Inspirational quote: Never mind what haters say, because so long until they fade away!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

It was the fourteenth of March, year and day of the week not extremely necessary, and it was about eight hours after Esperanza, Kieran and Dr Kozak had arrived back at KOZAHKISTAN HEADQUARTERS from their mission.

Dr Kozak had persuaded Adam and a bunch of other people to help him plan Esperanza's surprise birthday party- right now it was currently about three o'clock in the afternoon, the planning for Esperanza's birthday party starting at half past one and finishing at two o'clock, therefore making Adam receive about one hour of sleep before waking up for real again.

Adam was currently sharing a room with Esperanza, which they were both actually really happy about seeing as they were best friends, and as soon as Adam's alarm went off at two thirty, he got out of bed, already dressed in what he was going to wear for Esperanza's surprise birthday party.

A black tuxedo with a purple bow tie.

With white and black Adidas superstars.

He tried waking Esperanza up from her bed although when he got out of bed and went over to hers to wake her up, Esperanza just simply wasn't there.

"Esperanza!" Adam bellowed. "Esperanza, where the hell are you?!"

There was absolutely no way that the birthday girl could have gone missing on her birthday.

"Esperanza! We seriously need to leave!"

Obviously Adam couldn't mention the fact that everyone had planned a surprise birthday party for Esperanza, otherwise, well, it wouldn't really be a surprise anymore, just a birthday party.

"Esperanza! For goodness sake, where the heck are you, like I had asked you earlier, if you had paid attention!!"

Adam has searched high and low for Esperanza, not finding her anywhere, then accidentally on purpose sort of bumped into her not long after he was intermittently shouting her name.

"Oh. Sorry..." Adam opened his eyes to see her. "Whoa."

He was absolutely gobsmacked on what Esperanza was wearing. She was basically wearing a turquoise princess dress which was really pretty, and she had spent about half an hour curling her hair and adding about seventy million tiny turquoise ribbons in her hair.

On her feet were matching turquoise stilettos. In other words turquoise high heels. Jeez. Esperanza was already tall enough for a seventeen year old, she didn't need to wear high heels that made her nearly as tall as the ceiling!

"Hey," she blew bubblegum that was, no surprise, turquoise. "Sorry I took so long."

"You look...." Adam was trying to find the right words but it just never came out of his mouth. "Amazing."

Esperanza had just smiled in return, as she didn't really know what to say to Adam, but she was very thankful for what he had just told her.

Even if it kinda took him a long time to say it.

"Don't I always?" She replied, flicking her luminous long hair which she also dip dyed turquoise for the day, no real surprise there either.

Adam didn't say anything. He couldn't really think of a reply.

"Nah. I was joking. You look somewhat amazing too."

"Somewhat"...

Except Adam hadn't really heard the somewhat bit of course- he was just absolutely mesmerised by what Esperanza was wearing.

"Happy birthday..." he muttered eventually, hugging her, and Esperanza had kind of grudgingly hugged him back.

"Thanks, Adam. Although it seemed pretty quiet in the corridors when I went to Dr Kozak's sister's room for her to help me do my make up. Why?"

Adam didn't reply. He just bit his lip, if that counted as a reply anyway.

Luckily for him he didn't really need to reply anyway because just then, his phone beeped, telling him that he had just received a text message from Dr Kozak.

Hey... you and Esperanza awake yet?

Ensuring that Esperanza wasn't looking, he quickly typed something back, as fast as his fingers could type back anyway.

Yeah.

Dr Kozak: Come to room 36,363. And make sure that Esperanza does not come with you.

Adam: And how the hell am I supposed to accomplish that?

Dr Kozak: Lie to her. Say that you need to go "toilet" or something.

Adam: And you really think that that would work?

Dr Kozak: I've known Esperanza for ten years. Trust me, she can be really naive or gullible when she wants to be.

Adam: Okay. Fine.

Dr Kozak: Thanks.

Adam: But what about Esperanza?

Dr Kozak: What about Esperanza?

Adam: How will she know where we all are? Or that we're planning a surprise birthday party for her?

Dr Kozak: I'll call her about five minutes after you arrive.

End of conversation.

Adam then turned to Esperanza, before saying anything else to her.

"Esperanza..." he trailed off dramatically, staring at her, Esperanza doing the same thing back to him. "I kinda need to go somewhere..."

"Where?" She wanted to know.

Room 36,363.

"Toilet," Adam fibbed helplessly. "I'll be right back. I promise."

Which obviously was a lie due to what Dr Kozak had told him to do.

"You promise you'll be right back?"

Adam nodded his head very vigorously.

"I promise I'll be right back," Adam lied helplessly.

"You won't leave me hanging?"

"I won't leave you hanging."

Esperanza was then about to say something but then stifled it when she watched Adam leave the room, pretty much banging the door on her.

Adam was walking as fast as he could to room 36,363 like Dr Kozak had insisted him to, and as soon as he got there, let's just say that there were about 1,500 other people as well.

Room 36,363 was way too massive.

"You made it," Dr Kozak whispered, smiling at him when he had arrived. He was with Maria Grace, and just Maria Grace, talking about something, all of them just staring at Adam as soon as he arrived.

"Yeah," Adam whispered back, hyperventilating. "But what about Esperanza?"

"Dr Kozak is going to call her," Maria Grace answered, watching the doctor as he speed dialled Esperanza's number, waiting for her to pick up.

Dr Kozak frowned.

"What's the matter?"

Dr Kozak stared at him blankly.

"She's not picking up."

Esperanza in the meantime was really annoyed, constantly checking the time on her turquoise watch, not saying anything.

"Adam lied to me!" She hollered to herself, really exasperatingly, checking herself out one more time in the mirror.

Her phone was placed there, and when Esperanza was checking herself out in the mirror, she couldn't really help to notice that her phone was continuously playing her ringtone.

She then cautiously put her make up down and stared at her phone blankly, wondering who was calling her.

So you grab your girls
And you grab a couple more
Then you all can meet me
In the middle of the floor
Say the air is thick, it's smelling right
So you pass to the left
And you sail to the right

Dr Kozak...

Esperanza smiled to herself complacently as she picked up the phone.

Dr Kozak: "Hey, birthday girl! Happy birthday! For like the tenth time today."

Esperanza smiled even more.

Esperanza: "Thank you, Dr Kozak!"

Dr Kozak: "Why didn't you pick up when I called you the first time?"

Esperanza: "My phone was on vibration. I genuinely didn't hear it go off. I'm really sorry."

Dr Kozak: "That's fine."

Silence.

Esperanza: "Where is everyone? It's suddenly really quiet in KOZAHKISTAN HEADQUARTERS and I don't know why."

Dr Kozak: "*fake laughs*"

Esperanza was kind of perplexed.

Esperanza: "What was the fake laugh for?"

Dr Kozak: "Interesting question, Esperanza..."

Esperanza: "The way you're talking to me is kinda creeping me out, sir."

Dr Kozak: "Come to room 36,363."

Esperanza: "Why?"

Dr Kozak: "If I could wink at you right now then I would."

Esperanza: "But you didn't answer my question. Why do you want me to come to room 36,363?"

Dr Kozak: "Just come... You won't regret it. Seriously."

Esperanza: "But room 36,363 is far..."

Dr Kozak: "Not really. Adam literally just walked there from the same place that you're in right now. And if he can get there without a teleporter then so can you."

Esperanza: "*sighs in frustration* Fine. I'm on my way there. Bye."

Dr Kozak: "*smiles but obviously Anastasia can't see him* Happy birthday again, Esperanza."

Esperanza: Thank you sir.

End of phone conversation.

Esperanza then brought back to memory something that Dr Kozak had said on the phone just now.

Dr Kozak: "Come to room 36,363."

Esperanza: "Why?"

Dr Kozak: "If I could wink at you right now then I would."

"If I could wink at you right now, then I would..."

But why?

Esperanza was slightly confused on why Dr Kozak would have said that, but she didn't say anything, she just left the room, heading for 36,363 where her surprise birthday party was, which obviously she didn't know about.

....yet.

Esperanza was casually walking over to the desired room in which Dr Kozak had asked her to go to, really bewildered on why he had asked her to go there.

In the meantime, Dr Kozak and everybody else that was in room 36,363 were watching her through the gargantuan CCTV camera that was taking up almost half of the space, everyone becoming even more excited as Esperanza came closer to the room.

"Hello?" People heard her echo through the CCTV camera, Dr Kozak just completely surprised over what Esperanza was wearing.

"Dr Kozak? Maria Grace? Adam?" She stopped talking. "Anyone?"

No one replied, although as soon as Dr Kozak realised that Esperanza was literally in the same corridor as the room, he used a megaphone to deafeningly yell something.

"Guys! Esperanza's coming! Quickly! Hide!"

As soon as Dr Kozak had yelled that through the microphone, that was basically when everybody had gotten into their hiding positions, Dr Kozak telling Ezekiel to switch off the light before he hid anywhere.

And just in time too, because Esperanza had entered the room, relatively annoyed however really confused on why Dr Kozak wanted her to come here.

"Hello? Is this room 36,363? I feel lost."

Esperanza had then slightly left the room to check the door number at the front, and yes, it was the right room.

"Gosh. It's really dark in here... let me switch on the light."

And as soon as she did that, she was in for the best surprise of her life.

When Esperanza switched on the light and then turned around, that was when everyone sprung up from their hiding places, screaming the words:

"Happy seventeenth birthday, Esperanza!"

Esperanza couldn't believe what just happened.

She squealed, smiling, before crying tears of joy.

"Oh my gosh! I'm literally speechless! Thank you all so much!"

Then after that proceeded some birthday balloons playfully thrown at her face.

"Who planned all this?" Esperanza wanted to know, which was literally when everyone had bellowed Dr Kozak's name at the same time.

Esperanza stared at Dr Kozak, smiling, before crying tears of joy again and running up to hug him.

"Thank you so much! I wasn't even expecting this!"

She then spun him round and round, Dr Kozak just smiling and winking at her.

"Well. I've known you for ten years and I've never missed your birthday. Can't miss your seventeenth one."

Esperanza just wouldn't stop hugging him. She then hugged Maria Grace, Ezekiel and basically everyone else that had helped Dr Kozak plan the surprise party in the first place.

Then the party had basically started as music came out of nowhere.

"I don't deserve any of this!" Esperanza vociferated, when her and Dr Kozak were alone and everyone else were pretty much dancing to the music or talking to people that they had known.

"Yeah I know you don't but I'm a nice person, and I just kind of wanted to make it up to you for being rather impolite to you lately."

Esperanza didn't say anything, just stared at Dr Kozak, hugging him again, then smiled.

Dr Kozak smiled back.

"Hey look, it's your birthday party, don't let me distract you, go and mingle with your other friends."

"But what about you?"

"Nah. Don't worry about me, Esperanza." Dr Kozak ruffled her hair then winked at her again. "A doctor's gotta do what a doctor's gotta do."

Then Dr Kozak walked away, leaving Esperanza, until she walked backwards and bumped into Maria Grace, and just Maria Grace alone.

"Hey cousin! Happy birthday!"

Esperanza smiled before hugging Maria again, then unexpectedly Kieran then came walking past, staring evilly at them, not saying anything.

"Hey Kieran."

"Don't talk to me. Birthday or not, I've had enough of you and everyone else."

Then Kieran stormed off.

"Jesus why's he so moody?"

"I don't know. Mainly because he's had an argument with Dr Kozak and he's letting his anger out on everyone. The two fully aren't speaking to each other because of this either."

Maria Grace didn't say anything , then froze once she realised something.

"What did Dr Kozak do?" She wanted to know, half annoyed, half not. "Why are they in an argument in the first place?"

"Dr Kozak didn't do anything! And I'll explain later."

"Well. I'm going to get Dr Kozak and Kieran to become friends again whether it's the last thing I do."

"But Maria. That's not possible."

Except Maria Grace didn't reply.
Because before anyone could stop Maria Grace...

....Maria Grace left Esperanza and went to go and find Kieran, trying the best she could to get Kieran and Dr Kozak talking to each other again.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Moral of chapter: If there's a problem, Fix it. Don't wait until you're told. You go to Hell if you don't repent as well. So do it before it's too late. Also, a very happy birthday to Esperanza. Hehe.