Severing Ties (Book 2. Ties)

28. Mirrors

It was the third time I had snoozed my alarm that morning. I knew I had to get out of bed and make an effort to wear something other than a souvenir T-shirt that said 'Florida' on the front paired with jeans. Any time Mike traveled in his typical road trip with his family, he brought me back a T-shirt. Mike basically made up ninety percent of the wardrobe I actually wore.

I traded my usual T-shirt for a flowy, white tank top that had a thin band of lace at the very bottom of it. The tank top was bought by my mother of course. The jeans were something I could not swap out of my daily style; they were a must. I put on my white, high top converse to make the shirt casual. And as expected, my straight hair laid limp all the way down to my lower back. For my mom, I put on mascara and blush; otherwise, I would get chastised on my birthday.

Twenty-one. I was twenty-one. I could rent a car in some states and drive up to Maine if I wanted to. Oh. And I could drink alcohol... legally, but I was not up for any of that. That was the good thing about telling Stephanie that my birthday celebration would happen on Friday, I could simply relax on Wednesday, my real birthday. Nothing would actually happen that day, and for that I was happy.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare myself some breakfast before heading off to school. As I walked closer to kitchen I could hear quiet bickering in the dining room. With a scowl, I went through the kitchen and into the dining room.

"Happy Birthday!" My mom and Lucius yelled simultaneously. In my mom's hands was a cake, and in Lucius' hands was his phone recording or taking pictures.

"What's the meaning of this," I asked.

"It's you're twenty-first birthday, Mars! You can get wasted!"

My mother gave Lucius the darkest look I had ever seen.

"Don't worry, Mom. I wasn't planning on getting "wasted," as Mr. Baby Daddy over here said." I smirked at Lucius who reciprocated the smirk. "I am not going out, so fear not, dearest," I told her jokingly.

"Not going out," Mom exclaimed. "Why not? Friday is a phony birthday party, a diversion, if you will. You need to have a real birthday celebration today, May."

"It's fine just like that. I had a big surprise birthday party last year. I've had my fill of surprises for one-hundred years; you may surprise me then." A chuckle escaped my lips.

My mom's eyes were wide. "But—"

I cut her off before she could continue. "But nothing, momma. I am happy enough with this cake. What is it?"

My distraction worked well; her eyes lit up, as she told me it was my favorite—Jaconde . I loved the taste of coffee and chocolate, mix it with batter and you have got the most orgasmic cake ever.

She placed the squared cake on the table. "Sorry, you didn't give me enough time to light on the candle."

I smiled. "Is that why y'all were bickering?"

"We weren't bickering. I was telling her to hurry the hell up because I heard you come down the stairs. She didn't believe me though, and guess who was right?" Lucius crossed his arms cockily, but he quickly lost the confidence when once again, my mom gave him 'the look.' With a nervous chuckle, he put his arms down and kissed my mom on the top of her head.

She shook her head at Lucius. Then turned on the candle on with a lighter, and brought the cake to me. "Make a wish, mon coeur."

My eyes stared down at the pink candle as I pondered for a second. To most people a wish was a wish; to me a wish was hope that God listened. With tight, shut eyes, I blew on the lone candle that had looked too thin and would have melted as soon as it met fire. But there it stood, only a millimeter shorter; it almost looked brand new except for a droplet of wax on its side.