Lynne

Chapter 21

 "I don't know why you wouldn't want a party," Miku was telling me from the driver's seat.

I had earned the front seat. "I'm still not old enough to do anything fun," I joked. "Like I can't drink, gamble, buy pot."

"Like you'd do any of those things even if you were old enough," Luka laughed from the backseat. Gumi and Meiko were crammed back there with her, and they all giggled in agreement.

"True, true." I smiled back at them.

The brightly lit buildings of the city flew past us. The sun was only just setting, but the city was already shining. We drove parallel to the sunset, and I could barely catch glimpses of it between the buildings. There was a three second window where I saw it clearly. I snapped a picture on my phone as quick as I could, and sent it to Yuma. To my surprise, he didn't respond right away. He's probably busy, I told myself.

We followed our manager through the streets. He drove the guys with him.

"Where is this place anyway?" I asked, pocketing my phone. We had been in the car for a while.

"We're almost there," Miku chirped next to me.

"Okay."

A few short minutes later, we pulled into two open parking spaces in front of a restaurant, which sat at the bottom of a skyscraper. Our parking spots had Reserved signs in front of them. Stepping out of the car, I looked around in wonder at the massive building in front of me. I'll never get used to this, I decided.

I pulled the front seat of the car forward, letting the other girls file out of the back seat. It was amusing to watch. Like a car full of clowns that never ended.

"You hungry?" Len popped up next to me. He was full of life tonight. Much more than I had seen in a while. He jumped slightly on the balls of his feet, eagerly trying to rush me into the restaurant.

"Yeah," I answered, eyeing his erratic movements with a smile. "You?"

"I'm fucking starving."

"If I had a dollar for everytime you said that." We followed the others in.

We pushed the doors open into a grand room, featured with gold painting ceilings with exquisite patterns, a soft, red and gold carpet beneath us, and an array of fancy tables and chairs littered throughout the restaurant. At witnessing the grandeur, I fiddled with my shoulder bag with both hands. I felt oddly out of place.

Erik clapped the host on the back, pulling him into a brief hug. This guy knows everyone, I thought to myself. We followed him to our table. Somewhere in the room, a piano was being played.

I sat at one end of the table, after some ushering from my friends, and Erik sat at the other. Len was to my left, Miku to my right. The others dispersed themselves about.

"Water, please," I told the waiter, almost wishing I had thrown a party instead. I wouldn't be the center of attention at a party. No, I would never be forced to sit where everyone could see me. During a party, I could blend in with the crowd. There was nowhere to hide in this huge palace of a restaurant. I felt a bout of sadness for my parents, who I hadn't seen yesterday, and wouldn't get to see today. My stomach lurched at the thought of waiters loudly singing me a birthday song.

Calm down, I told myself. You're with your friends. Your family. It's a good day.

I sighed, tuning myself into the conversation.

"We've done singles, but no albums for quite a while. I think it might be a good idea-"

"Erik," Gumi hit him playfully on the arm. "Don't talk business on a day like this!" She scolded him with a smile.