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"Happy birthday!"
Penelope shrieks when we pop out of the venue like a pack of Jack-in-the-boxes. I sound the party blowout and Liv throws the confetti beside me. The rest appear with balloons, streamers, and, well, more confetti. My family and I invited Penelope's entire class so it's pretty packed, and that's counting the "Happy birthday, Penelope!" sign hanging above our heads and the sweets and candies everywhere.
Oh, and we're in a go-karting place.
"OhmyGod, oh my God thank you so much!" Penny squeals. She hugs her friends first, overwhelmed at the amount of people. I've never seen her so happy. The thought brings a grin to my lips, and Liv and I do a fist-pump.
Our dad comes up from the chaos. "Enjoy today, honey!" He bends down to kiss her forehead. "We planned it, but it was all Addie's idea."
She turns to me and tackles me with a crushing hug. A series of thank yous pass in and out of my ears, and I can't help but laugh.
"Congrats, squirt," I smirk, patting her head affectionately. "Nine years ago today, you managed to crawl out of Mom's reproductive organs. I'm so proud of you."
"Addie," Mom chides.
"Miranda," I chide back.
I guess my smile is too infectious, because she tries to hide her own.
"Okay, kids," Dad announces. "You can all start go-karting. Make sure you listen to your instructors, have lots of fun, and tell your parents that today was your bestest day ever!"
The kids cheer, and they race to the tracks and go-karts.
I nudge Liv, a grin on my face. "You wanna try those?"
"Later," she waves a hand. "Let the kids have it first."
"Oh, Olivia, always the moral one."
"One of us has to be, right?"
I hit her shoulder playfully. It's been a while since Liv and I hung out alone — without the Justine business. When I ask her what she's been up to without me, though, one look tells me the truth.
She's been with Vic.
I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. Vic knows not to get too close, but I'm starting to worry if Liv understands the situation. He doesn't know that she's a lesbian, and I totally get it if Liv doesn't want to advertise her sexuality. But someday, he's going to crack. He's going to make a move on her. And when she says no, it will complicate things.
