I was really annoyed to be woken up at 8 am this morning, when I usually wake up at around 10‐12 pm. Sleeping was one of my favourite things to do, other than eating and playing myguitar.
"Go away," I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head.
"I'm just being a responsible babysitter," Lucas said, hauling the blankets off. I growled and stomped to the ensuite bathroom, muttering to myself.
Once I got out of the bathroom, Lucas told me to go change and come downstairs. He said "they" were waiting for me, not specifying who exactly. As I walked down the stairs, I heard aloud 'Happy Birthday!' being shouted by several people. To be honest, I forgot my own birthday was today. It happened to me all the time. I saw Sofia, Cyrus, Zac and Lucas at the bottom of the stairs, but I was surprised to see Becky and Dexter there, too. They didn't seem particularly bored or happy.
"Happy birthday, Maya!" Sofia said, hugging me tightly. I sighed as everyone hugged me one at a time and I was surprised even Becky and Dexter hugged me. Not very passionately, but not very half‐heartedly either. What the heck was going on?
"We have a surprise trip for you," Lucas whispered when it was his turn to embrace me.
I furrowed my brows as everyone made me grab all my snow stuff, eat my pre‐prepared breakfast and walk out of the house really confused. There were two cars on the driveway: Lucas' car and Dexter's sleek blue car. Becky and Zac went in Dexter's car, and the rest of us went in Lucas' car.
"Okay, I told you guys I didn't want to go anywhere," I said from the backseat.
"Come on, you're gonna like it," Sofia said from where she was sitting beside me. Cyrus was in the passenger seat with his phone out.
No one told me where we were going even though I pleaded them for five minutes straight. I hate surprises. I looked out the window most of the time, counting the number of trees without leaves. When I missed too many, I gave up and looked behind me. I could see the front of Dexter's car, and Dexter's blurry face through the window. I kept wondering whether him and Becky wanted to come, or they had to come. If they had to come, this birthday really had no meaning.
"We're here!" Sofia said. I looked out the window and saw a deep hill that was really tall and caved in. I saw a lot of people sliding down the hill on sleds, toboggans, tubes and other things. As far as my memory can go, I've never went sledding or tobogganing before.
"Are you kidding me?" I said, looking out at the large, steep hill as the car went around at an overflowing parking lot. Lucas went straight to the empty paid‐parking lot, and we all got out.
"Today was the warmest day of the week, so you're really lucky," Sofia said, grinning widely. They were busy taking out a bunch of to boggans from the trunks, and I joined Becky standing there watching.
"Hey, I'm surprised you came," I said, looking at her. "I really do understand if they made you come."
"I came here as an excuse to get away from Brigit and Aspen," she said sighing. "We only spend time to bash on boyfriends and how ungrateful and shitty they can be. All they do is hate on you and Dexter and plan out how they're gonna take revenge."
I looked down at my knee‐highboots that Lucas bought me and scratched my neck. "Do they know you're here? For my birthday?" I said.
"I didn't tell them, but they'll probably find out," she said, and stretched. "If they did, I don'tknow what will happen."
"I'm really sorry. This all happened because of me," I said sadly.
"Whatever." She looked at me. "Are you nice to everybody?"
