16
Sean walked into his house, put his keys on the hook, and groped around for the light switch in the darkness. He sighed, frustrated and hurt that his friends had stood him up without explanation. They had all been planning on taking a class together before heading over to his place for dinner.
However, they had all been radio silent, ignoring his texts asking them where they were. On any normal day, he could excuse it as something coming up that they couldn't miss, but it was his birthday and he couldn't come up with a good reason as to why they would ignore him.
He finally found the light switch, his eyes taking a minute to adjust to the light. He walked further into his home, his face buried in his phone screen, checking for messages from his friends. There weren't any.
He took a step, something crinkling under his foot. He looked down to see what it was, his face scrunching up in confusion. He lifted his foot to see a cluster of confetti crunched underneath his shoe. He looked around for the first time since entering his house, taking in the strange way the couch was pulled away from the wall, the coffee table turned over onto its side.
"Surprise!" His friends shouted, nearly giving him a heart attack, as they jumped out from behind the couch and table.
Sean stood for a minute, stunned, trying to regain the ability to breathe normally. When he did, he finally spoke.
"I thought you guys ditched me."
"It was all her idea," Josh said, pointing at Kaycee. She rolled her eyes and punched him on the shoulder, walking over to her best friend.
"We thought the surprise would be even better if you thought we weren't planning anything," she said, nervous for his reaction. She couldn't tell if he was happy or upset. "Are you mad?"
"Of course I'm not mad," he said, engulfing the small girl in a hug and lifting her off the ground, spinning her in a circle as she giggled into his ear.
"Happy birthday, Sean," she said when he set her back down. He ruffled her hair, walking over to hug his other friends.
They all hung out for hours after setting the furniture of the room to rights, playing games, telling jokes, and enjoying each other's company. He didn't need anything elaborate, no crowded party full of people he barely knew. He was happy wasting the night away, surrounded by his closest friends.
Just when he thought he couldn't get any happier, Kaycee left the room, telling everyone that she'd be right back. His eyes followed her movements, happily skipping towards his kitchen.
She came back in a few minutes later, a large cake balanced in her hands. The layers were crooked and the icing patchy, but it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.
"Okay don't make fun of it. I know it's not up to Lew standards but I tried my best okay?" She said, smiling shyly as she put the cake down in front of him and sat next to him on the couch.
"Well, I'm sure it tastes good," he laughed, giving her a hard time. She pretended to pout, sticking out her bottom lip, causing him to laugh harder. "But seriously Kayc, thank you." She blushed slightly, fidgeting in her seat.
"C'mon, blow out your candles before they melt into the cake," she said.
He closed his eyes, coming up with his wish. He thought of it quickly, opening his eyes and blowing out the candles in front of him, his friends cheering him on.
"What'd you wish for bro?" Julian asked.
He smirked, looking around at his friends before answering, "Well, I want it to come true so I can't tell you."
