Infinite (Jai Brooks fanfic)

Chapter 23

The weather outside was beginning to get warmer. Almost all the snow was gone and the sun was finally visible after months. I honestly hated sunlight. I preffered the darkness. These past few months have been extremely difficult for me, but I found myself finally settling in. A lot of my worries were gone and I felt happier than I was before. Rachel allowed Adam to talk to me or play with me and my relationship with this family got a lot stronger. I didn't push people away anymore. I hung out with Beverly every now and then and laughed at all the jokes she attempted to make. Jai and I definitely got closer. He would randomly come to my house and stay for dinner or just come and watch random movies with Adam and I. I went over to his house every now and then too. I hung out with Luke, Beau, Daniel, James, and sometimes their friend Jayden too. After months of suffering and pain, I finally found myself feeling better.

"You do know that today is a really special day, right?" My dad said once I walked into the kitchen. "Please don't tell me you forgot, if that's even possible."

I didn't forget. I knew what today was. It was my birthday. "I'm not that stupid, dad. I know it's my birthday. But it's not that big of a deal." And it really wasn't. Birthdays were rather sad because they showed how you're growing older and how one day you won't be a child anymore and will have to deal with the outside world all on your own.

"Actually," Rachel stood near the counter and smiled at me, "Today is a special day. You'll find out once you get home from school."

After school? They were planning something for my birthday? I felt a familiar warmth spread throughout my body. My mom never actually did anything special for my birthday. My birthdays were spent locked up in my room while she destroyed her body with alcohol. And then she made sure to slap me or physically abuse me. I swallowed. No, I can't think about this stuff anymore. It's all in the past. Everything's fine now.

"Jai is outside waiting for you!" Adam said after looking outside the window. 

I grabbed my backpack and after saying goodbye, I ran to the car. For the past week, Jai has been picking me up and dropping me off. 

"At last! Princess Ava has finally arrived!" He said dramatically after I sat in the car. "I've been waiting out here forever."

I frowned. "Don't call me princess." I despised that word.

He took a deep breath. "Princess princess princess princess princess."

"SHUT UP!" I screamed and increased the volume of the music. 

He chuckled slightly and then parked near the school. I wonder if he knew today was my birthday. I highly doubt it though. I never told him when my birthday was. I saw Beverly standing near my locker with a nervous look on her face. I walked up to her and asked her what's wrong. 

"Jai's not with you?" She asked, looking around to see if he was there.

I shook my head. "He needed to go to the art room or something. I don't know. Anyways, what's wrong with you?" She was acting really weird. She was biting her nails and tapping her foot. Why was she so anxious? 

"I think I'm in love with Luke. I mean at first I knew I liked him but now I think I love him and I can't tell him that, what if he runs away?!" 

I sighed. She was way too over dramatic. Couldn't she tell that Luke loved her as well? It was so obvious and it shocked me that she couldn't see that. "You're an idiot." I shut my locker. "It's so annoying when people don't realize when someone loves them."

"Kinda like you don't realize Jai loves you and he doesn't realize you love him?" She teased.

"He doesn't.. I don't.." I stuttered. Oh my God, how did she know that I felt that way about him? "We aren't talking about me! We're talking about you. Luke loves you, okay? I can see that. Whenever we all hang out, he stares at you in this weird type of way. As if you're the only person that matters to him."