Thirteen Plus One Read Free Page B

habit, which frankly was getting out of hand.
    At any rate, being without a cell phone meant that I couldn’t text Lars and ask him what was up; I could only gaze longingly across the quad and wish he’d miraculously appear. I suppose I could have called him last night and said, “Hey, since tomorrow’s my birthday—and let’s be honest, I know you want to see me—let’s meet at blankety-blank after third period, ’kay?”
    But I would have felt weird doing that. I would have felt like I was being needy, and I refused to be needy, because our relationship had only recently normalized after a brief breakup that had to do with that very thing. A quick and sad recap: Lars had been flirting with other girls. Bad Lars. He’d been especially flirty with one girl in particular, a cough-cough high school girl named cough-cough Brianna. Bad bad superbad Brianna.
    I should have been strong enough to confront Lars and say, “You’re being a jerk.” But I wasn’t. Instead, I cried and cried, until Sandra finally said, “Woman up, little sis! Wake up and smell your ultra-fabulous girl power!”
    So —big breath—I worked up every ounce of courage I had and told Lars he had to treat me right if he wanted us to get back together. And happy happy joy joy! He listened!!!!
    And things got better. Really better. Matter of fact, things were pretty darn fab between us these days, and I didn’t want to jinx it by turning back into Needy Girl.
    Anyway, what was I worried about? Lars knew I was celebrating my b-day with Dinah and Cinnamon tonight. Therefore, he also knew that any quality time he wanted to have with me was going to have to happen here, at school.
    For the record, I would have celebrated with him tonight if he’d asked. We could have gone to Sugar Sweet Sunshine for cupcakes, which was my secret birthday fantasy. Or possibly not-so-secret, since I might have mentioned it to Lars one or two times. Possibly three.
    But I figured he didn’t want to get in the way of my girl time, which was gentlemanly and sweet ... except for the one small fact that I would have rather spent it with him.
    Ag , I told myself, not wanting to go down the road of wishing for things that weren’t going to happen. Stop that right now. Say “no” to needy!
    I wondered what sort of birthday treat he’d planned. A present slipped into my locker? Flowers delivered to the school office? A candle stuck into a cafeteria brownie, which he’d bring me during my lunch period?
    Or ... I know! A cake, to make up for the one that Dinah and Cinnamon forgot to bake ! ! !
    Of course, I thought. I was finally putting the pieces together, and I felt foolish for being so slow. As if Dinah and Cinnamon would really forget to bring me, their BFF, a cake on her fourteenth b-day. They might “forget,” but they would never forget.
    Last year, when Sandra turned seventeen, her boyfriend, Bo, threw her a moonlight-picnic surprise party. She never saw it coming. And then— ta-da! Turned out he’d orchestrated the perfect romantic evening for her, complete with a lopsided three-layer cake he baked and frosted himself.
    I wasn’t Sandra, and Lars wasn’t Bo. I knew that. And I knew I shouldn’t use Sandra’s life as a model for my own.
    But still ... hmmm. Hmmity-hmmity-hum. Take several loudly issued hints about my cupcake fantasy, add in Dinah and Cinnamon’s “forgetfulness,” and ... squeee! How sweet and adorable would it be to have my high school boyfriend bring me a cupcake in front of the whole eighth grade?!
    I could see it now: I would gasp in delight, then hop up and give Lars a hug. I’d look deep into those gorgeous hazel eyes of his, and he’d tilt my chin and kiss me, right there in the cafeteria. Just a light peck.
    It would be the best birthday surprise ever.
     
    “So should we sit at our normal table?” I asked as I headed out of the food line with Cinnamon and Dinah.
    Cinnamon gave me the old fish eye, with one eyebrow cocked.