The 16 Candles Vampire Hunters

Chapter 24 Birthday

May 31, 2014

Andy's POV

I pulled into an unfamiliar driveway in front of a slightly off-white house in the middle of a suburban town in California. Clean cut. Small. Somewhere I just knew EJ would live some day. I looked at the other cars around me, recognizing all of my bandmates and one other that had to be Devin. I followed the cement walkway to the door and knocked. There was a small twist in my stomach. I didn't have any reason to be nervous, and I knew this wasn't the excitement kind.

From where I stood from the outside I could hear all sorts of commotion going on inside. Without having full details I knew Pete probably had something to do with it. It wasn't like me to arrive late, especially to my own birthday party.The door opened and EJ stood behind it, smiling brightly. Before anything was said she I was engulfed in a hug, her arms squeezing my neck tightly. I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up; my way odd of returning the hug.

"Andy," she said, "Can't breathe." I set her down quickly asking repeatedly if she was okay. She hugged me again, this time gentler. "I missed you." As she pulled away I got a good look at her for the first time. She had cut her hair, a short style that framed her face in dark bangs. And poking put of her shirt I noticed a new tattoo. I looked up and we made eye contact again. I could tell she was playing a game of spot the difference too.

"I missed you too." And I really had. The sever of disconnection after they left hit me hard. I always managed to think of reasons to blame myself and after a while just thinking of her made me feel bitter. Seeing her now, with her life, and her happiness, made me ashamed for ever thinking she was in the wrong with leaving.

EJ ushered me inside where it seemed pandemonium had taken over. Joe was chasing a giant St. Bernard all over the living room. Pete and Devin were wrestling with Charlie urging them on, yelling tips at them harshly. And then there was Patrick in the corner in his own little world looking at the pictures on the walls. It was just like old times.

"Charlie!" EJ yelled sternly. Suddenly the whole room came to a stop; the cat caught eating a canary. She shook her head, but slowly they turned into laughs. "Andy, come here." I turned on my heel the moment I heard my name, but stopped. She patted her knees and the big dog trotted over, tongue sticking out happily, and tail wagging furiously. "Good boy." She complimented in that voice reserved for people's pets. "But I was playing with him." Joe whined.

I looked at Joe, arms crossed over his chest and slight pouty face. The dog was named Andy. "You have a dog named Andy?" I asked. Charlie nodded and walked away from the pair on the floor like she had nothing to do with it. "We couldn't name a kid, so we thought dog was next best thing." Charlie clapped my shoulder and smiled at EJ innocently. "You're still in trouble." Charlie sighed, "I know."

EJ pulled Charlie by her arms over to her, whispered something in her ear, and Charlie left the room. "I really don't care about you guys being, well... you guys, but I don't want Lilly to wake up." Joe's head turned to the side, "Lilly?" He asked. EJ smiled softly. "Sorry, I should've said this before inviting you, but we're in the process of adopting a little girl from Africa named Lilly. And she's impossible to put down for a nap."

"Oh shit!" Pete exclaimed, "That's great you guys!" The rest joined in on congratulations, but I waited for the commotion to die down before adding my own simple, "I'm so happy for you guys." In high school, during the quiet nights after Joe, EJ, and I would get together for hunts, EJ and I always talked. Joe would always fall asleep first, EJ and I would take hours upon hours daydreaming about the future; A future vampire free, a future with a house by the water and little children playing by the shore. EJ always remained consistent with wanting to adopt. I didn't know the reason then, but as I see some of these daydreams becoming reality it made the trials that life had thrown us seem miniscule.