“Happy birthday, Victoria!” cried my two best friends.
I rolled my eyes. “How many times did you greet me today?” I asked.
Suzanne, the blonde and the most mature in our group, grinned. “Seventeen times!” she chirped. “You know… for good luck! One more year and you’re going to be eighteen. You can go to jail next year!”
Miranda, the brunette and the loudest in our group, laughed at Suzanne’s last comment. “Hell yeah!” she said and clapped hands with Suzanne. “Nice one, Suze.”
I suppressed a smile. “Should I really be happy with that?” I asked.
Suzanne got up from my bed and grabbed the Cheetos. “Cheer up!” she urged. “You’re so grumpy today. And it’s your birthday. What’s up?”
I glanced at my phone and sighed sadly. “Lance didn’t call me yet.”
“Busy, maybe?” Miranda suggested and popped a bubblegum she created. “Why don’t you call him? It’s Friday, Victoria. He won’t be busy like the other days.”
“I want him to call first!” I insisted. “It’s just right! He’s the freaking guy!”
Suzanne cleared her throat. “Pride,” she muttered. “A lot of relationships were broken about that.”
I looked away. Suzanne was right. I should call him. I wouldn’t let my pride ruin our two-year-relationship. “Fine,” I said, picking up my phone and dialing him. “Here goes nothing!”
I took a deep breath and put my phone on my right ear. A couple of seconds after, a husky male voice mumbled, “Yeah?”
“Lance, it’s me,” I said.
“Victoria?” Lance said, surprised. “Why are you calling me?”
“Don’t you remember anything?”
“About what?”
“What today is?”
“February Fourteenth.”
“And?”
“Valentine’s Day,” Lance said, realization creeping from his voice. “Oh heck, I forgot! Happy Valentines, baby! I’ll be visiting tomorrow. I promise.”
“What?” I said, my eyes narrowing. Doesn’t he remember that my birthday is today? What is going on with him?
“You don’t want me to visit?”
“No, it’s not that,” I said and took a deep breath. “You don’t remember it’s my birthday? February Fourteenth?”
“What?! It is?!”
I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah,” I said in a quiet voice.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Victoria!” Lance said sincerely. “I’ll go there tomorrow. I’ll bring you presents and stuff you like! We can even go to the beach tomorrow. Just you and I.”
“Okay,” I said, smiling tightly.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Lance whispered.
“Thank you.”
“You’re angry, aren’t you?”
“Where are you?”
“Friend’s house. So are you angry?”
“Oh. You having fun in college?”
“Yeah. You still didn’t answer my question.”
“Okay, have a good night, baby.”
“Wait! Victoria!”
But I already pressed the End button of my phone. Tears were dripping from my eyes. I can feel Suzanne’s arms on my shoulders. “There, there.”
“He forgot my birthday!”
“Jerk,” Miranda muttered and walked towards me to help consoling me.
I gave them a brave smile. “It’s okay. He’ll be here tomorrow and we’re going to have so much fun.”
“Still,” Suzanne said, frowning. “He forgot your birthday!”
“So?”
“You’re his girlfriend!”
“This is the reason why I don’t have any boyfriends,” Miranda said, rolling her eyes. “Waste of time.” Then she looked at me guiltily. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
Suzanne sighed and smiled gently at Miranda. “Not all of them are bad. Some boys are sincere, too.”
Miranda stuck her tongue out of Suzanne like a child. “That’s because you’re the lady of the group!”
“True,” Suzanne said, smiling smugly.
Hard to believe, but in the group, Suzanne does have a lot of steady boyfriends. All in all, she already had seven. But she broke up with them if her grades are getting lower. Yep, that’s Suzanne. She’s the smartest, more matured and lady-like in our group.
Miranda, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Suzanne. She’s loud and she doesn’t care about her grades. She doesn’t believe in commitments and vowed never to get married. She’s sometimes immature and pain-in-the-butt. She’s also a badass when she wanted to.
And that leaves me. I’m the most normal person in the group. I can be good if you want me to. I can also be a badass if you wanted me to be. I don’t care much about my grades, except if I’m about to fail. And I only had one boyfriend. And that’s Lance.
I met Lance on my first year of High School. He was seventeen years old when I first met him. Two years older than me. He became my boyfriend after three months of dating.
“Earth to Victoria?” Miranda said, her voice sounding so faraway. “Can you hear me?”
Reality snapped back and I shook my head. “Sorry,” I said, putting on a smile. “What are you going to say?”
“Let’s go to Marty’s Grill!” Suzanne said, her eyes twinkling so brightly. “I’m hungry! You said you’re going to treat us for dinner!”
I laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll just ask for permission to go.” I got up from the floor and walked downstairs to where my twenty-two-year-old brother, Vince, was watching TV. “Hey, I’m going to Marty’s Grill with Miranda and Suzanne.”
Vince looked up, grinning. He’s handsome, I guess. He’s blonde, like me. He’s the football coach of my school and some teachers—men included—have a crush on him. He’s muscular, too, with six-pack abs. “Sure, can I come?” he asked.
“No,” I said, folding my arms. “You want to be with teenage girls?”
“Heck, I’ve been with you three for many years.”
True. I met Miranda when I was ten years old and Suzanne when I was thirteen. We hang out every time. “Still. And it’s my birthday, so I get to choose my people.”
As I made my way upstairs, Vince called, “How about Lance? He’s not here.”
I stopped on my tracks. Just hearing Lance’s name made me remember our conversation earlier. “He’s coming tomorrow,” I shouted back.
“Too bad.”
I continued my trip to my room. I opened my bedroom door and beamed. “Leggo!”
“Awesome!” Miranda said and punched the air.
“Will you stop that?” Suzanne said, rolling her eyes at Miranda. “So immature.”
The three of us walked downstairs and said goodbye to Vince. Then we got out of the house and hopped in Miranda’s truck. It was a hand-me-down from her Mom.
I sat on my usual seat—which is the front seat. Miranda on the driver’s seat and Suzanne on the back seat. Then she groaned. “Miranda, what in the world is this?” she asked, holding up a bra.
Suddenly, I found myself laughing so hard. Miranda just shrugged. “Leave it there,” she instructed.
“What were you doing?” I asked, still laughing.
“Making out.”
“With?” Suzanne asked, her eyes narrowing.
“James David.”
Suzanne and I gasped. James David is the most popular senior in my school. He’s the leader of the football team and Vince’s favorite. I closed my mouth, which was open from Miranda’s confession. “Why didn’t you tell us?” I asked.
“Should I tell you all the guys I’ve been making out with?” Miranda said, smiling smugly.
“Face it, Miranda,” Suzanne said. “You’re hot! You can get all the guys you want! Why won’t you get a boyfriend?”
“I hate commitments,” Miranda declared. “James asked me if I could be his girlfriend today at lunch. I turned him down.”
“You what?!” Suzanne and I screamed.
Miranda just laughed. “Yeah, let’s going.”
She started the engine and drove. To past the time, I looked at the window, watching houses on our way. I can understand why Miranda hate commitments. When they don’t remember your birthday… It’s just so hard.
Then something caught my attention—big time.
“Stop the car!” I shouted.
Immediately, Miranda stomped at the brake and we all lurched forwards. Suzanne winced, when she hit her head at my seat. “Ow!” she cried.
“Victoria, what’s that for?” Miranda asked sharply.
“It’s Lance’s truck!”
“Impossible,” Suzanne said, looking at where I was pointing. “He’s back at Alaska, isn’t he?”
But I am sure. It was Lance’s cherry-red truck. I opened my car door and so Miranda and Suzanne. We stopped in front of Lance’s truck and studied the house. Then Miranda snapped her fingers. “I know that house! It’s Hazelle Weston’s!”
“But what could Lance’s truck doing in front of Hazelle’s house?” Suzanne asked, scratching her head. “She’s a senior. How could he possibly know her?”
“I guess we need to find out,” I said and walked towards the front porch.
“Wait! Victoria!” they shouted at the back.
“Keep your mouth shut!” I said sharply.
We made our way at the front porch quietly. Then we rang the doorbell. Unfortunately, no one opened the door. Miranda frowned. “So are we just going to wait here until morning for Hazelle to open the door and answer our question why Lance’s truck is here?”
“Look, it’s open!” Suzanne said, turning the doorknob.
We stepped in the living room of Hazelle. It was clean, naturally. In the dining hall, was two cup of steaming half-full coffee. “Maybe she just drank this,” I said, pointing at the coffee.
Before Miranda or Suzanne could say anything else, we heard a moan from upstairs. The three of us froze and looked at each other. Then, again, we heard another moan.
“Oh shit,” Miranda muttered under her breath.
“Maybe she’s hurt!” Suzanne whispered urgently to us. “Maybe that’s why she didn’t open the door! She’s hurt!”
“Let’s go upstairs,” I said and we both rushed upstairs.
We followed where the moaning was and realized it came from inside a room. Miranda opened the door quietly and the three of us gasped.
Inside the room was a bed. And on the bed was Hazelle, naked, kissing with a half-naked blonde guy. Hazelle gasped when she saw us and pulled the covers up to cover her chest. The blonde guy turned and gasped.
It was Lance.
“Victoria? Miranda? Suzanne?” Lance said in disbelief.
“What is the meaning of this, Lance?” I asked, my voice sounding so dangerously low.
“Come on, Victoria,” Suzanne’s voice said firmly from the back. “We got to go.”
“Victoria—Victoria, I could explain,” Lance stammered.
“There’s no need for explanation, Lance,” Miranda growled. “You are cheating on Victoria! Victoria, we need to leave.”
Suddenly, I found myself marching to Lance even though Miranda and Suzanne was grabbing my arms to stop. But, still, I made my way to Lance and punched his face real hard. “How could you do this to me?!” I screamed at his face. “I loved you! And this is what you are repaying me?!”
“Bitch,” Lance muttered when he realized his nose was bleeding.
“So I’m the bitch now?!” I shouted again.
“Victoria, let me handle this,” Miranda muttered from the back.
Surprisingly, I stopped moving. Miranda walked to Lance and kicked him at the stomach. He groaned.
“Miranda, we can’t solve this in violence!” Suzanne screamed, ever-so peaceful.
Miranda took a deep breath and gave Lance a very hard punch that caused his right eye to shut. “Take that, asshole,” she said. “That’s for cheating on my best friend! And you.” She pointed at Hazelle, who was whimpering now. “I’ll deal with you on Monday.”
I was impressed with Miranda’s work. Then she and Suzanne grabbed my arms and dragged me downstairs and to Miranda’s truck. When I was inside the truck, I let my tears fall.
“Lance… he cheated on me…” I whispered.
“He’s a jerk, Victoria,” Suzanne said firmly. “He even forgot your birthday and—.”
“Just shut up, Suzanne, okay?” Miranda thundered. “Victoria needs some time alone. Marty’s Grill is over. You three are going to sleep in my place. Vince couldn’t see Victoria in that state. He’ll just drive to Hazelle’s and kill Lance—which I plan to do. Suze, can you call your parents and Vince that you two are going to stay in my place?”
“Fine.”
I never saw Miranda this angry before. Maybe because she doesn’t like cheaters. When she was little, her parents divorced because her Dad was cheating on her Mom. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t want any commitments.
As Miranda continued driving and Suzanne making the calls, I was left at the front seat, crying my eyes out.
Anyways, the song in this chapter is White Horse. :) Victoria felt the same way like Taylor Swift on this music video. xC