chapTer 10

                                    

                                          
**I DONT REMEMBER WHAT GRADE I HAVE THEM IN, SOOO THEY ARE ALL JUNIORS. OKAY? OKAY**
                          
The days leading up to the weekend were awkward. Katelyn and Kaleb worked extra hours with Jace, Thomas, and Daisy, making sure that the tension between the two wasn't bad. In all honesty, Daisy was holding together. She smiled and she laughed with the trio, and she kept to herself and the coffee she'd pay for up front. She even started reading more and more books. 
                          
"Lapis, come here. I need to show you something." Lionel dragged Daisy to her office the day after her meltdown in the kitchen. Daisy knew the people who witnessed her puking hadn't told Lionel, but fear still crept up her spine. Lionel showed Daisy a giant closet filled with books. "I only see you reading that one book. So maybe you want a bigger selection." Daisy took the first book she touched and she's been engulfing herself in their lives. Kaleb and Daisy sang along with the cringey songs on his own playlist that played through the cafe. Katelyn and Daisy would watch Thomas flirt with guys and girls, rapidly getting numbers and flashing smiles back and forth. Thomas and Daisy would laugh about the football players. The cafe was, in fact, quite busy since Jace and Daisy had been promoting it. Chess club, the school's GSA and French club were starting to meet there. Poetry night became extra crowded and karaoke night was filled with teens, reeking of light beers, trying to keep up with the lyrics of their favorite stereotypical love song. The nights leading up to Daisy's birthday were erratic and full of feelings. The air tensed whenever Jace walked into the cafe, but everyone treated him the same. Kaleb and Katelyn weren't aware of the make-out session Thomas interrupted. Jace and Thomas would talk about girls. Jace and Kaleb bonded over different foods, while Katelyn glared at him and told Daisy that she wanted to pop his head like a zit. 
"The only thing from keeping me from doing it is the fact we'd have to clean it up." The girls laughed about Katelyn's thoughts about. The two became closer over the last couple weeks. Aurora and Rena would talk to her and Thomas when they would stop by Express Yourself. Rena enjoyed the atmosphere and she personally enjoyed making fun of the people on karaoke night. She had brought Andy down for open mic night and they did a small comedy skit together that sent the entire place into a roar of laughs. That was a night Jace called into work. He did that a lot, and then he would come to school looking deadly. Daisy didn't dare to ask him about it. In fear, she'd ruin everything her and Aurora were working on. 
                          
As Daisy's eyes fluttered open Saturday morning, rejecting the sunlight but adapting to it. When her eyes were fully adjusted, Daisy sat up in her bed and looked around at the empty room and rolled her eyes. She slowly dragged herself into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and swayed her hips and hum a beat in her head, memorizing it, practicing it. She looked at the time and it dreaded on her. Just six more hours before she went to work, and eight more until she saw him. She thought if he would remember and she laughed. She knew he wouldn't, but the thought of him remembering warmed her heart. She quickly threw on a pair of dirty sweats and walked down the stairs. She knew what waited for her in the kitchen, but the sight of most her favorite people gathered together made her happy. The first person to hug her was Mrs. Garcia. Who hugged her and told her that she was going to give her more money and laughed. Daisy, of course, told her not to worry and then Mom popped her head. 
"A mother will spoil all her kids, even the adopted ones." Daisy was surprised to see Teshawn, fully dressed, and waiting in the kitchen to tell her happy birthday, followed by telling her that he only woke up for the food. It earned a laugh from everyone, except himself, which seemed too tired to express any emotion. Aurora and Rena grabbed their friend's arms and sat her at the dining table, where a cupcake sat with a single candle. There was an envelope next to her plate and the cupcake. The rest of the family, including the dogs, sat around the table. Teshawn lit the single candle then they say happy birthday. Daisy laughed and rolled her eyes. All their voices were completely different. Mom had a soft and piercing voice. Rena had a deep and serious voice, which seemed deeper while singing. Teshawn naturally had a really deep voice, followed by Aurora's delicate voice, and gorgeous singing voice. Daisy watched all of them as they sang, listening to each one their voices, taking it all in and smiling so hard her cheeks felt stiff. As the song ended, Daisy leaned down to the cupcake, breaking her smile and blowing out the candle and making a wish that had to come true. Aurora pulled out the candle and Rena were quick to grab the cupcake and shove it in Daisy's face. The girls laughed and laughed even harder when they heard Teshawn throw insults their way. Daisy wiped the frosting on her face off with her finger, licking her finger and humming at the taste, quickly cleaning up the rest of the frosting on her face. Teshawn retreated to the kitchen came back bearing the breakfast scramble for them to eat. He evenly proportioned the food on the plates set in front of the other family members, giving himself whatever was left. Dasiy stared at the food while everyone started to eat. You will eat this. You will eat this. When Daisy looked around the table, she noticed that Teshawn didn't give everyone the same amount. She noticed that even though the people around here were eating, she still had the least. She looked at him and he winked at her and she knew what he did. He knew she wasn't going to eat a lot, but he knew that I couldn't let mom worry about her. Daisy ate what she was given and when everyone was done eating she eyes the envelope. It was too small to be a regular birthday card and too big to be a gift card. It wasn't even a size good enough to be actual adoption papers. Daisy's fingers brushed against the envelope and Mom told her to open it. Aurora and Rena pushed her to open it as well. Daisy looked at them all and grabbed the paper envelope. It had a slight weight to it and Daisy's curiosity spiked, Daisy's fingers moved smoothly against the envelope as she opened it was some cash, $130 and a post-it note.