We are 10 years ago
Birds are chirping right above her, the subtle rustling of her makeshift curtain and the sweat-soaked bed covers meant that her procrastination must stop at once.
She wonders though, how long since the birds nested on her small chipped ceiling above her window. It works better than the over-the-top digital clock that Lauren gave her on her 18th birthday. It talks a lot and have this deep android voice that tells time and nags about how great this new day will be, at least the birds have a soothing effect.
But alas! It's a new day again, she exchanged shifts with Karen because that's what good friends do when that said friend's boyfriend secretly told you he's proposing to her this weekend. No one minds that you just did 3 nights straight and that it's your birthday this coming Monday.
Normally, she would question her life choices or extend the muffled shouts to her favorite badbadzmaru stuffed toy. She didn't though because well, not relevant at all.
On another note, she's one of the few people who loves her job and doesn't mind having double shifts and whatnots.
Spending time with sick kids was the second best decision of her life so far. She loves playing with them and making them laugh and just plain talking to them makes her forget about bad life choices.
Her best decision was by far the most crucial of all but a necessary action nonetheless and Karma hated her for it. They were never the same since.
But that's a story for another time, right now, she needs to shower and get to!
Caleb's 9 years old, he's undergoing chemotherapy for a year now, the newborn in their family was another thing altogether so his dad had to make it work through his 9-5 job.
It was her responsibility to make sure the kid's all sunshine and rainbows, atleast.
"Do you think my sister will have cancer too?"
"No kiddo."
"She's lucky then coz The needles hurt like a bitch."
"Woah! Easy on the lingo! Who taught you that? I never taught you that?!"
The boy smiles sheepishly "sorry."
"Less bad words, more coloring. Okay? You missed the dragon's paws."
How could she question her life when these kids had it worst? She tries to remember that every single time.
It was quarter past ten when her shift ended. Shane was sitting on the hood of her car with a box of cream puffs in hand. His eyebrow looks gorgeous as ever as is his fashion sense.
"Not my birthday yet." She shrugs trying to not sound like a giddy kid with too much sugar intake.
"Oh hush, sweetpea! Come give me a bear hug."
And she did because for whatever unknown reasons, Shane makes his way to her birthday every year. He makes her wear her best dress,takes her out on a fancy dinner, lounge in a coffee shop where they would laugh about crazy stupid things the other did then she'll drive him back to the airport before sunrise without much fuss or anything, just the gift of a time well spent with a friend. A very good friend.
She's excited but also anxious and a wee bit doubtful as to why Shane is here two nights before her birthday.
He pats her back through the embrace "You must be wondering."
"Yeah, why are you here? I mean I'm expecting to see you but not until Monday but don't get me wrong, Its nice to see you." She pulls back
"And yada yada yada... Of course it's nice to see me, have you seen me?" He stands up and curtsies. "I'll tell you when we home."
She would ask but with Shane, she learns it's better to give in.
The shriek she heard was too familiar not to recognize because there's only one person she knows who does that annoyingly. Lauren embrace reminds her of her mom.
"It's so good to finally see you! Our parents sent their regards!"
"I'm sure they did." Because sending her to retreat camps and boarding school wasn't enough.
"They're old people, they have their wicked ways,it's best not to meddle...but you already know that." She had to give it to Lauren, she really did love her mom and they really get along pretty well.
"It's fine. Tell them I'm fine." Muttering the last part to herself "if they care."
"Of course they do!" Lauren's voice is okay within the first five minutes, after that, it's just shrieks and screeches.
"Are you pregnant again?" She turned to Shane for confirmation because the last time Lauren visited was to tell her that she's becoming an aunt for the second time. She loves her nieces though.
"If I have one more, you're gonna have to adopt it." Lauren rolls her eyes at her.
"Can we not speak of tiny humans. It irks me." Shane interjects.
"Very well, to business then."
"So?" She's really anxious to know what these two were up to. But before Lauren opens her mouth, Shane beats her to it.
"We're staying here til Monday, we can tell her then, right?" When Lauren agreed, "right! Right! Let's watch cable tv then."
If there's one thing she was sure of about her half sister, it was that she never really know how to keep a secret especially when she's excited and stirred in the right distraction. That distraction being pictures of her daughters growing up, her cooing and telling her how much she misses them.
So by the time her actual birthday came, she was furious and not excited at all. Worst birthday ever!
She's officially 26 now and according to an article she'd read "26 is the year that you wake up and realize someday you're going to die. Twenty-six is a mortality year — you're now closer to 30 than you are to 20, and it's when you first experience genuine pressure to settle down and, like, have your shit together already. This is the year of most people's dreaded "quarter-life crisis," and with good reason. You're going to die someday, and you're one year closer to it."
Lauren have a perfect man with picket fences and 2.5 kids. Shane is in a three year steady relationship with a striving model named Jonathan that is all levels of hot. ALSO! They're getting engage and Shane wants to invite everyone to his majestic wedding that will be happening sooner rather than later so he's rounding up his best friends over in an exclusively remote island in god knows where and share the good news. She's not comparing her life or anything but shitshitshishitshit! Her clock's ticking faster than ever now.
She can't complain because she have a job she loves and is passionate about, right? She's really good with kids and her co-workers are her good friends, in fact! Karen's boyfriend already invited her to their wedding and oh shit! of course it's another wedding. Her clock is really ticking and fuck it, fuck them because she's perfectly happy how she is.
She doesn't need to be in a relationship, she doesn't need someone to cuddle on the couch and watch tv with her, most of all she doesn't need another human being to care for because yeah, she's struggling as it is.
And it sucks because it started to dawn on her, being the odd wheel to group gatherings and having noone to share her Venti Starbucks coffee with, she never have someone to hold her hand and calm her down when she gets agitated.
It sucks because whenever she was close to something special, she gets anxious and run out the first sign she gets, one night stands were worst because no matter how much she wanted it to work, her conscience gets the best of her.
In her 26 years of existence, only Karma made her feel something that made her want to fight for it. There's this other girl but well, let's just not get to that anymore, okay?
"I think we broke her." She heard Lauren say
"She's just over thinking and probably doing an entire monologue in her head." Shane continues to sip on his mug, not giving it much thought
"I told you this is a bad idea." Lauren leaves her to herself with her badbadzmaru stuffed toy covering her face and sulking on the sofa.
"She'll get over it. Are you finished packing for her?"
She didn't see it but Lauren must have nod her answer while Shane speaks again "Alright, fine… i'll do the pep talk now, it is my engagement party after all, hence i have to do everything by myself including but not limited to dragging a wallowing friend's ass to an exclusive island against her will."
Lauren's tone is serious when she speaks next "You invited Karma, What did you expect? Squeals?"
Shane must have realized the gravity of the situation because suddenly he's kneeling beside her and is cautiously touching her arm. After sighing dramatically he finally decided to take it back "I'll invoke Karma's invite."
Which she doesn't expect at all to come out of Shane's mouth and for even thinking it!
She sits up in an instant. To heck with bad history and high school grudges because like the article said, she's going to die someday and she's already one year closer to it so again what the heck, right?! It's only Karma, she's probably happy and confident and doesn't harbor any grudges whatsoever for she's the cool one afterall. Amy, not so much but she can be civil. Yep, civil she will be.
"You're right, i'm over acting. I wouldn't miss your engagement party for anything in the world." she says but what she meant was "You've been the best friend I never had since I decided to be a prick and left Karma without giving her the heads up, thanks for not giving up on me."
Lauren squeals and is hugging both of them in an instant " This will be the best week ever!"
Yeah? Maybe? or Worst ever? but who cares, Shane throws the best party if anything, atleast the expensive drinks will help.
TBC