Slugger

35. Happy Birthday Kennedy

Of course I never get my way. So instead of playing some baseball like I wanted to for my birthday my friends and I decide to go and eat ice cream instead.

It's not that I have anything against ice cream, it's just for once I wanted to be a nice athletic kid. Plus, it's not actually my birthday but two days before. My mom said she wants to spend all the time with the world with me on my actual day of birth and Dante's booked the evening tomorrow so all I had was today. Which sucks but what else can I do?

"Damn, look at Kenny's stomach." Stacy gasps. So far, I've eaten two banana splits and Nicole and I are in the process of choosing something to share. I sit back and present my stomach to them, grinning.

"Three months along everyone." I declare and we start laughing.

Instead of sharing Nicole and I decide to get a root beer float each. Stacy leaves while we're waiting, something about her mom wanting to bond over their shared prettiness. I think they're trying to spend as much time as possible with each other before college and I honestly relate.

My mom's been coming home earlier than usual recently and though she's totally stressed by the accumulating workload from missing her overtimes, it's been fun just hanging out with her. We're doing stuff just the two of us and it's almost like old times before she got remarried. Of course McKinley's not here to make the memory complete but her shouting at me over the phone is a nice compromise. I guess.

"You're such a bitch, you know that?" Nicole says out of nowhere. I woosah.

"What did I do now?"

"Why are you leaving me? You're a bitch." She stops eating her root beer float and glares at me.

I blink, surprised by her sudden anger. "Are you... only just realising this is happening?"

She throws some napkins at me and I watch them flutter helplessly through the air. After the brief silence, the two of us stare at each other not knowing what to say. I return to my root beer float.

"Of course I'm not only just realising this is happening, I'm just even sadder about it now." She glares at me some more. "Bitch."

"Okay, please stop calling me a bitch." I put my spoon down and look at her. "This is the first time you've properly mentioned it, I thought you were cool."

"How can I be cool with my best friend of thirteen-"

"Twelve." I correct.

"Actually, we became friends in September thirteen years ago and since it's less than a month until then, it basically rounds up to thirteen years." She snaps.

"Someone did their research." I mumble.

"And my math! Do not forget that!" She yells. After I flinch away, she regains her composure. "As I was saying, there's no way that my bestie of thirteen years can be leave me behind and expect me to be completely cool with it."

"So you're a little cool?" I joke but realise that's the wrong thing to do when her eyes become thinner than paper cuts. "Okay, Nicole, what do you want me to do?"

"Drop out of college and become one of those Californian Instagram girls."

"That's just... it's just not happening."

"It could! You're cute! Sometimes."

I ignore her comment. "I can't just drop out of my dream school, Nicole, it'll suck and hurt my mom's feelings."

She sighs. "Nobody ever thinks about my feelings."

"You never seem to have any." I joke.

She mimics me and faces her ice cream. I start feeling bad when she pouts and slide out of the booth to give her a hug from behind. It takes her a while to hug me back but she does eventually touch my hand and I spot a smile starting on her face.