CRASH!

Felice woke up groaning, rubbing her eyes. "...What time is it?" She checked the clock beside her bed. It seemed to be midnight. "This is WAY too early to be crashing around." She mumbled angrily, exasperated and tired. She put on her clothes; brushing her teeth, etc. She slowly walked down the crickety stairs of her family's house; getting out from the attic was such a pain.

Oh! Forgot to introduce you. Well, ever since Felice went back, things had been well, she guessed. Her family didn't underestimate her so much anymore, and Mika couldn't tease her that much. She was strong enough to endure it even when Rain or Siana couldn't stop Mika. she just shrugged and went back to work.

She moved all her stuff to the attic, one thing to help her family (since one of her aunts gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! They needed a nursery) and to feel closer to Bronze, and her uncle, Raziel. She missed Bronze and her friends there, her family there, especially Emily and them.

But this way? She was closer to them. So she didn't feel that bad. Especially when the Bronze portal glitched a few times and a letter popped out for her. This happened about once a month; Emily was super busy, since she was declared the new "hero". But sometimes Rose would write too. That was how she knew Sabrina went back to her old duties; Keeping Bronze safe.

Anyways, back to the story. Felice quietly walked down, (well, as quietly as she could. You know how crickety the stairs are! Especially if you read book 1 of Bronze.) carefully watching both up the stairs and who was at the bottom. She groaned when she reached the kitchen, seeing who it was. "Mika!" Mika, the cousin who would tease her so, was eating macaroni.

"What?" Mika scoffed. Felice glared at her. Well, at least this was a good opportunity. Felice was looking for a reason to "shout maturely" now that she was 17, the age your considered responsible in the White family. "Mikaela Kiki White, it's literally midnight! Why are you eating macaroni at midnight?" Mika rolled her eyes. "Don't use that weird thing that grown-ups do on me. Your only a few months older." Felice was about to reply, but then blushed in embarrassment as her stomach rumbled. Mika grinned, looking like she was going to burst into laughter. "You want macaroni too?" Felice, exasperated and embarrassed, rolled her eyes and accepted Mika's offer, taking a bowl of macaroni and a fork. She chewed quietly.

It was awkward for a while.

Felice was the first to speak up. "...Hey, Mika, why do you hate me so much?" Mika looked up in surprise. "Hate you? Why would I hate you?" Felice shrugs. "It just feels that way, especially since you tease me so much." Mika was quiet for a bit. She chewed slowly on her macaroni, finally replying, "...I don't hate you. I guess I'm naturally an annoying person." Felice looked at her, surprised. "...You think your annoying?" Mika shrugs. "It's hard to not feel that way when everyone thinks you are." 

Felice couldn't believe it. "Your telling me YOUR getting teased, too?" Mika looked up at her, annoyed. "Isn't it obvious? Scarlet's around me almost everyday. Her sister and mother too, and so many of our aunts and uncles don't like me." Now that Felice thought about it, she had seen Mika getting teased, especially since she was so short. When Scarlet told Felice to go away, she just listened without a second thought, thinking that Mika deserved it for being so rude to her.

"...I'm sorry." Felice replied, as Mika looked at her weirdly. "I'm sorry I didn't help you. I guess I was just so angry you'd tease me so much." Mika looked away from Felice. "I'm sorry too. I was just so angry, I just wanted to vent my feelings. And then you were there." She laughs. "Your still pathetic, though." Felice playfully punched Mika on the shoulder.

She was surprised to see Mika had tears in her eyes. It was awkward. Uh oh. Felice didn't know what to do; How do you comfort your cousin-yet-enemy who just made up with you?

She hugged Mika, who sobbed into her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while.

Well, Felice's 17th birthday started out weird.