I Got You ~ C.B

SEVENTEEN

Nan cooks dinner for us, exited to use my big kitchen. Making her classic roast pork she usually only saves for Christmas. The family gives me presents while it's in the oven. From Nan and Gramps, another vintage camera to add to my collection. This time, a film one from the eighties. And a couple more records from their vintage collection they're slowly transferring to me. Mum and James have gotten me an antique ring, an Art Deco one from the 1930s. Thin, dainty gold band adorned with a tiny sapphire and little diamond surrounding it in the shape of a flower. Maisie made me something out of clay at school- and for the life of my I can't figure out what it is, but it's cute and I'll cherish it forever. As for Sadie's gift, I pull out of a birthday bag a small packet of a kind of appetite curbing tea. She explains as if she's given me the gift I've needed most in the world for years
"It tastes great, and it works so fast. You will have literally zero tummy left in a month."
I remind her
"Just because I don't look like you doesn't mean I need weight loss tea, Sadie. We're different builds."
Mum adds
"Yeah. Rey just has boobs and booty Sade. And if she wanted to loose weight, she wouldn't use a chemical filled, unhealthy thing like that anyway."
Sadie retorts
"I'm just being a good big sister. Honest, looking out for her. Trust me, she needs it."
Colby plucks it out of my hand and hands it back to Sadie, turning back to me without saying a word.
"Okay, my turn."
I allow a smile, and combat
"A surprise party and a present. Everything I said you didn't need to do."
He jokes
"Well I'm a rebellious, emo trash kid," he smirks over to Sadie and back to me "I was getting you a present, Rey. Come on. It's your twenty first."
Sighing, I accept the little gift bag from him. Pulling out from within it two little deep red box, the word Cartier scrawled across the tops in fine gold lettering. I blink at it, and up to him
"Colby, I-"
He covers my mouth with his hand and chuckles
"Open them!"
Pouting, I open the smaller of the two. A ring box, inside a silver Cartier Love collection ring sits- matching the one I bought him the other month. I shake my head
"Dude!"
He chuckles, slipping it onto my finger and putting the next box in my hand. This one is a necklace box. Inside it the matching necklace to the ring. I look back to him
"Colby..."
He just smiles
"You're welcome. I know you have that 'you don't need to buy me things' mindset. And I love that about you. But I'm still buying you things."
I kiss his cheek, as he reaches over and takes the necklace out of the box and puts it around my neck. Now I have two necklaces and two rings on from him- the Mary, and love necklace. The love ring and his ring he put on my thumb when we were last drunk together and never took it off since. The gunmetal silver skull one. I'm pretty sure it was when Zane drunkenly convinced us he was ordained and performed the ceremony on us for a bit in one of David's vlogs. But it was a messy night, I'm not sure. He squeezes my hand and stands
"I'm going to set the table."
It's an early dinner, since Colby and I have to go get dolled up for this party, so I start eating as quick as I can- which my grandmother doesn't like.
"Alaska... have you not been fed since you've moved here?"
Getting the hint, I give her a closed and full mouthed smirk as I begin actually chewing my food. Colby giggles at me. It's then that my grandfather asks
"Where did you come from Colby? LA born and bred?"
Colby shakes his head
"Kansas actually."
Gramps claps
"Well you certainly aren't in Kansas anymore."
Colby smiles, considering the amount of times I've made this joke before. Mum asks
"What did you want to do before you made it on YouTube?"
"I wasn't actually sure. I just started vine with my friend Sam and it was kind of meant to be."
Sadie scoffs
"Amazing. Making brainless six second videos is meant to be. Didn't you get lucky."
I groan
"Sadie... have you not heard that saying? If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all."
Nan jokes
"If she did that she'd be a mute."
She shoots nan a look
"Shut up."
Mum speaks up
"Don't talk to your grandmother that way."
I mutter
"Nice."
Mum looks to me, eyes alight
"Pardon?"
I shrug
"I don't know. It's just, she's been talking shit all day. About me, people I care about and you've been brushing it off all day- but as soon as she says one thing disrespectful to nan you only just notice. I mean, it's good- she shouldn't talk to nan like that. But she shouldn't talk the rest of the stuff she does either."
James warns me
"Watch your language in front of Maisie."
I throw my hands up. There it is again. I'm the bad guy. Mum denies
"Sadie has not said one thing bad about you the whole day."
I scoff
"The first thing she said to me at the airport was 'what the fuck are you wearing'!"
James scolds
"Alaska!"
I stand, grabbing the tea off the floor where it landed
"And this. She doesn't even have to use words to say it."
She tells me
"I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart for you, Alaska! It's a miracle you found someone willing to fuck you at all!"
She gestures to Colby as she says this. Grandad choking
"Woah, woah."
He says, making a disturbed face. I chuck the tea at her- not trying to hurt her but make a statement. Figuratively and literally throwing it back at her. She plays the 'ouch my arm' card, mum standing
"That was violent Alaska! Uncalled for!"
I throw my hands up again
"Unbelievable..."
Looking at the tense scene in the room, I tell nobody in particular
"I'm taking a shower."
And exit.