Today is my 13th birthday. Mum's organised a party in our back garden for a bunch of my friends. Including me and my older brother, there'll be 7 of us. A table runs the length of the grass, clean white chairs at each set place. Kurt, my older brother, is standing by the front door to allow my friends inside. The first, Aidan, arrives with a light blue bag in his hand. Kurt takes his coat, and invites him into the garden where I'm waiting. Then the twins, Benjamin and Charlie. They come bounding out to the grassy area, their mum carrying a large spotty box behind them. Dylan follows, juggling another gift bag as his red glasses slide down his nose. Finally, almost half an hour late by this point, the last guest arrives. Edward creeps out, trying to go unnoticed. He fails, as I welcome him, inviting him back inside the house, away from the other party-goers.
Today is my 14th birthday. I opted to go without a proper party this year, instead exploring with my friends. As always, Aidan arrives first, waving a wrapped gift in his hand. His hair has been cut, I notice. Grinning, Benjamin runs over, leaving Charlie to catch him up. The four of us plan our route, waiting for the last member of our gang. No one speaks of Edward; he's old news. Dylan, panting and out of breath, barely catches us before we leave. I throw him a glare, my annoyance masked by a reassuring look. Needless to say, we take a small detour from our route.
The big 15 already. After last year, Mum doesn't want me going out without her being there too, so I decide on a film night-in this year. Aidan arrived at lunchtime, to Kurt's surprise. The pair of us plan all afternoon, begging my Mum to buy just a few more snacks. We have dinner together, as the twins aren't expected until seven o'clock. At quarter to eight, the pair arrive. Benjamin quickly apologises, sheepishly handing over a large gift bag. Charlie mutters something, but I don't catch it. Later, after two or three films, I corner him near the bathroom to ask about it.
16, life's passing quickly. Sure, last year had caused a couple of questions, but nothing major. Nothing I couldn't deal with. As I'm turning a 'milestone age' as my Mum put it, she booked us a table at a nice local restaurant. I offer Aidan a ride there, which he gladly accepts. Me, him and my Mum arrive there a few minutes early to get comfortable. We talk about silly things, like the football team and why bread tastes nice. No one even dares breathe Charlie's name. Benjamin's Mum escorts him directly to the table, only one minute past the expected time. She is still wearing black, and Benjamin still has a faraway look to him, so much so that he takes almost no notice of me. Even when I call his name, he doesn't acknowledge it. Luckily, I solve that problem just after we finish our cheesecakes.
"That's why you were so difficult," I say, shovelling another pile of mud onto the growing pile. As I wipe my brow, I take another long glance at Aidan, who is still biting against his ropes. A thin one stretches across his mouth, causing the corners to become bruised and red. Blood drips from his head wound, mixing at his chin with a few drops of saliva. "Because you are my best friend. Whenever I needed you, you were there. The other guys were there for show," I tug the shivering boy to his feet, clinging onto his bound hands. Aidan's eyes glimmer in the moonlight, the huge white globe reflected and blocking out the green coloured irises. With a twist, similar to a sort of dance, I threw Aidan into the hole I'd been digging. He screamed and cried against the rope, even more so when the first shovel of mud hit him. I kept murmuring reassurances to him, something I'd always been good at. The hole soon filled, as I patted the fresh earth back down.
"Happy birthday to me,"
~fin~
