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April 27
My first minutes as an eighteen-year-old I spent hoping you'd be the first notification on my phone. A pathetic thought considering how hard I fought to rid my life of you.
Still, there was a moment that I forgot, fleeting but painful.
The first notification was Snow, then each of the boys – all before the first hour was up. When their names lit my dark screen, all thoughts about you vanished, replaced by overwhelming love for the people I did have. They knew about our traditions, down to the smallest, and spent the whole day one-upping them.
Snow threw a surprise party unlike anything I'd ever seen, complete with a waterslide in the backyard. She insisted that no one was too old to shove their friends into freezing water.
Which is exactly what we did.
My parents eventually called us into the house for cake and presents. Riley sat me at the head of the table, with a stack of multicolored gifts behind me and a three-tier cake in front of me. He had happily appointed himself my right hand so Snow could enjoy the party she organized.
Though, I knew it was also so he got the first slice of cake after me.
Three tiers worth of candles took a bit to light, but when Riley finished, I saw why Snow picked it. The flickering flames illuminated the sparkles in the dark blue icing, making them look like stars dotting the night sky. The candle on top, a silver crescent moon, completed the sight.
Moon.
Snow urged me to make a wish, even though there was nothing more I wanted.
Except . . .
One more moment.
Just one more moment with you, the sun to my moon. One moment that I didn't hate you and everything that happened between us was a bad dream. One more moment.
I blew out the candles, pushing the impossible thought to the back of my mind. After all, wishes seldom come true.
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