The Secret (Boston's Best 1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Maddie

"You could always just fly your friend, what's her name, Aebhín? Yeah her, just fly her out for the weekend and then she'll be here for it."

"Brooke, she has exams, she is not able to just fly out for a weekend, and even if she could I wouldn't ask her to."

"Madeleine O'Brien, this is your 18th birthday, not just some weekend."

"Brooke's right, Mads." Penelope sighs, "You have to do something for your 18th birthday, like it's the law."

Before Matt left halfway through lunch to do god knows what, he kindly let the fact that my birthday is in two weeks slip out. He then backed away slowly and mouthed sorry at me before running away.

Thanks Matthew, really appreciate it.

"I don't get the big deal though." Brooke says, "Could she not just take two or three days off studying so that she could come here. Like if her not being here is the only reason you don't want to do anything, then we will personally go and collect her."

"Yeah and if money's a problem for her then we'll all chip in to help. We just want the best for you Mads." Penelope smiles at me.

I think for a second. "Okay, how about this? I'll ask her what days she has her oral exams and then we'll see. Cause it'll depend if her orals are on during the first or second week of the Easter holidays."

"Y'all get two weeks off for Easter there?" Darius asks.

"Yeah two weeks for Christmas and Easter, one week for Halloween and mid-term break, and three months for summer."

"Fucking hell, we're lucky if we get Christmas off. Though I suppose that's why we are lucky for how we get off for summer earlier than most schools."

Alex looks up from his sandwich. "Text her or call her or whatever now. Ask her. Get it over with."

"No. What? She's like five hours ahead us. It's like half-past seven there. She'll be getting ready for dance if she's not having a nap by now –she's probably asleep though."

"Do you even want a party? Like actually for you for your birthday, do you want one?" Felix asks me.

I think about it for a minute. "Aebhín and I have always, since we were 4 kind of always, said that we would celebrate every single one of our birthdays together. And I know it's kinda silly and childish but we have. Every year since we were 4 years old. 14 years of parties and cakes and different friend groups, we've always been there for every single one of them."

I shrug. "So, of course I want to celebrate my birthday but it just doesn't feel right to do anything without her and I don't know, it just feels a bit selfish."

"What's selfish?" Felix asks.

"Asking her to fly all the way out here just for my birthday." I laugh, "I mean it's insane."

Penelope says, "Well, if she cares even half as much about you and about your birthday pact, then it's not selfish and she'd probably do it in a heartbeat."

Like I understand where they're coming from but...I don't know, I'm probably being silly.

I've always loved my birthday –anyone's birthday really. The whole celebration and seeing all your friends and family together, gift giving and receiving, it just made me happy.

But this year is the three year anniversary of my dad's death. I mean it's kind of hard to think of anything else but that.

I smile at them all. "I'll call her and ask when her orals are and then I'll see from there." They all look triumphant, so I hold up my hand. "But if her exams are even close to that weekend then no, I'm not doing anything. This is her Leaving Cert, like they're important to have in Ireland –like not a necessity but still a pretty good thing to have if you live there, especially cause that's where she's finishing school."