Two Birds [Book One]

[Chapter 18] Hidden In The Sand

Listening to bad book reviews while writing is honestly the BEST encouragement.

Walking into the large home that felt like a second home to him had never felt so confining before. The walls that sometimes felt larger than life felt as though they were caving in, crumbling around him as they buried him in the dust. Nugget followed Friend Billy through the corridors and winding halls until they reached the backyard where the party would be taking place. The hedges were decorated with streamers and fairy lights that twinkle brightly despite the light of the sun bearing down on them.

Billy was uncharacteristically quiet, only offering Nugget a greeting when opening the door before gesturing to him to follow. Lily leaned against the back porch banister, the wood paint chipping showing that it was well-loved, phone in hand tapping aggressively on the screen with a frown brow.

"Hello friend, happy birthday!" He ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a cheerful embrace. Lily squeezed back tighter than the teen had expected, dropping her phone in the process. Billy looked at the scene with a scowl on his face and rolled his eyes. "Alright Lily, that's enough." He stomped his foot on the wood beneath them to get their attention.

Nugget let go of her timidly, ignoring the growing heat on his skin. Lily glared at her brother, her face red with anger. "You know he's my friend too, right?"

Billy scoffed. "Sure he is,"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you need me to spell it?" Nugget didn't know what they were referring to but now both of the emerald eyes locked onto him, Lily's wide with something undesirable to him. It was commonplace for Nugget to be out of the joke. He often zoned out when others were talking around him and not directly to him. But this joke was odd, he seemed to be at the center of it but had no clue what they could be talking about. Yes, Lily was his friend (however much he wanted her to be more) and so was Billy! To him, they just seemed to be shouting out facts.

His neck swiveled to turn back and forth between the twins, who now stared at each other like they were communicating telepathically between the two of them, in some language they could understand.

"Um, Nugget could see the... lights? Your mom did a good job." He tried to break the tension that was thick in the air with... minimal success.

Lily broke the intense eye contact with her brother and set her steely gaze on her friend beside her. "Thank you, Nugget." She thanked him politely with downturned eyes and a small frown. Her phone, still lying on the ground, vibrated off of the floor gaining the attention of the three teens on the porch.

"It probably took a while to plan this party... Nugget commends you too..."

"Thanks, Nugget." Billy looked up at his friend, a similar expression to Lily on his face. Lily walked over to where her phone lay and bent over to pick it up.

"...Nugget isn't used to speaking this much, can someone else chime in please?" He looked back and forth between the warring siblings, Lily on her phone tapping significantly less forcefully than before, and Billy staring at his nail beds with unwavering focus.

"Carla's outside," Lily said while still staring at her phone, she wasn't talking to anyone specifically just thinking out loud. She walked back into the house and down the hall. The boys followed her, Billy more reluctant then Nugget as he eagerly trailed behind her.

They saw the door swing open as Lily tackled Carla into a tight embrace. Her arms wrapped tightly around the taller girl's neck. Nugget looked at the scene and stilled, he was still a couple of paces behind the girls, and his heart ached at the sight. Nugget didn't know why it hurt him so much, they were affectionate with each other often but this time it felt... different? Maybe it was the shift in their relationship that was getting him like this but Nugget took a deep breath to calm himself.