The Next Morning
I jolted awake to the blaring sound of my alarm. Groaning, I rolled over, squeezing my eyes shut for a few more minutes. But the bliss was short-lived—once the snooze ended, the alarm blared again, forcing me to get up. With a frustrated sigh, I slammed my fist on top of it, silencing the noise. Slowly, I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. Trudging to the bathroom, I took a quick shower and dressed before Kai had the chance to ditch me. Once I was ready, I headed downstairs, where Mom stood at the stove, leaning on the counter for support. She glanced at me, her tired eyes filled with warmth. "Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?" she asked. I nodded. "So well that I didn't want to wake up," I said dramatically, throwing a hand to my forehead. She rolled her eyes. "Sit down and eat," she said, pointing her spatula toward the table. A plate of eggs, bacon, and sliced fruit was already waiting for me. I smiled. "Thanks, Mom," I said, taking my seat. I dug in and finished just in time to leave. Pushing my chair back, I stood and quickly walked toward the door, where Kai was waiting. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Let's go. You're lucky I'm in a good mood," he teased. I laughed nervously and followed him outside, slipping into the car. The drive was silent, and as soon as we arrived, I hopped down from his truck and headed toward the front doors. I was nervous to see Isla—I hadn't told her yesterday was my birthday. What if she was wondering where I had been? I didn't have an excuse prepared. Shaking away the nerves, I made my way to my first-period class. As soon as I set my bag down by my desk, my seething friend appeared. "Ohhh, hey, no-show," she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Care to tell me where you were yesterday?" She stood with one hand on her hip, oozing sass. I gave her a small smile. "I wasn't feeling well," I said. "Food poisoning." I forced a small cough. Isla let out a short laugh. "Yeah, right. I know your mom's home now, so the chance of you having food poisoning is slim to none," she accused, pointing an accusing finger at me. I hung my head in shame, but before I could say anything, the bell rang, signaling the two-minute warning. Her expression fell. She shook her fist angrily at the intercom. "This is not over," she growled before storming out of the classroom. I let out the breath I had been holding. I forgot what it was like to be on her bad side. Gulping down my nerves, I braced myself for advanced bio, knowing I had her in my next period. English class trudged by, and when the bell rang for the next transition, I dragged my feet all the way there. As expected, Isla was already in her seat, waiting for me. She huffed as I sat down. "You know, Audra, I thought we were better friends," she said glumly. "What? Isla, of course, we are! What would make you think we aren't?" I asked—then, it hit me. "How could my best friend not even tell me when her birthday is?" she sobbed dramatically. "Oh, Isla," I sighed, rubbing comforting circles on her back. "I don't like making a big deal out of my birthday. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't even want my family to do anything, but they insisted—Mom even shut off my alarms so I could sleep in." Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god, that's awful! No party? No extravagance?" she gasped. I laughed. "Nope." She wiped her fake tears away and put on a determined look. "We have to fix this. We're going out tonight." I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Fine. Since I know I can't talk you out of it. But please, just something small—with our friends only." She grinned. "Done! Something small, but still fun!" A sudden thought struck me. "Wait a minute. How did you even find out?" I asked suspiciously. "Oh, um…the teacher told me," she said quickly. I raised an eyebrow. "The teacher wouldn't have known." She looked away, picking at her fingernails. "Isla?" I pressed. "How did you really find out?" She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting between me and her desk. "Well, um…I kinda, sorta, hacked the front office computer to find your sick note. And when I couldn't find one, I checked your file and saw your birthdate," she confessed hurriedly. I recoiled slightly. "Isla, that's…really creepy," I said, a little weirded out. Now it was her turn to hang her head in shame. "I know. I'm sorry. But it hurt that you'd keep that from me," she mumbled. I sighed, softening. "Of course, Isla. I should have told my best friend. At the very least." Her eyes welled with tears. "You mean that?" she asked hopefully. I nodded. "I do." She stood up and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought of us as besties!" I smiled. "How could I not?" I squeezed her even tighter. The rest of the day passed in a blur, and soon, it was lunchtime. I sat with everyone around the table when Isla suddenly cleared her throat. The chatter quieted as everyone turned to her expectantly. "As you all know, our dear Audra was out yesterday," she declared. Everyone nodded. "But why was she out? You may wonder. Well, it has come to my attention that yesterday was her BIRTHDAY—and she didn't tell a single one of us!" Isla announced dramatically. The group gasped in mock betrayal. "Now, it's up to us to throw her the best Sweet 16 get-together of all time, because Miss Picky over there doesn't want a party," Isla teased. Everyone hummed in agreement. Isla sat back, satisfied with herself. "You know, Audra, you could have just told us you didn't want a big party. We would've understood," Cara said. I rolled my eyes. "What Isla didn't mention is that I don't even like to celebrate. I didn't want my family to do anything, but they did anyway." "But why?" Desmond asked. "It's your Sweet 16! Most girls want a huge party—lavish gifts, tons of attention." "Not all girls like that," Sam chimed in. "Isla and Cara do, but I'm with Audra on this one. I didn't go all out for my sixteenth, either." I nodded. "Exactly. So why don't we just forget about a party altogether?" I tried, hoping to avoid a social engagement. Isla threw her head back in laughter. "You wish. Cara, help me plan?" Cara smirked. "Absolutely." I groaned. "Oh, boy. What have I gotten myself into?" "A night of fun!" Isla squealed, shaking my shoulders playfully. The rest of the day dragged on, and when Kai picked me up from school, I let out a heavy sigh. "So? How was your day?" he asked. "Not great. Isla found out my birthday was yesterday," I grumbled. "How is that a bad thing? I thought you were friends," he said, raising a brow. "You didn't tell her?" "I didn't want her to make a big deal out of it," I huffed. Kai scoffed. "You'll understand better when you're older." I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" He sighed, eyes on the road. "Nothing, Audra. You're just being childish.""Nothing, Audra. You're being childish—and for what? Something that happened years ago that wasn't even your fault?" His voice was calm but firm. I scoffed, turning to face the window. "Yeah, well, excuse me if I blame myself." "Blame yourself for what? Mom was sick long before the accident." My grip tightened on my lap. "You can't explain that to an eleven-year-old and expect them not to blame themselves." I turned back to him, my voice quieter now. "To me, what happened was simple: Jackie and I were singing, Mom got distracted, and then the car flipped. All I knew was that after the accident, Mom wasn't allowed to come home." My throat tightened as I forced the words out. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip gentle. "But you know the truth now. It was never your fault. So why are you still holding onto it?" I shrugged, unable to give him an answer. "I don't know." He let out a small, sad smile, and the rest of the ride was filled with heavy silence. When we finally pulled into the driveway, the familiar scent of my mom's cooking wrapped around me the moment we stepped inside. Ahh, I definitely missed this. Dinner passed in quiet chatter, warmth filling the space between us. Just as I started clearing the dishes, the doorbell rang. Setting the plate I was washing into the sink, I wiped my hands on my pants and walked over. When I opened the door, Isla, Desmond, Ajax, Cara, and Sam stood outside, waiting for me. Isla scoffed, eyeing me from head to toe. "You call that a party outfit?" She gestured to my loose tank top and sweats. I crossed my arms. "You didn't exactly give me a time." She rolled her eyes before grabbing my wrist and dragging me inside. "Come on, we need to fix this." "Which room is yours?" she asked, scanning the hallway. I pointed, and she immediately pulled me inside, shoving a duffel bag into my arms. "Here, put this on." I sighed but obeyed, changing into a pair of skinny jeans with lace running up the sides and a baby-blue crop top with a tie-string cinching the waist. The long bell sleeves had tiny purple bows stitched along them. I had to admit—it was cute. When I stepped out, she was waiting with my platform wedge sandals in hand. "Where exactly are we going that I need to be this dressed up?" I asked, slipping them on. She grinned. "You'll see." I rolled my eyes but followed her downstairs, where everyone was already piling into Desmond's van. As we drove off, I turned toward Ajax. "Can someone please tell me where we're going now?" Ajax chuckled. "Nope, it's still a surprise." The ride passed quickly, and soon we pulled into a packed parking lot. My eyes widened as I took in the two-story arcade in front of us. Neon lights flashed, illuminating the massive space filled with games, a food court, and an indoor obstacle course complete with a foam pit, trampolines, and climbing nets. My jaw dropped. "Surprise!" they all shouted in unison. I turned to them, beaming. "You guys! This is amazing!" Isla smirked. "Obviously. Now, let's go!" We walked up to the entrance, where she casually swiped her black card, paying for wristbands that gave us unlimited access until closing at 2 A.M. "What's first?" Isla asked as everyone turned to me expectantly. I thought for a moment before nodding toward the arcade floor. "Let's start downstairs and work our way up." They all nodded in agreement, and we headed to the token booth. Isla's card worked its magic again, spitting out hundreds of tokens. We each grabbed a cup and dispersed toward our favorite games. I wandered over to the basketball toss, where Desmond was already racking up points. He noticed me and grinned. "Hey, Audra, wanna give it a shot?" He held out a small rubber ball. I hesitated. "Are you sure? I don't want to mess up your score." He laughed. "Nah, don't worry about it. I believe in you." Taking a deep breath, I lined up my shot and released the ball. It bounced off the backboard, circled the rim—then rolled off. I frowned. "Hey, that was just a warm-up. Try again." Desmond handed me another ball. I exhaled, adjusting my stance before throwing. This time, it bounced, wobbled on the rim, then finally dropped into the basket. My eyes widened. "I did it!" I cheered, bouncing on my heels. Desmond chuckled, clapping me on the back. "Nice shot! Think you can get me some more points?" Grinning, I grabbed another ball. After a few more rounds, the machine spat out a stream of tickets. Desmond tore them in half, handing me a portion. "Here, thanks for the help." I took the tickets and wandered toward the racing games, spotting Isla locked in a heated battle with a middle schooler. The two of them were talking trash back and forth as they sped around the virtual track. In the final seconds, the middle schooler pulled ahead, securing victory. Isla groaned, throwing her hands up. "Oh, come on! You totally cheated!" The kid smirked. "Not my fault you're a sore loser." I stifled a laugh as Isla huffed and stomped over. "That kid definitely cheated," she grumbled. I raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Suuuureee." She shot me a glare. "You had to be there from the start. Anyway, let's try this one." She points toward a dance battle game. I hesitated. "Umm, Isla… I'm really not great at these kinds of games." She smirked, grabbing my wrist. "Perfect. That makes it even better." She drug me over to the game and hopped up. She leaned againt the bar waiting for me to join her. Once I stepped up she slid the tokens into the slot and the machine lit up, blasting music. A count down started and soon we were dancing away. Our heals clicked against the squares as we tapped along with the arrows on screen. Sweat beaded at my forehead as we neared the end of the song. It was neck and neck, either one of could win. The final strech of commands displayed across the screen and I focused pressing my feet rapidly into the coresponding squares. 3 . . 2 . . 1 Game over! You Win! The words blinked across my screen in a flashy celebration. Isla looked at me her eyes narrowing. "I demand a redo! My foot slipped in the last few seconds." She pleaded. I shook my head, "Tisk, tisk, Isla. That kid was right, you really are a sore loser," I chided. She looks at me pouting, her lip quivering slightly. She scoffs, "So then how about that redo?" She pressed. I roll my eyes and give in, "Fine, one more round to prove yourself before we head upstairs." I challenge. She nods and inserts some coins. The screen lights up and we begin our dance battle. Our breathing was heavy as we leaned against the rail pressing our feet into the tiles in a heated race for the maximum points. Only fifteen seconds left. My sweat dripped down into my eyes breaking my concentration. My foot slipped, pressing half on the tile I needed and half on the wrong one. "Damn it." Five seconds, four, three, two, one. The machine buzzed, and the screen flashed. A tie. "What? A tie?" we shouted in unison, snapping our heads toward each other before bursting into laughter. She clasped my hands, giving them a playful shake. "I'll take the tie, I guess!" she exclaimed, grinning. I nodded, still catching my breath as we rejoined the others. "Hey, before we head upstairs, how about some food?" Ajax suggested, his stomach growling in agreement. Isla chuckled. "What about that huge dinner we ate before coming here?" Ajax shrugged. "Burned off from all the fun." He shot her a teasing grin. She rolled her eyes but looped her arm through his. "Alrighty then, to the food court." Desmond cheered, leading the way. I let out a light laugh, falling in step with them. Ajax, true to form, loaded us up with a mountain of food. We ate, we joked, we laughed—stretching the night as far as it would go, savoring every moment. And for once, I let myself enjoy it.