Jungle Boy -Justin Bieber-

Chapter 26: Birthday surprise

Just a reminder that this might be the last update for about three weeks or so because I won't have any wifi in England :( 

In other news, summer school is over and i'm so glad to say I finished with a high mark :) its such a relief because now I can enjoy my summer! but on the other hand, I have to deal with the fact that this is only one high school course over with and another eight to go!

~

Bea Ashby:

"Happy birthday, Bea!" I hear and then the sound of a confetti popper goes off.

I laugh at the confetti that was just shot out from both the poppers in dad and Noah's hands. "Thanks," I smile, looking at the three people in front of me. Jennifer is holding out a cheesecake with a big smile on her face. Everyone knows I love cheesecake more than any other cake.

Anyway, today is my eighteenth birthday. "Do you feel any older?" Dad jokes. "Nope," I reply, taking a seat at the kitchen island. There's a plate filled with breakfast thanks to Jennifer.

"I sure do. Feels like yesterday you just started to crawl." Dad sighs, thinking back to old memories. "You got a card, by the way." His voice has changed into a serious tone.

"A card?" I stop before I could put any food into my mouth. "From..."

"Yeah." He replies, pulling out the card from it's hiding spot. Its inside a white envelope that has my name written onto it in neat writing. He hands it over carefully and I take it with slightly shaky hands.

I receive a hard every year for my birthday and a few days later, another one for christmas. Usually, the birthday cards are the only one that have any sort of 'sentiment' in them. The christmas cards are just cards with money in them and nothing else. Not even a proper hand written message from her. Just the words that were pre printed on the card.

In some ways i'm lucky. At least I get cards on these days, but they don't really mean anything because I'm all the way here in New York City and she's all the way in England. It's been like that ever since I was two.

I clear my throat. "Thanks. I'll open it later." I announce, not wanting to open it with my dad, Jennifer and Noah around.

I swiftly hop off the tall stool and rush upstairs to stash the card somewhere in my bedroom. I know Justin isn't up yet since it's a little early cause its a school day so I don't bother going into his room to say hello. I go straight to my room and hide the card somewhere safe before finding the box where I kept all her other cards.

Every year I got a card containing cash or gift cards so there was never any big surprises. When I was younger, I use to wish every year on my birthday that my mother would one day come home and see me on my birthday or on Christmas, but it never happened.

She made it very clear that she didn't want to build a family with my dad anymore and that she didn't want to see either of us. Of course you don't tell a young child that so my dad came up with excuses for her, saying that she had to stay in England for her job.

We never talk throughout the year and nor do either of us try to contact the other. When I was younger, I would beg my dad to let me call my mother and when he did let me, I'd either get her voicemail or her assistant would answer, telling me she was in some sort of meeting.

At the time, I didn't realize she was avoiding me. I was very young and so I was told that she was just a really busy person. But clearly she just didn't care because even though my dad is a busy person, he still always makes time for me.

I don't know much about my mother. All I know is that her name is Isla Edwards and that she grew up in Manchester before she moved to New York when she was in her twenties. She then met my father and they fell in love, got married and then divorced a year or so after I was born.