Are you mine?

Chapter 54

"Okay, I'm done waiting for you. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE BIRTHDAY CANDLES BITCH!" Syd yells as my bedroom door swings open.

"It's too early for this," I groan, covering my face with a pillow.

"Too early? It's twelve p.m! I got here at ten! Your mom baked and decorated a whole cake in the time your lazy ass was snoozing halfway through your birthday," I feel my mattress sink under her weight as Syd sits on the corner of my bed, "And now because you missed breakfast you won't get to taste it until tonight. Spoiler alert, it's really good."

"Did she give you a piece?" I ask, sitting up.

"Better," she says, "She let me lick the batter off her whisk."

My expression twists into one of disgust, "There's a sexual innuendo in there somewhere."

"With me, there always is," she shrugs, standing up and walking towards my closet, "Now get up and get dressed, I'm taking you out for lunch," she says, tossing me a white corset top and a pair of loose, light-wash jeans. I put the outfit on, pairing it with white sneakers, and rake my fingers through my hair to detangle it, ready to head out the door.

We take Sydney's car and drive to Frenchy's, because of course I can't have a birthday lunch without those delicious burgers. We enter the establishment and sit at what we've deemed our table, the booth on the far corner next to the window.

Raven, the black-haired waitress that always seems to be on duty when we decide to stop by, takes our usual order and brings us a cherry coke and a vanilla milkshake to enjoy while we wait for our food to arrive.

"So, eighteen huh?" Syd asks, taking a sip of her drink, "How does it feel?"

"Exactly the same as seventeen, plus a dash of existential dread that tells me I'm no longer a kid, but an adult with no life plan," I reply, stirring my milkshake with the paper straw.

"Ever the optimist," Syd rolls her eyes, "My offer still stands, you know? You can still come with me and spare me the pain of missing you."

"I wish I could, but you know I made my choice. I'm already enrolled here at Belleview." I inform her, "Besides, I can't move out of this town. My whole family is here, and I can't leave them yet."

"You're going to have to at some point. Might as well do it now and get it over with," she shrugs, "We both know that's not the real reason why you're staying here, though. It's because you're scared of taking a risk and failing. But I get it, and I don't judge. It just sucks, Cali won't be the same without you."

"And this town won't be the same without you," I say, looking across the table at my best friend, wondering how I will ever make it through without her by my side.

"Don't get all sappy on me now," she says, wiping a tear away but still managing to keep her mascara intact, "We still have one last summer together before I move, and I promise we'll make it count. My goodbye present to you will be the best summer of your life."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," I warn.

"You better," she replies and we both smile.

"Where's your third wheel?" Raven asks as she sets our food in front of us, "Haven't seen him around here in a while," she points out.

"Tyler? He's...uhm been a little busy," Syd replies, her tone being more of a question than an answer "I'm sorry, I can't find an actual excuse," she admits, folding her arms on the table.

Raven laughs, "What a shame, we don't get eye candy like him around here often," she states, "Well, if you see him, tell him I said hi, and that I'm still waiting for his call," she says, before walking away from our table.