Chapter 13

Sooner rather than later, I turn seventeen. Like every other day in this town, it's just another rainy Thursday. It also happens to be my last day as a nonworking yet employed person. My manager, Jack, says he wants to get me working before the vacation so he can at least teach me the basics. I'm supposed to go in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I already explained my plans of leaving to him and he said me that it's fine. The are enough workers to hold down the fort at Burger King while I'm away.

I'm surprised when I wake up to a handful of 'Happy Birthday' texts from people that aren't related to me. Most of them are from Winona and Cassidy. I also get one from Jackson and one from Nicholas, as well as a message from Parker. At around midnight, Abel left me several voice messages that I'm too scared to open, especially only moments after waking. I'll give it a half hour, after I shower and eat, to listen to them. However, as I exit my room, I'm bombarded by my aunt, who's dressed in her work clothes.

"Happy birthday!" she cheers and I offer her a sleepy smile. I'm genuinely caught off guard at the fact that she knows it's my birthday. I mean, I wasn't close to her before I was brought here. She'd call and send cards on my birthday but it was never really anything special.

"Thanks," I mutter, still not out of my sleepy state. 

"I'm making you chocolate chip pancakes! I know how much you love those!" she smiles at me. I give her another drowsy nod before slipping into the bathroom with my stuff. It's going to be a long day.

+ + +

After I shower and get ready for school, I check my phone and actually listen to Abel's messages. They're basically him shouting about it being my birthday and singing the happy birthday song to me. I grin as I listen and can't help but wonder how he knows it's my birthday. I don't recall telling him. Letting curiosity get the best of me, I send him a 'thank you' text before questioning how he knows today's my special day.

I'm flabbergasted when I get a notification from Maddox. It isn't what I think (and secretly hope) for, though. He's simply asking me if I want a ride to school. With a quiet sigh, I confirm that I would like a ride. I eat my pancakes in silence as I wait for Maddox to show up. Halfway through my meal, my cousin saunters downstairs dressed up for the day.

My aunt stands in the kitchen, which surprises Vivica. Aunt Gen is usually long gone by the time we get up. She glances at her mother before turning her attention to the stack of pancakes on the counter. "Well, don't you have something to say to Olivia?" Aunt Gen prompts her daughter with an expectant smile.

"Happy birthday," my cousins mumbles. I nod and thank at her as I hold back a smile at her annoyed scowl.

"You need to be home by seven, today," my aunt insists. "I'm making you a cake."

I look at her and nod slowly. When am I never not home at 7? "Okay." I honestly don't plan on doing anything after school, anyway.

"Good," she grins broadly at me before pointed to my cousin. "Vivica's bringing you to school, today."

"No, it's fine. I have a ride already," I insist quickly, which earns a sigh of relief from Vivica.

"Who?" my aunt wonders with furrowed brows.

"Maddox," I answer quietly as my eyes flit from her to her daughter.

"When am I going to meet this boy? You've been hanging out with him an awful lot," my aunt wonders and I give her a weak shrug. I know there's no way I'm going to bring Maddox into this house.

"Maybe you can meet all of my friends after I come back," I propose with no intention of following through. She exclaims about how good of an idea that is and I'm grateful for the loud and familiar honking. "I think that's for me." I grab my bag from the floor and snag a granola bar for lunch. With a smile and wave at my aunt, I jog out of the house and close the door behind me.

The rain hits the walkway like bullets and I can barely keep my hood up in the wind. I'm too worried about slipping and falling to bother holding it down. I manage to get to the car, but the door is locked. Maddox takes joy in slowly leaning over, slapping his hand around (and missing) the lock before he actually manages to unlock the it. I glare at him and ignore the fact that he could've done it automatically from his side of the car, but no, Maddox is Maddox and he loves to be difficult.

As soon as I get into the car, Maddox snatches my granola bar from me, breaks it in half, and shoves one piece into his mouth. I watch him enjoy my lunch as I buckle my seatbelt. "Well, you're quite rude today," I mumble awkwardly.

"Nothing new," he responds through a mouthful of my granola bar. If I wasn't so disgusted by the idea, I'd reach over and grab the inch sticking out of his mouth. Instead, I cross my arms and watch him chew it. "Winona and Cassidy are forcing me to ask you this; are you free after school?"

"Yeah," I confirm as I tug at the bottom of my skirt. "But I need to be home by seven."

"Okay, well, we're going to hang out after school," he informs me as he takes one hand off of the wheel. He rests it on his thigh and relaxes back in his seat, which makes him look rather attractive. I'm surprised when the thought forces itself to the front of my mind so I force it back and continue conversation.

"We as in?" I further question with a raised brow.

"Everyone, except Parker and Raven," he clarifies. I'm hesitant to ask my next question. He'll probably make fun of me even more if I do.

"Who is everyone?" I question as I continue to beat around the bush.

"Me, you, Nick, Jackson, Winona, Cassidy..." he trails before glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I wait for him to continue but he doesn't. "Why?"

"Just wondering," I shrug in a state of slight disappointment. So Abel isn't going to be there. I stare at the road ahead of us and listen to the sound of rain around us.

+ + +

When lunch comes around, I'm already tired of being at school. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was waiting for the midnight call from my parents, which came at 12:00 on the dot. I answered, talked for a few moments, hung up, and then crawled into bed. I woke up five hours later. If I hadn't already agreed to hang out after school, I'd go home and sleep. I'd probably even ask Vivica for a ride because I'm too tired to walk.

My friends keep saying 'Happy birthday' to me whenever they see me, whether it's in class or in the hallways. I'd always smile in return and bow my head from the slight embarrassment. However, Maddox hasn't uttered the words at all. And he'll be with our friends but whenever they say it, he remains silent. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but he knows that it's my birthday, why not say the words? And it's not like he forgot about it this morning when he first saw me in the car. Abel had responded to my text that Maddox had told him about my birthday last night.

"Happy birthday!" my friends cheer yet again, for what seems to be the hundredth time. I slowly lower myself into my seat between Nicholas and Cassidy.

"Thanks, guys. You can stop saying it now," I hint with a small smile.

"You're seventeen now," Nicholas reminds me. "One more year and you're legal!"

"Abel's going to be happy," Winona mumbles with a quiet chuckle. I try to ignore the blush as I glare at her but I fail and bring my hands to my face.

Trying to think of a swift comeback and failing, I simply utter a dejected: "Shut up."

"Did a lot of people wish you a happy birthday so far?" Cassidy asks me and I shrug in response.

"A few," I nod slowly as I try to tally it up in my mind. To be honest, I've only really gotten messages from my family and the people sitting around me, except for Maddox. I'm not complaining though. I honestly thought my friends would've forgotten; I mentioned the date once.

"Did Abel say it?" Winona asks with a suggestive wink.

I don't bother saying anything about her idiotic actions and instead, respond as I normally would. "Yeah, he left me a bunch of voice messages," I explain as I put ketchup on my burger.

"Why are you so sad? It's your birthday! Cheer up!" Cassidy exclaims as she nudges my side. I sway with her arm before returning back to my food.

"Some people don't like birthdays," Jackson shrugs with an understanding expression on his face. "Maybe she's one of them."

"I'm just tired," I explain weakly.

"You're still hanging out with us later, right?" Winona presses with a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Please say no, please say no, please say no," Maddox whispers from across the table.

I look up and squint at him before turning to Winona. "Yes, we're still on for later," I confirm.

Everyone smiles but Maddox. He simply wrinkles his nose at me and returns back to his food.

+ + +

At the end of the day, Maddox and I walk towards the parking lot. When he sees that I'm quiet, he looks at me. "What's wrong with you now?" he sighs loudly. I can sense concern in his voice so I figure he's being genuine.

I roll my eyes at him. "Shut up, Maddox," I scoff.

"Is it about you leaving again? Because I told you already—," he starts to reassure me but I don't let him finish.

"Why didn't you say anything to me today? I mean, you knew it was my birthday from the start," I blurt in slight frustration.

His eyebrows furrow as he stares at me with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He's getting a kick out of my annoyance. He glances at the ground with his hands in his pockets. "I don't know."

"Well, now seems like a good time to say it," I nudge him in the side. In a matter of seconds, I've made it a goal of mine to get him to say it at least once before the day ends. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye before shaking his head with a wrinkled nose.

"No, now you've made it weird," he mumbles as a smile plays at the corner of his lips.

"Weird? How?" I gasp.

"I don't know. You just have," he mutters as he walks around the car. I stand beside the passenger's door and wait for him to unlock it. He digs around in his pockets for the keys.

"Just say it," I attempt to force him but he only shakes his head again and retrieves his keys. The car beeps and I climb in with a playful smile on my face. "Come on, Maddox."

He refuses to say 'Happy birthday' for the entirety of the ride. I sit there and try to find different ways to make him say it. I even suggest playing hang-man, but he doesn't bother to guess letters; he took one glance at the two word, thirteen letter game and scoffs. After a while, it becomes clear that it's not something I want him to say out of niceness, but a goal of mine to get him to utter the two words.

We arrive at yet another house; this one is smaller than Cassidy's and reminds me of a home you'd see in the movies. It's light green and decorated in Christmas decorations. Lights adorn the walls while blow-up reindeer and Santa sit on the neatly cut grass. "Who lives here?" I inquire as I take in the cute home.

"Winona," Maddox answers in short as he slows to a stop in front of the house. Unlike Cassidy's neighborhood, the homes aren't very far apart. There's a distance of at least thirty feet between the houses, which are separated by a white, picket fence. "Get out of the car."

I look over at Maddox only to find that he's still buckled in. "Okay, calm down, rude," I mutter as I unbuckle my seatbelt.

"Winona says you can just go in," he tells me as he slowly removes his seatbelt. I get out of the car and leave my book bag sitting in the passenger's seat. Hopefully, the contents don't spill out again. I don't want another awkward run in with a feminine item and Maddox. I walk up to the door and hesitantly turn the doorknob.

"She's here!" Winona calls and I'm suddenly yanked further into the living room. I'm surprised to find gift bags scatter around on the table and all of my friends seated on the couches. I notice chips and drinks settled on a long table in the corner and I can't help the smile that forms on my face.

"What's this?" I ask as I look to Winona. 

"It's for you!" she cheers back.

I notice Maddox enter with a gift bag and when he sees me staring, he scowls, puts the bag on the table, and drops onto the couch beside Nicholas. "Have a seat," Cassidy demands as she shoves a cup of soda in my hand. I'm pushed down into a recliner and feel everyone's gaze on me. My face immediately reddens and I just slowly sip my drink. Winona's eyes are wild as she looks around excitedly.

"Do you like it?" she asks nervously and I offer her a long nod. 

I nod my head vigorously. "It's nice," I reply with a small smile. "Thank you." I'm not much of a birthday party kind of person; I hate being the center of attention. But I meant it when I said it's nice.

"Well, what should we do now?" Cassidy wonders as she squeezes between Maddox and Nicholas.

+ + +

"Sorry I'm late," Abel calls, completely interrupting a game of Would You Rather. He didn't even bother knocking. Instead, he barged into the unlocked door with a purple bag in his hand. He places it on the table before dropping down across from me on the same couch as Winona and Jackson. "The professor just kept lecturing and lecturing and when it was time to go, he called me over and decided to have a twenty minute conversation about my grade on our last test."

"Did you fail?" Maddox wonders with a hopeful smile. It was the first sign of a happy emotion he's bothered to show all night. For some reason, it upset me a little.

"No, I passed with flying colors," his brother retorts. "He wanted to ask how I did it."

"By cheating," Maddox snorts suggestively.

"No, I studied hard!" Abel snaps with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Time to open presents!" Jackson announces once he senses an incoming argument between the brothers.

"Oh, okay," I nod nervously as everyone begins grabbing their gifts. I move my slice of cake, which Jackson made, to the side with intentions of grabbing it as soon as there's a pause in the gift giving. One thing I didn't know about my new friend is that his father is a baker, so he knows a thing or two about an oven.

"Open mine first!" Winona insists as she shoves her bag into my lap. I take the orange bag, recycle the gift paper into the trash can beside me, and smile at the sweater; I had told Maddox that it was cute when we were walking around, waiting for our friends to get pictures with Santa. Maddox told me that he didn't care but apparently he remembered which sweater it was. I give him a curious look but he averts his gaze to his phone screen. 

The next few gifts are all similar: things I told Maddox that I liked or things I've talked about liking before. I get a cute pillow from Jackson, a pretty shirt (that I'm guessing Winona or Cassidy picked out) from Nick, a pretty, black cardigan from Cassidy, and perfume from Abel (because I ran out of my other one). All of the gifts bring out my girly side. I wish someone would've bought me sweatpants so I wouldn't have to sit in these uncomfortable uniform clothes for the rest of my time here.

"Maddox buys the worst gifts ever," Cassidy grunts as she reaches over and snatches his gift bag from his lap. She hands it to me while glaring at him. He doesn't even look up from his phone to notice.

"I do," Maddox agrees, which surprises me.

"I'm sure it's a great gift, just like all of the others," I pipe quietly. I'm honestly just mentally preparing myself for something to pop out at me. Or maybe he went with stuffing a dead rat in the bag. I can't imagine Maddox wasting money on something for me, aside from fast food, which was a surprise in itself.

"We won't know unless you open it," Abel rushes me urgently. He's more excited for the gifts than I am. 

When I can't possible stall opening the gift any longer, I nervously rub my hands on my skirt. I feel everyone's intense gazes on me as I open the gift bag. Apparently, they don't know what he got me either. I simply stare into the bag and try to repress the smile that's threatening to show. I take out the package of socks and everyone stares at it.

"Really, Maddox? That's what you bought?" Jackson scoffs after a second of silence. Everyone follows up with insults to our friend.

"We told you what to buy!" Winona scowls at him.

"Socks, you got her socks?" Cassidy asks with narrowed eyes.

Abel is the only one who seems to understand, aside from me and his brother. "How sentimental." He even pretends to wipe away a tear.

"No, guys, I like it," I tell them as I look at the package. Not only are they socks, but they're socks without a pair. They're a bunch of different colors and patterns. They even glow in the dark!

"They don't even match!" Cassidy snaps as she waves her hands at the gift in my hand.

"Guys," I start to explain as I start taking off my shoes. When one shoe comes off, my pink toe sock is revealed. I take off my other shoe and my light blue and white striped sock is now also on display. It takes them a moment to understand why he'd gotten me socks, but when they grasp it, they begin cooing. Or at least the girls and Abel do; the other two start laughing and punching Maddox in the arm.

As I begin putting the socks back into the bag, I notice a note at the bottom. My eyes skim it and the grin that I was managing to hold back breaks through. Happy Birthday. I look up at Maddox and find that he's glaring at me. I'm guessing he doesn't want the others to know. I simply smile and return the gift back into the bag. I notice his chest drop a little as a hushed sigh (most likely of relief) escapes his lips.

+ + +

On Friday, I work my first shift from 4 to 10. My aunt drives me there and tells me how proud she is. Abel, who's already working, teaches me everything I need to know about working the register. On top of the information I learned during the online training session I spent the first two hours of my shift doing, I feel well prepared. Once our shift ends, he brings me back home before going back to his house. Saturday is similar, except it's a girl named Sasha showing me the ropes of working drive through. I start getting the hang of it by Sunday. I feel ready to work...after my vacation, of course.

On Sunday night, I wash all of the clothes that I'll be taking with me back home and I pack them up in my suitcase. By Monday morning, I'm all ready to go. It's only a half-day and we'll be getting out of school at noon. At 6AM, I'm preparing to leave the house only to get a text from Maddox, who tells me he's going to bring me to school. So instead of leaving, I drop down on the couch and watch some television until 6:40. I manage to get in an episode before the familiar blaring of the horn yanks me from the show. I grab my daily granola bar and slip out of the house the moment I hear Vivica's feet coming downstairs.

"Thanks," I mumble as I get in the car. My mouth is full. In an attempt to ward off Maddox's grabby hands, I put the entire granola bar in my mouth. Thinking that I succeeded, I shove my bag down in the seat and buckle my seatbelt, but while I'm doing so, Maddox reaches over and breaks off the piece of granola bar hanging out of my mouth. I glare at him as he bites into it.

"That was in my mouth," I state the obvious once I swallow my food.

"I'm aware," he replies as he pulls off down