Chapter Four
Maddy
“Happy birthday dear Mad-dy, happy birthday to youuuu!” my family sang, all eyes on me.
But I was watching my best friend. Leo knew I hated being the center of attention. So obviously, being my best friend, he made it as embarrassing as possible; by starting a round of “for she’s a jolly good fellow.”
I glared at him but his easy smile just widened, that special dimple making a birthday appearance, just for me.
“Make a wish!” my oldest sister, Kat, called as she placed the chocolate cake in front of me on the oak dining table. It looked delicious and I knew Kat and her best friend, Gertie, had baked it themselves and Gertie had made ice cream to go with it that I was stoked for.
Closing my eyes, I leaned forward, feeling the warmth of the candles tickle my skin. I took a deep breath and held it.
I wish that I have my first real kiss tonight.
I felt stupid making that my wish. But I was so late with everything else in my life and I just didn’t want to be left behind anymore. I’d even seen Leo going off in secret with girls and I hated it. It felt like they were going to come between us and be more important to him than me.
He kept going for blonds with big boobs, perfect hair and thick makeup, who wore short dresses that showed off their long legs.
They were the complete opposite of me and I tried not to let that make me think I was unattractive.
But no boys at school really tried to talk to me, except Kyle.
I’d decided to forgive him for being mean when we were eight because he’d gotten super-hot.
Especially now that he was on the football team.
“Blow out your candles, honey!” Mom called and I peeked one eye open and looked at her, smiling down at me. She was holding my three-year-old sister, Tilly, on her hip with one hand and clinging onto Daddy with the other.
I squeezed my eye shut, repeated my wish and then blew out my candles in one go.
“You did it in one, that means your wish is definitely going to come true!” Leo teased.
My cheeks flushed with hope that maybe by the end of the night, I would finally be kissed. I heard girls talking about it in the bathroom at school. It didn’t even sound that nice from what they said, but I just wanted to get it over with so I could say I had been kissed too.
Kat moved the cake out of the way and, with Gertie, scurried off to cut it into slices. Daddy placed a big box that was wrapped with purple glittery paper in front of me and my anticipation mounted.
“Can I open it?” ten-year-old August cried.
“No, dummy it’s not your birfday,” Daisy interrupted.
“Don’t call your sister a dummy,” Daddy admonished.
“How about we all do it together?” I offered, trying to play peacemaker in our large family.
Sometimes it was overwhelming having so many sisters but deep down I loved it and couldn’t wait to have a large family of my own one day.
Lots of siblings all annoying each other while being the closest comfort and support.
The girls both cheered and as one, we gripped the purple paper and pulled it apart, squealing with excitement.
When the paper fell away, there was a brown box left behind.
I tugged open the lid, pulling back the folded tissue paper that was printed with horseshoes.
I already figured out what it was but seeing them in the flesh was different.
Kat and Gertie had gotten the same for their sixteenth birthdays and now, it was my turn.
Nestled into the tissue paper was a pair of peach cowgirl boots with a tan block heel and white swirling patterns stitched up the sides. I gasped. Peach was my favorite color and the boots were so cool. Now I matched Kat and Gertie.
“I love them, I love them!” I cried, tugging them out of the box and kicking off my dirty sneakers. I pulled the boots on and stood up, clomping around the hardwood kitchen floor, marveling at the way they looked.
I grinned up at my parents. “They’re perfect, thank you!” I flung myself at them both, careful of Tilly, and they squeezed me tight.
“You sure you like the color?” Daddy asked, his face pinched in concern.
“Yes, it’s my favorite!”
His features smoothed at my reassurance and then he winked over my head. I turned and saw he’d winked at Leo. I raised an eyebrow at Leo. He wasn’t the only one who could raise just one anymore.
“You had a hand in this?”
His hands were shoved into the pockets of his black jeans, and he hiked his wide shoulders up. “Of course,” he replied, his voice deeper than ever.
I turned and flung myself at him and he grunted, then wrapped an arm around me, squeezing me tight. I inhaled deeply, waiting for his familiar smell to hit me but tonight it didn’t, it was a heavy smell, woodsy, like cologne.
“Thanks, Cowboy,” I whispered.
“You’re welcome. I mean, I didn’t buy them, I just told them your favorite color.”
I knew he hadn’t bought them but it was the fact that he had made sure it was the right color that touched me. I pulled away and scuffed his dirty blond hair.
“Come on Mads,” Leo huffed, ducking from my reach. “I’d just got it right.”
I giggled, looking at my handywork before smoothing his hair back down. He was dressed really nice tonight, in a navy-blue plaid shirt and black jeans with black boots. He’d done his hair and had a shave, judging by the dot of toilet paper stuck to his chin.
After this, we were going to a party that one of the kids from school was throwing. It was our first big party, and I didn’t know what to expect but Kat had come shopping with me to get a new dress.
Who was Leo dressed up for? Was he planning on spending time with someone else tonight?
My stomach clenched at that thought. I didn’t want him to tie himself to me all night but seeing him spending time with other girls was just a reminder that we could be drifting apart, and I would rather die than lose him.
Leo knocked his knee against mine, getting my attention. “You’d better hurry up and get ready, we’ve gotta go soon.”
I thanked everyone again for my cake and presents then went upstairs, Leo trailing behind me.
“Door open!” Daddy called after us and I winced, hating that this was a new rule.
“Okay!” I yelled back.
“So cringe,” Leo muttered behind me and I snorted. We entered my room, leaving the door open a few inches and Leo took up his usual place on my bed. He flicked through his phone while I started pulling out shoes and my dress.
“Huh.”
“What?” I called.
“Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have split up. That’s a shame, they were such a good couple.”
I rolled my eyes. “You just love love.” He didn’t respond to that, lost in his phone reading about the reason behind the split. Speaking of love…
“So, who are you all dressed up for?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“No one,” he grunted. He grunted a lot these days.
“No one, huh? Not Melissa then?”
His head flew up. “No.”
I smothered a smirk. “Okay then, just checking.” I wasn’t a fan of Melissa after the whole no boobs thing last year. But I figured if she had attracted Leo’s interest then she must have some redeeming qualities, so I’d give her the benefit of the doubt for him.
His attention dropped back to his phone so I disappeared into my closet to put my dress on.
It was a red skater dress with a low-cut back that had a big bow just above the butt and skimmed the sides.
It cinched in my waist so I didn’t look quite so shapeless.
I had narrow hips and a toned stomach and my boobs had finally come in, but not by much.
Small A cups but I didn’t mind; I looked in proportion.
The dress stopped mid-thigh so my tanned legs were bare.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about revealing so much flesh, but I figured it would at least capture Kyle’s attention. I was determined to get that kiss.
I was strapping myself into my gold sandals when I heard a strangled sound and jolted, turning towards Leo.
He was staring at me, his mouth wide, his eyes trekking over me.
They lingered on my legs that had gotten longer now that I’d had a late growth spurt of my own and then settled on my breasts.
My cheeks heated at his perusal but part of me loved that I’d finally captured my best friend’s attention, just like all the beautiful girls at school.
“What? Do I look okay?” I asked, running a hand down the dress.
He didn’t say anything, but I saw his throat work in a swallow and then he nodded.
“You going to say anything?”
He nodded again before he blinked once, twice. “You look great,” he croaked, the tips of his ears turning red.
“Thanks, so do you.”
I turned away, grabbing my earrings and gold M necklace, not realizing he had come up behind me.
“I thought you could leave that necklace behind tonight,” he said, taking it from my hand and putting it back on my dresser.
My brow furrowed in confusion. “How come?”
“Because I have a present for you.” He pulled something out of his back pocket and then held his hand out. In the middle of his palm was a small, black box.
“Happy birthday, Maddy.”
I put a hand to my chest as I stared at it. I could already tell that whatever was inside was expensive, the velvet material of the box and the gold logo emblazoned on top just had that feel to it.
“For me?” I asked.
He snorted. “Obviously.”
I tutted. “Don’t sass me on my birthday.”
His lip twitched as he opened up the box. I gasped as I saw a delicate gold chain with a golden flame pendant sitting on a bed of black satin. There was a small red diamante in the tip of the flame.
“For my future firefighter,” he said, taking it from the box and spinning me around, draping the gold necklace against my chest, his knuckles grazed my neck as he fixed the clasp.
Goosebumps spread across my skin, raising the hair there at his touch.
I didn’t realize how sensitive my neck was as his thumb brushed over the clasp.
“There,” he murmured. “Fits just right.”
I turned back to him, stroking a finger over the flame, tapping the red diamante.