Happy Birthday? Theo
The alarm clock in his room, the former guestroom in the Geyer residence, blared to life at the ripe time of 5:45 AM. The chimera groaned as he rolled over in the bed and smacked the clock, his goal to hit the snooze button, but he knocked it off the nightstand with a satisfying crunch. He pulled himself to sit up as he glanced down at the plastic fragments of the clock and whispered to himself, "Yah. Happy Birthday me."
He grimaced as he stepped out of the bed and shivered as his feet touched the cold carpeted floor. He thought back to yesterday and his last argument with the Little Wolf. As he walked into their shared bathroom and looked into the mirror he remembered how angry Liam became when he explained that he just wanted to spend a little time at home before he had to go to work this evening. He growled as he thought about the simple request of asking the wolf to catch a ride from practice with Mason and Corey.
He spit the paste suds in the sink and thought back to their competitive yelling match and concluded that it might not be near the full moon, but he should steer clear of the wolf today. He turned on the shower and slipped out of his boxers as he stepped under the spray. He let the water wash the sleep off and try to shift his focus back to this long day. The chimera went over his mental checklist-
-English test- 60 minute at least 500 word count classic argumentative essay
-Calculus- Of course it would also be a test.
-Chemistry- Did someone say another test. This Friday is awesome. He emphasized the sarcasm to himself.
-American Government- It shouldn't be too bad. They left off with a discussion on how the government creates and balances the budget.
-Lunch Period- I need to leave school to pick up my tuxedo for prom. While I am thinking about prom, who the hell am I going to ask? I should just go stag. If it weren't for Liam, Mason, Corey, and Nolan, I wouldn't even go.
-How do I end my school day? Of course, I end it with my elective, Genetics. Which would be, another test followed by a practical lab.
The chimera sighed as he turned off the flow of water and grabbed the towel he set aside last night. When he brought it to his face, the scent hit him. Liam switched the towels last night after he took his shower.
Theo rolled his eyes and finished drying off, not wanting to make a puddle of water on the floor and stepped out of the bathroom. When he stepped back into his room, he looked to the destroyed alarm clock and shrugged as he walked over to his cell. It was 6:02, which meant he still had about twenty minutes until Liam woke up.
He quickly dropped the towel and changed into his outfit for the day. Black A shirt check, Black Hoodie check, Pink plaid checkered boxers check, Black skinny jeans check, matching pink socks check and white sneakers check. When the chimera was fully dressed, not to mention a brief spray of a new cologne he loved, he grabbed his wallet, cell, keys and backpack and walked out of his room, closing the door behind himself. He managed to make it to the kitchen before he heard the first of many of Liam's alarms go off.
When he stepped into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, he heard the gentle shuffle of slippers and caught Jenna's scent as she stepped into the kitchen. She mumbled, her voice still weakened from sleep, "Good morning, Theo. You're up early this morning. Do you want me to cook you breakfast?"
Theo grabbed his pre-blended juice and closed the door. He smiled to Jenna who returned one as he said, "I'm good. I just wanted to get an early start on the day."
She stepped past the chimera and turned on the coffee pot as she asked, "Is there something special today?"
Theo bit his lip, part of him wanted to say something about his birthday but then he thought Jenna might be upset with herself so instead he buried his feelings, "Nothing special. Just wanted to get an early rise."
Jenna smiled and gave the chimera a hug, "Be safe. Make good decisions. Love you, Theo."
Theo melded into the embrace and replied, "Love you too."
He released the hug and made it almost two steps exactly when Jenna commented, "You smell good Theo. New cologne?"
Theo looked back and smiled, "Yeah, I felt like treating myself."
She smiled and nodded, "Good choice. Have a good day."
Theo waved and replied as he walked towards the door, "You too."
The chimera barely made it out the front door when he heard the second alarm go off. He rolled his eyes as he walked towards his truck and listened. Normally he'd still hear the wolf snoring away, but this morning seemed a little different. The chimera shrugged as he thought nothing of it as he climbed into his truck and drove to school.
He took the long way, the road that wrapped around the preserve. He lowered his window and let the cool air in as the morning light gave a golden hue to the majesty of the forest around him. He took a deep breath and relaxed. As he drove closer towards the school, his truck sputtered, and he glanced to the meters. His fuel light was on and the gauge showed that it was empty. His anger rose as he thought about Liam borrowing it last night.
Theo muttered, "You've got to be kidding me. He borrowed it and didn't bother to put any gas in." The truck died almost a mile from the closest gas station. The chimera sighed as he left the truck and ran to the station. When he reached it, he was sweaty, and his cologne smelled pungent mixed with his exertion. He walked straight to the empty fuel cans and purchased one and a gallon of gas to fill it. After filling the red plastic can, he ran back to his truck. When he reached it, he heard his phone notification go off. It read:
Little Wolf: I forgot to put some gas in for last night. I'm sorry.
Theo rolled his eyes and emptied the fuel can into his truck. He quickly tossed the empty into the bed of his truck and drove to the gas station. As he filled up the tank, he looked at his phone. He groaned as he realized that he would be cutting it close, maybe even late. After fueling his truck, he sped towards the school.
He barely made it to the parking lot with only minutes to spare. He had to circle a couple of times before he found a parking spot. He quickly grabbed his bag and ran to his first class.
He barely made it in before the door closed and the timed test began. He sat at his computer and pulled out his folder for the research he had done all semester for this essay. He opened the blank document and read over the prompts as he opened the folder. He noticed that his folder felt a bit sticky and the smell of old juice caught his nose. He glanced at his folder and saw where grape juice had spilled on his notes. He quickly flipped through them, his anger rising even more as he only found a couple of pages viable for the test.
Theo barely finished the essay in time and if he were honest with himself, it wasn't his best work. He really hadn't wanted to argue the similarities between Gandhi's non-violent protests and the Union strategies during the civil war but those were the only notes he could read.
He grumbled as he walked to his locker and thought about what he would say to Liam about borrowing his notes and returning them in this condition. When he opened his locker and shuffled his materials around, he saw Mason and Corey walking in his direction, but Liam was nowhere to be found. Theo looked to Mason, "Hey, Where's Liam?"
Mason eyed the disheveled looking chimera and sounded confused when he replied, "I don't know, I thought he rode to school with you."
Theo rolled his eyes as he thought about Liam using the "I don't feel well" approach to skipping classes for the day. The chimera was half tempted to call Jenna and explain the entire supernatural world to her just to catch Liam in the lie that let him play hooky.
He responded with a bit on anger, "No. Must've decided to stay home today."
Corey weakly smiled, "That's good right? He shouldn't need a ride home from lacrosse."
Theo sighed as he thought about it, "Maybe. He might decide to show up only for lacrosse. He's done it before."
Mason nodded, "True." The two walked to their lockers and Theo finished with his and walked to class.
The day continued as painfully as it had begun. He completed his tests for Calculus and Chemistry and endured a pop test in American Government, his teacher must've been a true sadist to think up that idea. Lunchtime rolled around, and he remembered he had to pick up the tux. His stomach growled, and he grabbed his shake with all intentions of drinking it as he walked to his truck. When he popped the cap and tilted it to his mouth, the entire screw on top came off and dumped his mixture which smelled like celery, kale, spinach, apples, and pears on his hoodie. Not a drop made it into his mouth and he felt like screaming as he continued to his truck. He unceremoniously tossed his bag into the truck and peeled off the soaked hoodie. He lobbed it into the back of his truck before he climbed in. He drove to the formal shop and waited for almost twenty minutes as the clerk had difficulties finding the chimera's tux.
Theo groaned, and his stomach churned back at him. When the clerk presented the tux, he had two with him. The clerk read the note attached to the other, "It says that you're picking up one for a Mr. Dunbar too."
Theo shook his head and paid the man for both tuxes and carried them to his truck. He growled to himself from frustration as he hung them in his truck. He glanced at his cell and realized that once again, he was running late.
Theo quickly sped back to school and couldn't grab anything to eat as he made his way to Genetics. He endured another painful test and an equally tedious lab. His stomach growled the entire time during class, apparently loud enough to distract students taking the test. When he stepped out of class, he let out a sigh of relief. He had a solid hour and a half to grab something to eat and go home before he had work.
He drove to the local diner and took a seat. The ravenous chimera ordered the largest burger they had with an equally large side of curly fries and a chocolate shake. He figured this is his birthday celebration after all.
When the food made it to the table, his phone went off. It read:
Little Wolf: I'm heading to practice but Mason and Corey aren't going to be there. Can you give me a ride?
Theo shook his head and replied in desperation-
Are you sure you need to go? Didn't you skip class today?
Little Wolf: Yeah, but you know Coach will be mad at me if I miss practice.
Whatever. I'll be there.
Before he could take the first bite, Theo had them make it a to go order and paid. He rushed his food into the truck, his mouth watering at the food, as he drove back to school. He waited in the empty parking lot near the bleachers. He munched through his food at an amazing speed and sipped on his milkshake as he looked to the empty field. He mused that since it was misting outside, Coach probably had them doing inside drills.
As the usual time for practice to end arrived, Theo received a notification:
Little Wolf: I'm so sorry. Practice was cancelled. I just realized that the text I sent to tell you that never went out.
Theo growled loudly in his truck, the frustration of the day getting to him as he replied-
Whatever. Are you home?
Little Wolf: Yeah
Have my work shirt and apron ready so I can grab it and not be late.
Little Wolf: Gotcha. ;)
Theo sighed as he started up his truck and drove home. Traffic wasn't on his side and he pulled into the driveway later than he wanted. He was surprised to see Liam waiting for him with his work shirt and apron in hand. He grabbed them from the wolf and said, "You owe me."
Liam shyly looked away, "I know, I'm sorry."
Theo shook his head, "I'm talking about your tux. I had to pay for it when I picked mine up."
Liam looked to Theo, "Dude, sorry about that. I thought we were going to pick them up together."
Theo grumbled, "Never mind. I've got to go. I'll be late at this pace."
Liam plastered a goofy smiled and waved goodbye as Theo drove from home to the coffee shop he worked at.
He barely made it in on time, as he pulled his shirt on and put on his apron. His manager tutted him as she watched him fix his clothes.
She said, "Mr. Raeken, you are going to have to start planning things better. Your time management needs work. Sometimes I think you teenagers just glide through life and expect everything to just work out for you. Real life is different. You should know since you are a little old to still be in high school, but it seems some lessons are harder for others."
Theo glared at the middle-aged woman that looked like the poster child for inherited wealth and privilege and it took every fiber of his being not to rip her throat out. He smiled his fake, saccharine smile as he walked behind the counter and began his work day.
The day seemed slow, but the world had different ideas for the chimera as everything around him seemed to fight him. The cappuccino machine burned him four times over the course of his shift, someone on the shift before him swapped the caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees so he had to remake several cups before the customers got what they wanted. The grinder stopped working right as he needed to make more pots and they were working short staffed. His manager took the opportunity to lecture him about the work ethic of his generation when the store closer didn't show up for her shift. He took her lecture while being berated by a customer that wanted to go into great detail why the beans he bought labelled, "Brazilian Santos" were in fact "Jamaican Blue Mountain".
Theo fought through his anger and made it to the end of his shift. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9 pm, when his manager walked up to him. She said, "I need you to close the store tonight."
Theo blinked a few times, "What? My shift is over"
His manager replied, "Jessica didn't come in and I have plans tonight."
Theo shook his head, "Excuse me. What about work ethic and learning how to be responsible? Isn't that your job to handle things?"
She fought through a snarl as she responded, "Exactly. This will be a good learning experience for you. You should be thanking me."
As he glared at her, a teenage boy, with the top to his coffee walked towards the counter and asked, "Is this coffee too hot?"
Theo turned to glare at the boy as the teenager tripped and the contents of the cup hit the chimera's chest. The scalding hot coffee instantly soaked through the cotton shirt and Theo returned his glare to his manager.
She looked at him and the spilled coffee around the counter. She seriously replied, "I don't know why you are staring at me. You have a mess to clean up here and that customer needs a refill. Don't worry, it can come out of your tips."
Theo shook his head and yanked the apron off, "Forget your plans, I quit."
Her eyes widened, "You can't quit. You're supposed to close the store tonight. I have plans."
Theo shook his head as he peeled off his work shirt and slapped it on the counter, "Not my problem. Maybe you should work on your sense of responsibility and work ethic."
Theo turned and walked towards the door. His manager yelled, "Don't you walk away from me. If you walk away, you're fired."
Theo muttered, "I just quit."
She yelled back as he opened the door, "If you walk out you are fired."
Theo shook his head and yelled, "I quit" as he walked out of the coffee shop. He sighed as he walked to his truck. He slowly climbed in and turned over the engine. He added get a new job to his list of things to do over the next week.
He slowly drove down the streets of Beacon Hills and made a turn to the graveyard he would never forget. He reached into the back of his truck and pulled out the three bouquets of plastic flowers he would use this night. After jumping the fence, he walked over to the tombstones of his family. After he replaced the faded and worn flowers he sat down facing them.
He sighed as he softly spoke, "Well, we promised not to miss a birthday together. It might be late but I'm here." His eyes teared up as he placed his hand on his sister's grave and whispered, "I'm sorry."
After he took a few deep breaths and released a few tears, his phone notification went off:
Little Wolf: Hey, when are you going to be home? I need to borrow your truck.
Theo fought to hold his last nerve intact, but his brooding anger won. He gripped the phone tightly and his claws smashed through the screen. He let a few more tears fall before he stood up and walked back to his truck.
He muttered to himself while he drove, "I don't even know why I try." He sighed as his anger subsided and guilt and self-pity wore on him. He stated, "I shouldn't be surprised though. It's not like I advertise that I want people to care." He released a long sigh, "Maybe it's better this way."
Theo pulled into the driveway and saw both Geyer's cars there and rolled his eyes. He mentally checked get another phone before he pulled himself out of the truck. He looked back to the tuxes and shrugged, he could get them in the morning since he didn't have to open the shop. He slowly walked up to the front door of the dark house and opened the door. When he stepped in, the lights turned on and several people jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!"
Theo couldn't control the anger as he released a deep growl and flashed his eyes gold. The guests shrank back into their hiding spots as Theo mumbled, "I can't do this. Not today."
He threw his keys on the stand near the door and stormed upstairs, riding the wave of adrenaline as he made it to his room and slammed the door. He walked over to his bed and sat down, his head hung low.
After a few minutes, he heard a light tapping on his door. He yelled, "The keys are on the stand Liam."
The tapping continued, and Liam mumbled, "Theo, can we talk?"
Full of frustration, Theo replied, "Not today, Liam." He heard the gentle shuffle of feet and it wasn't long before he heard more tapping at the door. Theo replied, "Liam, I'm done for today, okay?"
Jenna softly replied, "Honey, it's me." Theo sighed and said, "It's open."
Jenna opened the door and walked in. She gently closed the door behind herself and stepped over to the downtrodden chimera. She took a seat next to him on the bed and put her arm over his shoulder. He softly began, "I'm sorry Theo."
Theo looked to her, his eyes still filled with tears, "Why are you apologizing?"
She gently smiled, "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday this morning, but I didn't want to give away the surprise."
Theo half smiled, "Thanks but-"
Jenna finished his statement, "But you don't like surprises. That's what I told Liam and David, not to mention Mason, Corey, and Nolan. I told them mom knows best."
Theo nodded as a tear slid down his face. She continued, "Did you get much time with your family?"
Theo's eyes widened as he barely breathed the word, "What?"
Jenna squeezed him a little tighter, "You visit them every important date, right? Their birthdays, your birthday, Your parent's anniversary, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. I am right, aren't I?"
Theo blinked back a few tears as he gazed into Jenna's face, "How?"
She smiled a little more, "It may not seem like it all the time, but we care about you and listen." She laughed a little as she said, "I did find it odd that you purchased flowers for Easter and I know you're an atheist."
Theo laughed a little with her, "Yeah." Theo looked to the floor, his anger long since evaporated but now he just felt bad about how he acted.
Jenna continued, "Your friends are here and there is still cake and ice cream downstairs. Or if you want, I can run everyone off and you can have some alone time. It's your birthday, your special day."
Theo sighed as he weighed his options and replied, "I know Liam-"
Jenna cut him off, "This isn't about Liam, this is about you Theo."
Theo looked to Jenna and smiled, "Tell them that we are celebrating tomorrow."
She smiled as she hugged him tight once more before she stood up and walked to the door. She looked back at him, "I love you Theo."
He looked up to her, "Love you too, mom."
She opened the door and Theo saw Liam standing outside, a wounded expression on his face. Theo relented, "Come in, Little Wolf, but just you."
Liam stepped into the room and Jenna pulled the door closed. Liam began, "I'm sor-"
Theo almost instantly cut him off, "I've had just about the worst day today. Why are you apologizing?"
Liam sighed as he paced the room. He collected his thoughts as he began, his face glued to the carpet, "I'm sorry for organizing the party knowing you don't like surprises. I'm sorry for your English notes, I should've handed you my copies last night instead of leaving a folder on the bathroom counter. I'm sorry your truck ran out of gas. I'm sorry I distracted you today after school so that I could get the party ready. I'm sorry you had to pick up my tux." Theo watched as Liam's voice cracked and tears began to well up in the beta's eyes, "I'm sorry you had a bad night at work. I'm so incredibly sorry I interrupted your time visiting your family's graves." Liam looked to Theo as he finished, a tear streaking down his face, "I'm sorry that I don't listen when you speak. I should communicate better with you and a big part of that is that I don't listen."
Theo nodded as he sighed, "It's alright, Little Wolf." Theo grinned a little as he decided to fish for a happy birthday from Liam, "Is there something you want to tell me now?"
Liam stepped forward and took Theo's hand, "Yes. Theo." Theo looked up into Liam's eyes, a bit confused since a simple happy birthday doesn't need to be this dramatic. Liam continued, his voice strained as he asked, "Theo, will you be my date for prom?"
Theo's eyes widened as he responded, "That wasn't what I was expecting."
Liam blinked a few times, "I figured it could be a good date. And I've been thinking about it for a while now. You are thinking no aren't you. You aren't attract-"
Theo raised a finger to Liam's lips and stated, "I just thought you were going to say Happy Birthday. Since you asked, yes Liam, I will go to prom with you."
He removed the finger and smugly grinned, "I've liked you for a while now."
Liam smile grew as he stated, "So that's a yes?"
Theo nodded and stated in a serious tone, "But if you ever do what you did today to me again, birthday surprise or no, you'll be picking your fangs up off the floor."