The weeks went by fast. My best friend Beth and I spent every afternoon planning my birthday party. Her dad worked at the garage with my stepdad, so we were always together. I couldn't imagine my life without her.
Arron and Mom helped get everything for the party. It was going to be pink and purple themed, with a DJ and a bouncy house. Mom even closed the garage down for the whole day. I was so excited I could barely sleep.
John and Arron were still fighting about him hitting me. My bruise was healing slowly, but I stayed away from John as much as I could. He barely spoke to me. Nothing much changed around the house except Arron started cooking more, and honestly, he was getting better at it.
Then finally, my birthday came.
And for once… it actually felt perfect.
Everyone I wanted was there. Arron's girlfriend, Courtney, even came. She didn't come around much because Arron and I usually went to her house. Courtney had a little brother named Mark who was in my class. We hung out a lot. I kind of liked him, but that was my secret.
When Mark saw my bruise, he cried. I didn't know what to say.
But the day was beautiful, the sun was out, and for the first time in a long time, Arron looked happy. Really happy. I hadn't seen him smile like that in months. Mark and I played while kids arrived — then Beth came, and slowly my whole class showed up.
I swear, it felt like the best day of my life.
We were getting ready for cake and ice cream when everything shattered.
All of us kids were sitting around a table near the bar. Arron and Courtney were bringing the cake toward us. And then—
POP. POP. POP.
Gunshots.
Every single one of us dove under the table, crying and screaming. I didn't understand what was happening. My ears rang. My chest hurt. Everything felt wrong.
When the gunshots stopped, our parents pulled us out. And that's when I saw Arron.
He was lying on the ground, not moving. Courtney had both hands pressed against the blood spreading across his shirt. I screamed his name over and over until my mom grabbed me and held me tight.
John called 911 while everyone tried to close up the party.
We ended my birthday early.
At the hospital, Courtney, Mom, John, Mark, and I waited in the ER waiting room. The minutes felt like hours, and the hours felt like years. Mark and I were exhausted, but I refused to leave. John left after three minutes. Mom spent the whole time on the phone.
Six painful hours later, the doctor finally came out to talk to Mom and Courtney.
He said Arron was in critical condition.
The first bullet hit part of his lung, but they repaired it. He'd have pain when he breathed for a while.
The second bullet shattered his upper leg. They put a metal rod in his leg, but he'd need physical therapy. He also lost a lot of blood, so they were keeping him for several days.
If he woke up and didn't develop any infections, he could come home once he was able to walk again.
I asked if we could see him.
Courtney gently wiped the tears off my cheeks and said he was sleeping, but we could come back tomorrow.
Since Mom had already left, Courtney picked me up, grabbed Mark's hand, and took us to her place.
At her house, Mark and I made cards for Arron. While we worked, we heard Courtney talking on the phone in the other room.
"She's not leaving here," Courtney said. "She's staying with me until Arron gets home. You're never there to take care of her. She's fine. I'll stop by tomorrow to pick up some of her things."
Mark got so excited when he found out I'd be staying with them. We went back to coloring when Courtney came over and told us she ordered pizza since it was still my birthday. She was in college, but she did most of her work on the computer and went to classes at night.
Mark lived with Courtney because their parents were in jail.
That night was the longest night of my life. I barely slept. I just kept thinking about Arron. I was so scared to lose him, too.