beautiful

chapter 9: amazing news


The party wasn't too terrible, I suppose. I saw a lot of casual friends from my old school; we weren't as close as my tight-knit group was, but we could still carry on a conversation. I saw my ex-boyfriend, which was slightly awkward…what made it even more awkward was the fact that he somehow knew I have another boyfriend. I found out later that between Courtney, Veronica, and Julie, everyone knew.

We ended up staying at the diner well after the party was over, mainly to help clean up, but also because there was a ton of good food left, and we just couldn't let that go to waste!

All in all, it was a good day, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got home. I plugged my cell phone in to charge, changed into an oversized t-shirt, and flopped into bed. Sleep washed over me as soon as my head hit the pillow.


I woke up the next morning with a mild headache and three missed calls on my cell phone. Two were from Amber, one was from Fabian, and I had a voice mail. I checked the voice mail, which was from Amber, who initially was worried that I didn't answer my phone, but in the middle of her ramble realized I'd probably still be asleep and to just text her when I woke up. I decided to shoot both her and Fabian a quick text before rolling out of bed and heading to the kitchen.

new message
to: fabian
hey, i'm awake. sorry we didn't get to talk yesterday—long story. what's up? ;)
sent: 10:43 am

new message
to: amber
hey amber! i'm awake now!
sent: 10:44 am

I changed into some jean shorts and a loose top, shoved my cell phone in my back pocket, and started my quest for breakfast. My stomach was growling relentlessly by the time I walked in the kitchen, and Gran was already sitting at the table, drinking her tea.

"Someone's hungry," she commented, and I laughed before grabbing some yogurt from the fridge. I sat down with her, and we chatted for a bit.

"How was your party yesterday?" Gran asked, and I grimaced.

"It was okay," I replied, "But I still hate surprises." At this point, my phone went off, and I pulled it out to check. Sure enough, Amber replied to me, and I opened up the message to read what she said:

new message
from: amber
NINAA! I have the most amazing news for you EVER!
received: 10:52 am

I laughed, not even able to imagine what "amazing news" Amber would have to tell me. I typed a reply asking "what would that be?" and sent it just before Fabian's reply came in.

new message
from: fabian
good morning, bedbug. did you sleep well?
received: 10:54 am

I smiled at Fabian's thoughtfulness. I typed him a long message in reply, assuring him that I got a good night's sleep, and explained to him the whole "surprise party" ordeal. Just as I sent this message, another from Amber came in.

"My," Gran chuckled, "I guess you're popular today."

"I didn't get to talk to Fabian yesterday," I explained, "And even though I was on the phone with Amber at four A.M. yesterday, she suddenly has this 'amazing news' to tell me."

I opened Amber's message, and saw a picture of her standing in what looked like an airport, holding up a piece of paper.

new picture message
from: amber
subject: SURPRISE!
guess what? i'm coming to visit you in america! daddy just bought me my ticket, and i fly there on friday!
received: 10:59 am

"No way!" I exclaimed, looking to Gran excitedly. She matched my expression, saying, "What?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, and could tell she was mocking me. We just laughed again before I told her the news.

"Oh, that's great!" Gran enthused, "Tell her she can stay with us, if she'd like." I typed the message to Amber at lightning speed, and she responded in no time with a huge 'thank you' and a lot of exclamation points to prove her excitement.

Today is Monday, but I already can't wait for Friday.


The next few days passed quite uneventfully, but I felt the dull pain in the back of my head from the mild headache I felt coming on Monday morning. It worried me that it was already Wednesday and it hasn't subsided, but I didn't feel sick otherwise, so I chalked it up to 'that time of the month'.

Right now, Courtney was sitting with me in the living room. Our favorite movie was playing quietly in the background, but I was telling her about Amber's visit, and Amber herself.

"Be prepared," I warned her, "Amber talks a lot. And don't be surprised if most of that is about Fabian and I."

"I think I'm really gonna like this girl," Courtney smirked, and I agreed.

"I think you will, too."


Friday is finally here, and Amber's flight is coming in bright and early. I bounced eagerly up and down on the balls of my feet, while Courtney and Gran stood beside me.

"Easy there, tiger!" Courtney finally grabbed hold of my shoulders and made me stand still.

"I'm really excited," I stated the obvious, and Courtney flashed me a look that said 'no duh'. I scanned the Arrivals for the millionth time, seeing that the 7:53 flight from London was now on the ground. I turned to see where Amber would be walking out, and soon spotted the blonde, who had a pink carry on in tow.

When she got closer, I shouted her name, and she screamed, running toward me.

"Nina‼" Amber gushed when she got to me, strangling me in one of her famous Amber 'death hugs'.

"Hi, Amber!" I replied, hugging her back just as tightly. We pulled apart, and she squealed when she saw my face, hugging me again.

"Okay, Amber," I tried to pry her off of me, and once I succeeded, my excitement was mirrored in her shining eyes.

"Coco," I called Courtney over, and she stood beside me, "This is Amber. Amber, this is Courtney."

"Hi," Courtney greeted, "You can call me Coco if you want."

"Hi!" Amber replied cheerfully, "Nina's told me all about you."

"Likewise," Courtney laughed.

"Oh, Nina," Amber piped up, a bigger smile creeping across her face, "Fabian asked me to give his love to you when I saw you. How adorable is that?"

"Aww," Courtney agreed, and they both relished in seeing my face turn bright red.


A/N: Well, it's that day of the week again! :D At some points I feel like I'm rushing this along, but maybe it's just because I'm writing this so fast. Anyway, the next chapter is really, really important, so pay close attention to that one. It might be extra long because I'll have a lot of information to put into it. I want this story to have 20 chapters...the next chapter (chapter 10) will be that last chapter in Nina's point of view. After that, the last ten chapters will be in...drumroll please...Fabian's point of view! But you still don't know what I have up my sleeve, so you'll have to wait and see ;) Also, when I said I wouldn't mind if you reviewed in another language, that wasn't a challenge. But, I suppose the prize goes to xpskl for reviewing in Chinese. Keep those reviews coming (but preferably in English!). This chapter is dedicated to BlazingAngel818 (aka my IRL best friend Dawn) mainly because she's just amazing, and already knows the whole plot but is still excited to read the story! Love youuu :) I don't own House of Anubis. kthxbai.