I kinda hate this chapter??

   THE NEXT FEW weeks went by rather quickly. March had gone in a blur as Valerie finalizes the sales on the house, and now April was upon them.

    Valerie and John talked at least once every day for an hour or more. John always had some story to tell her, and she was always up to listen. And even when he wasn't telling her a story, they simply talked about whatever they wanted.

    "Hold on, Evan is right here. Wanna say hi?" Valerie asked, and John gasped.

"I'm gone for two months and you're with my roommate?" He teased her playfully, and he could practically hear Valerie roll her eyes.

   "Hey, John, Valerie isn't my type. And besides, there are literally five other people here with us." Evan told John as he took the phone.

    "Then what is your type?"

    "Not women, I know that." Evan said, and while John was flustered, he laughed loudly at the blunt statement.

   "I shouldn't be worried then. You won't be stealing my Valerie anytime soon."

    "You should watch out, though. Periwinkle, Payton, and Valerie are talking about starting a polyester relationship-"

   "Polyamorous, Evan! And it's a joke!" John heard Valerie exclaim on the other line, and then a chorus of laughter followed.

"Who else is even over?" John asked, and Valerie took the phone from Evan.

"The blondies, and Evan. It's just us."

"Oh, you've finally realized there's one too many blondes in the group?" John joked, earning a smack on the head from Roger. Valerie laughed at John's shout of protest.

     "It's taken me quite a while. I think we need a name for them, at this point."

      "Why don't we have a name for them already? That's what I'm wondering." John asked, and looked at the planner he had sitting in his lap. He skimmed through it, and it dawned on him that Valerie's birthday was in three days.

And he had nearly forgotten.

"I was thinking maybe the 'Blonde Bitches' or 'Yellow Women and Roger.' You know, very traditional." Valerie said, propping her elbow on Evan's shoulder to rest her arm a bit. Evan tugged her hair playfully.

"Oh, yes. Only the most traditional for our golden locked friends," John joked, and Valerie laughed, as she did at anything even remotely funny John said.

"I will come up with the greatest nickname to grace this earth since you."

"Aww since me?" John said, blushing and ignoring Roger giggling next to him.

"You are the most amazing thing to grace this Earth." Valerie confirmed, and John could practically hear her smile. Valerie was being teased, and she rolled her eyes at them.

"Well, thank you. I already knew that, but-"

"Shut up, Johnathan. Quit fishing for compliments," Valerie teased him, and John sighed.

     "No point in living if you aren't complimenting me," John said. Valerie rolled her eyes, knowing that John was probably laughing silently on the other end.

"Then perish."

"Ah, not before I get another kiss. And a proper date."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, John."

"You know you want to, darling." John replied, and Valerie felt heat rising in her cheeks.

"Stealing Freddie's lingo now, are we?" Valerie teased him, as she propped her legs on Evan's lap.

     "Well, I am in a band with him. Probably 80% of my life at the moment is spent with cat man, Giving Tree, and Goldie locks." John said, and Valerie heard Roger cackling on the other line.

   "Did you just call Brian 'Giving Tree'?  Oh my goodness that is what I'm calling him now, thank you John!" Valerie said, and John didn't even try to protest.

      "I'm pretty brilliant, aren't I?"

     "Rather I'm the brilliant one. Oh! Did I tell you the news?"

     "You started a company for stargazing?" John asked jokingly,  and Valerie scoffed.

     "No! I finalized the sales on the house. And I've got all my shit in boxes here, but I've practically moved in." Valerie said with a slight smile.

   "That's great! I'm sorry I'm not there to help out." John said, and was startled by Freddie tapping him on the shoulder and telling him it was time to go do a sound check.

    "No worries. Evan's stronger anyway." Valerie said with a smug smile even though John couldn't see her.

   "Damn, I see how it is. I have to go. Bye, Valerie. I'll call you later, okay?"

     "Yeah, have fun and be safe. Bye," Valerie said, and they both hung up the phone.
*****
      Valerie didn't want to do much for her birthday, but her friends wouldn't have it.

      "I just want you to help me move my furniture into my new house and that's it. I can deal with unpacking later,  and we can celebrate my birthday the day of my graduation party." Valerie said to Mary, Periwinkle, and Payton, who were all admiring Valerie's new home.

"I simply won't have it. We're going to have the best party for you. We'll order some pizza, have some champagne, listen to some records, just talk. It'll be like high school, but with alcohol!" Payton said, going over to Valerie and wrapping an arm around her.

"Bold of you to assume I didn't drink in high school." Valerie said. Payton rolled her eyes. The all knew that she wouldn't dare drink underage.

    "We're still going to help you unload and unpack some of your stuff, of course. Because we're awesome friends like that." Mary said as some moving guys went past them, putting a lot of force into pushing a piano in.

   "Hold on, where did that come from?" Valerie asked, walking away from the group and into the sitting room where the movers had put the piano.

      "It was among the furniture. There was a note," the worker said, handing her a letter that was neatly pressed into an envelope.

      "That'll be Freddie's and my gift." Mary spoke as Valerie turned over the letter to see her name written in Freddie's signature scrawl.

   "You bought me a fucking piano?!" Valerie asked, a bit shocked, knowing that pianos were expensive as hell.

      "Why not? Freddie said you could play, and that you deserved a piano. The whole band kinda pitched in a got one that was actually pretty cheap." Mary said as if it were the most normal thing ever.

      "Oh my goodness, I cannot believe you! You spoil me." Valerie said as she helped the movers push it into a place she liked at the moment.

     "That's not even the rest of it. You should see what Periwinkle got you." Payton mused, earning a sharp slap on the arm from Mary.

      "Shut up, its a surprise." Mary said, and to avoid any questions, they all walked out of the house to help Valerie get her stuff.

     It only took about an hour to unload the boxes; it took a bit longer than they intended because they kept getting distracted by random things they discovered in the yard and in the house.

Evan showed up with pizzas when they were almost done, and helped them finish unpacking. It was nearly five a clock, and they were all a bit exhausted from walking back and forth unloading boxes all day. Except Evan, though.

    "You really do have a lot of shit, Valerie." Evan commented her as he dug through a box labeled KITCHEN and found some plates.

     "Yes, I'm a professional hoarder."

Evan laughed. "You paid for the whole house?"

"Half of it. My parents paid for the other half, but I have to pay them back as I earn more money. My mom said all I need now is a boyfriend." Valerie laughed, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza from the box, and everyone else grabbed a slice as well.

   "You have Deacy," Mary noted, and Valerie remembered her conversation with Periwinkle when they went to buy a table the other day.

   "Much too early. Besides, he hasn't even asked me out, yet. So we're not exactly a thing. He's only kissed me-"

    "And confessed his undying love for you about twelve times." Evan pointed out as he bit into his pizza.

     Valerie slapped his shoulder, blushing and laughing, while Mary and Payton rolled their eyes. "He's not wrong, you know." Mary pointed out, and Valerie scoffed.

    However, before she could retaliate with anything, the phone nearby rang. It was resting on the wall in the hallway, and was one of the features that already came with the house.

"I've got it. Don't you dare talk about me while I'm away." Valerie said to them, causing the group to laugh as Valerie walked with her pizza to get the phone. She answered it with a simple 'hello?' and jumped with the response she got on the other line.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VALERIE!" a group of people shouted at her, and she knew immediately that it was the boys and John Reid, whom she was quite fond of. Payton said she had a thing for John's.

"You guys almost blew my brains out, I'm only twenty eight." Valerie said with a bubbly laugh, and Freddie clicked his tongue on the other line.

"Pish posh, darling. You are worth every year. I'm so sorry we couldn't be there for your birthday, but we will have the grandest party for your graduation. Now, how did you like my present?" Freddie asked, and Valerie exclaimed loudly. 

"You're a fucking bastard, y'know! I can't believe you bought me a fucking piano. I mean, it looks so beautiful, and it fits nicely with the whole house, even though I haven't unpacked. But a piano! Freddie!" Valerie said as Freddie laughed loudly on the other line.

"Darling, I've got the money. We all split it anyway. And it's not like it was super expensive. Second hand, in fact."

"Lovely, a second hand piano that probably still cost a kidney."

"Oi, I'll teach you a few songs, darling. Anything for my girl. Especially after it was my idea to buy it for you." Freddie said, ignoring what Valerie had said.

"Your girl? I really think you need to fact check that, Freddie, because last I checked, John was the one making out with her in an airport." Valerie heard Roger tease, and she heard John protest half heartedly.

"Nonsense. I was the one that met her before Deacy did, and I am basically her older brother. Therefore, she is my girl."

"Am I basically just your property at this point?" Valerie asked jokingly, and laughed when Brian answered with a yes. She could imagine them all crowding around the receiver.

"We've got to give you our long speeches before you go off to party. You have a night in the town planned?" Freddie questioned, and Valerie blew a strand of hair from her face.

"No, actually. I've just got Mary, Payton, and Evan over, and Periwinkle is on her way right now. We're going to just celebrate here, sing our lungs out, drink a bit, and just enjoy the night. I don't want to do anything big,"

"Saving it all for the graduation party then?" Brian joked, and Valerie knew that Freddie had probably given him the phone so he could give her his annual speech that had become birthday tradition.

"Definitely,"

"It's going to be great, especially with me there. Now, onward with my speech because it's the best one out of everyone's. Alright, Valerie, since you're like my sister, it's my job to tell you that you suck." Brian said, and Valerie couldn't help but laugh even though he told her this every year.

"Now, now, You've gone through some rough patches in your life, and I'm so glad that I could help you through some of them. You're the smartest, kindest, most talented, and beautiful person I know -besides Freddie and Payton of course. And I'm so glad that we have known each other for so long. You're my best friend, and I'm so honoured to say that I know you. But you still suck ass, Valerie."

"Aw, thank you. Now, all we have to do is perform together to make Elton proud." Valerie joked, and Brian laughed.

"Move over, Giving Tree. It's time for Goldie locks to speak. Now, Valerie, you might be getting old, by at least you still have your looks. Though, not for long. A few more years and you'll be more of a hag than you already are." Roger said jokingly, and Valerie rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Rog, I know you had a crush on me when we first met,"

"That was our secret!"

"Not anymore,"

"I hate you, so much right now."

"You love me, and you can't even try to deny it."

"You're right, I can't. Have a good birthday, ginger snaps. I'm bringing you back a pigeon from New York, and you can't stop me!" Roger said, laughing loudly before the phone was handed off to Freddie.

"Please, darling, don't listen to Roger. That old toe rag. You're beautiful and you're very talented. But now as talented as me,"

"Of course," Valerie agreed, smiling.

"I will be absolutely honoured to give you piano lessons when I get back. And you won't be paying me back. And I will be looking forward to performing with you one day. You will be awesome onstage, even if you don't think you will be.

"You shall be Valerie Cartaya, the Star doctor that performed with Queen all around the world." Freddie proclaimed, and when Valerie began to protest but Freddie cut her off.

"You know what, you will do that. But only if you're always right there on the piano next to me." Freddie said, and Valerie sighed with a laugh.

"Whatever you say, Freddie."

"Around the world it is! Here's Deacy." Freddie said as he handed the phone off to John.

Valerie and John exchanged short hellos before John started to stutter into an introduction of a speech that blew Valerie away.
******

"And then, he said that I had the voice of an angel, and that he missed me a lot. That he missed seeing me, and being next to me." Valerie said, her and her group of friends all sipping champagne as they chilled on the couch and on the floor, all dressed very casually.

There were candles all over the living room - so Valerie could conserve energy- and there was an Elton John record playing in the background.

"That's so very sweet and adorable. You think he wrote the speech beforehand?" Payton asked, her feet propped in Evan's lap as they rest on the couch.

Mary was on the floor across from Valerie, who was sitting facing them all.

"Oh, I know he did," Valerie said, and startled slightly when the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Peri. I've got it," Evan said, standing up and pushing Payton's legs aside.

Evan went over to the door and opened it, still amazed by the sheer tallness of the doorway. "Periwinkle!" He exclaimed, embracing the slightly frazzled girl in a hug.

"My brother insisted we drive around for an extra forty five minutes because, he loved the countryside." Periwinkle complained.

Everyone got up to greet Peri, and Valerie was the last one to hug her. "Thank you for coming, dear. You're welcome to stay the night if you like." Valerie said, and Periwinkle thanked her.

"Oh, now time for your gift. Let me just-" Periwinkle ran off to her car and returned with a kitten.

"Oh, fuck all of you!" Valerie exclaimed quietly as she took the wiggling kitten into her arms.

"I found it in the street a few weeks ago and decided to give it to you. I don't like cats anyway." Periwinkle said, and Valerie huffed with a huge smile on her face. 

"You guys treat me too well, this is amazing. First a piano, then a cat? I love all of you so much," Valerie said, giggling as the kitten meowed loudly.

     "And furniture. Mustn't forget the table," Periwinkle said.

     "I hate you all." Valerie said with a sigh as she scratched the kitten behind its ears.

     "You're too nice to me."

   "And you're too poor. Both Payton and I make more money than you so it's our duty to buy you some stuff that doesn't look like you found it in a parking lot." Periwinkle joked, and Valerie laughed loudly, not offended in the slightest.

    "Seriously, though. No more things. Or I will return them," Valerie threatened, and they all headed back into the living room to play with the little cat.