Chapter Eleven
Then
In October of junior year, the Lonely Onlys stepped into a new era of freedom when Ethan got his driver’s license and keys
to his dad’s old 4Runner. Looking for any excuse for a road trip, they’d devised a plan to surprise Wyatt for his upcoming
birthday. Through a little reconnaissance, Allie determined he didn’t already have plans with any of his high school football
team friends, and Piper baked a chocolate cake with buttercream icing using one of her mom’s well-worn recipes from scratch.
An eclectic playlist (Broadway hits for Allie, country for Ethan, and indie for Piper) and lots of snacks fueled the two-hour
trip to Mason, North Carolina, where Wyatt and his mother lived. Their excitement faded as the houses grew smaller and more
unkempt. Allie double-checked the address she’d plugged into Google Maps as Ethan pulled in front of a dilapidated house with
broken shutters and a chain-link fence. The porch sagged like a sad smile. Weeds grew wild through the gravel driveway, and
constant guttural barking emanated from the skinny dog tied to a post with a frayed rope next door. Piper could feel the eyes
of neighbors watching them get out of their too-shiny SUV sporting fresh haircuts.
Ethan turned the car off and looked over at Allie with a frown. “Is this it?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t visited since they moved to this neighborhood a few years ago. Wyatt always comes to us.”
When Wyatt opened the door and found them huddled on the porch, he took a quick step back, lips pressed together tight. They’d
surprised him, all right. Wyatt held open the door and let them pass, leading them through a tiny living room to the messy
kitchen, where he’d been boiling water to cook a box of off-brand mac and cheese.
“What are you guys doing here?” He dumped the macaroni into the pot and stirred, his shoulders tensed.
Surreptitiously clearing a few empty Natty Light bottles out of the way, Piper set the cake down on the worn kitchen table
and presented it to him with a flourish. “Happy birthday!”
Wyatt’s gaze darted from the cake to Piper, then around the room at his friends, still struggling to put all the pieces together.
“It is your birthday, isn’t it?” Allie asked, still taking in the dimly lit kitchen.
Wyatt raked a hand through his dark curls. “Yeah. I just can’t believe y’all are here.”
“We wanted to surprise you. We even got you a gift!” Ethan pulled out a graphic novel edition of the latest Magic Realm book
and handed it over. “I probably should have wrapped it, but happy birthday, Wy.”
Allie cleared her throat. “That’s from all of us.”
“So is this.” Piper handed him an eight-by-eight framed picture of a sketch she’d drawn of him as a hero from the series,
holding a sword with a falcon perched on his shoulder.
Wyatt looked at the book, and the framed sketch in his hands, shaking his head. “Wow, Piper, this is unreal. All of this is
so great. Thank you, guys. Truly. I appreciate you coming all this way, but my mom will be home soon, and I don’t want to
stress her out.”
Allie brushed him off. “Don’t be silly, Wyatt. We need to at least stay long enough for cake. And I haven’t seen Aunt May in ages.”
Everyone knew better than to argue with Allie, so Wyatt jerked his head in the approximation of a nod and set his gifts down
on the kitchen counter.
Piper pointed to a picture secured to the fridge by a magnet. “Is that your dad?” Faded by years of light and covered in a
fine layer of dust, the photograph featured a handsome young man with brown curly hair, slate blue eyes, and a dimpled smile
that matched Wyatt’s. She’d asked mostly to distract Wyatt from his obvious anxiety but curiosity gnawed at her.
Wyatt looked at the picture and nodded again. “Yeah, that’s been on our fridge for as long as I can remember. I think it’s
the last picture my mom took of him before the accident. Right after I was born.” His mouth twisted to one side, and he wiped
the dust off his dad’s face with his thumb.
Piper knew Wyatt’s dad had died in a motorcycle accident, but he rarely talked about it. She wanted to ask if he still missed
his dad or remembered the sound of his laugh, but Ethan and Allie glared at her. The room had fallen silent.
“Piper,” Ethan hissed. “It’s Wyatt’s birthday. We’re supposed to talk about happy things, not his dead dad.”
Allie punched him in the arm. “Ethan, that’s not helping!”
Wyatt interjected before a fight could break out. “No, it’s okay. Really, I...” He trailed off as the front door swung
open.
“Wyatt, are you here? Whose car is in the driveway?” Wyatt’s mom rounded the corner. When she saw the crowd gathered in her
home, she stopped short. She wore a low-cut T-shirt with the name of the restaurant she worked at, Checkers, printed across
the front. Her jeans were too tight, even though she was as thin as a toothpick.
She looked like a faded version of Allie’s mom. Smudged lipstick overshadowed her pale face, and her auburn hair was tangled in a messy bun. Piper could see the resemblance, but whereas Molly burst with life, life had sucked May dry.
Wyatt crossed his arms. “You’re late, Mom. You told me you would be home by five thirty.”
She waved him off. “A few of the girls stayed after their shift for a drink. I only had one and came right home. I swear.”
Her slurred words and glassy eyes said otherwise.
Wyatt’s jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared.
“Hi, Aunt May.” Allie stepped forward with open arms, diffusing some of the tension.
“Oh, my word, it’s my favorite niece. I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you!”
May hugged Allie, then stood back, taking her in. “You’re so pretty. Every time I see you, you look more like your mom.”
May’s smile faltered. She ran a hand over her face. “I must look a mess. Wyatt, why didn’t you tell me your friends were visitin’?
I woulda put on something nicer.”
Piper waved from her corner of the kitchen. “Hi, I’m Piper, and this is Ethan. We’re sorry to barge in like this, but Wyatt
didn’t know. We wanted to surprise him.”
May tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Surprise him? What’s the occasion?”
Allie laughed out loud but quieted when she realized May wasn’t joking. Piper understood with a sick wrench in her gut that
Wyatt’s mother had forgotten his birthday.
“We wanted to bring the birthday party to him,” Ethan said, unaware of the sudden awkwardness filling the room.
A hand flew up to cover May’s mouth, and a quick “oh” burst from her lips as her eyes grew wet with shiny tears. Piper stared at the ground, unable to bear Wyatt’s reaction. How was it possible for a mom to forget her son’s birthday? Her parents insisted on making her birthday a weeklong affair with multiple cakes and more presents than she knew what to do with. She couldn’t imagine them forgetting entirely.
When she spoke, May’s voice shook. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you remind me about your birthday? I’ve been saving up to get you
something real nice, but you know how crazy work’s been lately. I can’t believe it’s already October.” She looked over at
the calendar on the fridge, stuck on August.
Wyatt had poured all his attention into mixing the marigold powdered cheese with the wet noodles. The loud slurp slurp slurp
cut through the awkwardness.
“It’s okay, Mom,” he said. “You know I don’t really care about birthdays. Why don’t you have a seat? I made some macaroni,
and my friends brought cake.”
His mom twisted her hands together. “No, no, we need to celebrate.” She turned toward the group of teens. “Do y’all want something
to drink? Maybe some brandy? I think I have something left over from a party a few weeks ago.” She rummaged under the sink
before extracting a bottle half filled with dark liquid and decorated with tropical flowers. Opening it, she gave it a sniff.
“Coconut rum, my favorite. Smells like the beach. Who wants some?”
An adult had never offered Piper an alcoholic drink before, but May did it so casually that it couldn’t have been the first
time. She wanted to hide behind Allie and hug Wyatt at the same time. No wonder Allie’s mom invited Wyatt to Cedar Falls instead
of sending Allie down here. Piper had never been so grateful for her parents’ strict rules and standards.
“Mom, stop. You can’t serve them alcohol.”
May rolled her eyes. “My son, the rule follower. Fine, I’ll toast for all of us.” She tipped the bottle into a coffee mug
and swung the mug out in front of her. “Cheers to my baby boy. Happy birthday, Wyatt!”
“Cheers!” Allie replied enthusiastically, waving an imaginary glass in the air. Piper and Ethan followed suit, unsure how to handle the souring situation.
“You guys should probably go.” Wyatt’s voice was low and rimmed with anger as his mother downed her rum and refilled her mug.
The sticky-sweet smell of coconut filled the small room.
May shrieked, “No, they can’t go yet! We need to cut the cake.”
By his sides, Wyatt’s hands clenched into fists. “Fine.”
This was not how Piper had imagined their fun birthday surprise going—with Wyatt’s mother drinking and Wyatt teetering somewhere
between putting his fist through a wall and retreating into scary silence. She wanted to pull him toward the door and take
him away from this place. Bring him back home to Cedar Falls, where Molly would make him a cake for breakfast, and they’d
all embarrass him with a song at Charlie’s Diner.
The group hunched around the table, and Ethan lit a handful of polka-dot birthday candles.
May wrung her hands, hovering above them. “I can’t believe my baby’s turning sixteen.”
“I’m seventeen, Mom.” Wyatt’s voice didn’t betray any outward disappointment in his mother, but under the table, his hand
shook so severely Piper reached for it, lacing her fingers through his.
“Make a wish,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand and closed his eyes before extinguishing every last candle.