Sweet Sixteen

I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Happy birthday!" It was my best friend, Jenny.

"Thanks," I said as I watched Alex walk out the front door with Scott. I smiled when I saw them run over to the hedge and peer over it. They thought they were detectives and were forever spying on people.

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked. "Are you nervous about tonight?"

"No, I just in shock. Alex gave me a gold necklace for my present."

"Wow," Jenny said. "And you're always complaining about what a pest she is."

"I know. Most of the time she is, but now I feel guilty."

I could almost see Jenny waving that remark away. "Don't feel guilty. Just enjoy it. You've been waiting a long time for this day, so just enjoy it."

I smiled. Jenny certainly lived by that philosophy. She knew how to have fun, but she wasn't selfish. She wanted other people to have a good time, too. "Well, I'm all for that."

"Speaking of enjoying yourself," Jenny continued. "I know that Josh Connors is definitely going to be at your party."

Now I was getting nervous. "How do you know that?"

"I asked him."

"Jenny!" I screeched.

"Don't worry. I was subtle."

I snorted. "You? Subtle?"

"I really think he likes you," Jenny said, ignoring my comments.

Jenny sighed. "What you need is some confidence."

That wasn't anything she hadn't told me before. "What did he say?"

"When I asked him if he was going to your party, he said definitely."

"That doesn't mean that he likes me," I said.

"It was the way he said it and the look in his eyes when I said your name."

I smiled in amusement. Sometimes Jenny could exaggerate more than Alex. "Well, I guess I'll find out tonight." I was surprised to realize that my stomach wasn't tied up in knots at this prospect.

"Definitely," Jenny said and laughed. "Now we better prepare for The Event."

"Yeah, I think I bought enough decorations."

"I'll be right over."

"Now," Mom said as I hung up the phone. "It's time to give you our present." She placed a large package down on the kitchen table, from which all the breakfast dishes had been cleared.

Even though I already knew what it was, because I had picked it out myself, I was still excited as I ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box. "Thank you," I said as I happily pulled out the beautiful blue dress that I had immediately fallen in love with when I had spotted it at the store.

Dad handed me a small package. "You might want to take a look in here."

I stared at my parents in amazement.

Mom winked. "Did you think we wouldn't have a birthday surprise for you?"

Once again, I tore the paper and found a white box containing a black velvet box. Inside the latter was a pretty pair of dangling gold earrings. "Oh," I cried. "Thank you so much!" I hugged Mom first and then Dad.

I took my presents up to my room and put them away for later. Then I went down to the basement and started sorting through the decorations I had bought. Jenny arrived as I was opening a bag of balloons, and she helped me put up all of the decorations. We also spent a lot of time talking, and Jenny stayed for lunch. After that we went up to my room so that I could show her the presents from my parents, as she had already seen Alex's present.

"Wow," Jenny said, looking at my new dress. "If Josh isn't in love with you already, he will be after he sees you in this."

I laughed. "It's that easy, huh?"

Jenny smiled her I-know-men smile. "Trust me. It's a sure thing."

All day long, I had considered telling her about my dream, but I hadn't. She was my best friend, and we told each other everything, but I hadn't told her about this. Who cares, I asked myself. It's just a dream. Why would you tell her about it? I was unable to forget about the dream, however. I felt like half of me was here preparing for the party and talking to Jenny, and the other half was still caught up in that dream kiss.

Jenny was looking at one of my paintings. It was one I had done some time ago of a castle—a real castle, not like the illustrations in fairytale books. I had told Jenny that I had seen it on TV. She was continually amazed at my ability to draw things from memory, except I had lied. I didn't ever remember seeing that castle on TV. Maybe I had dreamed about it.

"One day, Allison, when you're a rich and famous artist, I'll be able to say I knew you way back when."

I was already thinking about painting the guy from my dream. "Most artists are starving."

"You won't be," Jenny said with conviction. "You are incredibly talented."

"I won't quit my day job just yet."

"You don't have a day job. You have no job to speak of."

"All the more reason not to quit," I said, managing to put on a serious face.

Jenny grabbed a pillow from my bed and threw it at me. We had a brief pillow fight until she noticed the time. It was four o'clock, and my party was starting at seven.

"I better go. I've got to make myself gorgeous."

"You're gorgeous already," I said truthfully. Because we had been good friends for such a long time, I would sometimes forget about her looks. To me she was Jenny, not the beauty that everyone else saw. It was because of Jenny that any of the popular kids noticed me. Everyone sure noticed her.

Every once in awhile, I would look at her and really notice her appearance like someone who had never seen her before would. "Talk about being rich and famous; you have more chance of that happening than I do. Someday, you'll be a famous model with your face on the cover of every magazine."

"It's too late for false flattery. I already bought your present."

One thing about Jenny, she wasn't conceited. I walked her to the door and told her that I'd see her later. Then I went back upstairs to take a shower and wash my hair. Three hours sounds like a long time, but I managed to fill most of it up with said shower, drying and curling my hair, painting my nails, saying bye to Alex, getting dressed, putting on make-up, and generally making sure that everything was ready for the party.

When I was done, I stood before the mirror one last time to make sure I looked okay. My shoulder-length blond hair now framed my face in soft curls. There was a hint of blush on my cheeks, and my lips were an inviting shade of red. My new dress seemed to deepen the blue of my eyes. The bodice of the dress clung to what curves I had, while the skirt flared below my waist and fell to several inches above my knees. It was a far cry from the t-shirt, jeans, and lip gloss I usually wore.

When I walked downstairs, Dad did a double take. "You didn't tell me that dress was so short," he mumbled to Mom.

I rolled my eyes, but Mom just smiled. "You look beautiful." She was ready with her camera, and she smiled again after she had taken a few pictures of me. "You have such a glow today. Did you invite a special boy to your party?"

"Yes," I said, but I'd hardly thought of Josh all day.

"What's his name?" Dad asked.

Luckily, I was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Jenny and her boyfriend. If I looked better than usual on this occasion, Jenny was absolutely stunning in her little black dress. There was nothing really daring about the cut, but Jenny had such an incredible body that you just couldn't help but notice her curves. Unlike mine, her naturally wavy blond hair was luminous.

Her striking green eyes sparkled as she handed me my present. "Happy birthday, Allison."

"Yeah," said Andrew Sumner. Happy birthday."

Andrew was the quarterback of our school's football team. He seemed nice enough, although I didn't know him very well. I never had time to really get to know any of Jenny's boyfriends. She said that we were too young for long commitments, so she didn't get serious with her romantic relationships. She had more experience with boys than I did, but only when it came to kissing.

Jenny and Andrew went downstairs to the basement, while I stayed upstairs for awhile to answer the door. Josh arrived about ten minutes later.

"Hi," he said. "You look great!"

"Thanks. So do you." I was amazed at myself. I had never been able to talk to a guy that easily before.

His smile lit up his face as his warm brown eyes gazed into mine. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. Everyone is downstairs in the basement." I pointed out the way. "I'll be down soon."

"Great." He gave me another smile before he walked off in the direction I had told him.

I had never noticed him look at me that way before. But then, I had always been too nervous to look him in the eye. Several more people arrived, and then I went downstairs to join the party. In my absence, Jenny had been in charge of the music and making sure that everyone knew where the snacks and drinks were located. She had been over so much, she knew my house as well as her own. My parents had agreed to come down only when it was time for the cake. In the meantime, they were upstairs in the living room watching TV.

"You are so lucky that your birthday falls on a Saturday this year," Jenny told me.

"It's great down here," Andrew said.

"Yeah," I agreed to both of their comments. I looked around. The basement was one huge room running under the entire house. There was a small laundry area against one wall, and a long dining table near another wall. There were several couches here and there along the rest of the room. Kids were seated in most of them, while some people were grabbing snacks from the dining room table. A few boys were messing around by the pool table.

I saw that Josh had spotted me and was walking toward me. Jenny gave me an I-told-you-so look that made me laugh.

Josh was beside me now. "Nice place."

My parents had given me no time limit for the party. That was my mom's doing. "Sixteen is a very special birthday in a girl's life," she had told my father.

Gradually, people loosened up as they began to feel more at home in there surroundings. We had pizza for dinner, and then I opened my presents. Josh had gotten me a cool CD, which Jenny immediately put on for us to enjoy. Jenny's present was a pretty summer top. She was not a big fan of my t-shirts.

"Now you need to go shopping for a skirt to go with it. I will do my duty as your best friend and go to the mall with you."

"What? Did your parents ban you from there again?"

Jenny wrinkled her nose. "Actually, they said that I should get a job there, since I spend so much of my time on the premises."

After I had opened all of my presents, I went upstairs to tell my parents that we were ready for cake. Dad carried it downstairs and set it down on the table. Mom arranged sixteen candles on it and lit them while we all gathered around the table. As everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, I thought about what I should wish for. I wish for true love, I decided as I took a big breath and blew out all the candles in a single try. Everyone clapped and cheered.

My parents took a couple pieces for themselves and left me to serve the rest of the cake to my friends. After we'd had our fill of cake, we played a few silly games. Then Jenny dragged Andrew to the middle of the floor to dance with her. Soon other people got up to dance, too. Some of the other kids had turned on the TV to watch a horror movie and comment loudly on the death scenes.

There was a steady hum of noise in the room, along with lots of flirting. Josh was sitting next to me on one of the couches, and nobody was paying attention to us. Someone had dimmed the lights, setting a romantic mood that encouraged us to do our own flirting. It was one of those times in life when everything is going right, and an hour seems like five minutes.

Eventually, I became aware of the fact that Josh and I were leaning back on the couch, and that he had his arm around me. I had often daydreamed about being this close to him, but the reality was much better than anything I had imagined.

"You are so pretty." Josh was gazing intently at me. "I'm glad you invited me to your party."

"Me, too." A nervous energy coursed through me, causing a fluttering sensation in my stomach.

Josh leaned toward me. My heart was racing with excitement as his lips met mine. The kiss was wonderful—everything that a first kiss should be. Josh's face was flushed when we broke apart. He looked so cute that it made me smile. In my perception, everything had taken on a dreamy, magical quality.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me next Saturday?" Josh asked.

"Yes," I said. "That would be nice."

He smiled. "Great."

The party was starting to break up, and people were coming up to me to say goodbye. Josh stayed by my side as I walked upstairs with them to the front door. Jenny and Andrew were among the last to leave.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Jenny said, giving me a look that spoke volumes.

Finally, Josh gave me a quick kiss goodnight.

I couldn't stop smiling. "I'll see you in school on Monday."

"Definitely," Josh answered with a smile.

Leaving the cleanup for tomorrow, I wished my parents a goodnight and went up to my room to get ready for bed. Before I brushed my teeth, I touched my lips for a moment and thought about how perfect my birthday had been. These thoughts stayed with me until I turned off the light and got into bed.

As I closed my eyes, my mind sought another rendezvous with the boy of my dreams. There had been an undeniably powerful attraction between us. It had been something wild and impossible to control or contain. Something, I now realized, that was very far removed from the giddy innocence of a first kiss.