The Gift of Nothing | ✓

Birthday Wishes

Chapter 13 | Birthday Wishes

Today was Reece and Lizzy's birthday. They were now the wonderful age of seventeen while the rest of us were behind, being sixteen and all. And Theo. Theo was stuck in time, forever fifteen. It was an odd thought that settled heavily in my stomach. Here we were, moving on with our lives. There he was, at some permanent standstill.

The five of us unexpectedly slept over at Kate's house on Friday night, instead of actually going to the twin's house. I shrugged it off, it was probably because she had the biggest house, making it easier for us to stay over. Maybe it was just a different way of doing things. But it was the most out of the ordinary thing, waking up to my friends, all huddled in the same room.

Kate's parents were so trusting, I swore.

Luke, Kate, and I still managed to escape her big room without waking up Reece and Lizzy, who were lying next to each other in the most uncomfortable looking positions ever. I smirked, searching for my phone and taking a picture of them before tiptoeing out. I would definitely be holding it against the twins.

The three of us made breakfast for the pair of seventeen-year-olds because we were just wonderful. It was amusing to watch Kate scold Luke for not knowing how to crack an egg. The couple them started throwing some ingredients at each other, later ganging up on me. I quickly backed away.

"Guys!" I covered my face with my hands, almost tripping several times. At one point, I ended up flat on the ground, dying from laughter.

After a while of fun and games, we realized how little time we had. The three of us panicked, running around and grabbing all the ingredients to make a decent breakfast.

A lot of demented pancakes, several slices of toast with jelly, some scrambled eggs, and five glasses of orange juice.

It was a miracle that we didn't drop anything.

Luke pushed open the door with his foot, setting down the tray on Kate's vanity. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Happy birthday!" The two of them shot up from the bed with Reece falling off and Lizzy yelping. The female twin searched for her wide-framed glasses, but Reece pulled it down with him.

I smiled at Lizzy, nudging Reece away with my foot to pick up her glasses. Handing it to her, I said, "Happy birthday."

"Where's my happy birthday?" Reece grumbled, still looking frazzled.

"I was gonna say it, but you jumped to conclusions. Maybe you won't get one after all...."

"Chancellor!" The birthday boy whined crossing his arms like a little kid.

"Of course, you big baby. Happy birthday."

Kate, the peppy one in the group, did some cheer, which mostly consisted of jumping and shouting. Without breaking anything, she ended it with a cartwheel, bursting with another wish of happiness from her. It was hilarious watching her do that in her Hello Kitty sweater and pigtails.

After Reece and Lizzy thanked us in bear hugs, we sat on the bed, not really minding how one of us could stumble off any time. We ate and talked with jokes and laughter, like we always did. Reece almost fell off again on many occasions, but Luke was always there to grab his arm before he actually fell.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Lizzy asked, gulping down her orange juice. In the corner of my eye, I watched Kate about to grab another piece of toast, but Luke slapped her hand away.

"We're just gonna hang out for the day. Open presents, eat cake. Do whatever. Have a bonfire." Luke rattled off our wimpy plans, but with each word he said, the twins seemed to grin more.