Ariella Garcia is an 18-year-old girl who dreams of leaving her current situation behind and starting a new life. She's fiercely independent, and her love for nature and animals is unparalleled. She's always surrounded by people who care about her...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I arrived at Alexandro's house.
Secretly, I'm excited to see him again, as well as the rest.
I greet the guards with nods and smiles as I enter. The house is eerily silent, making me wonder if they're even here.
I begin cleaning, but not even 20 minutes later, all the lights go out. Panic surges through me as I try to grip onto something, my heart racing, anticipating danger.
Suddenly, the lights flicker back on, and I find Hazel, Nic, Dion, Lucas, and Alexandro standing there.
Nic is holding a birthday cake, though I'm not sure that's a good idea since he might eat it before the candles get blown out.
The others have gifts in their hands.
Wait, is it my birthday?
I quickly grab my phone to check the date, and sure enough, it's July 6th - my birthday. I completely forgot.
They start singing "Happy Birthday," and tears well up in my eyes.
A huge smile breaks across my face as I watch them sing for me.
After they finish, I run up to them, hugging each one of them tightly.
"Thank you," I say, wiping the tears from my eyes.
"How did you guys know?" I ask, amazed that they remembered when I even forgot my own birthday.
"How could we forget your birthday, bestie?" Dion responds, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Now open my gift first," he adds, handing me a box.
I open the box and gasp when I see the hoodie inside with my bestie printed on it.
Dion turns around, revealing that he got us matching hoodies.
"Oh my god, thank you!" I exclaim, hugging him tightly. He kisses the top of my head, and I eagerly put on the hoodie.
Next is Hazel, who hands me a small wrapped box.
I unwrap it to find a picture of us from the day of my date. She's kissing my cheek while I'm smiling at the camera.
She then hands me another small jewelry box, and I open it to reveal a gold chain with my name spelled in golden letters.
"It's not real gold, right?" I asked, even though I already know the answer.
Hazel shrugs, a grin on her face.
I smile and give her another tight hug, thanking her repeatedly for the thoughtful gift.
Next up is Lucas, holding a larger box wrapped in gift paper.
He hands it over nervously, and I notice Dion giving him a reassuring smile, squeezing his shoulder.
I eagerly opened it to find a collection of books I'd mentioned wanting to read when we were at the library once.
