The Next Generation | 18+

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟒.

Marcella

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I fumble the sheets for my phone as the obnoxious ringing of my phone seems to get louder and louder. Instant regret at setting an alarm for eight in the morning began to kick in. If it wasn't for party prep, I would be sleeping in right now.

Today was the day.

My 17th birthday party.

While my actual birthday wasn't until December 31st, it made more sense to throw the party before everyone went on their winter break vacations to the French Alps, Aspen, or some tropical location to get away from this weather. Plus, after the past week that we'd spent covering our asses from an almost media disaster thanks to the two dickless trolls laying somewhere in a hospital bed or ditch, this party was much needed.

As I finally locate my phone and hit stop, I sit up against my headboard and take in my surroundings. Lifting up my eye mask, my vision cleared to a stunning view that the Old Warehouse district penthouse offered. I basked in the morning sunlight that lit up my room as the sound of feet pitter-pattering against the hallway floors came to a stop.

" Wake up! Wake up! Wake upppp!" Violeta burst into my room like a ball of energy. She was dressed in her black and white silk pajamas, her hair piled into a lopsided bun on top of her head with a happy birthday crown resting in front of it. She came running towards my bed at full speed, a crown in her hands that spelled out Birthday Princess in sparkly letters.

Noelle, Astrid, Monet, Portia, and Karter weren't too far from her, all adorning the same crown as her and matching pajamas.

The girls and I had stayed in the penthouse last night to help decorate and have last minute alterations made to our dresses. To make the night fun and less of a stress induced nightmare, I'd gotten us all matching pajamas and we spent the night doing face masks and watching movies after the boys and the party decorators left.

Try as they might, the boys tried to invade girls' night but got booted back to Marc Anthonie's house until breakfast. They even invited Freddy and Derrick over since they'd also tagged along to help decorate the penthouse after school. Freddy offered his help even though he was still slightly crippled, but as one of my closest friends, he insisted on being an extra helping hand. And Derrick, he'd offered his help since he was dropping off Karter.

" I'm up! I'm up!" I smiled as Violeta crawled over me, placing the crown on top of my head. Her hands slid down the sides of my face and cupped cheeks, a big grin gracing her lips as she kissed my nose.

The girls joined her in my bed, each of them hugging me before sprawling out on the Cali-King sized mattress. " Good because breakfast is almost ready and I want to get at least one of your Maria's cinnamon rolls before those overgrown man children get a whiff of them."

My mother's birthday cinnamon rolls were a must during birthday celebrations in our family.

" Your mother is such a milf. If sna-"