Scars • hood au

34

a l e x a n d r a

I was growing too fast I should stop… Well, as if that’s going to work. My 18th birthday had been celebrated a week after Ashton’s celebration party as in four days ago. It wasn’t that much of a celebration as it was just a small gathering of Calum’s family and these boys as my friends – except for Calum – together in one day.

We did quite a lot of activities, however. Karen decided to cook us a beautiful meal for dinner and we all ate at a park where I’d snuck Luke out before—the day Calum and I started hanging out together. The three boys and Luke decided to surprise me in the morning with a birthday cake they made that night on their own. I’d have to be honest and say that I didn’t realize Luke creeping out of the bedroom to let the three boys in.

Ashton had started his course in university since it wasn’t far away. He owned a car, anyway. So it wasn’t a problem for him to drive back and forth between home and class.

Everyone waited for us at the park and we had a beautiful picnic kind of dinner under the stars as well as celebrating me turning 18. The cake was – surprisingly – delicious and sweet. I joked around about them actually buying it but no, they had proof that they baked it themselves. Like, dudes, I was joking… and they had proof.

Right now, the dishes in the sink had piled up since today was Saturday and the boys slept over at our house last night. Luke ended up cuddling Michael to sleep while Ashton had his long arms around the two; being the biggest spoon. Calum and I fell asleep on the couch in the living room.

How delightful.

It was his fault for wanting to stay up to watch his favorite movie but we ended up falling asleep anyway. I was the one who’d waken up around four o’clock in the morning to turn off the TV as he draped his arm over the sofa instead of over me. Wow, I sound really clingy.

Breakfast today consisted of bacon strips and eggs because we didn’t have much breakfast food in the fridge. I’d made a mental note to buy more stuff later. But that’s the problem, the insurance money Liz had saved had disappeared in a blink of an eye because of the renovation costs. Now, only her savings kept Luke and I going.

Another mental note: find a part time job.

“Aluh…” Luke cooed as he entered the kitchen, standing beside me who was washing the dishes at the sink. He didn’t do or tried to say anything—he just stood there and watched.

I glanced at him with a smile and continued finishing the chore. Calum, Michael and Ashton were in the living room. They were pretty noisy for a bunch of adolescence. My guess was that they’re playing a game of Monopoly or just playing stupid video games that the blue haired boy had brought. Although, Ash didn’t like playing video games so I supposed it was a board game.

“You want to help?” I asked the blonde boy as the doorbell simultaneously rang. Both our heads turned to look at the main entrance and Michael shouted on his way to see who was at the door, “I’ll get it!”

I turned back to Luke and he took a rag before standing on my right side, drying the dishes that I’d cleaned and washed. He was turning 17 this year and boy was he a beautiful one. We’d gone to cut off his fringe and now his hair was shorter and he looked even mature then before. With his blonde locks styled up like other kids nowadays, his blue eyes shone even more.

“Who is it, Mike?” I heard Ashton ask as Michael closed the door.

“Just the postman…Alex you got a letter!”

I finished what’s left of the dirty dishes and Luke wiped his hands on the kitchen towel before we headed out and towards the living room where all three boys were already standing—Michael in the middle with the letter in his hand and the other two on his sides, reading along.