Birthday Blossoms

Part One

Birthdays.

That one day of the year wherein everyone is your friend; the only one out of the year where you actually have a sunny disposition all day long.

It's that one day that you've been waiting for the whole year; the only day that you get to spend sending out replies to greetings and well-wishes from family, friends, and strangers alike.

It's also the one and only day of the year where everything is supposed to go well for you. No bad hair day, no tripping or falling on the side of the road, no traffic, no annoying teachers, and most especially no embarrassing yourself in front of your crush. 

But then again, the laws of the universe have decided to backfire on me today.

Considering my usually average luck on a normal day, I'd say that I was actually quite surprised. Today is the 15th of September; it's 2016 and I'm turning 19 today, the last year that I get to spend as a teenager.

When I woke up today, I was actually feeling quite great. I knew that I had a pretty good day ahead of me, except for the two major exams that I'd have to take. I was determined to make the most out of today, since it marked my last year of being a teenager. I figured that I'd have to have the most fun I've ever had in my life in the next 365 days, since I'll be turning 20 then graduating next year and I'd actually be expected to act like a proper adult starting then.

And so, I began my day, completely unaware of the horrors that were waiting for me outside my doorstep.

I had a decent breakfast, care of my mother who woke up early to greet me and made the extra effort to prepare great food. I then had a quick bath, hastily changing into my school uniform once I got out of the shower. I did a quick once-over of the things I packed inside my school bag, closing it up immediately once I was certain that I didn't forget anything.

I gave my mother a swift kiss on the cheek before heading for the front door, nodding in affirmation at the last-minute safety reminders that she yelled out at me.

Mothers. Always paranoid and thinking of the worst case scenarios in everyday life.

I shook my head at the thought, adding a little bit of haste to my steps so that I'd be able to catch an early jeepney ride today. I didn't want to be late for class.

As I stood on the sidewalk waiting for a jeepney to take me to school, I let out a huff at the pain that I felt it my shoulder due to my heavy school bag, taking a hurried glimpse at my watch to take a look at the time.

8:55 AM.

My eyes widened in surprise, a wave of panic shooting up my heart when I saw what time it was. Apparently, I've been standing on the side of the road for more or less 20 minutes now. It usually took me 30 minutes to travel to school on a good day, and judging by the looks of it, I was going to be late for my 9 AM class.

I let out a curse under my breath at the thought, silently weighing my options. Thankfully, a slightly filled jeepney stopped in front of me while I was busy thinking, and I didn't waste any time as I hastily hopped up to take a seat.

Finally.

I took a seat at the very end, since Filipinos have this very bad habit of scooting over to the exit whenever a new passenger comes up. It's like the jeepney exit is the gateway to heaven, considering how much we Filipinos love to stick to it as much as possible.

Rolling my eyes at the rude girl who wouldn't stop sitting sideways to give me more space to sit, I sat down slowly, nudging my way into the seat. I gave her a good glare once I had sat down, an evil smirk making its way to my face when she finally got the message and scooted over to sit straight.