Fried Burrito

i n T r o

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day," slurred my slightly buzzed brother into the microphone. "My baby sister has finally reached the glorious age of 21! She's accomplished so much in such little time and I couldn't be more proud. She's traveled to Europe, conversed with the finest elite members of our society, in addition to developing many beneficial charities for our suburban town to benefit from. All of these amazing things have led her to be the creative, independent, and beautiful woman she is today... Even if she's never kissed or even hugged a boy other than the ones in our family!"

The crowd of my various family members bubbled over with small laughter at the nerves of my brother. Rolling my eyes, I stood up and snatched the microphone out of his hands.
"Out of all the days to embarrass me, today just had to be the day CJ?" I muttered in his ear.
"Well why not?" he hiccuped deeply before leaning towards my face with beer infested breath. "It is your 21st birthday!"
"Whatever."

I pushed the older boy off of me and onto one of my other nearby brothers after silently disowning him.

The guy is literally a year older than me and yet he still acts like a child.

Making my way over to the refreshments table, I found myself piling a hefty amount of pizza rolls in an ice cream sundae bowl while looking for a way out.
"Are you sure you should be eating all of those by yourself honey? That seems like it's an awful lot."

Plastering a bitter smile on my face, I turned my head to see the one and only Wicked Witch of the West herself smiling back at me.

"Well I mean I'm 21 now, so I thought this would be a great way to celebrate on my own."
"By eating yourself into a size 44 pair of jeans?"
"I don't think that jean size even exists."
"Doesn't matter, that's where you'll be headed if you eat all of those by yourself. I'm your mother and you will listen to what I have to say."
"But it's my birthday, shouldn't I-"
"Caden this isn't up for discussion. Pizza rolls, out-" she paused to hand me a small plate of spinach filled quiches and asparagus sticks. "Healthy food, in."

Sighing in defeat, I slid the bowl of pizza rolls back onto the table. Feeling the development of a gray, stormy cloud over my head, I allowed a small frown to take over my features before turning around towards the nearest exit.
"Caden!"

Turning my body around, I see yet another one of my brother's rushing towards me, grinning widely.
"Where are you off to?" he asked as he placed a protective arm over me.
"Just inside," I mumble, just staring down at the small plate of leaves and bread in front of me. "I don't think I want to be out here right now."
"Are you crazy? It's your birthday! It's all about you!"
"Maybe I don't want it to be all about me today."
"Come on Caden, you deserve it. Honestly, you're the best baby sister out here."

Slightly lifting my poor mood, I engulfed myself in my brother's arms and smiled into his chest.
"Thanks, Cal, that means a lot."
"Anytime," he replied while I let go but, he strangely kept a grip on me. "So, where did you say you were going again?"
"Inside?"
"What? Did you say the pool?"
"Cal-"
"The pool it is!"
Then, before I have any time to put two and two together, I feel six pairs of hands grab ahold of me with the clear setting of the pool as their destination. Familiar laughs of all six brothers fill my ears as I struggle to free myself from their grip.
"Guys! This isn't cool, oh my gosh!" I yelled at them.
"Of course it's cool Cad." Cameron started.
"Everything we do is cool." finished Carson.

Having that said, I was suddenly lifted into the air and surrounded by cold chlorine water. Shortly after, all my brothers jumped in beside me, in addition to my father, and a couple of other cousins following suit. I couldn't help but laugh alongside my family, feeling a sense of joy and appreciation for the people who loved me.

Maybe it wasn't such a horrible birthday after all.

"I kinda hate you guys, you know that?" I giggled while pulling myself out of the water.
"But we love you!" CJ smiled sweetly.
"I know, I know. Whatever!"

I quickly rushed inside after to take a small shower and reapply all the concentration I had in me to find another outfit fit for my party. I ended up settling on a black dress because it's simple and easy to put on at the moment. After giving myself a couple of look overs in the mirror, I found myself smiling at my reflection.

Wow, I actually made it to 21.

made my way back down to my backyard to find everyone standing behind a cake with an embarrassing picture of me plastered across the front of it.

21 candles lit perfectly for me.

I snapped a few pictures for my Instagram page as the famous "Happy Birthday" song poured from everyone's lips. I did my best to smile without hurting my cheeks too much. By the time they finished, I had already picked out what piece I'd wanted to spend time eating and blew out my candle. Reaching for the cake cutter, I don't waste any time cutting a corner piece for myself. But because my mother just sees the need to ruin my fun, she instantly slides my corner piece across the table to some other family member who I already knew wouldn't appreciate or enjoy it as much as I would. I look over at her, disapproval clear in my eyes, as she mouths, "take a centerpiece, the corners have the most frosting," to me. Biting back the venom from escaping my lips, I  concluded on simply cutting the entire cake, providing everyone with easy access to the traditional birthday treat without leaving any for myself.

"Aren't you going to take a piece Caden?" questioned my mother once everyone was a decent distance away.

"Nope. Lost my appetite."

"Oh come on, it's your birthday! You should take some if you want."

Sighing quietly, I grabbed a small piece and step away from the nerve irking woman who gave birth to me. Not even the mountains of "Happy Birthday!" comments spewing from my phone could make my annoyance go away.
Lighting and blowing out an extra candle I had on me to give myself an extra birthday wish, I sank back into the cool pavement and tried to hope for a better year.
As my eyes slipped closed, I felt my brain let go of all the problems I'd faced over the 21 years of my life so far for a few seconds. As a sigh of relief slipped my lips, I allowed myself to become a little bit more comfortable with the setting around my body.

Happy birthday to me.