"You can sell that car, but do you have spare money to buy another?"
Melissa, eating a Pop-Tart, was busy watching TV with her father; both were watching 'The Lord Of the Rings.' Chris also sat beside them and tried to take some Pop-Tarts from her, but she outright moved the packet opposite from him.
"Give me one."
"Go grab your dinner and get to sleep; you're still a minor."
Narrowing his eyes Chris felt a little weird, but with a smile he went to eat anyway; he was feeling hungry, and pizza didn't sound bad. After tonight he will be eighteen, barely legal, but that's cool.
After eating, he went to his room as usual. His room now felt too congested; he wanted to buy a gaming PC, but there was no space for a gaming table in his room. His bed, small closet, and reading desk already made it cluttered enough.
Need to get an apartment, then a gaming setup.
While thinking about this, he gently fell asleep. There was a satisfied smile on his face, which was rare for him, but he really felt a weird satisfaction of having freedom to get these options in his head at least.
12.01 am, It was his birthday, but Chris was sleeping happily like there's no tomorrow. Gently his door's knob turned, and a person entered his room; her pink hair could be seen flowing like a river.
She gently sat beside his head, and seeing his face so up close, a smile crept up on her face. She gently caressed his hair; the medium-length brown hair felt smooth in her fingers.
"Hey, you… Happy Birthday."
"Umm? You're in my room?"
"Yeah, want to have some fun?"
Chris's sleepy eyes snapped open hearing an unusual remark from her; Grace, seeing it, laughed out loud. Chris, hearing the laugh, frowned, grabbed her shoulder, and slammed her on the woolen blanket, then his face closed in.
"Now then, should I take you as my present?"
"I don't mind, but people in the diner might."
Grace didn't even flinch with how provocative Chris was being; she felt secure with him, and she only smiled teasingly.
"People? Who?"
Chris looked confused but didn't remove his hands that were pressing onto her, nor did she resist; they both looked intimate.
"Mel, your dad, my dad, Faith, and then there's also Diner staff. I came to wake you up."
Grace listed names while pretending to count them on her fingers. Chris, hearing the list of names, got up instantly. If any of them get up here and see them like this, he won't be able to get down in the diner with a straight face.
"So you brought a bunch of people here for my birthday?"
Jumping down from the bed, Chris took his Blazer in hand; nights are very cold in Scranton, and even Grace's overcoat was somewhat wet because she came from outside.
"Mel and me, We tried to surprise you, but Mel is the one that got surprised today; she found your ten thousand dollars in her glove box. You are supplying microwaves to Target? That was even news for me."
Chris's hand paused for a second before continuing buttoning his blazer once again; he was not shocked, just surprised.
"Was she surprised too much?"
"Yeah, your earring was something even your dad didn't see coming, so they are now somewhat embarrassed with the gift they have on them. Even my dad is shocked, hehe. It's nice."
Grace's smile got bigger and bigger because this reveal was made in front of her dad, and the face he made was satisfying to watch.
"Well, a gift is something you don't measure with money; let's get this over with."
Nodding his head towards Grace, he walked ahead while Grace also swiftly followed behind.
"Thank you for your wish. I didn't reply back then because I was genuinely surprised to see you."
Climbing down the stairs, Chris suddenly spoke. His plan worked; now he just needs to explain that he was doing a side hustle and it was legal, just as she saw.
"You are welcome, but be ready to thank me later and properly."
"I will."
As both of them got down, Chris saw Diner was well lit; he could even see some regulars like Sam in it, which was a little shocker because who invites customers?
"Who invited these guests? You don't know half of them."
"Surprisingly your dad invited most of them; by now he and Dad are pretty much drunk."
"Dad?"
Chris was more shocked his dad invited other people to his birthday. Dan was antisocial like him, and with the handful of friends he had, he had no one to talk with, so inviting people was very shocking and out of character for him.
Let's go and see.