Smoke And Steel

• Thirty-Seven - Embarrassment Ninja •

Ebony

Over the weeks to come I had no chance to hang out with anyone what with all of the studying I had to do. Recent events (namely all to do with Avery and my overly empathetic personality) had led me to being behind in all of my studying for my Finals.

Unlike recent years, I'd totally forgotten about revision, so when Finals week came around I (and 90% of the school) almost died from sleep deprivation, exhaustion, multiple caffeine overdoses, and in my case, a sugar overload.

I was actually surprised I didn't have a candy stripe tattoo on my tongue from all of the candy canes I'd eaten in the past two weeks. I think I passed all of my tests as up until the end of this year I'd paid the upmost attention to my classes. Let's just pray that everything was worth it.

After everything, three weeks of no school was just what I needed. I'd be able to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea, spend my days reading, not giving a care in the world. Or at least that's what I'd been able to do for the first part of my break.

Since my birthday was only a couple days before Christmas, I'd never really cared much for it. People were always away with their families, so I could never have parties as a child, and people always just gave me presents on Christmas instead. It was a 2-in-1 deal I guess.

Mandy, despite how hard to handle she could sometimes be, always made a point of remembering my birthday though, which was really sweet of her. This year she'd given me a really beautiful copy of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, for which I was really thankful.

Since I hadn't told any of my new friends about my birthday, I hadn't expected any of them to do anything, so I was really surprised (I almost peed myself with fright) when on December 23rd, my seventeenth birthday, they all burst into my room singing happy birthday.

It was seven thirty AM and I'd been reading The Bell Jar for the past hour and a half when suddenly the door flew open and there Tash, Tate, Avery, and my dad stood there grinning, holding a cake covered in candles, and singing their hearts out.

"Happy birthday to you,

you're one hundred and two.

You look like a monkey,

and you smell like one too!"

"Gee, thanks guys," I said, putting my book down whilst trying to recover from my mini heart attack that had been caused by the sudden noise.

"Happy birthday, Ebony!" They cheered in unison.

"Make a wish!" My dad said, placing the cake in front of me. Hot wax from the lit candles were already dotting the sunshine yellow frosting.

Please let the coming year be good to me, I wished as I scrunched my eyes shut as blew out the seventeen little flames.

"What did you wish for?" Tash asked.

"A pony and a BMW, of course. Although, I probably won't get it  now that I've told you."

"Oh well," she said. "Better luck next time."

"So how did you guys know?" I asked, looking past my dad to the three of them.

"I called your dad," Avery said. "You wouldn't tell me your birthday so I thought he would."

"How'd you even get a hold of him?"

"I just googled his name and it came up with the law firm he works for."

"Your boy Avery is quite the sleuth," my dad joked. "Any way, I'll leave you kids to it."

"How about you all go out and I'll be there in a second? You can all cut the cake or whatever while ai quickly get changed."