“I’m so happy you got your house back,” Cassie pressed her fingers against lips, overwhelmed by the events.Thinking back to Patricia, she wasn’t quite sure what possessed her to do what she did. She really could have gone to jail for that if a police report was made, she knew the law’s harsh stance on Titan’s abusing their size and the social stigma that came with being convicted of abuse. If Patricia had called her bluff, the game would have been up and Alvin would have been homeless, likely indefinitely.

 “I’m just happy she finally got put in her place,” Wendy answered as the two sat on Cassie’s lap, the latter herself reclining on a couch. Alvin quietly nodded, enjoying the sight of his step sister smiling. He hadn’t seen that since Wendy’s one eighty on him. It felt satisfying to see her at least rewarded for the proper change of heart.

 “ You should still have thrown her out though,” Cassie said to Alvin.

 I wish I could, he thought.

“Can’t, she is still the only person capable of supporting us.I’ll be going to college and we all know how much moolah they bring in.” He turned to Cassie, a bemused smirk as he eyed her.

 “ What did you tell her? What did you say that changed her mind so quickly?”   He was curious, personal experience told him Cassie was a very persuasive girl. Had she done the same to Patricia? He wouldn’t complain if she did, no he would actually pat her on her back if she did.

 Cassie shrugged her shoulders,  “ I just told her what needed to be said, that’s all.”

 Alvin knew there was more but he could sense Cassie’s reluctance to elaborate so he dropped it. After all, morale was high and it would be pointless to start any arguments now.

 “ So, you’re moving back in after your birthday. Which means you get to turn 18 in this house. What were your other birthdays like?”

 “Mostly getting ignored and having it treated as any other day,” Alvin replied while glancing at Wendy, waves of a more bitter past flashing before his eyes.

 “Sorry, this will be different,” Wendy answered, feeling rather ashamed of her role in it.

 “All is forgiven Wendy,” Alvin assured her. She had more than proven that, getting kicked out of the house for him. If there was one thing he regretted, it was that all this had happened too late. Wendy and Alvin had enough similarities to get along but in less than month, he would have graduated. Three months after that and it would be college for him, leaving Wendy alone with Patricia. That wasn’t something he’d wish on her, not after what he had seen of her. Currently though, she appeared to be cowed by the threat of police action for her crime. He would have to work out some sort of long term contingency plan but for now, he’d enjoy the rest of his time as Cassie’s housemate.

 “ What did you normally do to him on his birthday?”

 The denim ground beneath them shifted as Cassie sat up, looking down at both with them. She focused on Wendy more although there was none of the anger she initially viewed her with, her question was more of a curious query.

 “ What I normally did to him? A good one for him would probably be-”

 “Wendy forgetting it. Which happened a few times and that was as good as it got; but that’s ancient history. I’ll be showering and doing some studying after that,” Alvin said as Cassie instinctively picked him and placed him on the ground. Titan dwellings were often outfitted with stairs that led up towards normal rooms so they wouldn’t require Titan assistance for everything.

 “ Oh Alvin!” Cassie called out to him.

 He turned back , wondering why Cassie had done so. Had she forgotten something?

 “Are you allergic to anything?Like nuts or lactose intolerant?”

 “Just secrets,” Alvin playfully winked at Cassie before resuming his walk.

 Wendy knew something was up between the now, smirking at the Titan. She was definitely planning something, the girl couldn’t hide a secret well.

“Well Cass, I got a question to ask you. Not here though, it's...girl stuff.” She threw in a cheeky wink and getting a little annoyed look from Cassie; the message having gotten through.

 “ Alright, let's go to my room,” Cassie scooped up Wendy and brought the Amazon to her room, the teasing obvious to her.

 “Okay,” Cassie said as she set Wendy on her study table, sitting in her study chair to face Wendy. .

  “What do you need to talk about?”

  “ The birthday cake for Alvin, you’re obviously getting one.”

“Yeah I am,” Cassie replied, not even trying to hide it from her.It would be better to actually keep her in on this, seeing as she knew the most about Alvin.

 “ That alone will make it a hit, the only cake he got was never eaten,” Wendy remembered his 16th birthday which ended with her slamming a chocolate cupcake straight into his face. It was funny then, not so much now.

“Okay then we got to make his eighteenth the best one yet. Not just a cake, I plan on confessing to him then, before the dance.It’s the same day, you think he’ll accept?” Cassie bared a little teeth, a bundle of nerves over her plans.

Wendy nodded, of course he would. Alvin echoed Cassie’s feelings, she’d rather Cassie grab Alvin, announce her feelings and seal it with a kiss.

 “ He’ll say yes, even if you just wish him happy birthday.”

 Cassie shook her head, that would have been the bare and unacceptable minimum.

 “ No way. We got to make it perfect , starting with the cake. He has to like it.” Cassie pulled her tablet close to her, opening up a bookmarked website that sold baked goods ,cakes being one of their specialities. She had settled on a few  but needed a second opinion on them.

 “Wow, you did your research,” Wendy rubbed her chin, amazed at the selection she saw.

 “First one, a red velvet cake with vanilla frosting,” Cassie lightly tapped a picture, bringing up the radiant red of the cake.

 “Alvin likes black forest cake, it's his favourite. If you want to get into his pants, give him one.”

 “I don’t want to get into his pants. Wendy…” Cassie held that last syllable to reflect her displeasure.

 “ Oh ri-aight…” Wendy rolled her eyes.

“You don’t want sex him up ever, I know eventually you guys are going to do it. Just maybe not on his birthday, even if that will make it one to remember. Hope you went for sex class, wouldn’t want to crush him during it.”

 “ I did go for those classes , aced it. Anyway, how did we go from cake to sex?” Cassie pursed her lips, although she was more surprised at how Wendy had even initiated this discussion. She was after all, his sister, even if they weren’t linked by blood, there ought to have been some sort of sibling bond.

 “ I just...know things,” Wendy replied, throwing in a cheeky wink and smile.

 “Anyway...so his favourite is black forest? How sure are you?”

 “Very sure. When his dad, my stepdad , was still around he had it every year for his birthday. The look on his face, you’d think the prettiest girl in school  had kissed him,”  Wendy answered.

 Wendy shot Cassie another knowing look, the latter trying her best not to feel the tease.

“ He won’t be thinking about that on his birthday,” Cassie said as her lips pulled themselves into a slight grin.

 “ Sounds like a lot of surprises for him. You sure his brain can handle all of it?”

 Cassie nodded, “ Of course, Alvin’s a smart guy and I’ve got it all planned out. Even the parts where I need a good wing woman like you.”

 Wendy chuckled, of course she had planned it out. It was what she expected from a girl likely to be crowned valedictorian.

  “Aye aye captain,” She saluted Cassie who chuckled lightly.

 “What’s the plan?”

 “Well phase one was to get a dress. That’s settled.” Cassie stood up and opened her cupboard where she pulled out a red figure hugging dress, pressing it against her body.

 “Wadya think?”

  Wendy whistled at the sight of it, strapless and designed to tease a little decolletage but covered enough of her to retain some class.

 “ Yeah...you’ll knock him out with that one. Is the material even organic?” Wendy asked, Cassie’s family weren’t filthy rich but from what she’d seen, they were most likely upper middle class Titans.

“ There’s some cashmere in it but it's not one hundred percent organic. Not without mortgaging the house anyway,” Cassie replied quickly as she stashed the dress back inside a cupboard before closing it.

She ambled back to Wendy, sitting in the chair before getting to phase two.

“Phase two,” she trilled while holding up two fingers.

“Is to get Alvin his cake. Since you said black forest is his favourite, then we’ll get him that. I’m getting a normal sized cake for him, I think it's only appropriate he get a slice of cake that won’t flatten him.”

“That’ll be quite the birthday. Crush confesses then boom!” Wendy slammed her fist into her open palm.

 “Crush’s cake crushes him,” Wendy laughed at the image in his head, Alvin flattened by a slice of cake the size of a school bus, legs sticking out from the cake like the Wicked Witch of the East.

“Worst birthday ever. He’ll thinking that if it ever happened. Anyway I’m going down to the cake shop tomorrow, you can come if you like.”

 “I can do that, should be fun to pick out a cake. You going to put a message on it?”

Cassie shrugged her shoulders hopefully, “ Was going to tell him in words. Since I’m getting a normal sized cake, you’ll have to hold it for me. On top of your other duties.”

 “What other duties? Buttering him up for you?” Wendy asked, a little excited at this. None of the girls ever asked her to do this, the reason being boys their age always kept clear of the wrestling quartet. Fear outweighed flirtation every time. This, with Alvin and Cassie was a pleasant fresh breeze.

 “No, you can talk about me like you’ve always done.”

 “Calling you a bitch?”

 “Seems you need to go back in the sock…” Cassie growled, Wendy giggling girlishly.

“ Anytime princess. Anytime. Okay on the day itself , you need me to drag him home? Leave him in here for you to strut your stuff?”

Cassie tilted her head to the side, her hair following suit.

“ We’ll have a quick celebration, I’ll declare my undying love for Alvin after a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and then it's off to prom where I’ll be queen and he’ll probably king.”

 “Aww…”Wendy interlocked her fingers together, pressing them against her cheek while cooing, somewhat sarcastically but she would have been sincerely happy to see him win prom king.

 “ Be sure to take pictures, I want to see them when you guys get back.”

 “You’re not going?” Cassie had expected to see Wendy there.

 Wendy shook her head, it didn’t make sense to go.

 “I’ll go next year, this isn’t my time. You kids have fun now, don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning.”