The day we left the cabin and started back toward Hamilton, it snowed.
Soft, fat snowflakes fell from the gunmetal-gray sky and coated the ground in ice, meriting salted tires and gridlocked chains to ensure maximum safety. We hugged the family goodbye, and I left feeling well rested, happy and warm, bundled up in a ski jacket, jeans and fluffy boots.
Tomorrow was my twenty-first birthday, and Jamie, Ava, Chance and I had decided to go out for celebratory drinks that night.
Since Christmas, I had instigated some rules in my life. I had specifically told Chance no more kissing—I was eliminating the opportunity for more hickeys, and I had already told Chance I wasn’t looking for a relationship. Over Christmas I had come out of my shell, but I’d made it very clear to Chance I wasn’t looking for a relationship. He’d accepted it, albeit a little reluctantly, but knew that ultimately, it was my choice.
At about ten o’clock Friday morning, we left the Donoghue cabin, Chance and Jamie on our heels as we skidded down the dirt tracks and onto the desolated road.
“So, did you have a good time?” Ava asked, flicking on the central heating to stop us from dying of hypothermia thanks to her car’s crappy inability to shut the driver’s window all the way. The crown of her black hair was dotted in small snowflakes from the wind, and I shivered, hunching down in my jacket.
“Yeah,” I replied through chattering teeth, rubbing my bare fingers together to get some feeling into them. “It was great. I missed your family.”
“I take it you’ll be coming back for summer, then?” she enticed, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Anything to get away from my twisted family,” I mumbled, glancing out the window. In the rearview mirror I could see Jamie’s clunky car moving at our speed, and snow-covered pine trees dotted the side of the road. It was a beautiful sight, a perfect New Year.
As a rule, I’d also ignored all of my parents calls, which totaled thirty-one. I knew it was stupid to ignore their calls—giving them the cold shoulder would fix nothing between them—but I just wasn’t ready to hear their excuses yet. There was a lot in life I could tolerate, but doormat women weren’t one of them.
‘What are doormat women?’ I hear you asking from the back. They are women that allow themselves to get trampled, flipped upside down and completely rebuffed, only to come back for more. Women needed a backbone, and one of my personal peeves was a woman who couldn’t stand up for herself. I hated sexism, and any form of it set me off. I hated men and women alike who believed women should be in the kitchen all the time. Women weren’t the weaker sex at all, and I hated people who thought they were. So many women allowed themselves to be degraded and walked all over, and I wouldn’t be one of them.
My mother, however, seemed to have no problem with being a doormat woman.
You see, my mother had a penchant for men who needed to be saved. You know, dames in distress or whatever the term is. If a man seemed damaged and needed fixing, Marie Sinclair (nee Witham) was more than happy to be their Florence Nightingale.
Hence why she’d taken in my emotionally abusive father, alcoholic Darin, and the other refutable boyfriends she’d had along the way. She was just the kind of woman who loved healing a man and not being appreciated for it.
Don’t worry, I’d well and truly learned from her mistakes.
The drive went quickly, and by the time we were pulling into Hamilton’s student lot, I was surprised we’d arrived so quickly. We’d lost Chance and Jamie somewhere back a few hours ago, and hadn’t seen them since, but we weren’t worried about them. They’d probably taken a wrong turn or decided to take the scenic route.
The lot was partly empty, only a few other snow-laden cars in the lot. “The snow’s weird,” I commented as I hopped out of the car. “Florida never gets snow.”
“Global warming, my friend,” Ava replied, pulling her duffel out of the drunk.
We made our way back up to our dorm, and I was glad to be inside and out of the bracing cold. I shivered as I unwound my knitted scarf and took off my trench coat, flinging it over the garish wooden coatrack Ava had gotten as a joke and taken way too seriously.
“So, we’ll sleep off the food comas tonight, but be prepared for the best birthday tomorrow,” Ava sing-songed, wiggling her eyebrows. “Trust me, we have some mega things planned.”
“We?” I replied, frowning.
She nodded. “Uh, yeah. Chance, Jamie and I. We’re thinking drinks at the bar of your choice—on us, of course—and then anything you want after. Skinny-dipping in Hamilton’s water fountain, streaking across the fields, dancing in the snow…. Whatever. Your birthday, your choice. But remember, you’re only twenty-one once.”
I smiled and moved towards my room, amused. Thoughts of what I wanted to do for my birthday spun through my head, but really there was only one concrete thing I wanted to do: spend time with my best friends. As long as Ava, Chance and Jamie were there, I really didn’t mind what kind of fun we had. Obviously streaking and skinny-dipping was out—I had no desire to get hypothermia on my birthday, thanks very much—but I did want to do something fun and memorable that was affordable and close to Hamilton’s campus.
“Hey, what’s for dinner?” Ava yelled from somewhere nearby—her room, perhaps.
I pursed my lips, running over options. I’d ditched the fruit and vegetables we had because of the trip, but Mrs. Donoghue had sent us back with more than enough rations to sustain us. “Does lasagna and ciabatta sound good?”
“I have no idea what ciabatta is, but it sounds delicious,” she called back, peeking her head into the room. “Do you mind if Rose comes over tonight and joins us, though? I should’ve asked you first, but she’s kinda on her way over now.”
I smiled. “Ave, she’s your girlfriend, and you haven’t seen her in two weeks. Of course she’s welcome here. But maybe I’ll go out tonight for dinner instead and let you two catch up.”
She pouted and leaned against the doorjamb, cupping her left elbow with her right hand. “I don’t wanna kick you out. You just got back, too.”
I waved it away with a laugh. “Don’t be silly, Ava. It’s fine. Seriously. I’ll just grab a coffee, or something. Or maybe I’ll drop in on Giuseppe’s for a cheeseburger. I have a shift there tomorrow morning, anyway.”
Giuseppe’s had been closed for the past two weeks as well, while the owners—Hanna and Darrin—had a little break. But it had started back up today, and I was due back there at eight tomorrow morning for the morning breakfast rush. It sucked to work on my birthday, but it was cash, so I’d take it. And plus, I only had plans for tomorrow night. I’d just be bored during the day tomorrow, anyway.
“All right,” she said uncertainly, still sounding regretful. “If that’s what you really want…”
I nodded and began to redress. I grabbed out a purple scarf from my wardrobe, twining it around my neck and adding a black trench coat over the top to keep warm. I grabbed my wallet and handbag and started for the door. “It’s fine. Really. I’ll leave you two alone for the night. Don’t have too much fun without me!”
“I won’t!” she chirped back, and I shut the door behind me, starting out into the corridor.
On the way down, I passed Rose on the stairwell, wearing her normal dark jeans and black and white band t-shirt. “Hey, Ro!” I said, giving her a quick hug. “Ava’s upstairs.”
“Great,” Rose said, pushing her short hair out of her face. “Oh! I also heard it was your birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday in advance!”
I grinned. “Thanks. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll catch you later, okay?”
We bid adieu, and I started back down the stairs and onto the main campus, which was blanketed by a thin layer of snow. It was rare—and, up until this moment, I’d thought it was impossible—for it to snow in this part of Florida, but it seemed it had surpassed all expectations.
The sky was a thick, rich gray, and a lot of the campus’s streetlamps were turned on, giving it a tremendously romantic glow. There weren’t many people out, except for two frat boys throwing snowballs at each other and a girl who was holding hands and giggling with her boyfriend. I started down the path, kicking at random chunks of snow as they broke apart.
I was lost in my own headspace, my thoughts on my parents. Where were they right now? What happened to his last wife? Oh, God, were they living together? Anger was still seething within me at the fact they’d ruined my childhood and thought we could just reconcile so easily, but above all of that I was embarrassed over the fact Chance—Mr. Perfect Parents—had witnessed that. It was stupid and petty, I knew that, but it was what I felt.
“Candice? Is that you?” I was abruptly torn from my reverie by a new voice, and spun to see who had spoken to me. I knew a few professors and a lot of students on this campus, but the voice was eerily familiar in a different kind of way. A kind of ‘I haven’t heard it in a long time, but I’d know that voice anywhere’ kind of way.
I spun around and gasped in surprise, my eyes widening. He looked different to the last time I’d seen him. His hair was shorter and dotted with snowflakes, but he still had the same strong cheekbones, aquiline nose and mellow brown eyes that could melt ice. He was staring at me in wonder, and wore a simple black sweater and jeans.
“Seth?” I called disbelievingly, pushing my hair behind my ears. “Oh, my God. Seth Forsythe? Is that really you?”
He walked nearer to me, and I stared into those familiar almond-colored eyes. In my lifetime, excluding Chance, there was only one person I’d been on the verge of embarking on a relationship with:
Seth Forsythe.
I’d met him freshmen year back in my hometown, and since then, we’d become close friends and confidants. One night at a masquerade ball my senior year, we’d been so close to kissing that it had been the closest proximity I’d ever come with a boy. He was the first person I’d ever crushed on, but nothing had developed between us. When we graduated and eventually lost contact, we left a lot of things unspoken between us. I regretted that.
He broke into a grin and loped over in that same adorable way he always did. He’d always been genuinely happy and preppy no matter what, in the same lilting, joking manner. It was so familiar that I suddenly had a wave of homesickness.
I jumped up into his arms, and he caught me effortlessly, lifting me higher up. I hugged him tightly and breathed in his scent. He smelled the same as he always had: a mix between washing detergent and some spicy cologne that I’d never been able to identify. The situation was so familiar it was stifling.
I dropped back onto the ground and stepped back, creating some space between us. “Seth, what are you doing here?” I exclaimed in disbelief.
He smiled. “I transferred here, actually. My mom… she’s, uh, she’s not doing too good. She wanted to live out the rest of her days here in sunny Florida. So I moved with her to keep her and my dad company. I knew Hamilton sounded familiar. I still remember when you got the acceptance letter, actually. We threw you a congratulatory party.”
I grinned and nodded, recalling the barbecue and pool party, where myself and all of my friends had celebrated the fact that we’d been accepted into our dream colleges. “Yeah. I remember. I’m sorry about your mom, though.”
His doe-eyes turned solemn, and he nodded. “Yeah. It’s, uh, an inoperable brain tumor, actually. She has maybe four months left in her. She wanted to live them in her dream town. She grew up here, and she figured she should die where she was born.”
“It’s sweet that you moved with her,” I said. “Really. I’m sure she appreciates it a lot.”
“It’s even better with you here,” he said, but he didn’t say it in a totally cheesy way. He said it like he meant it. Like I was the one good thing in a bad situation. I’d missed his ability to do that. To make you feel like you were the only girl in the world. It’s how he’d gotten so many girls in high school, actually. Make them feel like Little Miss Dream Girl, and you had yourself a worshiper.
I rolled my eyes. “I see you’re still the same Prince Charming as always.”
He shrugged quasi-modestly. “What can I say? Some charm is irreversible.”
“It’s still good to see you, though, Seth. I mean, once high school was over, I never thought I’d see any of my friends again. It’s good to have you back.”
His eyes crinkled at the sides as he gave me a melt-worthy grin. “It’s good to see you, too, Candi. Surprisingly, I missed you and your witty retorts for the last two years.”
Another fun fact: Seth was the one who originally coined the nickname Candi. It had been sophomore year, and I was getting sick and tired of people always calling me Candice. Especially my best friends. I mean, a full name was something you called people you hardly knew. You gave nicknames to people you were close to. So I asked people to call me by a nickname—any nickname. As a desperate sixteen-year-old, I would’ve taken Huggy, or something. But Seth had invented Candi, and it was something I’d insisted people called me ever since.
“Do you wanna grab some dinner?” I asked, looking around at the snowy campus. It was still a shock to see snow littering the ground, considering it was central Florida, where it was more likely to find an extinct animal than to deviate from the usual sunny climate. “There’s this great restaurant we could go to…”
He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. “I can’t. I wish I could, but I’ve gotta go sort out my schedule and work out my dorm before classes start. I’ve got some admin stuff to do. But what about tomorrow? Are you free?”
I kicked the toe of my boot into the ground. “Actually, it’s my twenty-first birthday tomorrow. I’m going out for drinks with a couple of friends.” I saw the way he deflated, and felt a flash of guilt. “Did you wanna maybe… join us?”
He looked up, a spark of happiness igniting in his eyes. “Are you sure that’s okay? I get it if it’s not.”
“It’s fine,” I told him. “It’s just my roommate, Ava, her brother and a… friend. You’re more than welcome to come if you like.”
“That sounds great,” he said, grinning. “Where and when?”
“Joe’s Bar at eight o’clock?” I asked. “We’ll be there then. Complimentary peanuts, too.”
He smiled. “Count me in. I gotta go, but I’ll see you there, all right?”
We quickly exchanged phone numbers and then went our separate ways. I headed towards Giuseppe’s, my mind on Seth. It was awful to hear about his mom, and I felt like maybe he needed the night out to get his mind off of it. He’d always been close to his mom, so this must be hitting him hard. Maybe a couple drinks was what he needed. I also made a resolution to bake a cake and see Mrs. Michaels again.
It was good to have Seth back in my life, though. I was surprised to find that I actually did really miss him.
Strange.
~ * ~
“Happy birthday!”
I swiveled around to see Ava in the bathroom doorway, her face lit up as she smiled. It was now seven at night, and I had just been getting ready to leave to go to the bar. It was the first time I’d seen Ava all day, actually. I hadn’t even had a chance to ask her if it was okay Seth joined us at Joe’s.
When I’d arrived home last night after a cheeseburger at Giuseppe’s, Rose had already gone and Ava was in bed, fast asleep. I’d had to wake up before her this morning to get to work on time, and when I’d come home from my double shift at just past four, she’d been out with a scarce note saying she was out to retrieve a few groceries and she’d be back soon.
But now that she was back, I felt a smile cracking onto my face. I’d had a pretty crappy birthday thus far, with a few customers being extraordinarily rude to me at work today, but it was better with Ava just in the room. She had the ability to make any room brighter.
“Thanks,” I said, grinning at her. I turned back to the basin and continued applying my makeup. I’d decided for the occasion to dress up as much as I could—it had been a while since I’d really dressed up—and now I was going all out. I’d dressed up in a burgundy velvet dress that fell to mid-thigh, coupled with high-heeled black ankle boots and a black velvet choker with a small diamante in the middle. I’d meticulously curled my blonde hair so that it hung in bouncy ringlets. For makeup, I’d gone for a natural look, using a shiny bronzer, a slick of lip gloss and a small slick of mascara to lengthen my lashes.
Ava let out a low, long whistle. “Someone’s dressed up for the occasion.”
I laughed and fluffed out my hair one more time, before packing away my kit. “You’re only twenty-one once. Oh! Before I forget, I kind of invited someone along to the bar with us. Hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s your birthday, Candi. The more, the merrier! Who?”
“I went to high school with him and he just rolled into town,” I told her, adjusting my dress so that it hung just a little bit lower. “His name’s Seth.”
Her green eyes widened. “As in Seth Forsythe? The Seth Forsythe?”
I frowned; I’d never mentioned Seth to Ava. “Um, yeah, actually. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, my God, don’t you remember?” she asked. “We got drunk on that bottle of Absolut and talked about our high school crushes over a bad Spanish soap opera. You said Seth was the closest guy you’d ever come to dating. He was this sweet, kind, totally dreamy guy at high school.”
In fact, I didn’t remember the night. But then again, once I got a bottle of Absolut in my hands, it was doubtful I’d ever remember anything. Maybe I had mentioned Seth to Ava. It just seemed strange.
“Oh...” I said, shrugging. “Yeah, I guess that’s him. Anyway, it’s okay if he comes, right?”
She nodded. “Totally. Now, come on, we’ve gotta go.”
I flicked off the lights, and Ava and I left together. She’d already gotten changed, and wore a pretty black lace dress and silver ballet flats, her long hair tied back into a fancy chignon and decorated with little flowers—very girlie for her. It suited her, and she’d also brushed a little bit of smoky eye shadow, and red lipstick. It suited her pale pallor.
We walked to Joe’s, giggling along the way about Seth’s return into my life. She was convinced something would spark between Seth and I, but I doubted it. If I was ever going to properly date Seth, I would’ve done it in high school. I’d already turned down Chance, and that signaled the end of my dive into the romance pool. I didn’t plan to make a return with Seth.
“Oh, come on,” Ava scoffed as we turned the corner into the bar’s street, which was literally called Memory Lane. Not even kidding. “I mean, you’ve mentioned before how charming and cute he is. When I first met you, you were still pining over him.”
“I’ve known him for six years, Ave,” I told her, stepping carefully over a crack in the pavement. As we walked past a bunch of sketchy-looking bikers, a few of them let out whoops and one even let out a long, low wolf-whistle. Without glancing their way, Ava raised her hand and threw them the bird.
“So, what?” she asked, seeming unfazed by the interruption. “He was obviously hooked on you in high school.”
“What about all this trying to convince me to be with Chance, huh?” I replied, nudging her shoulder with mine. “I thought just last week we were all gung-ho for Chance. What happened to that?”
She shrugged. “It’s not any of my business who you date. I’m just the one who enjoys pushing you in the right direction, that’s all. I mean, you’ve got sweet, charming Chance, or your old flame, Seth.”
“He’s not a flame, Ava,” I told her, spying the bar just two blocks ahead. “He was a…smolder. A spark, I guess. But nothing even happened between us.”
“You wanted it to, though,” she argued as we reached the bar.
I laughed and opened the door, letting in a wave of beer-smelling warm air. “Whatever, Ave.”
When I walked inside, I found the place dark. I looked around. What the hell? Was the bar still closed from the winter break? That would totally suck! All I wanted was to kick back and have a few shots with my friends. Why was it closed? And why was the door even open in the first place?
“What the hell?” I said, looking around and squinting past the darkness. The only light came from the jukebox, which gave nothing away.
Suddenly, there was a commotion, and I immediately spun around to see the perpetrator.
“Surprise!”
~ * ~
Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I wrote this chapter in full and realized that it was 10,000 words, so I had to cut it off halfway through… Sorry for that.
Anyway, next chapter we have her surprise birthday party, with three certain boys all thrown into the mix ;D
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