Even The Playing Field | BOOK #1 IN THE PSU SERIES

forty-five

Twenty, with a cat to celebrate it with.

Twenty, living a life that wasn't supposed to be.

Twenty, falling in love with a boy that I tried so hard to avoid.

But if there was anything that I knew for sure; the boy had loved me back.

I walked out of my bathroom and exited my room, which meant I immediately entered the living room and the kitchen at the same time. I let out a gasp and then a loud giggle.

"No fucking way." I spoke as he nodded. "Yes way." He assured me.

Matti had balloons and banners hung up all around the living room. Streamers lined the kitchen. In the kitchen he sat on the bar, watching me take in all of the work that he had done.

"Matti." I spoke his name in amazement.

"I know, I know, not all of it matches, but I just wanted you to be able to have a good day considering the shit week you had." He gushes as my eyes twinkle looking at all the work he had put in this morning for me.

"Matti." I spoke again. He shook his head, "We have a whole schedule planned for today so I hope you're ready. I'm serious. So follow me, I have the first surprise of the day." He ushered for me to come closer to him—but I still stayed planted frozen.

"Matti. I—, what?" I spoke as he let out a laugh at me. I covered my mouth with my hand, still in shock. Nobody had ever done something like this for me. Nobody. My grandparents took me out for pancakes on my birthday. My birthday last year had fallen on the day before we got let out for break, so the girls just got me really drunk after everything.

My eyes twinkled looking everything over once again.

Leaving this place behind would hurt so bad but at least I would have the best final memories in it considering how shit they were when they started.

I came here to live with strangers after my mom died.

I'm leaving here for good, but going out in the most positive way.

I shook my head.

Matti stood up from the kitchen counter and walked over to me. "Quit crying." He demanded as I chuckled, "I can't help it. Look at this!" I gushed as he laughed. "Slight work." He shrugged as I shook my head.

"Matti, thank you." I smile at him as he smiles back. "Naomi. It's just banners, streamers, and balloons." He muttered, turning red at my appreciation.

"It's everything I never had though!" I exclaim through laughter and happy tears. He smiled and reached for me, hugging me.

"Well, I'm glad I can give you that." He spoke as I nodded. "Let's go. Enough crying, we have something to attend to." I raise an eyebrow to his sentence. He grabs my hand and pulls me to the back door. I raise my eyebrows.

"Matti! It's cold out there!" I remind him as he groans. He rips his hoodie off of his top half and throws it on over my head. I let out a loud laugh as he bitches small complaints about me being the most picky person on the damn planet.

He smiles at me as my head is finally out of the hole from the sweatshirt and nods. He reaches for the door handle, slowly pulling it open.

"Sorry she was late guys! Had a bit of a meltdown!" He yells and I throw my head out of the door. I gasp again as a huge projector is sitting on the deck. The facetime screen lit up with Reese, Blake, Sloane, Griffin, Natalie, Caden, and Finnegan all on the call. In front of the screen was Matti's MacBook, the camera was on the door that I was walking out of.