You'll Be Okay

Chapter 31

On the night before my eighteenth birthday, Reid was standing on my driveway.

"What are you doing here?" I said in lieu of a greeting as I flung open the front door.

He leaned against his Porsche, brushing a speck of dust off the gleaming finish. If I didn't know him better, I would think he was nervous but then he had the audacity to sigh as if I was causing an inconvenience for him.

"We're going for a drive."

I raised my eyebrows. "We?"

"Unless you have other plans" - he glanced down at his Rolex emphatically - "at 7 PM on a Saturday night."

Naturally, I was alarmed but Reid left me with no room to argue as he flipped his keys around his fingers, smiled and got into the driver's seat. I was ready to protest but I knew he would have caused a scene until Mom came home and chased him away.

The silence in the car ride wasn't uncomfortable until I saw his phone on the console lit up with messages – booty calls, I assumed. After all, old habits die hard.

When we pulled up at Icon South Beach, I looked out the window at the towering apartment complex. "What's going on?"

He gave me a look, handing his keys over to the valet. "You'll see."

We got out of the car and I followed him inside, into the elevator until we arrived at the top-most floor. He was a few steps ahead of me and I wanted to roll my eyes when he tilted his phone purposefully so I couldn't see who he was texting.

Reid unlocked Unit 3041, holding the door open for me to enter first. It was dark inside, with only the city lights below illuminating the room. As far as I could tell, it was just the two of us, alone in a very expensive apartment.

Before my mind could wander, everything came to life.

"Happy birthday, Lex!"

From behind the curtains and the couches, Tyler, Dennis, Jarred and many more of my classmates sprang out from their hiding places. Confetti and glitter showered down and then, Kayley ran out from the bedroom with a handful of balloons.

"Happy birthday!" She screamed, throwing her arms around me. "Before Tyler takes all the credit, I actually planned all of this. But it was a group effort to put it together."

I just gaped at her.

"Move – get out of the way, dude!" Tyler appeared from the crowd, carefully carrying a cake with lit candles. "JD, move. This is my moment, okay?"

There were probably around a hundred people present and thankfully, Kayley had taken the liberty to make sure I actually knew them all by name. They gathered around me and Tyler held the cake out and I laughed when I saw the wonky Happy Birthday letters.

"Tyler did the decorating," Kayley stage-whispered. "It looks terrible, I know."

"Everybody!" Tyler yelled in excitement. "We're going to sing now!"

I half-laughed, half-choked when Tyler tried stealing the spotlight, horrified to find the emotion building in my chest. As the chorus began, it was Kayley, gripping my arm like a vice, that kept me grounded so I wouldn't burst into tears in front of everyone. While Jarred was singing the loudest, Dennis had assigned himself the task of cameraman.

Everyone cheered as I closed my eyes and blew out the candles. When I opened them again, I caught Reid watching me from the back of the room and he gave me a rare smile.

"Thank you," I said quietly to Kayley as Tyler shoved a bouquet of flowers into my arms and a tiara onto my head. "For everything, Kayley. I haven't said this before, but I really wouldn't have gotten this far without you."