intoxicated

ten

"Happy birthday!" I yell, bursting into my brother's room way too early for a normal morning. But it's not a normal morning: it's James birthday!

"Fuck off." My brother groans and presses his head further into his pillow, obviously not happy with me waking him up so early.

"Aw, I love you too," I say and lay on top of him to hug him tightly, but he just wriggles under me, causing me to fall off him and on the floor. I frown, "I can't believe I made you pancakes for breakfast."

That's all it takes for James to throw his blanket away and jump out of bed, smiling at me excitedly. "You did?" He asks, making me laugh because he literally looks like a five year old on christmas morning.

I glare at him but eventually nod and we head downstairs, breakfast already set on the table. I smile at the already set table, proud of myself. My alarm went off this morning - it's Friday and I'd usually go to school today - but James and I kind of have this unwritten rule to stay at home when it's each others' birthday. When our parents still were around more we had to pretend we'd go to school and then meet up at the park or somewhere and spend the day together. Obviously now it's easier to skip school with my mother always working and my father not being there anyways, so when my alarm went off I just got out of bed and started preparing pancakes after wrapping James' present.

My brother eagerly takes the first pancake and puts Nutella on it (he takes way too much of it, if you ask me) and wonder how in hell he isn't fat or at least chubby. My brother is basically the unhealthiest person I've ever met, basically just living of pizza, McDonald's and candy. Sure, he works out, but it's still unbelievable. It's like his body doesn't even register how much fat and calories are going into it every day. How unfair. How did he manage to get all the good traits from our parents? I would be hundred percent convinced he's from another man if I didn't know how much our mother loves our father. Whyever she does. It's not like I've ever understood her.

I grab a pancake myself and start eating. "You're helping me get everything done for the party tonight right?" James asks me, already grabbing the next pancake from the plate.

"Of course," I nod, "what do you still need to do?"

He shrugs, "Mainly just clean a little and get some snacks and stuff, I guess."

"And then set everything up. And decorate." I add.

James rolles his eyes. "No one needs decoration at a party, Ash."

"At a birthday party they do!" I protest.

"Fine, you go to the store and get snacks and do the decoration shit."

Hours later, everyting is set up for the party, and the first guests should be arriving soon. I just pressed play on the first song from the playlist James and I created for tonight earlier when the first person walks in. It's one of James' high school friends, Bryan and he smiles at me and then walks over to my brother and gives him a hug - a real one, not one of those awkward bro hugs - and congratulates him. I'm pretty sure he was one of James' best friends all throughout school, but he went to college somewhere further away so they don't really see each other a lot anymore. More people come in, and it's fun to watch some of them reunite, since my brother's school clique is pretty much scattered all over the country and haven't seen each other in a while. I've always wanted to have a group of friends like James did in school. They always seemed to be doing something and hanging out and they all were so incredibly close. Obviously, I'm not unpopular at school but the only people I'm actually close with are Stacey, Frank and Lola - and they don't know each other too well. It's a bummer, but I guess I really shouldn't be complaining, I could always have it worse.