"Tom? TOM!" a voice shouts in my ear, waking me roughly from my sleep.
"Uhh... what?" I reply, my voice somewhat slurred through drowsiness.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," my mum says, throwing her arms around me in her motherly embrace. "I got you something. Quick, open it before Jasmine and Hope come in." she says, passing me a heavy package.
"Aww, mum, you didn't have to!" I smile, when I see that my mum has made me a canvas with my Blade Quest avatar, Sir Thomas, striking a heroic pose. My mum's a great artist.
Just then, we hear giggles from Jasmine and Hope, who are waiting outside the door. I hear them count "3, 2, 1..."
"Happy birthday, Tom!" they chorus, bursting in, Jasmine shoving a big pink card under my nose.
"We made it ourselves!" Hope exclaims, while Jasmine just stands there giggling. I open the card, and am bombarded with pink glitter. I laugh, throwing what glitter I can gather at the 5 year-olds.
I hear another knock at the door, and see Anna, holding a card and a present. She smiles when she sees the twins, but doesn't say a word, my quiet, 11 year-old sister, who has only just started at St Hearts.
"Hope you like it," she whispers. I unwrap the package to find a top with "In my head, life's a computer game" printed on the front.
"Thanks, Anna," I say, giving her a hug.
When I get to school, Dan, Aneisha and Keri are waiting for me, cards and present in their hands.
"Happy b-day, Tom," Dan says, handing me a card and a gift. "The present is from me and Keri." I open it, to find a 32GB memory stick in there.
"Happy birthday," smiles Aneisha, handing me a card.
"May all your birthday wishes come true," I read aloud.
And then she kisses me.
