The gum on my hair

Sapphire's POV

I was laying on my bed, smiling from ear to ear as Magnus and I texted each other. He wanted us to hang out later today, since it's the weekends.

Me: So, where do you wanna go? Wanna take me to a restaurant? Concert? 🙃

My magnet♥️: no. I ain't got no ticket money😄 and there's food but it's really not a restaurant. It's a party. Today's my birthday, remember? 😁

His birthday?! I had no idea. I frantically scrambled my thoughts searching for a good reply that won't be awkward. He actually mentioned it before but I have the memory of a goldfish. And yes, I named him 'my magnet' because he draws me in.... Lame? You'll get used to it. He doesn't know though and I hope he never does. Especially for the fact that we aren't dating.

Me: ofc I remember, kiddo. I wasn't gonna wish you a happy birthday cuz I had something for you but since I'm mentioning it now... I guess no surprise 😔

Magnus: Really? I definitely believe you though 😉😅

Me: Whateva 😂

Magnus: You're invited to my party (invite your friends too cuz they're invited too)

Yup! I'm off to a party shortly. I want to be a good sport and help out in the preparation. It's a way to show him I care, isn't it?

I hopped off my bed and rushed downstairs to inform my Dad and he straight up said...

"No."

"But Dad..."

His eyes remained glued to the TV and his voice stern. "We are taking your sister to the fun fair after her big win in that writing competition. Did you forget that?"

"I kinda did. Plus, I don't have to be there. You guys are the one that wants it. I never made any–"

"You're going with, lady," he asserted, leaving no room for arguments. "Parties aren't your thing anyways. Why are you suddenly eager to get out of the house?" He interrogated, his gaze now on me and it made me nervous.

I can't tell him that it's a boy I'm eager to see. Dad's been a pain with all my close guy friends after I was almost penetrated by his friend's oldest son. I was just 12 years old, and he was 16. I had a crush on him but he was interested in other things if you know what I mean. Not going into much detail.

I needed a way to convince him that I had pure intentions, so I took a deep breath, and lied to him. "It's Chloe."

"Your friend that used to visit a lot?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head on attempt to seem believable. "She's my best friend and it'd be rude if I missed her birthday since she never missed mine. I wanna help her set up too, you know?"

"Ooohhh. I see that now," He pointed out. My comfort was short lived when he said... "Why don't you take your sister along? It'd save us some money aaanndd you two get to have fun–"

"No!" I exclaimed, cutting his sentence short. "I mean, I don't think the little girl's gonna want that. C'mon Dad... Think about it. She's 13." My heart was racing with each word that escaped my mouth, and the thought of letting my sister tag along was definitely going to get me exposed.

"Well, we won't know till we ask her. Fetch her for me, would ya?" He requested, his eyes glinting with mischief. They looked like they could see through my Fibs. I didn't like that look.

I nodded slowly, searching for an idea for a quick escape before I was caught.

I arrived at my sister's door and found her reading a book on the floor. I took deep breaths, bracing myself for an alternate outcome from my plan. "Hey, Phoebe. What's good?" I asked calmly, hoping I could strike a deal with her.

"What do you want?" She demanded sternly, undoubtedly aware of my pending request.

I sighed, and gave my plan away hoping she'd be cooperative. "I'm going to a party and Dad says it's only okay if I came."

"If I came, not you came."

"Yeah. That's what I said."

"No. You said if I came and you meant yourself instead of me."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. What's wrong with me going with you?"

"Oh nothing... Except the fact that it'd be boring for you so just tell him that you don't wanna go. Okay?"

"Okay."

****

"I wanna go to the party!" Phoebe exclaimed.

Shit. Fucking snitch! "But Phoebe it's gonna be people my age and probably older people there," I stated, my stare intensifying as we spoke. She knew I was lying to Dad and wanted to crash my plans.

"I know. But it's still fun since I'm also a teenager," She said, chuckling and winking at me which only infuriated me.

My dad's lips widened into a smile, making me scream in my head although I remained calm on the outside.

He gave his approval and soon enough, I was on my way to my crushes party... With my snitch sister. My dad was driving us there and it only made the ride more unbearable. I wanted to jump out of there and fall into the hole by the side of the road.

I caught my sister grinning, at the side of my eye, as my Dad yapped about how much he appreciated me doing something thoughtful for my younger sister. The pain of lying and being thanked for it has got to be the worst part about lying.

"Hey, SS," Phoebe whispered, "I want you to know, you did a great job at exaggerating. I called Chloe and told her about the whole thing so she's gonna be in the party to pretend for you." She mentioned, shooting up her eyebrows continuous with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, and kept my gaze away from hers. "Thanks, kiddo," I said sarcastically, furrowing my brows.

"It's not free. Hand me 30 dollars, liar." She demanded, her voice still almost inaudible.

"Shut up. I didn't ask for your help anyway." I whispered.

She finally left me alone and we sat there in silence. I sent Chloe a text demanding she explained what is going on between her and my sister.