me, you will take a picture of every beautiful thing you see
especially when you get to Hamilton
with love and hugs,
Aera
"Hamilton?" Luke asked, having read the card over Mila's shoulder. "Yea... I wanna study there" Luke bit his lip as he nodded. Of course, he knew that he wouldn't be getting into any college, he didn't want that kind of education.
But he knew if Mila got into that dream school of hers, she would be moving to New York... leaving the boys and him alone back in California.