He leans down and says, “Some of the team are getting together.”
I furrow my brows at him and scoff, “That’s far.”
He smiles, looking down the hall. “I can get you back home at a decent time.”
I look up at him, confused. “Why would I want to hang out with the team?”
He shrugs. “There’s a party. It could be fun.”
“And that’s where you’re going after this?”
He nods, leaning in. “Don’t tell your friends.”
I chew my bottom lip. “Maeve could drive me back.”
He calculates that for a moment when she cuts the corner. Wren is elegant with her long neck, narrow shoulders, and a dress that complements her figure.
“There you are,” she scoffs, eyes fluttering. Then she glances at Cody. “What did you do to her?”
Cody ignores her, touching my pink pendant. “Baby? Going once, going twice.”
“They need to sing me Happy Birthday still. Are you really leaving right now?”
He nods, kissing my forehead.
When he walks off, I let out a breath. Wren turns to watch him go.
“Send me the address,” I call out.
He raises his hand and then walks down the stairs.
Wren ignores him and says, “Let’s eat some cake.”
When I’m walking down the steps, I hear Cody’s father trying to convince him to stay. I confess that it’s a bit odd he’s leaving so soon, almost as if he got what he came for and now he’s leaving.
“I have things I need to do. Adela doesn’t mind.”
Maeve and I halt at the middle of the stairs, waiting to hear the front door. When the soft click echoes, the voices resume. When I reach the last step and cut the corner of our second dining room, my mom’s face brightens.
“There she is.”
Maeve smiles. “Found the birthday, girl.”
I flush, embarrassed by the idea that they know why Cody is leaving so suddenly. But there’s no mention of it.
I sit at the head of the table while my dad brings out the cake with twenty-one candles and an extra one for good luck.
When it’s time to blow them out, my mom grabs my shoulder and whispers, “Make a wish.”
I close my eyes and make a wish for the next year of my life.
I want it to be my best year yet, myfavoriteyear, a memorable three-hundred and sixty-five days. I wish that my transfer from the University of Puget Sound to the University of Washington Seattle will be the best surprise for Cody. I wish that we only grow closer and start to plan our future together. I wish my parents would stop holding me to such impossible standards.
I peep over at Maeve, Penelope, Julian, Elena, and Ryan and smile at my favorite people. I wish for them to remain my best friends, and that nothing changes when I transfer. After all, they’re the best friends a girl could ever ask for. Maeve smiles at me like she knows. I force my eyes shut and blow out my candles.
Everyone claps, and I inhale, relaxing my shoulders, as every person I love takes a photo of me. The flash doesn’t hurt my eyes as they all take pictures.
The next thing I know, all six of us are inside of Maeve’s Lexus GX 550 heading to the location that Cody sent to me.
