Just Friends

46

⊱𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚒⊰

The day is like any other day. I get to work by seven thirty, sit at my desk, and get started on my work for the day.

There is just one thing different than every other day. Today, I actually have plans. Not the normal ones like grocery shopping or checking on everyone at the house, but going to Tess's house.

She's throwing me a birthday party.

It's been a very long time since I've had a birthday party. Since I've even acknowledged the day in general, honestly.

Not a lot of people even know when my birthday is. Charlie doesn't, Bryce probably forgot, and my mom forgets every year. Even before her diagnosis.

It's not that my mom doesn't care, she just genuinely forgets what day it is. She used to even get her months mixed up, thinking it was still  June when it was already August.

I'm not sure how Jasper ended up learning when my birthday was, but one day he must've. He was the first one I'd celebrated my birthday with in a long time back in freshman year of high school.

However, that was kind of short lived once he realized I didn't really like the day all that much.

I have a feeling that's going to start to change though. Tess already seems so excited about this. She happily texted me this morning before I could text her.

Lately I've gotten into the habit of texting her in the morning and at night. Sometimes we don't get to talk that much through the week, so it makes sense to me to at least text her twice each day.

We haven't been able to talk much today. I'm not the only one who's busy. Last time we talked—which was sometime before lunch—she told me there was a lot of people there and that she had a few coloring things on top of the line.

I try to finish as much as I can as fast as I can so I'll be able to make it to hers on time. She told me to be there by six.

She also told me not to eat. I assume she wants to order something for dinner.

I'm sort of tempted to just take a sick day and get to her place earlier than she told me to. Tess might not appreciate that very much though, so I dismiss the idea pretty quick.

It is pretty tempting still. Blowing off work in favor of spending time with Tess will always be worth it.

__________

When I turned eight, my father remembered my birthday when my mother had not. He didn't try to warn her.

He was aware that she'd been busy with a case that I'm sure she probably wouldn't remember even if she wasn't bad with remembering things.

It had been an accident that he remembered. I was young, but even I knew it. It just happened to be the day he glanced at his calendar to see what day it was.

He too had problems with remembering the days. But it was never as extreme as my mom. He knew what month and what week it was. He just couldn't keep track of the actual days in the week.

My dad had an easier time taking time off work than my mom did, so that day he decided he'd take the day and take Bryce and me out. Bryce was a little too young for that and pretty much cried the entire time.