Atlas Grove, once a dancer with dreams of dancing under the stars, now lives petrified in the shadows of abuse. To escape her living nightmare she must keep her head down and work hard, being her senior year this is her last chance to get out. Altho...
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
Snapping my eyes open, blinking rapidly to clear the blur from my vision, Vixxie, Carrie and Emily are standing over me, holding pink sparkly wrapped gifts and a Victoria sponge cake alight with several burning flames. A ballerina figurine sits proudly on top encased by the candles the glow from them on their faces beaming down at me expectantly.
"Morning?" I yawn contemplating pulling the covers back over my head for another five minutes. That is until Vix launches herself onto the bed next to me and wraps me in a bear hug lifting me out from under the covers.
"It's your birthday, it's your birthday. It's your birthday, it's your motherfucking birthday!" She shouts in my ear. I reply with a groan shielding my face from the attention.
"Come on misery, no bad vibes today, only good. This whole day is about you." Vixxie settles on top of me, making sure to squash my kidneys.
"And you've made it to eighteen girl." Emily takes the pink cake from Carrie and sits on my other side.
She's right, I made it to eighteen. I'm eighteen.
I'm eighteen mom, are you proud?
Birthdays have always been bittersweet, it's another year I made it through hell but another year without them in agony. Although this year I have a new family to spend it with, I still have it hanging over me like a dark cloud. That and the fact I'm now classified as an adult... I'm on my own, technically not supported or protected by children's services anymore. The thought terrifies me, I've longed for years to be out of the system and now I want in it more than ever.
"Blow 'em out then or you'll get wax all over the cake!" Carrie says perching beside my legs, drawing me out of my depressive haze. Right, cake, birthday, happy.
I grin and purse my lips blowing out the sparkly candles.
"Did you make a wish?" Vixxie nestles closer to my ear.
I wish for happiness, just pure uncomplicated happiness.
I nod silently, Vixxie thrusting the first sparkly wrapped present into my hand. Opening It tentatively with three excited faces peering at me I pull out the contents of the packet. A pale purple satin slip dress tumbles its way into my lap, the fabric cool beneath my fingertips. The material shines in the light. It's gorgeous, the threads weave into each other seamlessly. It's sexy but the innocent kind of sexy, accentuating and scandalous but not too in your face.
"Do you like it?" Carrie leans into my face, eyes sparkling with shine from the dress on my lap.
"It's gorgeous, beautiful. Thank you, C." I reach over to hug her wrapping my arm tightly around her neck. She pulls back and shrugs modestly.
"We all need a little couture in our life." Winking she turns to Emily and Vixxie who pass me another gift. A bit shocked I take the flat rectangle, A3-sized object. The wrapping paper is even neater than the first, I guess Vixxies artistic flare helps. Emily bites her lip containing her grin and I tear open the paper.
