Meant To Be(?)

Chapter 12

I make my way through my house and to the kitchen passing a variety of students, teachers, and neighbors, on the way. They were all talking amongst themselves as they had all gathered in my home to participate in Ice's surprise birthday bash. I step into the kitchen to see mom pouring more of her homemade punch into red party cups. She notices me as I cross the threshold.

"Does anyone else need drinks?" She asks.

My mom looks as goofy as I had ever seen her, as she is wearing a party hat atop her head. Her hair was pulled back into a pristine bun behind her neck and she wears a custom-made t-shirt reading, "Happy Birthday!" Across the front.

"No, I think everybody has at least one cup already" I answered lightly.

"Is Iziah on the way yet?"

"Yes, I got a message from Joseph just now telling me they were getting close to the house."

"Good. I was a lot trying to pull all of this together. I hope it all goes perfectly."

"It's going to go great Mom!" I reassure "Izzy is going to love it! Everything looks great, from the decorations to the food and you even got all these people to help show support! This is great!"

I see my smile as she walks over to kiss me on the forehead before she embraces me in a big hug.

"Thank you, baby! I don't know what I would do without you."

"Probably work yourself to death honestly."

"Girl if I didn't have you I would have just accepted living on the streets years ago!"

I burst into laughter.

"Mom you can't be serious right now!"

"Oh, I'm dead serious! I would be a cute little hobo too. Yea it be cold sometimes and hot some other times. But at least I wouldn't have to clock into no damn job every damn day!"

"So you would just accept A life of not knowing where your next meal would come from?"

"GLADLY!"

At this point, I am near tears laughing at my mom but I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I take it out to look at the screen and sure enough, it was a message from Joseph.

"Joseph says they're almost here!"

Mom gasps and starts frantically looking around for nothing in particular.

"oh my god oh my god come on let's get everybody into position!"

I follow her into the living room full of guests as she addresses everybody with a voice far bigger than what her small stature would lead you to believe.

"EVERYBODY HIDE THE TARGET IS ON THE WAY! I REPEAT TARGET IS INBOUND!"

The dozens of different guests all begin taking hiding positions behind the couches and walls of my living room, some even concealing themselves out of sight in a hallway. My mom takes Tre and hides him and herself behind the couch with some of the students. I am left standing in the middle of the living waiting for Ice to knock on the door. After what feels like hours I finally hear the weight of the two boys stomping up the steps to my porch. I hurry over to the door and open it, allowing Ice just enough time to step inside before pulling the string of a small confetti blast over his head. The lights come on and everyone jumps from their hiding places yelling in unison.

"SURPRISE!".

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZZY!" I add screaming at the top of my lungs.

Ice is completely taken aback and after getting over his moment of shock bursts into fits of bright laughter. At that moment, several of Ice's ex-basketball teammates, wheel a snow-themed cake out from one of the dark hallways. It reads, "Happy Birthday Ice" and the eighteen candles all had tiny flames dancing on top of them. Right away every breaks into singing Happy Birthday and as we sing I see that Ice has one of the biggest and brightest smiles I had ever seen up to this point stretched across his face.