The Adopted Sister

Chapter 21

Daniella's POV

"So, why aren't you with Lizzie?" I tease Calum.

"I had to take her to the airport," he says. "She had to go back home."

"There's more to the story, isn't there?" I ask. He just nods. "Do you want to talk about it or-"

"Her parents found out she ran away from home and made her come back," he blurts out.

We stay silent for a bit. The only noise being made is from Starship being played on the flatscreen.

"You liked her, didn't you?" I ask. He just looks down, the crimson color starts to form on his cheek. "You did! You guys would of been cute!"

"Okay, so what if I have a crush on her? She likes someone else," he sighs. "She told me about this guy back in London. They seem like the perfect couple already."

"Aw, Cal Pal," I say giving him a hug. "Everything will be alright though. I mean, you're Calum Hood. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"If it helps, we're going to Sydney for a bit. We'll be with you by the time you guys go back," Joel says, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Since when did you decide this?" I ask turning towards Joel.

"Just now," he smirks. "I have everything set up already and we leave next week."

"Same time as us," Calum states.

"You guys were planning this the whole time, weren't you?" I ask in shock. The two just look at me with looks of innocence. "When were you going to tell me this?"

"The day of Clarice's mother's wedding," he smirks. "You know, the day right before your birthday." I just smack myself on the head. "You forgot your birthday was coming up didn't you?"

"Can you blame me?" I start. "I mean, we've been pretty busy these past few weeks."

"Yeah, well your birthday is this Saturday," Calum mentions. "Trust me, you're in for a surprise."

I look between the two guys. "You won't tell me a single thing, will you?"

"Our lips are sealed," they say. 

I just sigh. "Fine, don't tell me, but you gotta help me with Daniel's surprise. It's his birthday too."

"Oh don't worry," Joel starts, "we've got it covered."

"And before you ask," Calum interjects, "you don't get to know about that either. The only thing you need to worry about is getting him his gift."

"Seriously," I start, "don't I get a say in what happens for my own brother's birthday?"

"Nope, because it's your birthday too," they say.

I sigh in defeat. "Fine," I groan. We all go back to watching Starship. At the end of act 1, my phone starts to ring. 

"Dani!" Clarice says right when I answer the phone. "Can I stay over for a few days? I need your help."

"What do you need help with?" I ask walking out of my room.

"I need help doing the finishing touches for my mom's wedding. She gave me a basic idea of what she wants and we need to get fitted for our dresses and everything, but she's working up to the day right before her wedding and I need to make sure everything is okay," she explains.

"You can stay here for a bit, so can Andre to make sure you stay sane," I say. "Now just pack up your things and come over."

"Thank you," she says right before she hangs up her phone.