Recap:
Lee and McKenna go on a walk to get some alone time.
McKenna reveals how she felt when her sister passed and urges Lee to think about all of his options.
Lee comes clean to Parker.
*******************************************
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, as McKenna dragged me down the sidewalk.
"It's not that much further," she promised.
I reached up and pulled my beanie down further over my ears. "It's fucking cold."
She shook her head at my language choice, and I just laughed.
We reached a trail, and she took my hand in hers as she began hiking.
"You're taking me hiking?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Just trust me."
I let out a long sigh, but followed her up the trail, my Converse and jeans not really suited for the activity.
About 30 minutes into our adventure, I began to feel slightly lightheaded.
The Depression that I was currently trying to claw my way out of had left me without an appetite, and although I'd tried choking down more food recently, I hadn't managed to eat anything today.
And that was really starting to take its toll on me.
"Are you okay?" McKenna asked me, as I paused for a moment, the floor shifting beneath me.
I nodded, flashing her a smile. "Yeah, just got dizzy for a second. But I'm fine."
She gave me an uncertain look.
"How much further is this thing?"
"Not too much, I promise."
We rounded the last corner, and I stopped to take in the breathtaking view.
We didn't say anything for a few minutes, letting the scenery speak for itself.
"So was it worth it?" McKenna asked, smiling up at me.
I just bent down and kissed her.
"I'd say so," she said, once I pulled away.
I stared in awe for a few more minutes before McKenna began tugging on my hand.
"We better get back," she said, with an apologetic smile. "We've got to meet up with everyone else."
Right.
I casted one last glance over my shoulder before we began our hike back to the rest of our group, who opted to go shopping.
That's what we came out here to do. But McKenna had somehow convinced Parker to let her take me for a couple of hours.
I don't know how. He'd practically had me under lock and key. But I think Emily used some of her persuasion as well, because he'd relented into letting McKenna take me on this adventure.
As we headed back, I was hit with another dizzy spell, this one much more intense than the first.
"Lee?" McKenna asked, worriedly.
"I'm okay," I promised. "Just a little dizzy."
"Let's just rest here for a minute," she suggested, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me to the ground.
I tried massaging my temples, waiting for the feeling to pass.
A few straggling hikers had the common courtesy to ask if I was okay, which I assured them that I was.
"How much farther do we have to go?" I asked, glancing over at McKenna.
She bit her bottom lip, offering me a tentative smile.
Great.
I stumbled back to my feet. "Okay."
The rest of the hike was hell.
McKenna called Parker as we made it back out, having him come around and meet us wherever the hell we were.
I could barely see straight, my head spinning.
McKenna opened the passenger seat door for me as Parker pulled up, and I collapsed inside, letting out a long sigh.
"What's the matter?" Parker asked, concernedly.
"I just don't feel well," I muttered.
"He's really dizzy," McKenna informed him, as she climbed into the backseat. "And lightheaded."
Emily immediately began to dig through her purse.
"Could be a side effect," Parker mused, pulling back out onto the main road.
"Here," Emily said, handing me an unwrapped granola bar.
I shook my head, my nausea kicking in.
"Eat this," she ordered.
Parker raised his eyebrows at me.
I took it from her, taking a bite out of the unappetizing, cardboard tasting granola bar.
"What have you eaten today?" Parker asked me.
I haven't.
I just continued to massage my temples, ignoring his question.
Parker nodded, not needing an answer. "New rule," he said, glancing over at me. "You're eating all of your meals with us."
Fuck my life.
"I bought you a new pair of sweatpants," Emily informed me. "That way you aren't wearing the same pair over and over until you finally wash them."
"Great," I muttered.
"Hey, watch this video," Emmett said in the backseat. "It's a cat and he looks like he's talking."
I managed to finish off about half of the granola bar before tossing it in the cup holder next to me, my stomach too tight for me to continue.
But it did help lift the lightheadedness, help make me feel a little less shitty.
"So how was your hike?" Emily asked McKenna. "Besides that whole fiasco?"
"It was beautiful," McKenna gushed. "The scenery was gorgeous."
"I'm telling you, Trip Advisor for the win," Emily said, sounding victorious. "Never fails."
We pulled up to the cabin, and I stepped out of the car, still a bit dizzy.
McKenna wrapped an arm around me, kissing my cheek.
I was trying to get used to letting other people help me, letting people in. But I still felt uncomfortable.
"Thanks," I muttered.
"What are you guys hungry for?" Emmett called out, as we walked inside.
I took a seat on the couch, turning on the TV.
The general consensus seemed to be hamburgers for dinner.
"We should do a bonfire tonight," Emily said, her eyes lighting up.
"We could make s'mores," Parker said, snaking his arm around her.
She rose up on her toes, pressing her lips against his.
"Get a room!" I called out, throwing a pillow at them.
"I think a bonfire and s'mores sounds heavenly," McKenna said, smiling at me.
I couldn't help but smile back.
"Emmett, we're going to need to collect some wood!" Parker called, heading into the kitchen.
"Do we have ingredients for s'mores?" Emily called out.
"Checking right now babe!" Parker called back.
"My leg!" the fish shouted.
"Why is it always the same fish that ends up with the hurt leg on SpongeBob?" I questioned.
"He's just unlucky," Emily said, with a shrug.
"That sucks."
"We don't have the ingredients for s'mores," Parker said, showing back up in the living room. "Going to have to make a store run after dinner."
Emily let out a groan.
"Burgers are going on the grill!" Emmett's voice called, and then I heard the sound of a door closing.
"He's gone," Parker whispered. "Let's talk about him."
Emily chuckled, opening up her arms so that Parker would come and sit.
"What's the plan for New Year's?" Parker asked, taking a seat next to Emily on the loveseat.
"Do we have a plan?" I asked, glancing over at McKenna for confirmation.
She just shrugged.
"Let's play poker!" Emily suggested, her eyes lighting up.
We all just stared at her.
"I was just thinking of something different," she defended.
Parker chuckled, extending his feet out onto the coffee table. "Well it's just something for you guys to think about."
"Playing poker?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"No, what we should do for New Year's," Parker corrected. "Be thinking of ideas."
Emmett came back inside at the end of the SpongeBob episode with the cooked burgers in hand.
"I'm starving," McKenna complained, pushing herself up off the couch.
That made one of us.
But I knew I wasn't getting out of this one, not after the whole episode in the car.
I grabbed a hamburger bun in the kitchen, loading my burger up with the works to make it seem more appetizing to my brain.
I'm not sure whether it was working or not.
"So Em and McKenna will run to the store," Parker was saying, as I joined them at the table. "And we'll round up the firewood."
"When did I get voted into this?" McKenna questioned.
"Well I didn't want to go by myself," Emily complained. "And Lee, I love you, but shopping with you isn't my favorite."
"Goes both ways," I agreed, pointing my water bottle at her before cracking it open.
I took a long gulp of water before taking a bite of my burger.
"So what time are you leaving in the morning?" Emily asked Emmett.
"As soon as I wake up."
"What if you don't wake up until like 10 AM?"
Emmett rolled his eyes. "Let me rephrase. I'm leaving no later than 8."
Emily jutted out her bottom lip, pouting.
"I've got a game tomorrow evening," he reminded her. "I should've left today."
"But you love us too much?"
"Something like that."
I finished off my entire burger during dinner, my stomach feeling as though it was going to explode in the process.
I deserve a fucking medal for that.
"Anything else that we need from the store?" Emily asked, as she and McKenna went to leave.
We all exchanged glances, shaking our heads.
Emily saluted before she and McKenna left.
"How're you feeling?" Parker asked, glancing over at me.
"Feeling?"
"Anymore dizzy spells? Lightheadedness?"
I shook my head.
"Alright, good. Then let's go get some firewood."
I highly doubt I'll be useful in that area. And Parker knows that, but he's not about leave me here. Alone.
Our relationship is touch-and-go for the time being. He doesn't even let me go upstairs by myself. And when I am in my bedroom, my door is always open.
There's no trust. But I deserve that. I haven't exactly been honest with him, and when I finally did breakdown, I basically told him that I wanted to die. Again.
So we're back to Square One.
Well maybe not all the way back, I didn't try to commit. And things aren't as bad as they were when I was released from the hospital back in May. I swear to God he barely even let me pee by myself.
But I'm pretty much on lockdown here.
"Right," I muttered, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets as I followed Parker outside.
"We should make snow angels tonight," Emmett said, glancing over at the fresh snow on the ground.
Parker and Emmett exchanged glances.
And then they both fell into the snow, making snow angels now instead.
I just leaned against a tree, shaking my head as I watched them.
Parker was the first one to stand up, brushing himself off as he stared at his creation.
I never understood snow angels. They just look like blobs.
"It looks like you would as an angel," I said, glancing over at Parker with a laugh.
"I could see it," he agreed, with a laugh of his own.
Emmett stood up as well, dusting the snow out of his hair before glancing down at his angel. "That's a masterpiece right there."
"Take a picture, maybe your mom will hang it on the fridge," I suggested.
I got hit with a snowball for that one.
We made it about five minutes up the walk before I got hit with my first dizzy spell.
"You okay?" Parker asked me, concernedly.
I nodded, rubbing my temples. "I just need a minute."
"It's probably not a good idea," I heard Emmett say, even though he was trying to be quiet about it. "Not after what happened earlier."
Parker was much quieter, and I couldn't actually hear what he said.
I blinked a few times, my vision realigning itself.
"Sorry about that," I said, glancing over at Parker and Emmett.
They exchanged glances.
"Come on," Parker said, heading back towards the house.
"What about the firewood?" I asked, raising my eyebrows him.
"Your health comes before firewood," Parker said, with a slight laugh.
I followed him back to the house, having to momentarily pause again on the way back.
"Your body can't hike when it's running on empty," Parker said, opening the back door for me.
I stepped inside, ditching my jacket as the heat hit me.
"Emmett can't gather it all by himself," I said, turning to face Parker.
"He'll be fine," Parker dismissed.
But we both knew that I was right.
"The girls are going to come back with the supplies and we aren't going to have a bonfire," I pointed out.
Parker leaned against the counter. "I said he'll be fine."
"I heard you, but that's irrational."
Parker glanced over at me, his jaw shifting in silence.
"I can make the hike," I offered. "They're not that bad, just some dizzy spells, I-"
"I'm not going to have you hiking through the woods at dusk getting dizzy spells," Parker interrupted, with a laugh. "Come on."
"Well I'm not going to ruin the bonfire for everyone," I argued.
Parker let out a long sigh, glancing over his shoulder again before looking at me. "I'm not comfortable," he admitted. "Leaving you here alone."
"Then I'll come with you."
"That's not happening."
I raised my eyebrows at him, not backing down either.
Silence stretched through the kitchen, and I could practically hear the gears turning in Parker's head.
Parker nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm going right up the trail. I'm going to be gone 10 minutes."
I nodded in agreement.
"I want you in the living room," he stated, staring directly in my eyes. "And if you need me for anything, for anything at all, call me. Promise me that."
"I promise."
"And mean it."
"I mean it."
Parker let out a long sigh. "Don't make me regret this."
"I won't."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
He stared at me for a few moments, indecision flickering through his eyes. "10 minutes."
I nodded.
"Living room."
I did as he told me, glancing over my shoulder as he disappeared out the backdoor.
I leaned against the doorframe that separated the kitchen from the dining room, shoving my hands in my pockets.
The house settled around me, the slight shake of the kitchen from Parker slamming the backdoor shut.
The silence was deafening.
I walked over to the record player, sifting through Emily's collection here up at the cabin.
It was probably her dad's collection.
I settled on an old Sting album, Nothing Like The Sun.
Emily didn't realize how lucky she was with a collection like this at her fingertips.
I put the record on, humming along as I sifted through some of the other records that were in the cabinet.
It was more Parker's taste in music. Radiohead, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, The Smashing Pumpkins. All bands that I could appreciate, but my taste was more in classic rock, where Parker leaned more towards alternative.
And apparently so did whoever's collection this was. I'm more than certain now that it's not Emily's.
I heard the backdoor open as I pulled out a second stack of records to sift through.
I glanced up to see Emmett coming into the living room, his cheeks red from the cold outside.
Exactly seven minutes since Parker left.
"Hey," I greeted.
"Sting?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows at me. "Not surprised."
"Whose collection is this?"
"Mostly my dad's. Some of my mom's old stuff from college is in there too."
I nodded. "Your parents have good taste."
"Had. These are the records that they don't listen to much anymore, hence why they're at the vacation cabin."
I couldn't help but chuckle, glancing down at the record on top of the pile I'd just pulled out of the cabinet.
Green Day.
Parker would have a field day with this.
"Where is Parker?" I asked, glancing back up at Emmett.
"He had to piss. Couldn't hold it, so he'll be in soon." He furrowed his eyebrows, shooting me a grimace. "Don't eat the yellow snow."
I rolled my eyes, shoving the records back into the cabinet before standing back up.
Emmett walked over to the record player, lifting the needle up and pulling off the Sting vinyl.
"Hey!"
"While I can appreciate it," he said, sliding the record back into the sleeve, "it's not my taste."
"It is mine."
"Cry me a river." He tossed the record onto the coffee table, coming over to the cabinet. "We're listening to something else."
"I liked that."
"Fight me."
I let out a frustrated groan, to which Emmett just chuckled, pulling out The Smashing Pumpkins vinyl. "Siamese Dream, that's where it's at."
"Smashing Pumpkins is overrated," I informed him.
"Shut your face." He pulled the record out, shoving the sleeve in my face.
Parker then came into the living room as Emmett placed the vinyl on the record player.
"I love this album," Parker said, a smile lighting up his face.
"At least one of you has good taste in music," Emmett said, shooting me a glare.
"Lee thinks they're overrated," Parker deadpanned.
"So I've heard."
"Well we need to get the bonfire started," Parker said, plopping down on the couch.
"Who wants that honey?" Emmett sang, before playing the air guitar.
"Hipsters unite!" Parker chanted, before pushing himself up off the couch. "Love this album, but I didn't gather a shit load of wood for nothing. Let's go start a bonfire."
~*~
"Wait!" Emily ordered, as Parker went to pull his marshmallow out of the fire. "It's not crispy enough yet."
"I'm sorry, I thought this was for my s'more," Parker said, with a laugh.
"You're not going to toast my marshmallow for me?" Emily asked, jutting out her bottom lip on a pout.
"You're so spoiled."
"But you love me anyways."
"I'll burn the damn marshmallow," Parker muttered, but he stuck it back into the fire, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Just a few more seconds."
"Here," McKenna said, passing me the box of graham crackers that I'd asked for over a minute ago.
I pulled out a graham cracker. "Split this in half for me?"
"I'll give you my one free hand," she offered.
"Teamwork," I agreed, using my free hand to grasp the other half of the graham cracker, and we split it that way.
I smeared my marshmallow in the middle of it.
"Okay, now I need the chocolate," I said, glancing around the circle.
"Chill," Emmett said, as he ripped open the bag of chocolates. "You snooze you lose."
I shook my head, letting out a long sigh.
He tossed me the bag, shooting me a teasing smile.
I pulled out a mini-Hershey bar, using my teeth to rip open the package. I laid it on top of my melted marshmallow, smashing the other graham cracker on top.
"Look at that masterpiece," McKenna complimented, as she pulled her marshmallow out of the fire.
I smiled at her before taking a bite. "Tastes delicious," I said, my mouth full of s'more goop.
"I'll take your word for it."
I reached over and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "What do you think?"
"I think that's gross," she laughed, wiping her hand across her mouth.
I laughed as well, taking another bite of my s'more.
It really was good.
"Is that good?" Parker asked Emily.
She nodded, her hands tucked away into her pockets. She was folded up on her lawn chair, her legs folded up underneath her and her shoulders hunched over. She looked like she was freezing, even next to the fire.
"Can someone please pass the graham crackers?" Emily asked, her eyes searching around the circle.
"I got you," McKenna said, reaching down next to her and passing them.
McKenna was sitting next to Emily, who was next to Parker. And then Parker was next to Emmett, who was next to me. And then I, of course, was next to McKenna.
The bonfire was in the center of our circle, spreading the heat around on this ice cold winter night.
Parker took the graham cracker box. "Babe, break this in half."
Emily pulled her hands out of her pockets, holding them out by the fire as she did so.
"Are you warm enough?" I asked her.
She glanced over at me, raising her eyebrows in question.
I nodded, letting her know I was talking to her.
"Yeah," she said, with a slight smile. "I'm just cold-blooded I think."
Parker chuckled at that, smearing her marshmallow on the graham cracker for her.
"No, but I just have really cold hands and feet," Emily said, flashing me a smile. "Which makes the rest of me really cold sometimes."
Parker ripped open a chocolate for her, finishing off her s'more. "All the deliciousness and none of the work. You're welcome."
"Hey, I broke that cracker in half."
"You poor thing."
She took a bite of her s'more, flashing him a messy smile. "Thanks love."
He just grunted, taking a marshmallow for himself.
McKenna finished off her s'more, taking a bite for herself. She let out a satisfied sigh, leaning back in her chair.
"Good?" I asked, smiling over at her.
She smiled back at me. "Reminds me of home."
"You live in the snow, right?" Emmett asked her.
She nodded. "Michigan." She sat up a little. "We used to do bonfires when I was younger. My dad would make my sister and I feel like we were important by gathering these little sticks that had absolutely no importance to the fire, but we thought we were the big shots on the trips to gather wood." McKenna had that faint smile on her lips, the one she gets when she's reminiscing. And she had that glow around her, the one she gets when she talks about her childhood, especially her sister. "We would roast marshmallows and make s'mores and my parents would listen to my sister and I make up ghost stories. We would always try to outdo each other."
"I don't see you as a good ghost storyteller," I said, with a smile.
"Hey, I had some pretty good ones," McKenna argued, with a laugh. "For a kid."
"I bet you miss your sister," Emily commented, smiling over at Emmett.
I glanced over at McKenna, judging her reaction.
"Yeah," McKenna said, with a small smile. "I do."
"What's the age difference?"
"She's 4 years older," McKenna said, before taking another bite of her s'more.
"I bet you guys have some memories up here at the cabin," I commented, turning the conversation away from McKenna and her sister.
"There was this one time that Emily challenged Parker to a sledding competition," Emmett said, with a smirk.
Emily laughed, nudging Parker, who just rolled his eyes.
"But we didn't have any sleds," Emmett continued. "So Parker used a trashcan lid and Emily used a cookie sheet, like what you use to bake cookies in the oven. And they raced down the hill out back."
I couldn't help but crack up just imaging Parker sledding down a hill on a trashcan lid next to Emily on a cookie sheet.
"That had to end in a massive wipeout," McKenna said, laughing as well.
"You can't even imagine," Parker muttered.
"I smacked into a tree," Emily said, with a nod. "Like face first and everything."
"I just wiped out," Parker said, wincing.
"My parents were pissed," Emmett said, laughing along with us. "More pissed about the ruined cookie sheet I think."
"Not about the fact that my face was ruined," Emily complained.
"It healed quite nicely if I do say so myself," Parker said, leaning over and kissing her nose.
I rolled my eyes, and McKenna giggled next to me.
"I had a bloody nose and a black eye," Emily informed us. "It hurt so bad."
"I broke my finger," Parker reminded her.
"Not as bad as injuring your face."
"I beg to differ. I had to wear a splint on my finger and everything."
"We are not going to argue about which injury was worse," Emmett chastised.
"I've got to run inside real quick," Emily said, standing up. "I need some gloves or my hands are going to freeze off."
"Do you know where they are?" Emmett asked her.
She nodded. "Duffel bag in the basement."
"Want me to come with?" Parker asked, going to stand up.
"I can handle getting a pair of gloves," she promised, flashing him a smile before disappearing inside.
"Okay," he muttered, sitting back down.
"I think we've heard stories about everyone but you," Emmett said, raising his eyebrows at me.
"I don't remember hearing anything about you," I countered.
"I told the story about Emily and Parker."
"That doesn't-" I went to argue.
"Want a good story about Lee?" Parker interrupted, with a growing smile.
"I don't trust you," I said, lowering my eyes at him.
"You shouldn't." He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "So we were little when my parents took us to the snow for the first time, Lee was like four."
I narrowed my eyes, trying to rack my brain for what story he might be telling.
"And we went to Vermont," Parker continued. "And we toured this really boring cheese factory, I don't know. So we were leaving, and Lee finds this giant block of ice outside."
Oh.
"And he isn't wearing any gloves, but he picks this thing up. And he's insistent that he wants to carry it back to the hotel and keep it."
McKenna giggled, shooting me a smile.
"My dad explained to him that you can't keep a block of ice because it melts," Parker said, with a slight laugh. "But Lee was persistent. So my mom let him pick it up. But we still had to walk back to the car."
"I was four," I muttered.
"And four-year old you was sobbing by the time we got back to the car," Parker said, laughing. "Because your hands hurt so bad."
"How is that funny?" I questioned.
"And my dad is telling him about how he told him so because it's a block of ice and blah, blah, blah, but Lee is crying because his hands hurt and he has this giant block of ice. That he's still holding."
"Why didn't you just drop it?" Emmett asked me, laughing.
"Because I was four."
"So my mom hit it out of his hands," Parker said, smirking at me. "Because the thought never occurred to Lee, in the entire walk back to the car while his hands were freezing off, that he should just drop the damn thing."
"Well maybe I wanted to keep it."
"Or maybe you're just not the sharpest tool in the shed."
"Well they say I took after my big brother."
Emmett threw his head back in laughter.
Parker bit his bottom lip, clearly not ready for a comeback.
I just smirked at him.
"I'm going to run to the bathroom," McKenna whispered, kissing my cheek before disappearing inside.
"You guys look comfortable," Emmett commented, once McKenna was gone.
"As opposed to?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Parker chuckled.
"I just meant that I've never seen you comfortable to be in such close proximity with someone. Other than Parker."
I just shrugged.
"So you two are having sex then."
"Jesus!" Parker announced, his eyes widening.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Sorry, couldn't help it," Emmett apologized, laughing along with me.
"Do me a favor and keep your sex life to yourself," Parker muttered, glaring at Emmett and then me.
He then glanced over his shoulder towards the house. "Did Emily fall into a black hole?"
"Seems like it," Emmett agreed, glancing over his shoulder as well. "The gloves were just downstairs."
And then I began to feel a little bit suspicious.
Both girls had disappeared inside the house. Something was definitely up.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I glanced down to see a text from McKenna.
Can you guys come inside?
Now I'm more worried than suspicious.
"Hey guys," I said, standing up. "I just got a weird text from McKenna."
"Pretty sure Parker asked you to keep your sex life to yourself," Emmett reminded me.
Parker scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it at him.
"She asked us to come inside."
"They're plotting," Emmett confirmed. "I'm not going."
"Something could be wrong," Parker said, already to his feet.
"I'm with him," I said, following Parker.
"Dammit," Emmett muttered, following us. "I'm telling you guys not to trust this. It's two girls, one of which happens to be my sister. Don't trust them."
Parker threw open the backdoor, and then came to a complete standstill.
"What the fuck?" I demanded, crashing into him.
And then I saw that the kitchen was decorated. There were streamers hanging from the ceiling, all in Seminoles colors. And a cake was sitting on the island in the center of the kitchen, Emily and McKenna standing behind it.
"Surprise!" they shouted in unison.
"Happy half-birthday," Emily added. "That I know Lee already ruined. But I'm almost sure that you forgot."
Oh shit, that's right. Even I forgot.
And judging by Parker's face, he definitely forgot too.
"What is a half-birthday?" he finally asked, glancing around the kitchen.
"It's six months between your birthday," Emily informed him. "And I just wanted to do something special for you."
"Well we can't skip the birthday tradition," I said, glancing over at him.
Emily shot me a confused look.
But that's because she's never been around for Parker's birthday. His real birthday.
"What birthday..." And then Parker trailed off. "Lee, you're way too old for that, I swear to fucking-"
But it was too late.
I jumped up on his back, tackling him to the ground.
"I hate you," Parker moaned.
I couldn't help but laugh. "That's no way to talk on your half-birthday."
"Just get it over with."
"Parker, one thing I appreciate about you as a brother is that you have great sweatpants."
"Fuck off Lee."
"And that you have the same taste in cake as me."
He let out a low growl.
"And that your taste in music doesn't suck."
"Are you just making stuff up now so that you can pin me down longer?"
"Basically."
He flipped me over, pinning me down for a short second before releasing me, helping me back up to my feet. "I'm calling bullshit."
"Clearly."
"What the fuck was that?" Emmett questioned.
"Lee started that tradition when he was 10," Parker said, glaring at me. "And my mom used to make him tell me something he appreciated about me on my birthday. And we got into a fight, so he tackled me. And she still made him tell me, so he came up with some random ass shit, and my mom accepted it so that we would stop fighting. And so now ever birthday, he tackles me to the ground and comes up with something that he appreciates about me."
"But Parker can call bullshit," I added. "All of it is bullshit, but whenever Parker is tired of being pinned down, he can call bullshit and I have to let him go. Mom made that exception when I was 13 and we started wrestling because I had a list of, like, 9 things."
"And counting," Parker added.
"You guys have weird family traditions," Emmett informed us.
I just shrugged, smiling over at him.
"And I want my sweatpants back," Parker added. "Emily bought you new ones."
"No way."
"Come blow out your candles," Emily said, interrupting our what was sure to be never-ending argument.
McKenna reached over and flipped off the lights, revealing the 19 on Parker's birthday cake.
"Is it German chocolate with coconut frosting?" I questioned, with a smile.
Emily nodded.
"How'd you even know that?" Parker asked, raising his eyebrows at her. "I don't think I've ever even mentioned that that's my favorite birthday cake. I'm not even sure my mom would've remembered that."
"Your brother knows that information about you."
Parker glanced over his shoulder at me for a few seconds before glancing back at his cake. He closed his eyes for a few moments before blowing out the candles.
"Aren't we supposed to sing happy birthday before that?" Emmett asked.
"I don't think that's appropriate on a half-birthday," Parker declined.
"I don't really know the half-birthday protocol," Emily admitted.
"A very, merry unbirthday!" McKenna blurted out. "To me? To you. A very, merry unbirthday. For me? For you."
And then Emily chimed in. "Now blow out the candle, my dear, and make your wish come true. A very merry unbirthday to you!"
Parker chuckled, glancing over at me. "I'm surprised you didn't chime in."
"I don't sing."
"Alice in Wonderland was one of Lee's favorite movies as a kid," Parker explained.
"A very fitting song for today's occasion," I added.
And then Emily produced a present.
"It's not my birthday," Parker reminded her, as McKenna took the cake to cut it up.
"You wouldn't let me give you a present on your actual birthday," she reminded him. "So here is your half-birthday present."
Parker let out a small sigh, pursing his lips together, as though this whole situation was too complex for him to comprehend.
"Today is your birthday," I said, slapping him on the back. "Accept it."
He gave me a look.
"I'll open the present if you don't," Emmett added, peering down inside the bag, trying to see past the tissue paper.
Emily whacked him on the upper arm.
"Is this going to become, like, a thing?" Parker asked, uncomfortably.
"We don't have to make any long-term decisions like that right now," Emily declined. "Just enjoy your half-birthday for what it is."
Parker stared at the bag for a few more moments, as though his entire life rested on this decision.
"June 28th is my birthday," he reminded her, glancing up.
"And December 28th is your half-birthday," she countered.
Parker let out a long sigh, taking the bag and opening up the present.
Inside were two tickets to what looked to be a museum.
"You got me two tickets to an art museum?" Parker asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
"I got you two tickets to the Super Indian exhibition at the Denver Art Museum," Emily informed him, a smile playing on her lips.
I practically shoved past Emmett to see the tickets for myself. "You did what?"
"How did you get these?" Parker asked, his eyes widening.
"I have my sources."
"You're going to see the Super Indian exhibition," I deadpanned, staring at the tickets in his hand. "I fucking hate you."
"We're going over Martin Luther King Day weekend," Emily said, leaning across the counter. "Don't make plans."
"I'll cancel anything and everything for this."
"Wait, what's going on?" McKenna asked, looking between the three of us.
"Super Indian is a collection of paintings done by Fritz Scholder," Parker informed her.
"They're arguably the most controversial paintings of their time," I added. "They've also been called revolutionary and haunting. He once vowed to never paint Indians. He claimed that he wasn't an Indian American artist, but he was. He claimed that his art wasn't political, but it divided the art world."
"It's a big deal," Parker filled in. "And I don't even know how you tickets."
"I'm magic," Emily said, a smile playing on her lips. "We're going the last weekend this exhibit is on display."
"I love you," Parker breathed, leaning across the counter to kiss her.
"I fucking hate you," I muttered.
"I'll let you know how it is," Parker said to me, with a smirk.
Asshole.
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So did you guys enjoy McKenna & Lee's mini hike? Do you see a change in Lee's personality since the last chapter? What about the bonfire? Did you enjoy the storytelling? And then Parker's surprise half-birthday party? Do you think it'll become a yearly ritual? What about Emily's present to him, do you think it was appropriate?
The picture up there at the top was submitted by brontides. What do you think?
The song is "A Very Merry Unbirthday", the one from Alice In Wonderland that they sang to Parker for his birthday.
This was a super long chapter. I should've broken it up into two, but I wanted I decided to give you guys a mega chapter instead. So show it some love.
Teaser: It's time for Emmett to go leave *sad face* But it's also time for New Year's! What do you think they're going to do in celebration?