Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~Winston Churchill
My alarm rings a beautiful song. Rubbing my eyes I smile awake. Then I remember what day it is. My birthday! I leap out of bed and run to the window. A song starts spontaneously playing and I lean out into the morning sunshine. "Happy birthday to me!" I sing in perfect tune. Birds gather around me and Finn appears below me with a large bouquet of roses.
Today is Timmy's birthday. After my alarm has rung for a solid two minutes I roll out of bed. The house is still. I grab a tee shirt and Adidas shorts then creep down to the dance room. Mum pops out when I pass her door. She looks me up and down with disapproval. "Get changed. We're going to give Timmy a great birthday wake up," Mum beams.
"Into what?"
"Anything but that." Nodding, I retrace my steps and open my wardrobe. Timmy's favourite colour is purple so I eventually decide on a basic, purple skater dress. I tie a white ribbon around my waist and add my favourite white cardigan. Mum knocks on my door. The three of us gather outside Timmy's door. Mum is carrying a tray of food and Dad has a bundle of presents. "Wait," I whisper, running back to my room. Returning with Timmy's present, I count down to our big entrance. I jump in, yelling happy birthday at the top of my lungs. Timmy jumps, nearly falling out of bed. He looks up at me, trying to look mad but grinning. Mum and Dad walk in behind me, singing the lullaby they sang to him as a kid. As she steps in front of me, Mum shoots me a glare. When they finish singing, Mum and Dad perch on either side of Timmy's bed. Timmy glances at me, a small smile flickering across his eyes. I throw him my present and walk out.
I eat my cereal slowly, wasting as much time as possible. When there is half an hour before school, I text Hazel. Pulling on white vans I leave the house. I cycle to Hazel's house. She greets me with a wide smile. "Glorious morning, huh?" she says, squinting in the sunlight.
"Well, yes, I guess so." Hazel raises an eyebrow. "It's Timmy's birthday."
"Oh?" Hazel grabs her bike and we slowly ride away. After a moment she looks up at me. "Oh."
"We woke him up with pancakes and presents. Last year Mum forgot my birthday and when I reminded her she forgot how old I was. I received a card from Dad, or rather his assistant, reading 'Kind regards, Mr Gatsby'. Not even a happy birthday."
"Wow."
"Yeah. But you and me spent that entire weekend together which was great."
"Oh right! Remember Bruno the Biscuit Bandit? Ooh, and Pedro the Pizza King."
We carry on like this the whole way to school. The bell rings shortly after we arrive. "Farewell my plump sausage," I coo.
"So long my squishy peach," Hazel laughs. I chuckle to myself as I enter visual art. Maria gives me a confused look when sit down still giggling. Biting my lip I shut myself up and get on with my school work.
Calculus seems to take three infinities. Partly because it's calculus, and partly because I cannot wait to get out and watch Finn playing football again. The teacher drones on and on about algebraic equations, making us take half of it down as notes. My hand starts cramping three quarters of the way through the lesson. The utter relief when the bell finally rings is so immense it's indescribable. Stuffing my book in my bag, I hurry out of the classroom.
Assuming the boys will not be playing yet, I take the long way around. For a while I wander through the halls, enjoying the silence. I approach the front doors and stop about half a metre away from them, lingering in the happy emptiness. The halls are so rarely empty like this, when it can walk around and actually think, without being called some idiotic insult. I enjoy being at school and not feeling like the outcast, even if I am roaming around the deserted halls completely alone. Sighing, I stumble out into the sunlight. Heads turn and not a second passes before someone yells, "Go back inside, fucking Egg." I hurry around the school, keeping close to the school building. As I round the corner I stow straight into someone. My heart seizes inside my chest. "Sorry," I mumble, dropping my head.
