Los Angeles | 2010
Alex's POV
I was jolted awake by a strong shaking sensation. A hand was on my shoulder, rocking me with an insistent urgency. I groaned, reaching for my specs on the side table. After putting them on, I realized that it was Haley, a shadowy figure in the pre-dawn gloom.
"What the hell, Haley? What happened? What time is it?" I mumbled, my voice thick and drowsy.
"Ugh, this is what I get for putting in the effort. It's 6 AM, you dork, and…" she paused, a mischievous grin I could just barely make out on her face.
Then suddenly, the light was turned on. But it wasn't the harsh glare of my bedside lamp. It was a soft, colorful glow. Along the wall opposite my bed, a string of strip lights I had never seen before flickered to life, spelling out two words in bright, looping letters: 'Happy Birthday Alex'.
Before I could even process the words, Haley suddenly hugged me. "Happy Birthday, Alex!!"
"Happy Birthday, Alex!" a smaller voice chirped, and Luke, who I just noticed had been sitting by the power plug, came rushing and hugged me as well, sandwiching me between my two siblings.
I was bombarded with too many inputs all at once. The lights, the hugs, the impossible fact that Haley and Luke were being genuinely sweet to me at six in the morning. I just sat there for a moment, processing. Then, a slow, genuine smile spread across my face, and I hugged both of them back.
"Thank you, both of you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "This is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me."
Just then, there was a dull thud from my window as it was pushed open. We all turned, shocked, to see Brad entering my room from the window. He was a complete mess. He had a leaf in his hair, a smudge of dirt on his cheek, and he looked as if he had been to war against Treants.
He patted himself down, trying to regain some dignity, and then saw the three of us in a group hug. "Oh, goddammit, I told you guys to wait for me!" he whined.
"Oh please, I texted you like ten times and there was no response, that's already way more attention than I give to any boy" Haley stated in disgust. "Besides, you said we would do it at 5:30. We waited as long as we could!"
"Yeah, well, it was after I got out of the house that I realized I didn't have my phone, and then I had to avoid Dad, who for some reason was up at 5 AM leaving for his morning run! All that took time!" he explained, finally turning to look at me. His frustration melted away, replaced by a soft, warm smile that was a little dejected at the circumstances.
"Hey, Lexi… Surprise. And Happy Birthday," he said.
Seeing his disappointed face, I decided to get up from bed and went to hug him. As soon as I did, he returned the hug just as tightly, his arms wrapping around me in a way that felt very comforting.
"Thank you sooooo muuuch," I said into his shoulder, my voice full of unending joy and love. I pulled back, still beaming. "When did you guys even plan this?"
Before Brad could say a word, Haley began her own retelling, a proud, self-satisfied look on her face. "We have been doing this for a week now. He approached me and asked if I would help, and I thought, why not?" she said with a shrug. "It was fun seeing you act like a couple. I even thought about wrecking it at some point, but then I can't be that evil, right?"
She continued, explaining how yesterday was the final setup. "Brad had planted all the joints where we had to lay the lights, and then I covered the area with my clothes and stuff so you wouldn't notice. Then I told Luke about the plan, and we set up the lights just before waking you up."
"I am amazed that you pulled it off so well," I said, looking at her with a new, genuine delight.
"Yeah, well, you may be smart, but when it comes to sneaking around, you're standing before the queen," Haley said, tooting her own horn.
I burst into a chuckle then hugged both Luke and Haley again, a wave of pure, uncomplicated love for my siblings washing over me. Once we broke the hug, Haley took a step back. "Alright, that's enough of that sisterly stuff," she said, and just like that, she was back to being Haley again.
"Man, I wish I didn't have to go to school today," Luke said, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, shit! School!" Brad suddenly said from behind me, the words a burst of pure panic. "Okay, I'm gonna head back home now. See you at school!" he said, already moving toward the window.
"Yeah, sure," I said, moving to help him exit. Just as his head was out, he sneaked it in again and kissed me, a quick, warm press of his lips on mine before he disappeared.
I was left standing there, my cheeks on fire. Now that I looked at it, I was scared even thinking about how he must have gotten up here, but then I noticed he had used a ladder, which was still propped against the side of the house. I just smiled and waved at him as he made his way down, got on his cycle, and pedaled away.
I was still smiling, watching Bradley pedal down the street, when a soft knock came from my bedroom door before it opened.
It was my dad. He was holding a single, slightly sad-looking pancake with a candle stuck in it. "I come bearing a breakfast offering for the birthday queen!" Dad announced in his own funny and endearing way. "I would have made a whole stack, but your mom said something about a 'fire hazard' and 'setting off the smoke alarm again.'"
He stepped into the room, and his eyes landed on the glowing sign above my bed. "Whoa!" he breathed, his eyes wide with childish delight. "Claire! Claire, get in here! You've got to see this!"
My mom came rushing in, her expression a mask of parental concern. "What? What's wrong? Is there a spider?" Her eyes followed my dad's pointed finger to the wall, and her worried face melted, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated joy. She saw the decoration and was delighted.
"Oh, my babies," she whispered, looking from the sign to a proud-looking Haley and a sleepy Luke. "Happy Birthday Honey" She, too, wished me a happy birthday with a warm, tight hug that smelled like coffee and mom-hugs.
"Alright," she said, pulling back and shifting into her usual Mom mode. "This is wonderful, but the celebration has just begun. Get ready and come downstairs. I'm making a special birthday breakfast."
At that everyone left to do their own things and I got myself out of bed to get ready as well.
…
I finished getting ready and headed downstairs, the memory of the morning's surprise—the glowing lights, the rare sibling hug, Bradley's clumsy window-exit—still making me smile. The smile grew wider when I saw the kitchen table. My mom had made a beautiful breakfast spread, a monument to my thirteenth birthday. There were stacks of fluffy pancakes, golden-brown waffles, a bowl of ice cream, cereal and milk, and a small plate of exquisite-looking dark chocolate squares.
"Happy birthday, sweetie," Mom said, giving me a warm hug.
"This is amazing, Mom. Thank you," I said, genuinely touched.
We all sat and began eating, the mood light and celebratory. And then, she dropped the bomb.
"So," Mom began, her voice full of cheerful, unstoppable energy, "how should we plan the party for Saturday?"
I immediately tightened up, my fork freezing halfway to my mouth. "I don't want a party," I said, my voice flat.
"Oh, come on, honey," Dad chimed in. "You'll enjoy it! All your friends will be there, and hopefully, we won't have an accident like at Luke's party."
"She can have whatever food she wants, or any theme she likes," Mom added, completely misreading the situation.
My anxiety started to shoot up, my heart hammering against my ribs. Friends? What friends? The image of my own birthday party flashed in my mind: a cavernous, empty room filled with Haley's friends on their phones, my parents' friends making awkward small talk, and me, standing alone in the center of it all. The thought that nobody would come for my party, because I literally had no friends, was a cold, mortifying dread that made the delicious food in front of me taste like ash.
"I just... I don't want one," I insisted, my voice getting smaller.
"But it's your thirteenth birthday!" Mom persisted. "It's a big deal! We have to celebrate!"
"It's my birthday, and I don't want there to be a party!" I shouted, the words tearing out of me in a wave of pure, desperate panic.
I didn't wait for their shocked reactions. I stood up, shoved my chair back, and left for school, the slam of the front door echoing behind me. The carpool came within minutes and Luke ran out to join me.
The whole ride to school wasn't any better than what had transpired at home. The joyful breakfast had curdled into a tense, silent drive. I sat calmly, trying and failing to quell the sudden bout of loneliness I was feeling. For the past five months, I had been so absorbed in my time with Bradley that I had lived in denial of having any friends. Without him, I was an island. Without him, I was well and truly alone.
When I reached school, I blankly made my way to class. Brad had gotten here first today and had even saved me a place. A week ago, this would have filled me with a quiet joy. Today, it just felt like a confirmation of my deepest fear: he was all I had.
I went through the entirety of the school day feeling lost and depressed. The teachers' voices were a distant drone, the lessons meaningless. At lunch, Leo, David, and Patrick all came over and wished me a happy birthday, their smiles genuine and kind, but I could barely muster the energy to thank them. Brad made attempts to talk to me, even asked me what was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything. How could I explain this deep, hollow feeling without sounding pathetic?
Throughout the day, I observed other girls in my class, watching them laugh and share secrets, and I felt a desperate, flickering hope. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe I could still have that.
At the end of the day, I saw Jenna by her locker. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I forced myself to walk over.
"Hey, Jenna," I started, my voice small.
She turned, her expression cold and impatient. "What do you want, Alex?"
"I was just... My mom is throwing me a party on Saturday. And I was wondering if... if you would like to come," I stammered.
Jenna scoffed, a short, ugly sound. "Are you serious? After the shit you've put me through for the past months? After you stole Brad? How can you even dream of asking me to come to your pathetic party?"
Cathy, who was standing next to her, added her own taunt. "Don't worry, Alex. We'll make sure nobody comes to your party."
"B—But I didn't steal him, he liked me…" I was halted from continuing.
"Yeah he liked you alright, he liked you so much that he rejected me within moments of seeing you that day and ran after you leaving his whole party. The worst part is the only thing he did in apology was tell me that he was sorry 'it turned out this way and I hope it leaves no bad blood between us' the gall" she slammed her locker with such force I flinched.
"After that you too got all chummy with each other and I was isolated by him and his friends. Do you know how that feels Alex, suddenly having all the boys that used to treat you normally slowly ice you out because you got rejected by their leader. So no I don't think I can come to your party or anywhere else you invite me. Now leave" Jenna said with abject anger and disgust.
The words hit me like a physical blow. I was distraught. I didn't say anything else. I just turned and left, Cathy's mocking laughter following me down the hall.
My birthday seemed a curse rather than a blessing to me. I reached home in a daze, ignored my mom's cheerful greeting, and went straight to my room. She was shouting something about going to the supermarket. I closed the door, the happy, colorful lights from the morning now seeming like a cruel joke. I buried my face in my pillow and just cried, a wave of pure, hopeless misery washing over me until I finally, mercifully, fell asleep.
…
A gentle but insistent shaking pulled me from the heavy, dreamless dark. I surfaced slowly, the weight of the day's humiliation pressing down on me before I even opened my eyes.
"Hey, Lexi."
I turned around and saw Brad in my room. He was haloed by the soft light from the hallway, a warm, easy smile on his face. "You didn't pick up the call, so I came anyway. We have our date, remember?"
The word 'date' felt like it was from another lifetime. I was lost for a moment, trying to recollect the happy, hopeful girl who had made that plan yesterday. She was gone. There will be no date today.
"Brad," I said, my voice flat and empty. He looked me in the eyes.
"Yeah?" he asked, his smile faltering slightly at my tone.
"Why don't I have any friends?" I asked. The question was a raw, aching thing that I hadn't planned to say.
I could see that it brought him up short. His eyes searched mine, full of confusion. "You have me," he said with genuine concern.
And that was it. His simple, sweet, honest answer was the death knell of my loneliness. He thought he was the solution, but all I could hear was a confirmation of the problem.
"Yeah," I said, a self-deprecating laugh escaping me. "I have you. And nobody else."
"Wh—what does that mean? Lexi, are you okay?" he asked, the same worried question from lunch.
"I'm not okay, Brad, okay? I have no friends, Bradley!" The words started tumbling out, a torrent of all the pain and anxiety I'd been swallowing all day. "I have spent the past five months so immensely involved in this relationship that I have nothing apart from you. Ever since we got together, all the people I have associated with are you and your friends! You destroyed any chances of me having any friends at school!"
The accusation, hot, hung in the air between us. Brad's expression of shock at my declaration did nothing to quell my own turmoil.
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Had to refine this one to land the emotional impact. Follow up chapter tomorrow for sure.