Group+Mood+Composition

 JC Collaborative Short Story

"I'm looking for Mike." " 'Mike' the repair man Mike?" "You know which Mike I mean, old man, he's supposed to have some double As." Slowly, he blinked, the wrinkles along his forehead thickening. "Mike's out to lunch." "I need the double As." "There's a convenience store just down the street." "I'm not new here, Ted. I know where Ronda's is." "She's thinking of changing her hours, you know." Shortly, "Yes, Ted, I know." Everybody knew. She pursed her lips. "Repair fees are supposed to be inclusive." Shrugging, Ted lazily slid open a drawer, rummaged around, held out his hand for her to take something. Cool batteries dropped into her open palm. "Thanks Ted. Hey, do you have the time?" The old man squinted at his watch, lip wobbling, eyebrows raised indecisively. "Ten-thirty-four." Mira began to shuffle out of the room. "Thanks again." she muttered. "Have a nice afternoon. Give Janice my best." "Any time, Mira." he called after her. "And hey, wish Betty a good one. You know it's her birthday, right?" Shutting the door smartly behind her, Mira allowed herself a brief moment of irritation. Of course she knew it was Betty's birthday. Everybody knew.  * It was a rather dark late afternoon on the 15th of May. Betty was planning to celebrate her "Sweet Seventeenth" birthday. Having invited all her immediate friends and neighbours to come to her pool party in her house, Betty was content with all the preparations she has made. With her parents gone for a week honeymoon in Hawaii, Betty knew that she has the whole house to herself, and her friends for the Night. "Especially them", she thought. Betty was expecting Stella and Cecilia, her two best friends, to come to her birthday party. In fact, she expected them to be the first ones to arrive, as they had promised to give her many presents and gifts, including a mystery gift custom-made for Betty herself. As Betty finished cooking the last batch of "Buffalo Wings" which she had marinated the previous night, the doorbell suddenly rang three times. A faint but cheerful voice then called Betty. "Hey Betty, it's me, Cecilia. Please Open the door." Betty then cheerfully answered: "Just a second Cecilia. I'm coming!" Sure Enough, Cecilia came through the front door, bringing with her a multitude of presents all wrapped in gold--which is Betty's favourite colour. "Happy Birthday Betty", Cecilia said with a warm hug to her best friend, "Look what I brought for you!" she motioned to the mass of wrapped gifts she had just put on a broad table beside the kitchen chamber. Betty's heart pounded, her eyes wide open, awaiting for the mystery gift that her best friends promised for her just last week. She proceeded to reach into the biggest package, the one covered with gold wrapping paper and red lace. A small piece of coloured paper stuck on it read: "We wish you the best for your Birthday. With love, from Stella and Cecilia." Betty opened the large package and found a set of soft, silky blouses specially made for her. Expressing her bliss at such a lovely present, Betty proceeded to hug Cecilia tightly. "Oh Cecilia, I can't say how thankful am I to receive such amazing presents from you." Cecilia replied: "It's okay Betty. Anyway Will, Siro, Stella and the others will arrive here soon enough. And I heard that there is another Mystery gift in store for you from Stella." "Oh Really??" Betty's eyes grew wide and hopeful. "Yes Betty," Cecilia replied, "Oh look, I think someone just arrived in your front door." Betty proceeded to check the front door adjacent to the kitchen. Sure enough, Will and Robert knocked the door, and they handed over their presents to Betty after exchanging in some brief but joyful conversation with one another. Fifteen minutes later, many other friends arrived, each of them laden with gifts meant for Betty herself. Stella and some others hadn't arrived yet. The mood was still quite festive however, as the party attendees had already began to talk and have fun with one another. "Nice robes Syra", said Robert to a Chinese Girl who had just arrived at the party. She smiled back to Robert, making the latter blush for some time after. Just as Robert was about to turn back a friendly voice called out from the front door. "Hey Robert! I haven't seen you for quite a long time." It was John and Roland, the School's computer experts and Robert's best friends. "Same to you Roland" Robert replied. Robert's eyes then aimed at John, an introverted boy who had a crush on Stella. "Where's Stella?" asked John before he proceeded to give Betty his Birthday Present "She's not here yet," Robert replied, "which is pretty unusual for her." "And to think that it is Betty's birthday,” added John, who was aware of Stella's close friendship with Betty. "I would wonder if she is really late at the moment. I don't know if I could explain this, but I feel that something not good is about to happen today." Robert simply dismissed it as another random bad feeling and said: "Just relax pal, you worry too much." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">John looked at Robert and remarked in an ominous tone: "I certainly hope so, for my sake. I would be crushed if anything bad happens to her." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">Robert merely laughed. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;"> * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">"That clock is behind by ten minutes." Mira was sitting there, legs tucked in neatly underneath her, plucking lightly at her braid and at the pleather of the couch. "Since this morning, when I replaced the batteries, you know." She regarded her roommate simply, gazing up at her over the rim of her coffee cup. "Stella, you listening?" She touched the warm clay rim. "You're going to be--" "Sorry, what?" With a light grimace Stella pivoted around, plucking earbuds from her ears and shaking her hair loosely. "I didn't hear you." Unimpressed, Mira pointed up to the wall clock and mouthed "late." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;"> * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">//Six-thirty, six-thirty, six-thirty.// Stella hummed to herself repeatedly. //Late, late, late!// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">There was nothing good on the radio. Her fingers were too nervous to search. She was trembling too much to be irritated. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">While she controlled her car wheel, the gift suddenly fell from her lap to feet. Anxiously, keeping an eye on the road, she struggled to reach down, the wrapping tickling her fingertips, a hazy figure poking out from the yawning twilight. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;"> * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;"> More and more friends arrived at the party. By now, Betty had received many presents from her friends. But much to her dismay, Stella was not yet there. It had been half an hour since Cecilia came to the party as the first guest. It wasn't like her to come this late at any party. While hoping for the best since Stella is not the only one not coming yet, Betty could sense an intangible sense of worry in and around her, in spite of its subtlety and the happy, joyous mood of the party. Stomping her feet around, moving restlessly and pursing her mouth into a thin line, Betty continued to enjoy the party as much as she could, while her wait for Stella made her rather reluctant to interact socially with the fellow Party-goers. With her partying and socializing moods somewhat ruined due to the long wait for Stella, Betty decided to make a call to Stella's mobile phone. She received no answer however, and succeeding attempts to call Stella failed equally as well. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">"Stella.....Where are you?" Betty hummed to herself, ignoring the buzz of the music, Robert’s nervous laugh echoing Syra’s, Cecilia’s good-natured prattling and Robert’s soothing, logical answers. The cool plastic of her hand-phone was marked a dappled hot and moist where she’d been clutching it, the taste of salt burning her lips as she put another potato-chip to them distractedly. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">“Where are you now?” she murmured to herself, fingers playing at the edge of the crinkled silver bag, gazing out the window at the fading purple prodding the sky. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;"> * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 170%;">Somewhere, on a twinkling grassy hillside, the hum of a cell-phone could be mistaken for a cricket's chirp.