It's my birthday tomorrow! I'll be turning six. I'm the second-youngest in my class but at least now I'll be the same age as some of the other kids. I feel bad for Jemima, she only just turned five. She was the youngest in the whole school when we started! Mum and I are at the shop, picking up food for tomorrow.
She starts putting bread and cheese in the trolley for sandwiches while I pick what I want to drink. "There's mini Yazoo for a pound,"
"What kind?"
"Oh," Mum wrinkles her nose. "Banana,"
"Yuck!" We both hate banana.
We get some strawberry ones instead and a big share bag of sweets. For the dinner we get pizza and turkey dinosaurs!
"Okay, that seems to be everything,"
"What about my cake?!"
"Oh, Dad's getting you a surprise cake,"
"Okay!" I'm excited now! Dad's the best with surprises.
Chris' birthday is two weeks after mine. He's turning twelve. Dad said he'll be a teenager soon, and he isn't looking forward to that.
I wait in the queue with Mum at the tills. The woman waiting behind us smile. "D'you mind if I go first?"
Mum sees that she only has three items in her basket. "Sorry, I should've offered. Go ahead,"
No! I want to get home! "Do we have to let her go first?" I ask once we're already behind her.
"No, but it's a nice thing to do Max,"
"Will we get in trouble if we don't?"
"No, silly. We do nice things to be nice, not because we'll get in trouble if we don't,"
I really only do nice things so I don't get in trouble. I didn't realise you could just do them. Maybe I'll just be nice all the time then.
We get home and Dad is setting up the decorations. But he's saving the best ones for a surprise when I wake up tomorrow morning. "I phoned the school and said you've got a stomach ache,"
"Thanks Dad!" I always get my birthday off school. So does Chris. My parents say it doesn't really matter how much you go to school, as long as you can do the work and learn things. "Sooooo what am I getting/"
"You'll need to wait until tomorrow!" he ruffles my hair while putting up a string of balloons.
The next day, I wake up super early! I run downstairs to find a big dinosaur balloon. He's wearing a party hat!
"Morning Max," Dad rubs his eyes. Roxie is cradled in his arms. He bounces her a bit. "Say 'Happy Birthday Max'!"
She squeals and says 'Ma'. She can say 'Da' and 'Mu' and 'Ma', but can't say Chris' name yet. I heard Mum and Dad say she should be saying more by now since she's eight months, but that it doesn't really matter.
"Can I have pancakes an' butter?"
"Of course," he puts her in her walking chair. Dad looks down at me, who is now 6!
"Happy birthday Max, I'm really proud of you," "
"Thanks Dad,"
He goes to start breakfast and I look at my presents. There's so many, they cover the whole couch! And there's a really big square one which I'm saving till last. I think it's a football goal!
I start opening my presents, the first one is a pirate ship Lego set! Then a book called The Danger Gang, which seems really hard to read when I open it and look at the words. Maybe it's for Mum or Dad to read to me. The next present is a dinosaur blanket for over my bed! Then some Matchbox cars (including an ambulance and a taxi!) and some DVDs.
I'm happy with all my presents, so I eat breakfast while Dad plays one of my new DVDs. Chris comes down and mumbles a 'happy birthday' to me.
"Did you get me a present?" I ask.
"Pffft, no,"
Since Dad isn't here, and since I'm supposed to be more mature because I'm six, I ask Chris. "Why don't you like me?"
"Why'd you think?" he slumps down on the couch with his phone.
I shrug.
"Because you're the favourite," he explains angrily. "You were born two weeks before I turned six, and on my birthday Mum and Dad didn't do anything with me because they had the new baby. And that's still happening! And even since Roxie's been born, you're still their favourite!"
"I'm sorry about your birthday," I don't know what else to say. The stuff about me being the favourite is stupid. But I am sorry our birthdays are so close and they had a new baby which stopped them giving him attention. I remember when Roxie was just born and she got so much attention!
"It's a day off school, innit?" he shrugs.
"Yeah," he's right. He gets my birthday off school too! So I suppose it evens out. "Do you want to help me set up my goals?"
"Yeah, why not,"
We set up the goals and Dad helps us make sure they're put together properly. I eat my pancakes extra quick so that I can go back outside and try them out! I kick my ball into them and they seems sturdy enough. Now I can put all my power into my playing instead of being scared they'll topple over if I kick too hard into them.
After school is finished, Jemima and Gregory's parents drive them over. Gregory got me a Nerf gun and Jemima's parents baked some snacks that are like a mix between biscuits and cake. They have a name but I can't pronounce it. They're really nice!
"Let's go out and play!" I decide. Everyone agrees and we run out to the back garden. Gregory loves my new goals, and we start playing football.
"I want to be the goalie!" I like being the goalie because for most of the game, it's like I'm watching football and not really playing it. Gregory keeps winning, of course, because he's the oldest. But I don't really try to save Jemima's goals because she's my best friend, so she doesn't lose by that much.
"You cheated!" Gregory stomps his foot.
"Hye, what's going on?" Dad comes over.
"Max let Jemima score on purpose!"
"No I didn't!" I lie. "And you still won anyway!"
"Boys, if you can't play nicely, you can come inside and watch a film," he checks his phone. "It's almost time for dinner anyway. In you get,"
Gregory forgives me when he realises pizza is getting made. We eat sandwiches at the table while it is. "I got stickers too!" I show them.
"Can I get one on my shirt?" Jemima asks. I give her a triceratops because that's her favourite dinosaur, and Gregory gets a velociraptor. I put a few on my shirt too.
We clap for Mum when she brings our pizza. They also bring little bowls of toppings so we can decorate our slices ourselves! Nobody uses the olives though, they're gross.
Dad forces Chris to come downstairs for dinner. Gregory's mum and Jemima's parents take turn holding and talking to Roxie. They're giving her a lot of attention, but I don't really care. I'm playing with my friends!
"Let's have a Nerf battle!" I decide.
"Ah, I'd wait a while if I were you," Mum winks. That means cake must be coming!
Dad ushers us all into the living room and we sit on the couches. He closes the curtains and dims the lights. I sit on Mum's knee and giggle with my friends. I see some light peeking in from behind the door and Dad emerges, carrying the cake carefully. The big '6'candle lights up his face while he starts off the Happy Birthday song.
"Make a wish, Max!" Mum says once they finish singing.
I blow out my candle. I'd tell you my wish, but then it wouldn't come true! Everyone claps.
My cake is chocolate and it has a dinosaur on it! It's awesome, I get the dinosaur's face. Even Roxie gets to try some! Chris takes his up to his room. I don't think I'll see him for the rest of the night.
The cake tastes really yummy, and I convince Mum to cut me an extra slice! "It's my birthday so it's my cake!"
"Okay, okay," she gives me an extra slice.
After cake, we sit down to watch one of my new films. We can't really hear it because the adults are so loud.
"Can we stay over!" Gregory turns to ask his Mum.
"No, it's a school night,"
"Please! It;s already dark!"
My Mum shrugs. "He can re-wear his uniform to school tomorrow, can't he? We can drive him,"
Jemima looks at her parents. "Can I stay too? Pleeeeease!"
"What do you think?" Mrs Johnson asks her husband.
"They can go to school together," he shrugs. "Okay, you can stay. I better not hear about any misbehaviour from Max's parents!"
"You won't," Dad nods. "We'll be fine. Right guys?"
We all agree.
After the movie, Jemima's parents kiss her goodbye and Gregory's mum leaves too.
"Happy birthday, Max," Mr Johnson shakes my hand. I think he likes me, even if I got in trouble the last time I stayed over.
"Right, I'm going to run the bath. You kids fine with sharing Max's pyjamas?"
"Yes Sally!"
"Okay,"
The three of us share a bath. Gregory farts bubbles, making us laugh. Then it's bedtime.
"Cn we watch another film?" I ask, once we're in our jammies.
"Alright - one!"
We watch another film and have toast with butter for supper. Then we get sent up to brush our teeth.
"Nobody brushes for the whole two minutes!" Gregory whines. He doesn't brush very well or for very long before going to my room. Jemima's parents still brush her teeth so Mum helps her.
After brushing our teeth, we work out the bed arrangements. Jemima and I can both fit in my bed, so we're going to share that. We always do that for sleepovers.
"Hah! You're sharing your bed with a girl!"
"So?"
"Only mums and dads do that," Gregory laughs.
"Your mum and dad don't," I tell him. "My Dad says they're separated and sleep in different houses,"
"Shut up!"
"Sorry," I pout. Why's he so angry?
We bring in the blow-up bed and I give Gregory some blankets.
"I don't have my teddy!" Jemima whines.
"You like my frog," I hold it out for her and let her cuddle it.
"Yeah cause it's soft,"
"I didn't get a teddy!"
I look through mine. I don't really want to give Gregory any of them. But Mum said its good to be nice. "You can have my lamb,"
I hand it out to him.
"Alright. We won't be sleeping anyway,"
"What do you mean/" Jemima asks.
"It's a sleepover! Nobody sleeps on a sleepover,"
"But it's a school night," I remind him.
"And we'll be tired!" Jemima adds.
"Who cares? It's your birthday! Don't you want to stay up all njght on your birthday?"
Actually, I do. I know Chris has stayed up all night before.
"But how do we do it?"
"Easy! We just pretend to go to bed and then turn the light back on and play!"
I do that with my toys, but I don't have the light on and I stay in bed, pretending to be asleep. And I do go to sleep eventually. I've never stayed up the whole time!
"Okay... let's do it!"
"Brilliant!"
Gregory tells us all about staying up all night at other sleepovers. He's excited to stay up on a school night too.
Mum puts us to bed with a story.
"I'm really proud of you Max. Have you had a nice birthday?"
"Yes Mum," she kisses my forehead. Once she shuts the door, we all sit up.
"What can we play?" Jemima asks.
"Something quiet,"
"I know! Nerf darts!"
We all agree. We start playing Nerf darts and taking turns. Qe do lose some of the darts but that's fine. We'll find them tomorrow.
"Hey!" I point at Gregory. "You cheated!"
I know I saw him hide an extra dart that he stuck on the board in the bit with the most points!
"Well you cheated at football! You let her win because she's a girl!"
"No I didn't!"
I didn't! I let her win because she's my best friend. But I can't tell him that.
"You did"
"Liar!"
"Boys!"
We both freeze and look at Mum standing in the door. She looks around at our empty beds and the Nerf darts all over the floor.
"What is going on here?!"
Jemima starts crying. "We were, um..."
"I don't want to hear it. Whose idea was this?"
I look at Gregory. I know he was mean to me, but I remember what Mum said in the shop about being nice. I don't want ot get him or Jemima into trouble.
"Me," I snuff my feet on the carpet. "I wanted to stay up all night for my birthday,"
"You wanted-" she sighs. "And what was the fighting I heard?"
I cuddle my lamb to my face like a pillow. "Nothing,"
"Nothing? Well then, if you're going to lie to me you can all get separated," she grabs my hand. "No more sleepover,"
"But Mum!"
SMACK!
"Ow!"
"Gregory, I'll be in to move your bed downstairs. Jemima, you can use Max's room tonight,"
I start crying as Mum pulls me into her and Dad's room by the arm.
"Mmm, what's going on?" Dad mumbles.
"Your son and his friends were still awake, playing and fighting!"
"What?!" Dad shoots up. "Is this true?"
"I- yes..."
He spins me around.
SMACK!
"Ahah!" I jump a little bit. Dad pulls back his covers and pulls me into bed.
"Get to sleep. We can discuss this tomorrow. You won't begetting away with things like this anymore,"
I think I hate being 6.