The Lifeguard

Chapter 17

I heard noises, and footsteps. I turned around on my bed, and carefully got up from it. As soon as I opened the door of my bedroom, Chloe appeared with a bright, cheerful face. She was holding a pink cake with floral designs. "Happy Birthday!" She smiled widely. "Come on! Make a wish and blow your candle!"

I smiled big that showed my teeth. I closed my eyes, and pretended to make a wish. I didn't make a wish. I'm not a firm believer of candle wishes. I don't believe that simply blowing a candle would make a wish come true. "Thank you, Chloe." Her lips stretched into a smile, and even her eyes smiled at me. It was the kind of smile that is very contagious. She managed to capture my heart with just her smile.

I woke up by the sound of the telephone beside my bed. I sat down, still thinking about my dream. It wasn't just a simple dream. It was a vivid dream that made it seem real. For a second, I thought Chloe was really with me. I answered the phone. It was Olivia. "Okay," I told her. I put down the phone, and noticed the picture frame from Chloe's things. It was our picture together. I displayed it beside my bed to act as a reminder that Chloe will always be with me. "Happy Birthday to me, Chloe. I wish you were here," I murmur to myself. I closed my eyes, and reminisced our memories together when we were little kids. The memories we had on my birthdays. She was very consistent with her gifts, and surprises. On my 10th birthday, Chloe got us tickets to see Taylor Swift. We were both inlove with her. It was our first concert together. And that is one of my favourite memory of her.

The 2 on 2 volleyball tournament started this afternoon. People are already crowding the area. There are workers serving drinks. People cheering here and there. Few bleachers surrounding the sand court. There are two nets on the sand court. Two games going on at the same time. I spotted Ava on one of the bleachers. She stood up, waving at me. I approached her. Ava gave me a hug. "Happy Birthday!" she greeted.

I smiled. "Thank you." I looked over to the sand court. I sat down. Jace and Sean are playing on one of the nets. On the other net, Connor and Alex are playing with another two people. "How long have they been playing?" I asked Ava.

"For a while now. They've been winning," she answered. I took a glance at her. She was very focused on the game. Sean and Jace won again. Ava cheered them on, along with other people. Another two guys entered the court, and they played against Sean and Jace

The tournament continued. More people came to watch. More people cheered. Sean and Jace continued their winning streak. On the other side, Connor and Alex are still winning. Both of the games ended, and it was up to the two winning teams to decide the final winner. Sean and Jace will be playing against Connor and Alex. People gathered around on one of the nets, and the game began.

"We should go out after this." Ava smiled at me. "For your birthday." She turned her attention back to the game.

"Sure. Of course."

"Great." She smiled again. Ava clapped, and cheered gently. She looked more disappointed than happy. I looked back to the game, and it was finished. The game ended with Connor and Alex winning. Ava and I approached Sean and Jace. "Good job you two!" Ava gave Jace a quick hug.

Sean looked surprise. He came over to me, ignoring Ava and Jace. "Your boy's great." He gave a short nod. We both turned around to Connor's direction. He was looking back at us. Connor waved. I smiled. "You were great too," I told Sean.

"Thank you."

I smiled. "I should probably go talk to..." I paused. I wanted to say Connor  but instead, I say, "them."

Sean nodded. "We'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah." I came over to where Connor was standing. He sees me approaching him, and we met half way. "Congratulations." I say in a more cheerful way.

Connor smiled. "Thank you." He grabbed me on my waist and kissed me on the cheek. "We're planning to go out. I want you to come."

I sighed. "I can't. I told Ava that I would go with them." I waited for Connor to greet me, even though I knew he's clueless about my birthday. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "No. It's alright." He smiled.

"Birthday girl! Let's go!" yelled Ava. She was gesturing me to go back.

Connor looked at me confused. Before he could even say anything, I leaned in to kiss him. "I gotta go. I'll see you later. Congratulation again." I gave him a short hug.

I came back to where Sean was standing with Ava and Jace. Ava rose her eyebrows at me. "Was that your boyfriend?" she asked.

"What? No. Yes. I don't... I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Ha. I kinda hoped it would be you and Sean," she commented. "I mean you guys are spending a lot of time together."

Jace chuckled. "That's what I said."

I looked over to Sean. He shrugged his shoulders. "Ignore them." He shook his head. I spent the rest of the day with Ava, Jace, and Sean. We went out to eat and stayed at the Kergs. Ava asked Sean to play a song for me. Without any hesitation, he stood up and talked to the manager. To ask for permission. The manager nodded. Sean sat down by the piano. He dedicated two songs for me before he started playing . "Happy Birthday, Zoe," he says before he began. While Sean was singing, Ava mentioned that Sean wrote those songs.

Nine thirty in the evening. We arrived at the hotel. Jace and I waited for the elavator. I was about to go upstairs, when Alex stopped me. "Hey. Could you come with me for a second?"

Jace nodded. "Go ahead."

"Okay." I followed Alex. We headed to the beach. There, Connor is standing near the bonfire. There's a blanket on the sand with few throw pillows. Alex excused himself. I walked to where Connor is standing. He was holding a cake on his hands. I smiled widely.

"Happy Birthday," he greeted with a huge smile on his face. "Did you think I'm not gonna do anything for your birthday?" He smirked.

I scoffed. "Thank you, Connor."

"What are you waiting for? Blow your candle." I was about to blow it. "Don't forget to make a wish."

I closed my eyes... And made a wish. This time it was real. This time I really did made a wish.