DISCLAIMER: I hate this chapter with every bone in my body but I don't have time to rewrite it so I apologize in advance.
Word Count: 1669
In Millie's eyes, there's a singular stand out pro and con for every situation. Regardless of how many pros and cons involved in any circumstance, when it's thought about and considered there is always a specific one from each end that sticks out to someone.
When it comes to having your birthday on a Saturday, like Millie, the overwhelming number or pros completely outnumbers that of the cons, although the latter is there.
On one hand, having a free day means that essentially Millie has all day to do what she wants, free of school. The downside of this is that for someone like Millie, the idea of having an entire day of everyone giving her their undivided attention was daunting.
When she'd woken up that morning and headed downstairs to make cereal, her mom had bombarded her with presents and love, which of course Millie appreciated and knew would happen. Her mom had then insisted that she cook Millie something; this is when Millie started to feel bad.
Now, she's ecstatic over having Finn sitting right in front of her, but can't help but feel a bit guilty that she has to leave soon to meet Sadie. Finn had made a quick surprise visit to give her a few gifts (fuzzy socks he knew she loved to wear everywhere, a large array of stationery she couldn't help but squeal over a big bouquet of flowers with a $100 bill in them; so generous that she had to stop herself from crying).
Her slim fingers grasped the $100 after he'd refused to take it back, her bottom lip was between her teeth and brows furrowed, "Millie, it's your birthday. You're going to get spoilt." She knew that, but it didn't stop her from feeling bad.
There were butterflies in her stomach and her heart felt warm and fuzzy; a smile couldn't help but creep onto her face at all the love she'd been shown despite it only being 11 am. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the lanky boy's neck, holding him close, "thank you for the gifts, I appreciate them so damn much, Finn."
He was quick to wrap his arms around her reciprocate the tight embrace, fiddling with the ends of her short hair. "My pleasure," he was grinning even though Millie couldn't see his face. After she pulled away, she leaned in and planted a brief but sweet and meaningful kiss on his lips. "I better go so you can go do whatever you and Sadie are doing, shopping was it?" He teased, Millie, having had spoken about it for days before out of excitement for all the things she wanted to buy.
"Shut up," she laughed, grabbing her wallet, phone, and keys before she walked out of the house and down her front path with him.
"Happy birthday, Mills. Again." Finn grinned, engulfing her in yet another tight hug – which she enjoyed nonetheless.
Millie giggled, shaking her head, "don't get all sappy on me, Wolfhard." Then, in a more sincere voice, "but, thank you so much for the gifts and the visit. I'll see you tonight at dinner?" It came across as a question, but both of them knew that he wouldn't miss it. It remained unanswered as the two climbed into their separate cars before driving off.
—
After a rather successful day of shopping, the exhaustion felt by the two girls was summed up with Sadie's long and strained groan following them flopping down onto Millie's bed, "I feel like I could sleep through the Superbowl at this point." Their shopping bags were dumped on Millie's floor, a friendly reminder of how lucky they both were - in different ways.
All day, Millie had been listening intently to Sadie's justified concerns about Caleb and how he'd been distant and vague recently, "it's like I'm an elder relative that he dreads talking to or receiving calls from because all I do is nag. I'm just so worried, and I have no idea what to do anymore, Mills."
