the nickname game

𝗳𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 - birthday surprise

The next week Hailey seemed a lot happier than usually which was weird considering she already was the happiest person Madison knew. She skipped around the hallways and acted kind of suspicious every time Madison asked her what this newfound happiness was coming from. Little did she know everything would be revealed that Thursday and it was a lot worse than anything she could have ever expected.

It started off as any other day but Hailey seemed a little more anxious today. She carried her bag around the entire day and was as protective over it as a mommy bird is to the eggs in her nest. It was just so strange. The only other time she had ever seen Hailey act similar to this was last year when she had surprised Madison with a spa weekend for her birthday. But Madison's birthday wasn't until next month so this had to be about something else.

During lunch they all sat down at their regular table and began eating. Madison noticed Hailey was barely touching her food which wasn't like her at all. Something was definitely on her mind. Hailey smiled at Lawrence until he looked back at her.

"Happy birthday Lance!" Hailey screeched out excitedly and everyone around the table was caught off guard.

"Uhm... Thank you, Hailey" Lawrence replied startled.

"It's your birthday? Finally I'm not the only seventeen year old here!" Coralie said.

"Actually, he's turning 18 and I'm 17 too, Cora" Kayden corrected which made Coralie just roll her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.

"I actually got you a little something too" Hailey picked up a poorly wrapped gift from her bag. "I'm not the best at gift wrapping but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Right..." Lawrence was trying to mask his uneasiness with a smile as he unwrapped the gift but Madison could see right through him. "But Hailey how much did you spend on this?"

"Don't worry about it! I bought it for you because I thought you'd like it" Hailey said confidently. "So do you like it?"

Lawrence held up the Manchester City soccer jersey Hailey had gotten him. It even had his name and soccer number on the back.

"I mean yes, of course I like it. Man City is my team but I can't accept this. These jersey's go for more than a hundred bucks. You really shouldn't spend money like that on me!" Lawrence was blushing a lot out of pure embarrassment and disbelief.

"Yes you can - it's a gift! I bought it for you with my own money because I wanted you to have it. Also, it's custom made with no return policy" Hailey was looking a little upset.

Eventually Lawrence just had to give in and accept Hailey's gift. To show his appreciation he even wore it for the rest of the school day. Hailey clearly saw this as a big deal as she was hanging after him like a baby duck the rest of the day. She only left him alone for the last period when they had different Chemistry classes.

"I hate you" Lawrence muttered as he sat himself down next to Madison.

"Oh, is the birthday boy in a bad mood?" she said in a babyish voice.

"I thought you would warn me before Hailey pulled any of these stunts on me" Lawrence sighed. "Because she did tell you about the gift beforehand, right?"

"Nope, if I knew I would have tried to stop her - trust me. But she didn't tell me a thing" Madison responded before meeting his eyes. "I didn't even know it was your birthday today, is it a happy birthday or a sad birthday?"

"I don't like to celebrate my birthday" she hadn't ever heard him sound this serious about anything before.

"Why not?"

"Because everyone acts like you're the most important person on earth for one day" he began but was shut down by the teacher yelling 'silence'.

Madison kept thinking about what Lawrence had said during the entirety of the class. She couldn't stop thinking about what was so bad about special treatment on your birthday. It was one of the best perks. For one day people actually listens to you and expresses affection towards you.

"Tell me, birthday hater. What's so bad about people treating you like you're important?" Madison asked as they were gathering their things after class.

"Because nothing about it is real. You get a taste of what it would feel like to be loved and appreciated just for it all to be ripped away from you the next day" he explained. "And for the next 364 days nobody cares about you at all."

"You know what's weird? I like birthdays for the exact reason why you hate them. I think it's nice to feel like the whole world revolves around you even if it's just for one day" he smiled at her. "It's better than nothing, right?"

"Sure" Lawrence said with a noticeably forced smile and a small nod.