"Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Atticus, Scout, and Dill prepared me a surprise party, and they did a good job on hiding the surprise, I didn't suspect a thing.
"Happy Birthday, son." Atticus said, smiling.
"Thanks Atticus." I responded.
"We had been planning this for a month now." Dill said, smiling.
"I bet it was easy since I was out with Julie." I stated.
"Yeah, pretty much." Scout confirmed.
I looked at the cake that was on the table, and I could only think of one person who had cooked it, and she was right in front of me. "Did you cook it, Miss Maudie?" I asked.
"Guilty as charged." Miss Maudie responded.
"Don't eat it yet, Jem," Emily said. "You have to open your gifts now."
"You guys didn't have to go that far." I said.
"We know," Sam responded. "But we did anyway."
Sam had a quick wit humor, and it was pretty effective for the most part.
"Alright, which one should he open first?" Julie asked.
"Open ours first, Jem." Scout said, handing me a gift.
"Ours?" I asked.
"Scout and I decided to share our money to buy you a gift." Dill answered.
I opened the present, and I found that it was a pendant that said, "Best Brother." This made me smile, but I looked and I found that they gave me a card, so I opened it up, and I read it out loud:

"Let's see, you can be a jerk, you can be hard to work with, and you can be a snob sometimes, but despite all of these faults, the part of you that shines to us is that you're honest, kind, and when it comes down to it, you are always there for us when we truly need you, and we wouldn't want it any other way, because that what makes you the best brother we ever had.
Happy Birthday, Big Bro.
From Scout and Dill."

"Thanks guys." I said, giving them a hug.
"Not a problem, Jem…" Scout said.
"It's just the truth, Jem," Dill said. "Your positive traits heavily outweigh your negatives."
"Thanks, lil' bro." I said, caressing Dill's head.
"I could get used to you calling me that." Dill said, softly.
"Likewise." I responded.
Sam and Emily were kind enough to wait until I was ready to open their gift, and when I was ready, they gave me their gift, and I prepared to open it up. It was a written book titled, "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien, and it was a fantasy novel, and it seemed very interesting.
"I read it myself, and we thought you would like it." Sam explained.
"Thanks Sam, and you too, Emily." I said, smiling.
Atticus was the last one to give his gift, and it was some birthday money and his father's pocket watch.
"Atticus, this watch was Grandpa's, right?" I asked.
"That's right, son, I am getting old now, son, and I think it would be better in your possession than mine." Atticus said, gently. I ran up to hug him, and I was now
almost as tall as him, but still not quite there.
"You're welcome, Jem." Atticus said, patting my back.
"I guess we should go eat the cake before it stales." I said, smiling.
"Sounds good to me." Atticus responded.

After we ate cake, I took Julie, who had been quiet for a while now, to my room, and I had her sit down.
"So, are you going to tell me your poem now?" Julie asked.
"She speaks once again." I remarked.
"Oh, shut up…" Julie retorted.
"If I do, I won't be able to tell you my poem." I stated.
"Asshole…" Julie responded.
"Love you too." I retorted.
"Okay, enough of your wisecracks. Just tell the poem, please." Julie said, smiling.
I cleared my throat, and I started telling her my poem from months back.

"Along the Hwang Ho Valley where young men walk and dream,
A flower boat with singing girls came drifting down the stream.
I saw the face of only one come drifting down the steam.

You are beautiful, small and shy.
You are the girl whose eyes met mine
Just as your boat sailed by.

This I know of you, nothing more,
You are the girl whose eyes met mine
Passing the river shore.

You are the girl whose laugh I heard,
Silver and soft and bright;
Soft as the fall of lotus leaves
Brushing the air of night.

While your flower boat sailed away,
Gently your eyes look back on mine,
Clearly you heard me say,
"You are the girl I'll love someday."

"That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard." Julie said, touched.
"I bet that's going to be a song in two decades." I joked.
"Probably…" Julie responded.
We both laughed, and we ended up looking at each other's eyes again. I grabbed her hand, and I led her outside.
"Julie, you were my inspiration for my poem." I admitted.
"I had a feeling, and it's very sweet of you." Julie responded.
"I love you, Julie."
"I know, Jeremy." Julie gave me a kiss on the cheek, and she ran back home.