It was this year. This month. This week. This day finally came after almost a year of waiting and planning. It is a great day to remember the day you were born. That’s why I treasure the day. And everyone who knows my well knows that birthdays are the most important thing in life. Birthdays mean more to me than graduations, weddings, or Christmas. That’s how I define birthday.
This year was very different than my previous years. Let me tell you what happened. It was my birthday in one week. Everyone knows this. My best friend and I walked straight to our lockers as we entered school. I was asked outrightly by her, “What do You Want for Your Birthday?”
I was a little stumped. It was the first time I thought my best friend would pose me such a question.
Every day I thought of the perfect gift. Then something happened. I knew exactly what I wanted and it was perfect. My best friend came to me and said, “I know exactly what I want.”
She looked me in the eyes and asked: “What’s it?”
I responded, “I want James!”
She looked at my face straight away, her eyes wide and curious if it was a mistake.
I said, “Yes!”
She thought of ways to convince him to come as her date to my birthday party. James, as you may have guessed, is the ultimate girl fantasy.
It was my second day of high school. I went straight to the locker and started looking for my best friends. I searched everywhere until I finally found her. James and I were laughing so hard. Although I will admit that I was sad, I also felt glad that my best friend was speaking to the most popular boy in school. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t think up anything. Mariana looked at my face with concern and fear. This is a sign that she is trying to hide something from me. She ran away from James and went to the toilet. I knew that I had to enter there to see what was happening.
I started searching for her immediately as I entered the house, and she was hiding behind the doors. I ran to her and shouted at them, “Why aren’t you telling me?” Is it something you want? She asked me if she wanted to but I said no. Then, I moved on to my next class. Without even looking at her. I couldn’t think straight and decided that my best friends would never do such a thing to me. I tried to ignore my best friend all day after that incident. I was afraid that my best friend would leave me. And she would start dating the guy I like. It was a terrible thought.
It was the third school day, with two days before my birthday. This time, I was certain that my bestfriend wasn’t my greatest friend anymore. All I could think about was her. I saw my friend and thought of her in the hall. My birthday week was usually when I arrange everything, but this time I was thinking only of Mariana. My family would pass me as I was in the worst possible situation and ask me if anything was wrong at school. I returned to my house in this terrible state. They called Mariana, but Mariana was so busy with something else that she didn’t answer their phones.
It was my fourth day at school. There was one more day before my special birthday. I felt better. I told myself that nothing could make me feel bad. Not even my best friend. I arrived at school smiling brightly, eager to have the best school day. But then I met James, my best buddy. Although I was a bit upset, I found myself cheering myself up. As I looked up at my best friend, her eyes widened and she seemed sorry. I said that I was not interested in talking to Michelle and I then turned to her. When I passed by the bathroom, she was whispering to me and saying my name simultaneously. I was curious to see what they were saying. But I couldn’t find the answer so I thought she was talking negative things about me. My best friend was walking by me as I returned home. She stopped at a small store and began to talk to me. I was puzzled by her actions so I entered the shop too. She bought a variety of candy and chips. My mom was the first to see me and started ranting about Mariana. She would ruin my birthday party. My mom encouraged me to ignore her, to learn from her instead of focusing on the negative aspects. She said I knew she was going to take James away and ruin my birthday party. I ran upstairs to do my homework. As I did, I thought that maybe my mom wanted to surprise me with a birthday party. But then, my mom is not like that person who would hide things.
It was the moment I waited for. As I got up to go to school, I had the most wonderful day of my entire life. I was ready to receive my gifts and wished everyone a happy birthday. I tried to find everyone in my locker and asked them to give me presents. But no one was there. Although I was feeling really down, I decided it was because it was my first period. As I continued to go to other classes, my depression got worse. It was my fourth period, with two more periods left before school was over, when a girl approached me and smiled brightly. She said, “This is it. This is going to be your first happy birthday.” Mariana came up behind me and began whispering to her. After that, Mariana laughed and said ok to Mariana. I felt like Mariana was trying to make my day miserable, and I decided to calm down.
I was so upset by what had happened that day that I decided to return home and enjoy my birthday. My mom welcomed me into her home and told me to dress up. I got dressed up immediately and went straight to the kitchen. I was unable to see anything as I tried to push the restaurant’s door. It was dark, and all the lights had been turned off. So I asked my parents and they all laughed and exclaimed, “Happy Birthday Michelle!” My friend ran to me and asked, “What’s the problem?” I even invited James to join me!” I stared at her and began to weep even more. She said that James was my best friend, and that I would always remember her.