IVY BENNETT LOVED birthdays.
There was just something about them - although she couldn't pinpoint what, exactly - that gave her a sweet, fuzzy feeling inside; a sort of emotion that lay somewhere in the spectrum between irrepressible joy and pure contentment.
And today, on this fine summer's day, it just so happened to be hers.
School had eased by rather quickly, to her relief, and she soon found herself walking down her street and unlocking the door to her house. She dumped her bag in the hallway, only to have her phone inside it buzz, so she fished it out and read the received text.
4:13pm
A: see you in a couple
Ivy texted a quick reply.
I: see ya :)))
Isaac Bennett, having heard his sister's arrival, bounded down the stairs like a little puppy. "Happy birthday, Ivy!" he greeted her with a gap-toothed grin. He held out a small, crinkled present.
"Aw thanks, Is," Ivy replied. She began to peel back the numerous layers of wrapping paper, to reveal an ancient, rusty tin originally used for storing sewing needles and pins. She wondered how Isaac had stumbled upon this - he always seemed to be finding things in the house she didn't even know existed.
"Open it, quick!"
Ivy opened the tin. Inside was a single bracelet, woven with blue threads of a multitude of shades.
"I know blue's your favourite colour. I made it myself - Mum helped a bit too," said the boy. "Do you like it?"
"I love it, kiddo. Thank you." She squeezed him into a hug. "You're the bestest little brother ever; you know that right?"
"'Course I am. All brothers wish they were as kickass as me."
"They can only dream," Ivy agreed.
"Ivy? Get in here, birthday girl," called their mother from the kitchen.
The girl in question was dragged by the arm by her brother, towards the aroma of baking that wafted from the kitchen.
Arranged on the kitchen table were sixteen cupcakes arranged into three rows, each bearing a letter in piped buttercream icing that altogether spelled out Happy Birthday Ivy. The kitchen itself was decorated with silver streamers and balloons - Ivy's mum had a knack for getting things just right when it came to presentation.
Ivy grinned. "You never fail to amaze me. Are the cupcakes raspberry and white chocolate?"
"How could they be anything else?"
"Mother, you are my sun and my stars."
"Oh, I'm everyone's, hon."
Ivy rolled her eyes as she bit into a cupcake. Impeccable, as always. Isaac was already quickly approaching his second one.
The Bennetts - minus Mr Bennett, who was yet to come home - sat for a while and talked contentedly about an array of topics, including: the pros and cons of being a merperson (pros: living and breathing underwater and tail; cons: lack of pizza and rollercoasters etc.), and who was the better Doctor between Tennant and Smith ("so obviously David" "uh, no, Matt totally slays" "I like them both" "well I like David" "Mum, shut up, just because you think he's hot").
During their conversation, Lena couldn't help but notice her daughter eyeing the clock every few minutes.
"Where are you off to, Iv?" she asked, although she could already guess the answer. Not where but who with.
"Me and Aaron are meeting at the park. There's a fair there today."
"Alright. Have fun and don't stay out too late - you've got school tomorrow."
"But birthday nights beat school nights, so."
"Don't push it, young lady. Be back soon!" Ivy dashed upstairs with her school bag, to change out of her uniform and into something summery.
Stuffing her phone and purse into a small duffel bag, she fled back downstairs and out of the front door, not without an "I'll be back when I'm back!"
Ashenby Park was not far from Ivy's house; a street and a hill away. Her legs carried her up the grassy slope at an excited pace, and once she'd reached the summit, she gazed down at the scene below her.
Donned in dewy fairy lights and colourful bunting was the fairground. The haze of the lights' glow portrayed the fair as a kind of mirage; a hallucination, almost. The stuff of dreams. To the right stood a striped red and yellow circus tent, and at the far end, the Ferris wheel turned, slowly but surely. People weaved amongst the stalls, and children milled about with sticks of candyfloss and balloons attached to string. She could smell the sugar from here. It was late afternoon by this point, and the shadows cast by the low-set sun were long and stretched; the clouds tinted light peach, as if by watercolours. This - this - was what she lived for. Suns and colours and people.
Ivy almost rolled down the hill as she ran with haste towards the fair. She thought about calling Aaron to save her time from searching for him, but the movement of a skateboard to her left caught her eye.
He stood with his back to her, the last in line of a long queue of people at a candyfloss and popcorn stand. Still in uniform with his backpack slung over both shoulders, he looked as if he'd come straight from school. He probably had.
She approached him slowly, before sprinting the last few steps to gain momentum for leaping onto his back.
"Gotcha!" she said by his ear, with a snicker.
"Holy sh- God, Ivy. Thought the axe murderer from my nightmares had come to life."
"Wow. You see me as a god? Didn't realise I had that effect on you. And how could you possibly dream about axe murderers," accused Ivy, jumping off him and dusting herself off, "when you sleep like you've been knocked out cold with a rock?"
"Haven't I told you about Rick? It's horrible - he attacks me from behind every time and I swear I can feel the axe slice my shoulder."
"Rick." The boy couldn't be serious.
"Yeah."
"You shouldn't be naming this crazy killer, you know. You'll get attached."
"Giving him a name is more convenient than saying 'crazy axe murderer'. And he looks like a Rick. Lumberjacks usually do."
Ivy's brows furrowed, feigning confusion. "Sorry, remind me again - why are we in this friendship? Because, for the life of me, I honestly can't remember."
"Oh, okay. I see how it is. So you don't want your present then? Fine by me." The two stepped forward as the queue shortened.
Ivy laughed in a way that implied of course she was getting her present, but not as a bout of over-confidence. Just warm knowing. The sound made Aaron break into a grin. He couldn't stay semi-annoyed at her even if he tried.
He hugged her. "Happy birthday," he said into her hair, voice muffled.
"Thanks, Ronnie."
Aaron pulled a face and stepped back. "Ronnie? Not cool, Iv. Not cool."
"Why? You call me Ivy-lee! You know, when you're in one of your weird moods."
"Exactly. So it doesn't count. You never complain when I call you that anyway."
Ivy fell short. She couldn't argue with that (the nickname was strangely endearing). "You're an idiot," she settled for instead.
Aaron smirked. He took his backpack off, and fished out a long object wrapped in brown paper.
"Your present," he announced, handing her the gift. "I noticed you eyeing one in a shop a few weeks ago. Hope the colours are okay; I'm not sure if they're still your favourite but I made an educated guess so..."
Ivy's fingers tore at the wrapping until she caught sight of a small blue wheel. She gasped and bear-hugged the boy at her side.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouohmygodthankyou!"
She opened the whole present. It was a pennyboard. A pennyboard with baby blue wheels and a lilac board. It was gorgeous. Ivy's insides squealed at the colours because pastels. Pastels made her so damn happy.
"I love it! And you. I love both of you," gushed Ivy, beaming.
Before Aaron could reply, he realised that they were now at the front of the queue. The lady at the stand asked what they wanted.
"Two sticks of candyfloss please - the biggest you can make them."
* * * * *
Dusk had arrived slowly and gracefully, as it often did in summer. The last few rays of honey-orange sun that tinged the sky with gentle hues of pink were dissipating out into the horizon, leaving twilight to fall upon Ashenby Park.
With the absence of light often comes the absence of warmth, and Ivy had forgotten, in her haste to leave the house, to bring an extra layer to throw on for when it got chilly. She shivered before she could stop herself, the movement catching Aaron's attention. He stopped to shrug out of his blazer.
"Here." He held it out for her to take, as he put his backpack back over his shoulders.
"No, it's fine -"
"Trust me, you'd be doing me a favour by taking it."
"Okay. Thanks." This was one of the reasons Ivy was sure her mother liked Aaron. He could be quite the gentleman, even if he didn't mean to be and even though he acted somewhat indifferently about it at times.
"S'alright." He paused, weary. "Ugh, I feel sick. And kind of feverish. Bloody spinning teacups."
Ivy snorted. "Why do you have such a low capacity when it comes to keeping food in your stomach?"
"Because I have a sensitive digestive system? I don't know."
Finding the remark more humorous than what it was worth, the girl fell into a heap of chuckles.
"You won't be laughing once I've spewed candyfloss sick all over you," he muttered darkly.
"Listen, you were the one who bet two quid that you could finish your entire stick of candy floss before me, and since we both know who the sore loser is, you just had to make sure you beat me," Ivy retorted, rolling her eyes and nudging him in the side. She failed to hide the amused smile her lips formed, and the mere sight of it couldn't keep Aaron from matching it with his own.
With the evening coming to a close, the pair managed to try a hand at the coconut shy (Ivy won the prettiest goldfish) and had one last go on the spinning teacups, before inevitably parting ways.
10:02pm
A: have I already said happy birthday?
I: this is the fourth time
A: oh
10:09pm
A: ok u got me, I just needed an excuse to send u this emoji
A: [emoji x3]
I: ...
I: is that a tongue
A: yes
A: but the thing is it took me this long to realize
I: I think this is a sign that it's way past someone's bedtime
A: it's like that time I realised it wasn't elvis parsley
I: yeah like two months ago
A: asdjdjekeldj
I: *weird mood alert*
A: nooo
I: goodnight weirdo