"Happy Birthday!" My parents woke me up at exactly 12 a.m. along with my brothers and sister, they jumped on my bed.
"Aren't I a little too big for this?" I giggled, as my brother and his twin tickled me.
"You only turn 15 once, mija (darling)! Come on! Let's go get some ice cream at the convenience store," She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door.
"Be back, you still have school!" My dad laughed.
"Appa! I want to go to..." My baby sister pouted.
My dad looked at my mom, my mom thought about it, "Okay fine, let's go!" My sister squealed in delight and went to go get her shoes. "Help!" She said as she tugged on my pajama pants, I laughed and helped her put on her shoes.
We walked to the nearest convenience store and bought six ice creams for all of us. As we walked back home, "Hey! Kim!" I heard someone yell. I looked around, where is that coming from?
"Over here Idiot!" He sounded frustrated.
I furrowed my eyebrows, I saw a boy wave his arms from his window, Sung Hwa. "Happy Birthday!" He smiled brightly.
"I think he likes you," My mom whispered.
"Why would he?" I scrunched my face.
"You've been friends since you were small, you've been around each other for a long time now. I've been watching," She raised her eyebrows playfully.
I pushed her softly, "No way! You're absolutely insane," I scoffed and opened the door.
"You didn't say thank you," He rolled his eyes.
"Aish! Thank you," I exaggerated and bowed, I stuck my tongue out. He did the same and chuckled.
"Good night Kimmie." He said softly. He thought I didn't hear it but I did. I smiled to myself and walked in.
We ate our ice cream and I went to sleep for a few more hours before I had to go to school.
"Rosa! Sung Hwa is here for you!" She yelled from the kitchen.
"Almost ready!" I yelled back putting on some perfume and ran downstairs. "Done." I said out of breath.
"We're late you know," Sung Hwa said annoyed.
"Bite me," I rolled my eyes.
"Go on leave! Hurry! I'll be working late today, if you want you can hang out and volunteer at the hospital again until I get out?" My mom said, biting her lip.
"No, that's fine. I think some of my friends want to hang out with me for my birthday anyways," I shrugged.
"Oh really? Okay that's fine then," She kissed my forehead and waved goodbye as me and Sung Hwa zoomed out the door.
"Oh, before I forget," He gave me a present looking unemotional.
"Aw, how nice you got me a present," I glared at him.
"I guess.. It is your birthday." He looked away.
"Should I open it now? Or?" I looked at him confused.
"If you want to, I don't care." He shrugged and walked in front of me.
I scoffed and opened it, it was a necklace in a shape of a rose. I stopped.
Noticing that I stopped he looked back at me, his eyes sparkled when he saw how much i loved the present.
I looked up at him, "Thank you! Thank You! You dumb idiot!" I hugged him. He smiled.
"You're welcome," he whispered in my ear.
"Oh! Babe, you're here!" His girlfriend came and pulled us apart. She stared daggers at me. I rolled my eyes, he looked at me apologetically I shrugged and i walked inside the school and a huge banner came down from the school "Happy Birthday Kim!" It read. i laughed, my best friends waiting under it with balloons and flowers.
"When did you guys have the time to do this?" I said shocked, hugging all of them.
"Well, this is your last birthday with us." HyeJin sighed, "We decided to make it the most memorable."
"Shh!" I covered her mouth, "Don't say that so loud." I looked behind me at the school gate, he didn't hear.
"You haven't told him!" Minah yelled at me.
"No," I looked down dropping my hand.
"When are you planning to tell him?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Soon, just not now." I sighed.
"You have to tell him! It's better from you than from someone else."
"How in the hell am I suppose to say, ' Oh Hey Sung Hwa! I'm moving to America in about 6 months, you won't see me next school year? '" My friends stood there quietly.
"You're moving?" I stiffened. Shit.
"Answer me!" He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. I looked down at his shoes, I couldn't look at his face. His face was hurt, tears were threatening to spill out. "Kim. Look at me." His voice shook. When I didn't budge, He scoffed, "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know, if you can't even say that, never speak to me again!" I snapped my head up.
"No! Please, you're my best friend! Don't do this! I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry! I didn't know how to tell you," Tears began to spill.
"Don't waste your breath, now I know how much I meant to you," He pushed me and Hye Jin caught me. I watched as he left stomping towards our secret hangout spot. It hurt, it would have been better if I would have fell and hit my head really hard.
"It's okay, Kim." She caressed my hair as I cried.
The whole school by now knew the scene that happened that morning. The two inseparable best friends, Sung Hwa and Kim have now been separated.
The rest of the school day I spent it at the nurse's office. I laid down on the bed as I cried myself in and out of sleep. So this is the end? Just like that? I didn't even get to confess to you. I didn't even get to say how much you meant to me. I didn't get to say how much I cried when my parents told me we would be moving. I didn't get to tell you how much I fought for us to stay so I could be with you. A little bit more time and I would have told you everything. Even then, would we still be fine? Would we still laugh and fight the same way knowing we won't see each other anymore?
I clutched the rose necklace closely to my chest.
The bell rang. School's over. I got up with whatever energy I had left and walked out of the school. I fought with myself if I should wait for him or not, I decided to stay and wait, just in case. Then, I saw him walk out of the gym building with his girlfriend hanging onto him like a baboon. He looked at me then, walked passed me bumping my shoulder on the way. I grabbed onto the necklace again and prayed for strength. I walked home alone. I saw him walking in front of me a few feet away with his girlfriend. I held in my tears, don't you dare cry. Mom made you stronger than that.
Once I reached home, I went into my room and threw my backpack on my bed and went under my bed and took out a box. Our memory box, pictures of us when we were small, from babies to teens. Our most recent picture was on his birthday, I remember shoving his face in the cake, he got so mad he grabbed the cake and chased me all over the house causing a huge cake fight. I chuckled at the memory. And when we used to hate each other when we were young always competing who was the smartest. We still never got along very well but, close enough. We went through so much, breakups, being each other's first kiss, i cringed at the thought of our first kiss in middle school.
I looked outside my window which looked directly into his, I saw him kissing his girlfriend hungrily. He was shirtless. I quickly grabbed my curtains and shut them. I slid down on the wall. I breathed slowly, I grabbed my pillow and cried myself to sleep.
Happy Birthday, to the dumb idiot hormonal girl who fell for her best friend.