"Okay Dan, It's time for presents!" Marzia exclaims, clapping her hands together.
"Hold on, did you guys actually get me presents?" Dan asks, looking around his living room at his small group of friends.
"Wait," Chris says. "I didn't know we were getting presents. I didn't get him one. I thought we weren't getting presents guys, thanks for telling me." He adds sarcastically.
"Thank you, Chris. Someone listened to the no present rule." Dan says.
Marzia sighs and drops her hands to her sides, "Come on Dan. It's your birthday. Why wouldn't we get you presents."
Dan takes a sip out of his beer and points to Marzia, "Because," He says, setting the beer down. "when people give me stuff I immediately feel a pressure to pay them back, and in case you haven't noticed I already have trouble paying for food to eat, I don't know about presents."
It was true. Dan had trouble with money. He just got fired from his job at the market so he doesn't really have enough money to pay for anything. The only reason he has this house is because it was his grandparents. Not because he paid for this house.
"The point of presents is that you don't have to pay anyone back. It's just something for you. So come on," Marzia says holding her hand out towards him. "Your presents are at the table."
Dan stares at her hand in front of him for a moment, eventually deciding to take it and get up from the couch. Marzia has a huge smile on her face which makes Dan's heart flutter.
He's had a crush on Marzia ever since he met her 2 years ago. How couldn't you? She's absolutely stunning. Not to mention funny and intelligent.
Marzia drags him to the table across the room while the rest of their friends follow behind.
Dan takes a seat at the table while a present is already being shoved into his face.
He looks at the person holding out the present to find that it's Dodie. "Aw Dodie, you got me something?" He asks her.
She nods, a small smile on her face. "What did you expect Dan?" She asks. "You're our best friend, all of us got you something."
"All except Chris." I say, looking at him across the table.
"My presence should be enough of a gift." He says, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the table.
"Shut up Chris." Marzia says with an eye roll.
Dodie shakes her head at Chris but still couldn't help but giggle at his stupidity. Turning back to Dan she says, "Open it. I hope you like it."
Looking back down at the present Dan takes a deep breath and opens it.
Once he got all of the wrapping paper off, he flipped it over. It looked like an old book. "Do you like it?" Dodie asks, biting her lip to keep from smiling too big. Her foot bounces up and down while her hands are clasped together in front of her as she waits for approval of this book that she seems to be in love with.
"Uh what is it exactly?" Dan asks as he flips through all the pages. He's never really been much of a reader so he doesn't know if he likes it at all really.
"It's a book of poems by Edgar Allen Poe." Dodie explains. "It's fifty years old and it's really rare."
Dodie's smile falters as she stops bouncing her leg while examining Dan's face which showed no signs of happiness or approval.
"But you know," She continues after a while of silence. "I can probably just sell it online or something if you don't like it. I'm sure it'll be okay."
