The Silent One ✔

Chapter Fourteen

I stand in front of my canvas in art class, nervously looking over my shoulder to Ms Walsh.

"Well?" I force myself to ask as she purses her lips at my painting.

All I've done so far are the roses and Marilyn Monroe's eyes in acrylic and impasto. I'm just hoping that I get it done in time for the school exhibition.

"...I think" she starts slowly, "everything is perfect..."

"But?" I raise a brow as placing my hands behind my back nervously.

"The roses need to be darker," Ms Walsh says "yeah that's it, darker roses, try mixing up a purple"

I nod "yeah, I'll get right on it" I assure her.

I then sigh in relief as looking at my half-done painting. Darker roses, that's simple enough.

Suddenly the bell goes, dismissing us for lunch. I walk quickly down the hallway where I find Blake by his locker.

"Well?" He cocks a brow at me.

"Darker roses" I explain.

"That's it" Blake's eyes light up "congrats"

Suddenly I feel an arm around my shoulder, Blake and I both look behind our shoulder to find Jenny, all smiles.

"So" she grins "I was thinking that tonight we could go to Bellavita's"

Blake raises a brow "...but we're going to the tracks tonight"

"No" she shakes her head "I wanna go to the restaurant"

"Why? What's the occasion?" Blake asks.

Jenny drops her arms and widens her eyes in shock "you're kidding, right? Uhh, are you forgetting that tonight is my birthday?"

Blake and I exchange the same look. Tonight we were all going to the tracks and watch Ned and Chris street race. Jenny's birthday must have slipped everyone's minds.

"No of course not," we say simultaneously.

"We remembered" he forces a smile.

***

"Shit, what are you gonna get her?" Blake cries as we walk quickly through the shopping mall.

"How did you forget her birthday?" I cock a brow "haven't you been friends for ages?"

"Hey, you didn't know either" Blake points out as we enter a beauty store at fall speed.

I laugh "dude I met her like a little over a month ago"

"You can't use the new kid card" Blake rolls his eyes "besides, I didn't realize that it was February already"

We push past the fourteen-year-old girls as we arrive to a shelf filled with perfume. I'm like a fish out of water over here. What are Chris and Ned getting her? Surely they wouldn't have a clue either.

"What are the others getting her?" I ask as digging my hands through the floral scented perfume.

"Ned said something about expensive designers" he admitted as twisting off the cap of a lip gloss. "What can I say? He knows his fashion and has a lot of money"

I hold back a chuckle as pulling out a fragrance labelled Acqua Di Gio. "Hey is this stuff good?" I ask him.

"That's a men's fragrance" Blake rolls his eyes with a smile. "Made by Giorgio Armani"

"But it's pink" I laugh.

"Men can use a fragrance in a pink bottle Eva" He rolls his eyes as placing down the lip gloss.

"What's Chris getting her?" I ask Blake as looking through the assorted chocolates.

"Nothing" Blake admits as picking up a box of bath bombs, "he has too much on his plate right now"

I furrow my brows. I mean, it's his friend's eighteenth birthday. Surely he can find the time to at least get her a card.

"Okay well, I think I'm settled on chocolate" I announce "how long do we have till we've gotta be at the restaurant?"

"An hour" Blake sighs "we don't have time to change clothes, we should just head straight there"

I nod "agreed"

Blake ends up settling on bath bombs and I get her the assorted chocolates. After paying at the register, Blake and I jump into his car.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" I ask as fastening my seatbelt. "Restaurant than tracks?"

The guy's have been planning for over a week now to go street racing at this deserted place that they've been going to for years. They weren't going to let Jenny's birthday get in the way of going tonight.

I'm not sure how they've managed to convince Jenny to go and watch her friends street race on her birthday, but somehow she has.

"Yep," Blake smiles before looking over to me, "but you know, Ned's gift is gonna make ours look like absolute shit, right?"

Hmmm, designer pieces of clothing versus bath bombs and chocolate? But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

I laugh "yeah, I figured as much"

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A/N

Hi all,

This chapter is completely new and added during the editing process. I really wanted to explore Evangeline's friendship with each Ned, Blake, Chris, and Jenny - which I feel like I didn't do the first time.

So far, I've done Chris and Blake. So get hyped for Jenny and Ned :)

Please vote if you're enjoying this book and please tell me if you enjoy this version over the original.

Thank you

Happy reading!