Grey and I entered the dormitories with my hair still dripping and mouth turned up in a smile that I couldn't push down however hard I tried. Until I saw my dad that is.

He stood in his doorway at the end of the corridor with a stack of papers tucked under one arm and a serious expression. I knew even before he opened his mouth what would happen next.

"Cara, can I speak to you for a moment?" he called and I groaned internally.

"I'll catch up with you," I told Grey who's eyes were flicking back and forth between me and my dad like he was watching a tennis match.

"'Kay," he mumbled and slunk off as I made my way over to my dad. Slowly he moved over to one side so I could pass by into the room. Then he shut the door behind him and stood in front of it. I couldn't tell whether this was subconscious or a deliberate attempt to stop me leaving but I suspected the latter.

"What's up?" I gave a forced smile that crumbled in the sour air between us.

"What's going on with you and that Grey boy?" He cut straight to the chase and I was glad for that.

"Nothing," I replied simply, "we're just friends."

"Are you sure because if I find out you're lying ..," he trailed off.

"You'll what?" My voice came out a lot harsher than I intended.

"Well," he shuffled clearly uncomfortable with this conversation, "we'd have to move you to a different corridor because it wouldn't be appropriate."

His face was even more red than mine, "you don't need to move me nothing's going on so I don't need this talk. Mom beat you to it anyway, I know all about the birds and the bees. Can I go now?"

"Umm..," he was trying to think of something else to say that could make me stay longer but I think his distaste for this conversation was winning out. "I guess that's everything so yes you can go."

"Great," I smiled cheerfully as I marched to the door behind him then I remembered the promise I'd made Mina, "actually I need to ask you something."

"Yes?" dad said a little too quickly. He was so eager to please me it hurt. I instantly felt awful because I could see how hard he was working to have a relationship with me and all I was doing was pushing him away out of no fault of his own. I just couldn't work out a way to let him in among all the chaos.

"A friend from school has asked me to sleep over this Friday, can I go?"

"Which friend?"

"Her name's Mina."

"I don't know," he considered thoughtfully, "I don't know this girl."

"She's not an axe murderer and she's a girl, I thought you'd be happy I was going," I went in for the classic guilt trip, "cause I'm stuck in here all the time I wanted to do something outside for once."

"Okay," the guilt trip never failed and my happiness at being allowed to go over shone my guilt.

"Thank you," I smiled gratefully as I tried to ignore the guilt that was twisting up my stomach. My manipulation burned like acid in my stomach and throat. Maybe I cared more than I initially thought I would.

I bounded back up to my room feeling considerably lighter but at the same time infinitely heavy. I knew this unsolved conflict with my dad would continue to press down greatly on me even though I was in such a good place with all my other friends. I was too stubborn and too hurt to break down that wall yet.

"Vegas," a head stuck out a doorway nearly giving me a heart attack as I jumped in shock.

"Do all of you plan ways to sneak up on me or is it just a Kings Bridge specialty?" I fume as I tried to steady my heart rate back to normal speed.

"It's definitely planned," Nico smirked, "now get in here a second."

Without warning he shot out an arm and yanked me into his and Mitch's shared room.

"What are you doing?" I complained as he swiftly shut the door behind me, Mitch wasn't in and it was just the two of us in the room. Nico had his ear pressed against the door and his head right next to mine.

"Shhh," he hissed which I only rolled my eyes at, I'd shut up when I knew what the hell was going on.

"Whys the issue James Bond?" I sighed dramatically.

"Okay this is top secret information and if anyone asks how you found out you deny that you ever heard from me, okay?"

"What am I joining the CIA or something?" I demand but I found myself leaning closer intrigued against my cynicism. Nico just raised an eyebrow and waited, "yeah fine I promise now spit it out secret agent."

"It's....," long pause for dramatic effect as Nico raised his eyebrows, "Mitch's birthday tomorrow!"

"What?" I demanded stunned, how the hell could I not have known this and, "why is this top secret information?"

"Because Mitch hates people knowing it's his birthday, he hates all the attention and being the one everyone flaps over, he likes being the one who takes care of everyone else. He just hates it and makes us all swear not to celebrate it," Nico shrugged simply.

"So why have you told me?"

"Cause Mitch has got to have his day, one day where we look after him instead of the other way around," Nico gave half a smile, it was obvious how close all the boys were and how much they cared about each other.

"So what's the plan?" I asked because of course there was a plan and if Nico was involved it was likely to be leaning heavily on the side of danger.

He leaned forward and whispered the plan into my ear. I hadn't been wrong.

***

If Nico hadn't told me it was Mitch's birthday I honestly would have had no idea from the way they were all acting. Mitch mentioned nothing about it all morning and neither did any of the other Silent Boys. It started as a completely normal day and I was almost annoyed at Mitch for not deeming me worthy enough to know it was his birthday. I know he would never intend it that way but still I felt the tiniest bit hurt to know that if it wasn't for Nico I wouldn't have been able to celebrate with him at all. We all had things we would prefer to ignore and often it took good friends to know when to step in.

The boys dropped me off at school as normal and I spent all day shifting in my seat in anticipation for that night. When I arrived back home after taking the bus all the boys were still in lessons so I only had a short window in which to carry out phase one of the plan.

I opened both Sawyer's and Grey's wardrobes to find them stacked full of balloons that I somehow had to transport all the way from their room to the games room with the occasional few escaping. Then I had to tape up a load of streamers and banners with 'Happy 18' motifs on them. After that followed plates of food the boys had been sneaking out from the Dining Hall all week. Then a three tired cake that Nico had sweet talked/bribed the cook into making. The final, more dangerous part of the plan would come into effect later and I was only hoping no limbs would be lost in the process.

***

I was waiting for the boys in my room after they finished their lessons as that was the automatic place we all seemed to congregate. They came in a rowdy pack as usual and immediately began dumping their bags and jackets on the floor and chairs like this was their own room. They made themselves comfortable on my bed and floor but I caught Nico's eye and saw his mischievous glint. It was time for phase two.

"So," I began. If my mom had been doing this she would be far better than me. I was no good at acting, "I was thinking, who wants a rematch at poker?"

"No one in their right mind would play against you again," Mitch told me.

"What will you play me at then?" I challenged, "what are you not scared of me beating you in?"

"Not a lot," Mitch admitted with a laugh in spite of himself.

"Pool?" I suggested like the idea had just dawned on me.

"Okay," Grey agreed, "let's have a tournament."

"I'm in," Mitch nodded eagerly and I couldn't help but beam.

"No time like the present then," I marched towards the door. To my delight all the boys immediately followed, it was so much easier than I thought it would be to get Mitch on board and I was sure he didn't suspect a thing otherwise there was no way he'd be following me right now.

My hand hovered over the games room door for a moment in anticipation, I was nervous about Mitch's reaction, I was scared he would be too overwhelmed by the whole thing and panic. I didn't want him to feel pressured into celebrating his birthday but at the same time this had to be done. He couldn't live in denial forever.

So I threw open the door.

"SURPRISE!" Nico, Grey, Sawyer and I yelled as Mitch stepped forward into the room and was met with a floor completely covered in balloons and a ceiling strung with banners and pool table decked out with plates of slightly hardened brownies.

"You didn't," Mitch's eyes grew wide as we all waited with our breaths in the back of our throats in anticipation.

"We did," Grey admitted having the decency to look a little sheepish.

"Who told Cara?" Mitch's eyes scrutinised all of them.

"My dad told me," I put in quickly, "he thought I already knew." I knew I sounded slightly bitter as I said the last bit but I wanted him to know that I was insulted.

"Oh," Mitch considered for a moment.

"It's just the five of us, it's not a big thing, just food and some balloons," Sawyer spat out in a rush.

Mitch hesitated then slow smile swept across his cheeks even though I could tell he was trying to restrain it.

"I guess I'll allow it then," he sighed like it was such a hardship. We all let out the breaths we'd been holding.

"Yay!" I clapped my hands excitedly.

"But I'm still challenging you to a game of pool," Mitch insisted.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you cause it's your birthday," I warned and proceeded to beat him at three games in a row.

Grey put some music on but they all had such different tastes that every couple of minutes one of them would go over and change the song before another one of them complained and changed it again. Grey and Nico played on the PlayStation for some time while they made their way through all the brownies. When Mitch and I finished on the pool table they took over with Sawyer and I pulled Mitch over to one side.

"I didn't have much time to whip something up because you didn't tell me it was your birthday," I gave him a glare before pulling something out from behind me, "but happy birthday Mitchell, here you are."

I handed over my handmade birthday card, on the front I'd drawn little cartoon versions of the two of us in football uniform passing a ball as we ran down a football pitch.

"I love it," Mitch grinned as he opened the card and silently read it in his head. I was glad he didn't read it out loud because it was soppy and something that sounded far better on paper than it ever could in speech. "Thank you so much Cara."

I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes as he pulled me in for a hug.

"No problem," I mumbled into his hair, I could feel his gratitude radiating from every part of him into me and I knew we'd done the right thing even though we disobeyed his wishes. He was all the happier for it. When he pulled away I looked him dead in the eyes sternly, "promise you'll tell me next time you want to hide something. I don't care what, a dogs birthday or anniversary of something I don't know but you better tell me."

"I promise," Mitch nodded sincerely, "you promise too, no secrets?"

"None," I agreed though I knew from the moment I said it that I would regret saying that.

"Mitch! Cara!" Grey yelled and we both simultaneously spun our heads towards him where he was leaning out the window in delight. Outside Nico had snuck out onto Kings Bridge's immaculate lawns and was setting alight a bunch of fireworks. My stomach clenched just watching him wander around among them so close to danger.

"Oh my god," Mitch voiced what I'd been thinking.

No one had a chance to respond before there was a resounding bang and a burst of light shot into the air before exploding into a rainbow of coloured sprinkles raining down from the sky. I felt my face being bathed in their iridescent shimmer as I listened to them crackle in the otherwise still twilight. It was magical and amazing how something so simple could make your stomach flip in such a way.

We all watched in complete awe as one by one the fireworks went up and exploded and filled the air with noise and light. All of us huddled round a window as down below Nico rushed around risking his life to get that one perfect night for his best friend.

Near the end I felt a hand reach out for mine and in the dark Mitch intwined our fingers together.

He leaned down so his lips were touching my ear and whispered quiet enough that I knew I would be the only one to hear, "thank you, this was the best birthday ever."

That moment was perfection.