“Happy birthday, Kayla!” Angelo shouted into my ear. I groaned, rolling over in my bunk and pulling the blanket over my head.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
“Six in the morning.” He laughed, trying to pull the blanket off of me. “C’mon, get up! We got you a present!”
I groaned again but tugged the blanket away from my body. As soon as Angelo stepped back I leaped down from my bunk, rubbing my eyes.
Ricky was standing with Angelo, who led me into the back lounge where Chris, Devin, and Balz were waiting. In the middle of the room was a table that held a giant red cake. I laughed at the excited look on the boy’s faces.
“One, two, three...” Chris muttered, and I raised an eyebrow.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Kayla. Happy birthday to you!” They all sang in unison, amused at my embarrassment.
I laughed. “I love you guys.”
“Good. You better love us.” Ricky laughed, coming up behind me holding a brand new guitar.
I looked at all of them in shock. “Seriously?!”
Chris nodded. “Happy birthday, Kayla.”
I hugged each of them tightly before grabbing the guitar in complete amazement. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Ricky and Balz laughed at my joy.
After playing with my guitar for a few hours, Chris and I decided to walk around the venue as it was being set up. Since it was our off day, a lot of the bands were already here and just hanging out.
“Did you like the guitar?” Chris asked, smiling.
“I loved it. Thank you guys so much, it’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
“I wouldn’t say that just yet...” Chris laughed.
“There’s more?” I asked.
“Just a little. But trust me, you’ll like this. Ricky and Angelo needed me to get you away from the bus for a little while.”
“When can we go back?”
He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and unlocked it, looked at the screen for a second, and then put it back in his pocket.
“Right now.” He laughed.
WE began walking quickly back towards the bus, my excitement and curiosity rising with every step.
Once we were at the bus, Chris opened the door and stuck his head inside.
“We’re back!” He shouted.
“Bring her in!” Angelo answered.
Chris and I walked onto the bus. There was no one in sight in the front of the bus or in the bunks, so we walked to the back lounge. Chris opened the door and moved out of the way so I could step inside.
“Hey, baby.” Ryan said, smiling and walking towards me.
I threw my arms around his neck and felt a few tears roll down my cheeks. It had been three weeks since I’d seen him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tight.
This was the best birthday ever.
