sleepy city [discontinued]

9 | aged 18

jackson

Today was London's birthday. Currently it was 6:43 in the morning, and I was blowing her phone up with happy birthday messages and videos on social media. I texted her, snapchatted her, and put it on Instagram along with Twitter. A week earlier she told me her birthday was coming up, and today I had a surprise for her. I was gonna show up at her school with flowers and balloons and a big ass teddy bear. Now I was just arriving in Georgia. I knew she wasn't gonna do anything and that she wasn't expecting it. I had to tell Cadence what I was going and she said she would handle the publicity and rumors and I could do what I planned for her. Cadence had something planned for her too, but I didn't know what it was.

Candace told me that London wasn't going to do anything except stay home and I couldn't let her do that. She didn't want to do anything herself, so I was gonna do it for her. I didn't blame her, but I felt it was needed. I was glad me and ace fence planned this so well. I felt like a lovesick high schooler asking a girl to prom, but no one else knew. London ah no fuckin clue about what was gonna go down. I was glad I could come see her for her birthday instead of FaceTiming her. Christmas Break was here for me, and this was the Friday before their exams started, so I knew everyone would be here.

We had finally made it to Atlanta, and I got my two bags I had with me off the plane. I wasn't tired at all; I was extremely excited. My phone rang, and the caller ID read "bbyg", aka London.

I pressed the answer button. "Happy birthday, babygirl."

London had a raspy laugh since she probably just woke up. "Thank you, Jackson. Good morning." I walked out the terminal and soon enough, the entire airport. She had asked my why I had posted all this stuff just to tell her happy birthday. I told her it was nothing.

"And where are you? It's so windy."

"I'm at the airport. I'm going home to Seattle for the break."

She was worried that the weather was bad in New York; and she thought it was snowing. It actually wasn't but I knew it would be once it got a bit colder.

"Well, I'll talk to you later." She said, and I heard her car door close. "I have to see what Cadence keeps talking about; she said she did something unbelievable for me and she's waiting for me at school." She audibly said "smh" and I could tell she was shaking her head.

I laughed. "You never know."

-

This was it. I was outside the closed doors of London's lunchroom. I had Happy Birthday balloons attached to my bookbag, red roses in my left hand, and a giant teddy bear in my right. I told Cadence I was here, and a few seconds after us saw her at the bottom of the staircase. Her smile was huge, and she waved at me to come down. I made my way down the stairs as she loudly counted down from 10 to get everyone's attention. Everyone stood on their tables to see what was going on. Half the lunchroom cried Awww as they sang Happy Birthday. I couldn't see London and Cadence showed me where to walk, and I made my way to her; back facing me and on her phone.

I covered her eyes and said Happy Birthday. She turned around and made a high pitched sound in her throat and smiled. Then they started clapping, and cheering and awwing, and I think she started crying. She hugged and squeezed me, and I laughed and watched as everyone was recording and taking pictures. Some people were up close to record. I asked for her to stop crying and handed her flowers to her. She wiped her tears away and sat down. I put her teddy bear on the open table and tied her balloons to her book bag handle. I think she was laughing now. I was just glad she wasn't crying anymore.

"You and Cadence are dummies." She giggled and wiped her face. I could only laugh. Cadence came to sit across from her.

"This fool," she pointed to Cadence, "came in with 20 jumbo different shopping bags. She used her entire paycheck from last month to buy me all the black clothes from Polyvore she could find." Cadence only smiled. "Caused an entire disturbance this morning. The bags overflowed in my backseat."

"That's because you're bae." Cadence reached over to hug her.

"And wear something nice tonight." Her face said For why? "I'm taking you out."

I took her to Prime at Lenox Mall, but prior to that I took her shopping at American Apparel. That's one expensive ass store, but I'm glad she had fun. She did dress nice. She wore a long black dress with sandals under, courtesy to Cadence. During dinner, he said how someone posted a picture of us hugging as "Relationship Goals" and the picture of us had gone viral on Twitter and Instagram. Cadence had told everyone prior that I was brother, but there were just rumors going around. Once we left, I took her to Centennial Park to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was kind of cold, so I gave her my jacket.

"You look astonishing, babygirl."

I kissed her full on the lips and didn't regret any second.