Wild Bastard

42

Marina

"Happy birthday" I smile at Lana, trying not to show my tension.

The girl looks perfect as always. The crimson bikini accentuates her perfect figure. There's a gold sash around her waist.

"Thank you.

Lana doesn't throw herself at me with a hug or even try to look happy to see me. I feel a pang of guilt. She's lost her trust, and that's understandable.

"To begin with, I want to apologize for the way things happened" I find it hard to apologize. But I know how to admit guilt. And I owe her a lot. Although who am I lying to? I just want, instead of this reserved statue with a hidden resentment in her eyes, I looked at the old cheerful girl who once trusted me with her heart. "It just happened. And I... I'm really hooked on your brother. But I want you to know that no matter how things work out between me and him, the door to my house and my heart will always be open to you. I don't and won't choose between the two of you. I care for both of you. I never let anyone into my heart before I met you. You were there first, not Matthew. But he managed to win his place next to you, too."

Lana doesn't make it easy. She doesn't answer anything. She listens attentively to my speech, but at least she doesn't look annoyed. There's music outside, cheerful screeching and shouting, and here in the kitchen it's just the two of us. The silence drags on, so I just hand her the velvet box.

In fact, the gift is pathetically cheap.

"When I was little, people used to bring us not only toys and clothes, but also sometimes jewelry. Cheap, time-worn jewelry. My friend and I picked out an amulet that was divided into two parts. One had Best written on it, the other Friend. It was a kid's thing, you know? A lot of people had them back then, but we didn't."

"I did not have, either" Sadly remarks the birthday girl. I would like to hope that she will still appreciate what I'm going to give her.

"So one day my best friend betrayed me by telling that I had stolen an older girl's lipstick. And I got beaten up. It took a long time for the bruises to go away. It was painful and hurtful. I ripped the half off her neck, and at first I wanted to throw it away, but then I kept it and thought that if I had a really dear person, I'd give it to him. You're the first person I ever wanted to give it to"

Lana carefully opens the box I bought beforehand in the store and pulls out a pendant with the word "Friend" on it.

Doubt flashes in her brown eyes, the well-hidden gratitude, and something else. I don't immediately notice that I'm holding my breath. I'm not going to beg her to take the gift, in case she thinks it's idiotic. There are diamonds in her ears now, if I'm not mistaken, and this thing would probably look ridiculous next to them, but I wish she would keep it.

"Thank you, Reenah" The girl's voice is quiet, but when she looks up at me, I don't see the accusation in her eyes anymore. But I don't see the eagerness to hug me, either. "It's a very precious gift. I hope things really work out between you and Matthew, because he's a shitty character, but lately I've been feeling more and more like I don't know him at all. And I'm just starting to get to know him"

I don't know what to say to her, because I don't know how to interpret the line I heard. She accepted the gift, but it's probably hard to get the ease of communication back all at once.

"Come on in, I invited a cool DJ, there's champagne and wine"

I nod, realizing that's the end of the revelations. Okay. I took a step towards her. If she feels like it, she'll do the same.

I change into my swimsuit and walk out to the pool.

It's exactly like last time. Half-naked bodies stuffed with silicone, guys playing volleyball, DJ and loud music. Even the guests don't seem to have changed. Lana must have invited someone she knew, because it was unlikely she would have had enough to fill the whole backyard.