Chapter 87：Petty revenge

As revenge for bullying him, Fir decided to reveal a little something about Dylan to Sherry. He chirped and cleared his throat for this moment.

"Chirp, chirp, ahem. Sherry." He spoke in English. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh, what's so important that you can't use telepathy?" Sherry asked, amused.

"You know, last night, when you went out shopping with your mum and Lyn stayed behind to drink with your dad."

"Yeah, what about it?" Sherry edged him on.

Dylan was also tuning in. Half his memories of that night were just a haze. He had no idea what he did, but Fir did. And he was interested to find out.

"Did I do something weird? I don't remember half of it." Dylan honestly revealed.

At his revelation, Sherry paused. A wave of relief and little something else washed over her as she realised that he didn't remember anything to do with calling her his best friend or her whispering to him that she 'loved him'. It also meant that he didn't remember clinging to her like a spoiled child and rubbing his cheeks against her arm. If he did, he was sure to become extremely embarrassed.

"You see, Lyn got really really really drunk and he started to get really really relaxed. Like, he was crying and he was laughing and then he just kept talking-muuu." Fir was forcibly silenced but the red faced Dylan who had forced Fir's beak shut with his strong hands. Fir flapped frantically to escape but he couldn't beat the experienced Dylan.

"Jokes on you, Lyn! I can use telepathy!" Fir stopped struggling and exclaimed loudly in Dylan and Sherry's minds.

"No more saying embarrassing things about me, Fir!" Dylan told Fir with telepathy. He released his poor bird and tried to bargain with him. "I'll give you a whole fairy's drop. Just stop!"

"Really?! Yayyyyyy!!!!" Fir cheered and whistled about in the car.

"Did you just bribe him?" Sherry had been kept in the dark about their conversation but judging from Fir's reaction, Dylan definitely bribed him.

"…No, what makes you think that?" Dylan smiled and lied through his teeth.

"You bribed him."

"Cough, anyways, you have anything else to say, Fir?" Dylan coughed and changed the subject.

"Ah, yes. So Lyn got drunk and Uncle was starting to warm up to him. Then Lyn got really really happy and said (Fir poorly imitating Dylan's drunk voice.) "When you're happy, you have to celebrate. I have some Kraken on me."" Fir imitated mockingly. "And then, before I could stop him, he opened his storage and took the plate out in front of Uncle."

"He did what?!" Sherry slammed on the brakes and exclaimed. Fortunately, they were in a residential area so the streets weren't busy and they were basically the only ones there.

"He used magic in front of Uncle but Uncle thought he was just seeing things so he didn't think too much of it." Fir explained.

"Even so, how can you use magic in front of my dad? Do you want to expose yourself?!" Sherry shouted hysterically.

"I, I didn't know I did that! When I get drunk, I lose all self control and operate only on emotion." Dylan tried to explain but Sherry was not buying it. She was furious.

"So you knew that you get out of control when drunk, and you still drank?"

Dylan nodded fearfully. "I, I thought it would be fine. I mean, it would have been rude not to drink. And last time we drank together, I was fine. Just went to sleep for a bit."

"R-really? I could've sworn I had more than that." Dylan scratched his hair to hide his shame.

"OMG! Luckily my Dad is stupid and didn't believe what he saw. He probably thinks you did a magic trick or something." Sherry sighed. "You're ban from drinking forever. Never can you touch a drop of alcohol, ever again!"

"Yes, ma'am, yes!" Dylan unintentionally saluted. Inside, he was blaming Fir for not telling him earlier and revealing it to Sherry instead.

Dylan: He's definitely not getting that fairy's drop anymore!

Fir: That's what you get for bullying me!

Meanwhile, Janine and Charlotte were both chilling on the couch when Janine received a notification on her phone. After giving a quick glance over at it, Janine called Charlotte over.

"Lotte, do you remember Sam?" Janine asked.

"Sam?" Charlotte repeated. She paused before a familiar face flashed through her mind. "That girl from high school yeah? The singing one."

"Mhm, she says she's throwing a Christmas party over at her place."

"A Christmas party? Didn't seem like the type to do that." Charlotte mused.

"Apparently her boyfriend wanted for it to happen."

"She has a boyfriend now? Damn, everyone around us these days, I mean even Sherry has Dylan."

At that moment, the sound of the passcode to the house being pressed echoed throughout the house.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." Janine laughed and looked at the coup-, pair walk in. Dylan scanned the room with his eyes, detecting the half opened chip packets and dirty plates left on the tables and a jacket that was thrown on the couch. He frowned and sighed with displeasure.

"It was only ONE night. In just ONE night, you've managed to cause such a mess." Dylan complained.

Janine lazily reached out for the open can of soft drink on the table and took a sip before replying to Dylan. "This isn't even messy, at most, its disorganised. You just have OCD."

"OCD? What's that?" Dylan tilted his head in confusion.

"It means Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." Charlotte explained. "Even a primary kid knows, even if they don't know what it stands for, how do you not?"

It sounded rude but Dylan understood that Charlotte was sincerely curious so he did not get mad at her. He just shook his head and began to clarify. "I wasn't born here, remember? And please explain what it means to me in simpler terms, I wasn't able to quite catch the meaning of what you said."

"Oh yeah, I've forgotten that." Charlotte laughed and muttered. "Anyways, it means to be really obsessed with something to the point of being irrational. For example, being really fond of everything being in the right place, down to the millimetre or getting really jittery if you can't clean your hands every once in a while."

"I don't have that." Dylan frowned. "Like a normal person, I just don't like it when things are messy, like this."

"Well, you might not have OCD, but you sure are a neat freak." Janine laughed.

"No, you're just messy." Dylan argued, but not very strongly.

"If you're not then, restrain yourself from cleaning for just today." Janine proposed. "If you can't, you have to be my slave- actually no, you're already my slave-ish so, hmm, you have to grant me one wish."

"And if I win?"

"Then I'll clean up after myself." Janine said with a smirk. Her face displayed absolute confidence and also seemed to be mocking Dylan. Irked, Dylan had a mini standoff with Janine. The two stared each other in the eye, sparks flying from the intensity.

"…Alright, I'll take you up on your challenge. If I win, you will clean up after yourself from now on. And by that, I mean, after you're finished with a dish, you will clean it and put it away. No throwing clothes around either. And if I lose, I fulfil one wish of yours, is that correct?"

"Yep." Janine grinned. She stretched out her hand and the two shook on the deal.

"No cleaning starting from now." Janine reminded Dylan. "And no matter how big the mess is, you can't do anything."

"I can do it, I lived in an all guys dorm before." Dylan replied but his twitching eye and shaky hands betrayed his emotions.

"Dylan." Sherry pat his shoulder. "This is karma for getting drunk."

"I'm going to win! Believe in me!" Dylan exclaimed but not convincingly.

"Don't go too hard on him, Janine."

"I won't. The show we're going to see him play out will provide plenty of fun anyways." Janine chuckled.

"True." Sherry giggled. "Then, I'll be leaving now."

"Ah, before you go, do you want to go to Sam's Christmas party? It's on the 23rd." Janine asked.

"Sam? Oh, she's the one from high school isn't she? The singing one."

"Yeah. Wanna go?"

"I don't know man. I haven't spoken to her since high school."

"She says she wants to catch up though. She even specified to bring you along."

"Really? I'll think about it then."

"Okay. See ya."

"Bye, Sherry!"

"I'll see you out."

"Mm, bye."

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Author: I've realised that I might have to write a christmas party, except I've never been to one before. How do normies party?

Dylan: Uhh, not sure what you mean by normies but the parties I've been to have cakes and like, a buffet kind of thing. Everyone comes and we dance and build connections, establish factions and whatnot.

Author: Dylan, the party I'm talking about is a real party, not a effing ball! We're not cinderelling this shit.

Dylan: But I've never been to a not-a-ball party before.

Author: Damn it, the only parties I've been to are just eating with relatives, or going out with my friends. What even are parties?

Sherry: I heard you were complaining, what's up?

Author: Sherry, have you been to a party before?

Sherry: Of course I have, what am I? Some kind of hermit? Janine's dad once threw her a party at the magical land of dreams, and he paid for everything, accomodation and food and whatnot. Everyone just played until we dropped out like flies.

Author, through her tears: Riajuu, shi-ne!!!!! (or explode? Whichever is fine with me.)