CAL:
I carefully disengage from Kayla’s sniveling and head to the master bedroom. It’s almost seven. Time for phase two of Kayla’s seventeenth birthday celebration.
I throw off my shirt and buckle up my jeans, returning to the main room.
“Where’s your shirt?” Kayla demands, but I can see her eyes raking over my chest.
Heh, try and resist baby, try and resist!
“It’s all snotty-fied,” I murmur, grinning as she blushes. “I love you, doesn’t mean I love your snot!”
She throws a pillow at me, pouting adorably.
“Okay. Get your skinny ass of the couch, put on your dress and we’ll head off,” I order, mimicking her bossy tone.
She rolls her eyes at me but gets up. “Where are we going?” she demands.
“My place. Call your parents and tell them to meet us there,” I call over my shoulder, heading towards Sean’s room. I knock the door tentatively. “You guys decent?” I ask.
I hear a muffled thump and suddenly Sean pokes his head out, obscuring my view. “What’s up?” he asks, slightly red in the face.
I take a step back, my cheeks turning red too. “Umm, I was thinking of moving this little shindig to my place. We were supposed to check out at noon today,” I explain.
“Oh. Yeah, yeah,” he murmurs, looking a touched disappointed.
“Ben can come, if you’d like? But I did invite your parents and little sister to meet us at my place,” I warn him.
Sean immediately seems apprehensive. “Nope, Ben will go home!” he assures me. “Let me just change.” And he slams the door in my face.
Kayla stands a few feet back, scrunching up her nose in disgust. I give her a warning glance and she scampers into the master bedroom to change. Great, that’s two members of the Thomas family rounded up, I just need to get Ivan.
I poke my head out of the window and peer down to where Ivan and Sam are swimming, splashing each other happily.
“Sorry to break things up, but we gotta check out! And Ivan, you’re coming to my place. I told the rest of your family to meet us there!” I shout.
He gives me the thumbs up and helps Sam out of the pool.
***
Sean, Ivan, Kayla and I are in the limo, leaning back and enjoying the chocolate-dipped strawberries.
“You sure we should be going to your place?” Kay finally asks, resting her head against my shoulder.
“Yeah, it’s fine. My step-mum and half-sister are off on vacation. So only my dad is home. He won’t bother us so long as we steer clear of the north wing,” I murmur, shrugging.
Ivan chokes on his strawberry, staring at me. “Please tell me your house doesn’t actually have wings.”
Before I can answer tactfully though, Kayla raises her hand enthusiastically. “I know, I know! Pick me!” she squeals happily.
I roll my eyes at her but she ignores me. “It actually does! It’s insane Ivan! You could totally get lost! I did, once!” she admits.
I roll my eyes at her again, resting my cheek on the top of her head.
“Geez, you’re heavy!” she pouts.
“Deal with it,” I mumble back, closing my eyes.
***
We hop out of the limo and head into the house. I gesture for them to hang out in the living room as I head up to grab a shirt. Sure Kayla seems to prefer me without one, but I doubt Mr and Mrs Thomas would.
Eventually, I hear a car horn and I throw the huge double doors open for Mr and Mrs Thomas and Emma, who bounds in, launching herself at me.
I carry her easily, welcoming my girlfriend’s parents into my casa. “Good evening guys!”
“Wow!” Mrs T murmurs, staring around her with wide eyes.
“Nice house, son,” Mr T mumbles, also assessing his surroundings.
I grin embarrassedly and round up the rest of the Thomas kids, leading everyone to the dining room.
I called in earlier to get Javier to prepare us some dinner. I hold the chair out for Mrs T and Kayla who both blush delicately, before taking my own seat.
We chow on some of Javier’s signature dishes, and it’s a huge compliment to him that we aren’t talking through dinner. His food is just that good! It’s one of the few perks of living here; no need to eat out. Ever.
Once our dinner plates have been cleared up, I hurry off to the kitchen and head back into the dining room, carrying the cake box. Kayla gives me a huge smile and I grin back at her.
I throw the box open and she gasps in shock. The cake, an amazing, rich, chocolate one, has been modeled in the shape of her face, with it’s billowing brown tresses.
Her eyes tear up and she grabs onto me, holding me tight. I can see her parents exchanging happy glances and I smile. Finally, did something right!
***
After the cake, I lead the Thomas’ upstairs to the west wing, my wing, to the built in entertainment room.
I throw the doors open and the silence is deafening. Nobody quite knows how to react to it. I’m not trying to show off or anything, but I want them to be part of my life, to enjoy the things I have.
“Come on,” I encourage, taking both Kayla’s and Emma’s hands, pulling them to a stop right in front of the bowling alley. “We’re going to bowl, birthday girl,” I announce, kissing her cheek.
She grins up at me and takes my hand. “You’re the best, you know that?” she whispers.
“Nope, that’s you,” I fire back, winking.
We play for a while, and it becomes increasingly apparent all the ladies in the Thomas clan are athletically challenged. But Kayla’s the worse! She hasn’t even hit one pin! Not one!
And no matter how much I try not to laugh at her…I can’t help it! It’s ridiculous.
Once, she threw the bowling ball so far off target that it smashed into my stereo, shattering it. She felt horrible of course, but I was on the floor laughing at that. Can anyone be so bad at bowling?!
“Okay baby! Concentrate,” I encourage from behind her.
She gives me a glare as she takes a deep breath, fixing her gaze on the pins.
Kay, Emma and I are playing on one team, and we’re winning, no thanks to my darling though. I wanted to be teamed up with one of the guys, but since I had the advantage of having a bowling alley to practice in, everyone decided it would only be fair that I take on the biggest handicap.
“You’re going to break your arm if you do that,” I call warningly, stepping up behind her, supporting the bowling ball.
“Cal! I was about to throw it!” she groans.
“Baby, this ball is way too heavy for you,” I protest, handing her a much lighter one.
She huffs at me, rolling her eyes.
“Foul! Boyfriend has to get off the alley! Let her lose how she feels like it!” Ivan and Sean chorus.
Kayla grits her teeth at that, picking the heavy bowling ball up again.
“Baby-” I begin to protest but she cuts me off with a look.
She closes her eyes in concentration, swinging her arm back. Her technique is all off! She’s going to end up hurting her hand!
I close my eyes, deciding I’d rather not watch her injure herself.
Sure enough, two seconds later she let’s out an agonized scream. I run for her where she’s wailing, grabbing her leg.
Ivan and Sean seem a mix between amused and worried, while Emma just plain laughs. Mean people.
Kayla’s eyes all watery and she’s sobbing loudly in agony, breaking my heart. She must have dropped the ball on her leg.
I scoop her up in my arms and carry her over to the chairs, placing her down. Her family crowds around her, her mum smoothening her hair, trying to get her to stop crying. I run downstairs to the kitchen to get ice cubes making a makeshift cold compress.
I run back up sitting a couple of seats away from her, lifting her leg onto my lap. I press the cold compress against her ankle as she winces, her face all red.
***
“You okay?” I ask for the hundredth time, helping her to the car.
She nods her head, blushing deeply. I bandaged her leg up tightly, but it’s going to be crazy painful for the next few days.
I load her into the car and kiss her forehead. “Good night, and happy birthday baby,” I whisper not daring to kiss her on the lips in front of her parents.
She smiles at me, kisses my cheek and I step back as the car reverses out of my driveway.
Everything considered, I guess things could have gone much worse?
Who am I kidding! Kayla must have pinned this as her worst birthday, ever!
She got drunk for the first time, had a hangover for the first time, dry-heaved for the first time, blew up a condom balloon for the first time (I hope), nearly ended up sleeping with me all thanks to miscommunication, found out her brother was gay and then she hurt her leg while playing bowling because she’s just that bad at it.
Yup, she’s definitely going to chalk this up as the worst birthday. Ever!
Ugh! I’ll have to make it up to her! Maybe I should buy her a little pendant? She’d like that I think. I’ll head to Tiffany’s before school tomorrow. They’ll definitely have something for her.