Know You Again

(7)

Chapter 7:

     Mindy never cared for her birthdays, even as a kid.

She'd rather treat it as a normal day, but the people in her life made it their goal to make her days special, especially when it was one of those milestone birthdays.

On her 13th, Lana tried to give her a makeover because she was already a young woman apparently. On her 16th, Chloe and Hadley got Mindy drunk for the first time.

And today she was 18.

She wonders what they will do for her this time. She hasn't hung out with her friends since the beach and their group chat has been silent.

While Mindy was deep in thought, Lana pushed the door open, singing the birthday song in a loud, booming voice.

The birthday girl cringed at the strength of her voice, but it did not shake off the appreciative smile on her face. Sitting up, she pushed her bangs back because it was already getting in her eyes. She reminded herself to trim it later that day.

"Happy birthday, happy birthday...Happy birthday to you!" Lana finally finishes, making herself comfortable on the foot of her bed. "Make a wish."

Mindy blinked at the cupcake. It was red velvet, her favorite. There was a red candle on top of the cream cheese, the small flame looking very bright in the dim interior of her room.

Mindy wishes that her mother would recover quickly from the accident and then blows out the candle.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Mindy inquires, taking a bite from the cupcake and making an appreciative sound at the back of her throat.

"We're going to have lunch with Vic. You get to choose what we'll have. Oh, and Sebastian left a message. He said to come over his house at eight thirty later tonight."

Her morning was spent watching Frozen on the couch while eating breakfast with Lana. She was glad she spend the morning with her since it was the last day she was staying in town due to her busy work schedule.

Lunch involved KFC and talking about her future. Now that she was a legal adult, her mother wanted to discuss her plans about her future. Which Mindy had been trying not to think about. Talking about college and what she's going to take wasn't how she liked to spend her lunchtime, but her mother seemed to keen on the subject.

"What are you planning to take?" Her mother asks, taking her mug of coffee of the table. Mindy was about to shrug but then she remembered the last time she did—it involved a lot of lectures about being sure about her future and suggestions to work in areas she could not see herself in.

"I was planning to take a year off actually." Mindy decides, not knowing what her mother would say to that. She saw her mother's brows rise at her words as she took a sip from her mug. "I still don't know what I want to do, so I thought of working first and discovering what I want."

"A gap year?" The tone of her voice made it obvious that she didn't agree with Mindy's choices. Mindy fought the frown that her lips were itching to make.

"Miranda, I've been striving hard to afford your education and you are not throwing it way"

"I know that, and I'm not saying I'm just going to work odd jobs for the rest of my life. It's better than to pick a major that I would later on hate and even drop out of. Now that would be a waste of money." Mindy argued. Victoria rolled her lips into her mouth in that disapproving kind of way that grated on Mindy's nerves.

"Look," Mindy gave her mother an annoyed look. "You asked what I wanted, and yet you disapprove."

"I just don't want you to waste your chance."