far too young to die ✰ m.w.

CHAPTER TWO

"Happy birthday!" exclaimed the excited voices of Eleven and Amber as they entered Emily's bedroom the next morning.

The commotion made the Byers girl awake with a start, and she quickly sat up in her bed to see her sister and friend approaching her, together carrying a small plate on top of which sat a cupcake with two lit candles perched in the frosting, one in the shape of a 1 and the other in the shape of a 5, reading 15, the age that Emily was turning that day. Her first reaction was to be annoyed because she had always disliked her birthday and having everyone's attention be on her. But, seeing the beaming smiles on the girls' faces, she couldn't help but be grateful for the surprise.

"You guys!" she exclaimed. "I told you not to get me anything!"

"I think what you mean to say is, 'Thank you,'" Amber teased her.

Sitting down on the edge of Emily's bed, Eleven held the cupcake out to her and said, "Make a wish."

With a smile, Emily closed her eyes, thought for a second, and then blew both candles out, silently wishing for the relationships in her family to be repaired, for her relationship with Mike to remain in good standing while he was visiting, and for everything to finally be okay again. Afterwards, opening her eyes, she took the cupcake, removed the candles, and bit into it, letting out a sigh of contentment as she did so.

"Is this breakfast?" she asked hopefully.

"I hope so," said Will from the doorway, snacking on his own cupcake.

"No, you assholes," said Jonathan, emerging from the staircase. "Mom and I just finished breakfast for you guys."

"What is it?" Will questioned.

"Is it better than cupcakes?" asked Emily.

Jonathan gave the twins an annoyed look. "It's chocolate chip pancakes," he said.

Will and Emily exchanged an ecstatic, wide-eyed look, and then rushed downstairs to the dining room, being careful not to drop their cupcakes on the way.

By the time the family (plus Amber) had finished breakfast, it was 10 o'clock. Mike's flight would be landing in California in an hour and a half, which meant that it was time to get ready to go to the airport so that they would be there in time to welcome him. As it got closer and closer to 11:30, Emily's anxiety continued to build, and by the time they were getting into Argyle's van to leave, she was visibly shaking. So, in order to help her calm down, the two older boys allowed her to smoke on the way there so that she wouldn't be hyperventilating in the middle of the airport.

When they arrived, Emily had calmed down significantly, but the butterflies in her stomach from both excitement and nervousness were still very prominent, and as she sat watching and waiting for Mike, she was unconsciously bouncing her leg, cracking her knuckles, and biting her nails. Meanwhile, Argyle, Jonathan, and Amber all seemed bored, and Will and Eleven kept exchanging excited glances.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Emily spotted Mike in the line of people getting off of the last plane to have landed, and all of her anxiety was forgotten in an instant. She could see him looking around for them, so she stood up and shouted, "Mike! Over here!"

The two made eye contact, and when they did, their faces split into smiles. They began to run to each other, Emily being able to do so much faster than Mike due to the luggage he was hauling. When they collided into each other, Emily grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him in for a kiss, one that he gladly reciprocated, neither of them caring about the fact that they were in public or that Emily's siblings were watching. Pulling away from the kiss, they immediately pulled one another in for a hug, Emily holding Mike as tightly as she could without hurting him, breathing in his scent and feeling such an overwhelming sense of comfort and relief that she hadn't felt in a very long time.