ILYSB (it hurts)

[𝟸𝟶] birthday trouble

Josephine

I have been FaceTiming Jonah since we landed and he's in awe as much as I am and wished he was here. Maybe when he gets the holiday break, we can go back here with him. It's such an awesome experience. I look at Hero's seat and see the mess he made and internally cringed. I feel so bad for Martha and I see her wipe a tear from her cheek. She tried to be as composed as she is but she's obviously affected by what her son has done.

"So, dear, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Martha changed the topic and I'm pretty surprised she can even be civil after what happened.

"I really just want to get my hair done first, if that's okay." I offer her a warm smile and turned to her sister.

"You can take her downtown, right?" Martha asked Phoebe and she nods, smiling at her sister.

"Yeah, of course. I just need to make a call in the salon and then we can go."

"Oh, I nearly forgot. I'll show you your rooms!" Martha stood up from her seat and lead us upstairs. My parents will be staying on the first room on the left, I'll be staying in the room next to them and Miss Phoebe will be next to me. I can't help but wonder where Hero's room is. As if reading my mind, Martha gestured to the only room with the black door.

"It's his old room but he always fancy going to the tree house his Dad made by the lake..."

"Tree house?" My interest is piqued. I wonder if it's the same tree house as mine but then they're obviously not as common as I was. Maybe those high-end treehouses with complete everything and functioning like a real house.

"Yeah, it's just a 30-minute walk from here. He's probably there right now. We can go there and set up bonfire for tonight. Although summer just started, the wind is still cold this time of year."

My mind is racing with so many things all at once. I wonder how this tree house looked like, the lake, and just nature all around it.

"But dear, I think I need to get a cake for your birthday. I'll let Linda bake you one."

"No, it's fine." I shyly reject her offer.

"I insist, darling." She held both of my hands and smiled down on me.

When I focus on her face, I can see a lot of features I also see in Hero. I haven't seen his Dad in person or in picture so I don't have something to compare it to. But Martha's height is definitely the same as Hero's but he's taller than everyone else in this house. I had a few schoolmates with the same height but with Hero's features and always brooding mood, he stands out. Ever since he played for the football team, he put on a lot of muscle. Before he was tall and lanky but now, he still is but leaner.

I don't even know why my mind is going there when he's not even here to spend time with his family. I still need to talk to him about Knox and how he manipulated their coach into kicking him out. I still cannot believe he would purposely ruin someone's life or future career.

"The salon's open until," Phoebe looked down at her gold wrist watch, "2 PM. Let's go and get your hair done." She smiled at me sweetly and I kissed my parents on the cheeks when they retreated into their room. I know they will be entertained by the view alone. Thankful they can unwind after years and years of work in the hospital. They deserved this. Someday, when I finally graduate and have found a decent job, I'll take them someplace wonderful like this.

I wheel in my pink suitcase in the room that I will be staying in for a week and padded to the bathroom to freshen up. I remove my heavy winter jacket I've been wearing for four hours now. I stare at my face in the mirror, my cheeks slightly red from the sun. I wash my face and brushed my teeth. I also let down my hair and bunched it on one side. I wish I had more time to curl it but it will be useless since I will be in the salon in a few minutes. I stare at the trees I overlooked outside the window. Towering pine trees with snow still melting from the top. It's quite lovely to look at. It's pretty humid here in the morning so I want to know how will it be at night.