When The Lilacs Bloom

Chapter Seven

~CHAPTER SEVEN~

Gabby wakes me in the morning by jumping on my bed. It reminds me of the old days, back when we were little. When I yawn and get out of bed, she strangles me in a huge bear hug. "My little sister's sixteen!" She yells happily. I smile.

"Let's get you all glammed up! Amy and Liam are stopping by and taking you on a shopping spree at 8!" She covers her mouth with her hands quickly. "Whoops!" She exclaims. "I wasn't supposed to say that!" Damn. A shopping spree. The day just couldn't get any better.

After I take a shower, washing my hair with Gabby's shiny shampoo that smells like roses, I walk into my bedroom and gasp. On the bed is the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. It's a majestic shade of black, a cut right in the middle, with a netted cloth. There's a handmade pink lilac on the dress. And next to it, there's shimmering silver jewelry - heart earrings, a huge heart necklace to match it, and a jumble of beautiful silver bracelets. And next to that are black high heels. Not all black. Silverly and sparkly.

After I wear the dress and the jewelry, Gabby bursts into my room again and her mouth drops open. "God, Destiny! You look even more beautiful in that thing than I thought you would!" I laugh. "Gab, where'd you get all this? It's so...gorgeous." Gabby winks. "That's for me to know and for you to not find out. Never mind that, anyway! Let's get your makeup and hair done!"

"Why're you being so nice?" I ask, following her to her makeup room. "It's your sixteenth birthday, you doof. I want you to look like something out of a Vogue magazine!" I grin. So like my sister to mention Vogue.

I sit down on a stool in front of the mirror, and close my eyes and she works her magic. When I open my eyes, the girl who stares back at me in the mirror looks...amazing. Gorgeous. No words to describe it. My eyelashes look long and thick, there's eyeliner on my waterline and eyelid, silver eyeshadow, bright red lipstick on my lips, and my hair's down, looking straighter than ever. I notice that Gabby's done a small half dutch braid in the back. I turn around and pull my sister into a hug. "Thank you." I whisper. "Thank you so much!" "I love you, little sis." She whispers back.

When Amy and Liam arrive, they looked stunned and stay rooted in their spot. "Day-um!" Amy says, looking me up and down. "Girl, you look hawt!" I laugh. "I know! Gabby and her magic." Liam grins. "That's your sister. Making girls look hot!" I notice that Dad hasn't gotten out of his bedroom. Does he even know it's my birthday today? Or, does he know, but doesn't care? Whatever it is, I'm not going to let it bother me today.

Amy, Liam, and I say goodbye to Gabby and hop into Amy's car. "We're taking you on a shopping spree!" Amy says happily. "I know, Gabby let it slip by accident this morning. Guys, you didn't have to do all this!" "Shush!" Liam says. "It's your birthday. You deserve all of this."

By the time we're done shopping, I have at least a gazillion shopping bags in my hands. Apparently, Amy and Liam chipped in both their allowances and my shopping money was $1000.00. I felt really bad about it, but they insisted.

When I get back home, I decide to go visit Jason. It's 7:00 in the evening. And that's when Dad finally comes downstairs. "Hi." He says, in a voice that's so raspy, it seems like he hasn't talked in a hundred years. I literally jump out of my skin as I turn around and see him standing there, in boxer-shorts and a grey tee splattered with paint. His eyes are tired, his hair messy. "Hi, Dad." I say softly. He stares at me. Then says, "'Birthday." That's it. And he walks off, back downstairs to his art studio.

'Birthday. That's what he said. Not even a normal "Happy Birthday" or "Destiny, you're sixteen!" or "Happy Sixteenth!" like a real Dad would say. Just, simple, 'Birthday. I feel like kicking something.

I heave a sigh. Well, what did I expect? Him to give me a hug or something?

I walk out the front door, across the street to Jason's house. The Kavanaugh Estate is the same size as ours. There's just a black gate in the front. I ring the doorbell, and hear a voice behind me. "Destiny! Over here!" I turn around, and there he is, dressed in black pants, a white shirt, and a red tie. I run to him, and throw my arms around his neck. He hugs me back, tightly. We finally break apart, and he whispers, "Wow. You look...amazing." I smile. "Not as amazing as you!" And then we're hugging again, and I smell his scent - Axe, mixed with mint and fresh grass. "Happy Birthday, Destiny." He whispers in my ear. "Thank you. This is the best day of my life." I whisper back.

He leads me to a bench in his front yard, and we sit down, his arm around my shoulder. He reaches his hand to my face, brushes his thumb slowly across my cheek. His touch...it's so tender. So comforting and electrifying at the same time. "You're beautiful, Destiny Trueheart." He says. I feel a wave of love for him, and I look him right in the eyes.

Those beautiful, beautiful blue eyes. With the long eyelashes. "God, you're freaking gorgeous!" I blurt out, and then my eyes go wide, and I want to die because I can't believe I just said that out loud. And neither can he - his smile's so huge, he can't seem to get any words past it.

It begins to rain. But we don't get up and go anywhere. I don't care that my makeup's running down my face now. I'm here, with the love of my life, his hair wet in the rain making him look 100000 times cuter. He stops for a minute, brushes my hair away from my face. "Destiny." He whispers. I look into his eyes, he looks into mine, and a door in my heart bursts open, letting him in.

When we kiss, I swear I smell lilacs. The beautiful smell of lilacs.