"I know that I can fuck up your whole life with one look. But I can't stop myself."
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Mia Rose McHenry tries her best to live her life under the radar, never having been one to enjoy the spotligh...
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"Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me, Mia," Emmie says as soon as I enter the coffee shop she asked me to meet her at earlier in the day. Today just-so-happens to be December 14, which just-so-happens to be no other than my birthday. I'm eighteen now, and I tell myself that it's not a big deal. I'm legally an adult, which is something, I guess.
It's not that my parents don't love me, but we've never been big on birthdays. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we've never been that close as a family, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that my parents are always unusually busy almost all of the time. When my birthday rolls around, my parents usually just give me some money and buy me a cake from the store, which is what happened today. It was a nice little celebration, nothing extreme, but I enjoyed it all the same. It's eight at night now, so the celebration is long over.
"Of course," I say, sliding out of my jacket and flashing Emmie a small smile. The café is abnormally empty, I realize. Then again, it is eight o'clock. Most people don't want coffee right before they go to sleep.
"Oh," Emmie says suddenly, digging something out of her pocket. "This is for you. Happy Birthday, Lil M!" She rests a tiny gift-wrapped box in front of me, and the gesture makes me smile. It's the little things that always seem to really get to me, for whatever reason.
"You shouldn't have—"
"Of course I should have," Emmie cuts me off, shaking her head like she couldn't disagree with me more. "You're my friend, Mia. And it's your freaking birthday!" I beam at her words and the way she grins at me. Ever since we ran into each other in the bathroom at the school dance, Emmie and I have started to hang out again. We even ate lunch together a few times before school let out for winter break.
"Should I open this now?" I ask her, raising an eyebrow. Emmie shrugs, giving me a secret smile, one that clearly reads I know something you don't know.
"You can wait, if you want," she tells me. Emmie's blue eyes gleam mischievously as they meet mine, her strange smile widening. I recognize the look on her face all too quickly. It's her I'm-up-to-something face.
"Hey!" she exclaims, gesturing to the front door of the café. "Is that your phone on the ground, Mia?" I turn around curiously, looking at the spot she's pointing to.
"Um, no, I have my—"
When I turn back around, I'm not prepared for the sight in front of me. Suddenly, it's not just Emmie and me in the café. There's about ten more people, all looking at me with knowing expressions. I spot Charlie, Violet, Jay, Wells, Asher, and Thorne immediately. The other four people I don't know personally, just as friends of Emmie's.
"Surprise!" they cry, genuinely surprising me.
"Guys?" I cry, blinking like I can't believe what I'm seeing—because I can't. I'm thinking that when I open my eyes I'll be at home in my bed, all this having been nothing but a dream. Only when I open my eyes, they're all still standing in front of me, wide grins on their faces.
