I don't really like this chapter, but I think it's necessary to bring Seree and Warren closer together. I'll try to make the next chapter better, I promise.
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Seree flew home with Toni, and the two started chatting as soon as they hit the sidewalk. Toni opened the door and bowed, and Seree walked in with a fake curtsy. Bounding up the stairs, the two hopped on Seree's bed and started chattering away about anything. Toni carefully scooted the conversation around Warren and what he did; the last thing she needed was for Seree to get all weepy on her. The teachers had given barely any homework, and the girls had finished it on the flight home. Soon the conversation drifted to Seree supposedly keeping pictures of naked guys in her room. Toni began searching the drawers and bed, and found something very interesting.
Pulling out a book she had found, Toni read the cover. "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star? What the hell?" She asked, quirking her eyebrow at Seree.
"Shuttup!" Seree cried, grabbing for the book, blushing madly. Toni started laughing, clutching her stomach with one hand and the book with the other.
"Where did you get this?" She asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"It was gift," Seree said, and Toni's eyes glittered.
"Oh? From who?" She asked, elbowing Seree and winking. Seree looked away, still blushing.
"Warren," she muttered, so quietly that Toni didn't hear her.
"I can't hear you!" Toni sang, clutching the book to her chest.
"It was Warren, okay?" Seree cried, snatching the book.
"Ew, not okay," Toni replied, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
"It was a sick joke. He gave it to me the first week, and he said--" Seree made her voice go deeper, and made her chest swell out, "--'Here. God knows you need it!' I promptly whacked him over the head with it, but I must have kept it and forgotten about it." Seree's chest deflated, and she went back to her normal self.
"You should give it back, and say to him, 'Here. You need it more!'" Toni said, making her voice squeak in an imitation of Seree. Seree made a swipe for her hair, but Toni ducked away, laughing.
Seree looked down at the book for a moment, and said quietly, "You know I can't face him, Tones." Toni stopped laughing, and sighed sadly.
"I know, hun. Maybe..." Toni thought for a moment, chewing her bottom lip and staring at the ceiling. "I know! Drop it off at his house when he's working!" Seree pondered this, her expression one of deep thought.
"Okay!" Seree said brightly, and tromped down the stairs. "Toni! Make me a sammich while I'm there!" She called, and Toni flashed her a thumbs-up. Seree marched out the door with her head held high, then darted around the corner of the house. She tried to quell the nauseous feeling in her stomach; she seriously doubted she could do this. C'mon, Seree, she thought, taking a deep breath. You can do this. Just drop off the book, and leave. It's not like he'll be there. Seree nodded, and took another deep breath. She raised her chin, and started walking in the direction of Warren's house.
Soon she spotted the familiar house, and started up the walkway. Quashing the urge to turn tail and run, she marched right up to the door and knocked loudly. Expecting Warren's mother, or maybe even Warren, she was completely surprised by who opened the door.
The little girl who had hugged Warren clutched the door handle, her face grubby with something that looked like chocolate. She stared up at Seree with piercingly blue eyes; Seree felt herself shiver under the stare.
"Tori? What is it, baby?" A voice called, and Seree relaxed as she recognized the voice of Warren's mother.
"It's Warry's girlfriend!" Tori squealed, her pudgy face breaking into a warm smile. Seree blushed scarlet, forbidding her mind to probe deeper into the phrase. Warren's mother appeared, scooping the small child up into her arms.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Whilde," Warren's mother said, smiling gently at the girl. Her eyes were a deep chocolate color; Seree saw them soften into a smile that matched her mouth.
"I-I'm terribly sorry for intruding like this, Mrs. Peace, but--" Seree was stopped as Warren's mother held up her hand, signaling for her to cease.
"Please, call me Astrael," Warren's mother said, her smile widening, and Seree goggled at her.
"Alright, but only if you call me Seree," Seree replied, before she could stop herself. Her hands flew to her mouth at the realization of what she said. What if she had offended this strangely mysterious, beautiful woman who was Warren's mother?
But Astrael gave a chuckle; she seemed to find Seree's blunder endearing. "As you wish," she said, her eyes twinkling. "What is your reason for coming to my humble home, Seree?" She asked, and Seree could sense a razor-sharp presence underneath the musical voice of hers.
"Like I said, I'm terribly sorry for intruding, but Warren left his book with me," Seree said, briefly flashing the book at Astrael. She carefully kept the title hidden; she didn't want her to see what the book was about.
"I see," Astrael said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The girl that was standing before her was perfect for Warren: gentle, kind, and strong. Astrael could sense her personality leaking out of her being, and she smiled a bit wider at the girl. "Well, if you'd like, you could put it up on his bed." She stepped back from the door, and Seree tentatively stepped inside. She walked softly through the hall, and shot Astrael a pleading look.
"It's the second door on the right," she called, cradling Tori in her arms. Seree nodded, and slowly went up the stairs. She went down the hall, slightly trembling from the darkness at the other end. She was walking along when a gleam on the wall caught her eye. She turned, trying to see what it was, and found herself looking at Warren.
She almost screamed, then looked more closely. It was a photograph, and it wasn't of Warren. It looked a lot like him, though, and Seree tentatively touched the picture. The man in the photo had dark, forbidding eyes, and features much like Warren's. Seree traced the lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Warren, not the man in the photo.
She shook her head, snapping herself out of the trance she had fallen in. With a final glance at the photo, she continued along the hall to Warren's room.
It was a typical boy's room, with dirty clothes tossed haphazardly around. In a little corner of the room, there were art supplies scattered about. Seree didn't venture near that corner; being an artist herself, she knew how much it would irritate Warren if she went through his art without permission. Seree went over to his bed, which was unmade at the moment, and set the book in the middle of the bed. She surveyed the room, noting how it looked as if a cyclone had swept through the place. Her fingers itched with the desire to straighten it out, but she took a deep breath and was preparing to leave when something caught her eye.
It was a flash of red against the white wall that had caught her attention. Seree moved across the floor, carefully treading around the clutter and mess. She finally got to the opposite wall, and saw, on the day that was tomorrow, red words spelling out, 'My Birthday'. Seree read the words once, then read them twice. He didn't say anything, she thought, and then mentally smacked herself. Duh! Because you two haven't been talking!
Seree retreated out of the room, gently closing the door. She walked swiftly out of the door, calling a quick goodbye to Astrael, and broke into a sprint. She arrived at the door breathless and smiling unconsciously.
"Toni!" She cried, leaping up the stairs.
"What?" Toni called back, her tone bored.
"His birthday! Tomorrow's his birthday!" Seree almost screamed, grabbing Toni by the shoulders. Toni gave forth a small yelp, then raised an eyebrow angrily at Seree.
"Lemme guess: tomorrow's Warren's birthday, so you want to do something for him even though you two are basically ignoring each other?" Toni asked, a smirk playing upon her lips. Seree nodded, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Toni couldn't say no to the look on her face, and finally sighed. She rolled her eyes and nodded, and Seree's smile grew wider.
"Let's bake him a cake!" Seree said, and Toni groaned.
"You remember the last time we tried to do that? My kitchen was never the same!" Toni yelled, gesturing towards the kitchen with her hands.
"Yeah, but you were the one who started it. I told you not to put the gas up that high," Seree said matter-of-factly, her eyes mischievous.
Toni tried to argue with Seree, but the girl remained steadfast in her decision. Soon, Toni gave up. "Fine! I'll help you!" Toni cried, throwing her hands up in the air. Seree laughed, and began gathering ingredients for the cake.
"Should it be white cake with chocolate frosting, or lemon cake with white frosting?" Seree asked, eyeing the two Betty Crocker mixes.
"Go for the original. White cake with chocolate frosting all the way, baby," Toni said, leaning against the counter. Seree gathered the supplies, and the began to bake.
Seree had to frequently smack Toni's hands with her spoon to keep her from sticking her fingers in the batter; likewise, Toni had to guard the frosting. Soon, after many sore hands and batter splashes, the two managed to get the cake baked.
Seree frosted one side while Toni did the other, and finally, the cake neared being finished. "Now for the words," Seree said, holding out her hand. Toni slapped a tube of red frosting into her open palm, and she started scrawling out the words 'Happy Birthday, Warren' on the cake. After a few more finishing touches, the cake was finally done.
Seree and Toni stepped back, looking at their work. The cake looked good, even pretty, and Seree smiled happily. "We need to get him a birthday card," Toni said quietly, and Seree nodded. Toni seemed to magically produce a piece of paper from thin air, but Seree knew she had been hiding it somewhere.
"Alrighty, Tones, you know what to do!" Seree said, smiling.
"You got it," Toni replied, grabbing a pencil. She began to draw out the words 'Happy Birthday', making them intricate and detailed against the white paper. Seree went up to her room while she was doing this, and grabbed some red and black pastels. Going back down the stairs, she waited until Toni was finished. Seree took over from there.
Using long, thin strokes of her pastels, she alternated the letters from black to red. She worked for about an hour, and finally they were done. She opened the inside, and asked for a pen. The two girls stared at the blank inside, at a loss for what to write. They thought and thought, until Toni had an idea.
"I know what to write..." she said, grabbing the pen. Seree sat back and watched what she wrote, then started to giggle. Toni also started to laugh, and the two were soon guffawing at what Toni wrote in the card.
The next day, the two were completely inconspicuous. They didn't glance at Warren for the entire day, and kept their minds focused on something else entirely.
Warren, on the other hand, had his mind focused on Seree.
An ache had grown in his chest over the few days she hadn't talk to him; he was deeply regretting being so harsh to her the day she told him she loved him. He needed to talk to her about it, and maybe, just maybe, he would let the sleeping feelings in his heart awaken. With a jolt, he realized that he missed the girl. Her voice, her eyes, her smiles... he missed her deeply. He decided with an iron determination to talk to her about it during school. However, she was always by Toni, and she didn't go near him.
Finally, the last bell rang. Warren trudged across the grass, and caught sight of Seree standing near Toni. Toni was re-forming her wings, and Seree was looking off in the distance. Warren broke out into a mild jog, trying to get to her. But Toni's wings formed before he could get to her; she grabbed Seree around the waist this time, and the two took off. "Seree!" Warren called, reaching the edge of the school. But she was gone.
Warren cursed his bad luck, and got on the bus in a horrible mood. He growled at a girl who tried to sit next to him, and smoke started to emit from his arms. The girl backed away with wide, frightened eyes, and Warren smirked. He got off the bus, and walked half-heartedly home. He changed into his work uniform, and went to work.
Around nine o' clock, he got home. He went into his house, taking out his hair tie. His hair fluttered down, and he ran his fingers dejectedly through it. He was going up the stairs when a flicker of yellow met his eye. Warren turned his head to see a yellow glow coming from the kitchen. His arms started to smoke, and he cautiously went down the stairs. He waited a minute at the wall, then leapt into the kitchen doorway with a loud, "HA!"
There was nothing there, except for a dark shape on the table. It seemed to have... candles, sticking out of it? He walked over to said shape, and leaned over the table to look at it.
It was a birthday cake.
Warren blinked in surprise, and took a seat at the kitchen table. It had chocolate frosting, and messy, scrawling red words written across it: 'Happy Birthday, Warren'. Warren recovered from his surprise, and searched for a card. He found one, and looked at the beautiful words across the front, done in red and black. It was another 'Happy Birthday'. He opened the card, and read the message.
Happy Birthday, dude.
Delivered from somebody who's RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE AND IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE IT OUR THEN YOU'RE A LEWZER HAHA!
Warren couldn't contain his laughter; the message in the card was funny, he had to give them that. He stopped laughing. Who was 'them'? Who had cared enough to bake him a cake, and give it to him on his birthday? He was about to call for his mom when he stopped. His mother would never write something like that in a card. He ran his finger over the letters on the front. Pastels. This person is an artist, has a sense of humor, and... Warren cut a piece of the cake out, and sampled it. And a really good cook.
He began to wrack his brain, wondering who had given it to him. His mother was a definite no, she was far too polite for the message in the card. Mei Ling? He hadn't told her about his birthday, and she couldn't bake a cake for anything. His siblings? ...Okay, no. That was the dumbest guess he had come up with. Suddenly, it was as if a lightbulb had gone on in his head.
Seree.
But why? She's not talking to me, and she's not...
She still loves you.
Warren stared at the cake, from the pastel-made words to the messy script on the cake. He sighed, his heart burning with guilt. She was willing to do all this for him, even though he had been so cruel to her.
That was it. The last straw on the camel's back. He was going to swallow his pride and tell her something he had figured out a few days after they had met:
He loved her, too.