𝐄𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟲

After school, we had lunch at a cafe to celebrate Evie's birthday. We were immersed in our world until we spotted familiar faces.

"Micheal, your mom and your sister are here..." Fox informed him.

Micheal sighed as his little sister joined our table. She was adorable yet had a mischievous streak.

"What are you doing here, Mila?" Micheal asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I wanted to meet my friends!" Mila replied, casting a mischievous glance at us.

Micheal's mother approached us with a warm smile.

"Hello, everyone..." Mrs. Anderson greeted us. "Happy Birthday, Evangeline..."

"Thank you," Evie replied with a small grin.

"Mila, let's get going..." Mrs. Anderson suggested.

"No..." Mila protested. "I don't want to go, take Micheal instead!"

Micheal rolled his eyes, accustomed to his sister's antics. 

"Nice try, Mila, but I'm staying here."

Mrs. Anderson chuckled, shaking her head.

"We'll be back to pick you up later, dear. Say goodbye to your friends."

Mila sighed dramatically before giving each of us a quick hug. 

"Bye, guys. Have fun without me."

With that, she followed her mother out of the cafe, leaving us to continue our celebration of Evie's birthday.

"I think Mila would have given us good company," Noah observed.

"Yeah, she's free, unlike Micheal," Fox added.

Micheal raised an eyebrow. "Why do you specifically need my company anyway, Fox?"

"Well, Fox is right," I interjected, speaking on Fox's behalf. "This was one of the first times you cancelled an after-school activity for us."

"But that was unnecessary of you," Evie said, giving Micheal's shoulder a friendly pat. "This meant a lot, I don't know how much I can thank you all."

"Thank Dante," Micheal said, acknowledging my role.

"Huh? Me?" I asked, taken aback.

"Yeah, you made us friends," Noah pointed out. "We had never even known Evie existed till then."

"And I was in your class for six years," Evie replied sarcastically.

"Sorry about that," Noah apologized, sheepishly.

"Guess I owe you one, Dante," Micheal said, his tone lightening.

"You're a real connector, man," Fox added, nudging me playfully.

Evie smiled warmly. 

"Absolutely. Thanks for bringing us all together, Dante."

I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed by the attention. 

"I just introduced you guys, the rest is all you."

Fox grinned mischievously. 

"So, what's next on the agenda, birthday girl?"

Evie's eyes sparkled with excitement. 

"Well, if you're up for it, I was thinking we could go to that new arcade downtown."

"That sounds awesome! Count me in." Noah's face lit up. 

Fox nodded eagerly. 

"Sounds like a plan."