Here's the next-to-last chapter of Happy Nirday Phil. I've written the last one, but it needs some tinkering. Hopefully I'll have it up tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Next-to-Last Chapter
When Keely reached H.G. Wells, she went straight to the Broadcast Lab. Vice Principal Hackett and the other students on the Reporterama team were already there.
"Ah, Miss Teslow. I'm glad you decided to join us," Hackett said. "Team, this is Miss Teslow. I think all of you know her from her splendid Pickle Heist story this morning."
"Hi, Miss Teslow," the team said in unison. Keely thought it was a little creepy.
"Uh, hi team," said Keely. "But, Vice Principle Hackett, there's something I need to tell you. I actually came tonight to tell you that I won't be joining Reporterama after all."
"Miss Teslow! Didn't anything I said to you this morning make it inside your pretty little head?" Hackett asked her.
"Well, yes, Mr. Hackett. It did," Keely said. "You told me that there's a point in everyone's life where they have to make big decisions about what's important for the future. And I thought about it all day. I do want to be a broadcast journalist. Someday. And I do need to make that a priority. But…"
"But what, Miss Teslow?" Hackett asked.
"But, Mr. Hackett, today I realized something more about what I want in my life. And there are people, certain people, who I want in my life. And if I don't take some chances now on those certain people, a certain person, I might live to regret it. Because that chance won't be around forever. And I have to act fast. I'm only sixteen, Mr. Hackett. I have the rest of my life to be a reporter. Maybe next year, if your offer is still good, I can join the Reporterama team. But for now, there's something—someone, actually—that I need to focus on. Someone who means more to me that any career ever will."
Hackett and the rest of the team were silent. No one had ever turned down the chance to join Reporterama. They were flabbergasted. Then Keely turned around and walked out, her heart swelling with nerves and love. As she walked into the hallway, she heard a familiar voice.
"Keely?" the voice called. The hallway was dark and she could barely make out the figure of a boy running toward her with a box in his hands.
"Phil? Is it you?" Keely called.
"Hey! Yeah." Phil ran up to her, out of breath.
"I was coming to see you Phil. I'm so sorry I ruined your birthday. I really am," Keely said. She looked down at the floor.
"You were coming to see me?" Phil asked, grinning. "I was coming to see you!"
"Really?" Keely said, looking back up at her best friend.
"I couldn't celebrate my birthday without you there, Keel. So I brought my cake and everything," Phil said. He opened the lid of the cake box and the Laser Squash ball floated out.
"Is that a Laser Squash ball made of icing?" Keely asked.
"Yep," said Phil.
"Is that cake chocolate?" asked Keely.
"Of course!" said Phil.
"So what are we waiting for?" asked Keely.
"I don't know! Let's eat!" said Phil.
Phil and Keely walked out of the school and across the street to the Pickford Park. They found a picnic table and sat down side by side. Phil put the cake on the table and lit the candles with the Wizard.
Then Phil turned to Keely. Her faced glowed in the flickering light of the cake. He reached out and moved a strand of hair from her eyes andtucked it behind her ear.
"So, what's a boy have to do to get a pretty girl to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him?" he asked her softly.
"He has to tell her a secret, " Keely said, smiling.
Phil swallowed hard. This was it. This was the opportunity he'd hoped for. Everything was right. "Are you sure?" he asked her.
"I'm sure, Phil," Keely said. "Out with it."
"Okay. Here it goes," he said. "Keely, I. . . ." he looked at her and struggled for the courage. When he met her eyes, still dancing with firelight, he knew he could do it. "Keely, I fell in love with you. I'm not sure when. But I did. I fell in love with you."