Onlooker (Ongoing)

Make A Wish!

I woke up to my mom and Uncle Ryan yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" right in my ear. Yep, I'm going to have a headache later... I gave them a small smile and said "Thanks."

"Come here, we have a surprise for you!" Uncle Ryan exclaimed. "Okay, but can I at least get dressed first?" I asked. "Of course, sweetie! We'll be in the kitchen waiting for you." My mom said as they both left my room, closing the door.

I got dressed in my normal attire: a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my favorite pair of sneakers. I then tied my hair up in a ponytail. Satisfied with my look, I left my room to go to the kitchen.

I see purple streamers and golden, plastic stars littering the floor. Wow, they really went all out. As I entered the kitchen, I saw a sign covering the window that said, "Happy Birthday, Jane!" and two average-sized gifts settled on the table.

"These are our gifts for you! You'll have more later but me and Uncle Ryan just wanted to start your day of with some excitement!"

"I appreciate this but you know you didn't have to do any of this, right? It would be perfectly fine if you ju..."

"Nonsense! It's your sixteenth birthday today and we want to make you feel special!" Uncle Ryan bursts out. "Now, get over here and open your presents! I can't wait any longer!"

"Well, if you insist!" I laugh and make my way to the table and open the one closest to me first. Inside of the box, I find a brand new pair of white high heels and a baby pink dress. Great, now they're going to expect me to wear it! "Oh! Pretty!" I gushed.

"Oh, I just knew you'd love it! It goes perfectly with your light brown hair!" My mom exclaims.

"If you think that was great, open my gift! I swear it will be ten times better than a silly dress!" Uncle Ryan boasted.

I then took Uncle Ryan's gift and opened it to find a pair of floral blue headphones, a leather-bound journal, and a new set of pens. Yup, definitely way better. I went up to Uncle Ryan and gave him a big hug. "Thanks, Uncle Ryan!" He stuck out his tongue at my mom and we all laughed.

Later, I had my party and instead of socializing, I went to my room to read. It's not that I wasn't happy about people caring enough to come and celebrate my existence. It's just that I prefer being peacefully curled up with a book like I am now.

Every so often, one of my mom's friends or another family member would walk by to wish me a happy birthday. I would just look up, smile, and nod.

As it got later, everyone left without making me the center of attention while they sang horribly and told me to make a wish...Or, so I thought. I happened to fall asleep while I was reading and soon woke up to the sound of people calling me from the living room. "Jane! Jane, get in here! You need to make a wish!"

I tried to ignore them and act like I was still asleep but Uncle Ryan came and tickled me until I showed I was awake and full of involuntary laughter. He then took the book out of my hands and dragged me into the living room while I still had some drool on my shirt. Yes! I drool. Get over it!

And you know what happened next. The horrible singing and the demand for candles to be blown out. I actually decided to take the wish seriously. I wished that I had a friend who understood me and didn't expect anything from me. I wished for my friend, Leo, to return and be the same as he was when we were younger.