I held my breath. Images of Indiana Jones flashed through my mind. But
when I popped the top, no light shone out at me. There was no choir of
angels. Just a ton of pins and tie tacks in plastic baggies. Plus three velvet
boxes.
I opened up the first one. It was big, with a maroon stone and a football
on the side. The second was a gymnastics ring. There was only one left. I
took a breath, pried it open, and slowly smiled.
Score.
“Happy birthday , dear Ally! Happy birthday to you!”
My mother set a strawberry shortcake down in front of me at the table,
and it was alight with seventeen birthday candles. I looked at the small
crowd gathered around me—Mo m, Gray, Annie, and Quinn—and I missed
my father so much I could hardly breathe. Ever since arriving home from
my driver’s test—which I had gleefully passed—that morning, I had been
on edge, waiting for the phone to ring. But nothing. Nada. Zip. Where was
he right then? Did he even realize it was my birthday? Did he even care?
Mom looked at me sadly, and I knew she knew what I was thinking.
She’d gone to so much trouble, with the dozens of colorful balloons, the
spaghetti dinner, the colorful paper plates—I hated for her to think I wasn’t
happy. So I put on a big grin, took a breath, and blew out the candles. When
they all went out with one blow, I thrust my arms in the air, mugging for
Gray’s video camera. Just like I was supposed to.
“Yay! You got your wish!” Quinn cheered.
Too bad I’d for gotten to make one.
I pushed myself up from the table, and my mom gave me a kiss and a
squeeze. “I’m so proud of you, hon.”
For what? I wanted to say . Making it to the ripe old age of seventeen?
But that was just the acerbic, annoyed, abandoned-daughter part of me
talking. So instead I said, “Thanks, Mom.”
“Are you gonna open your presents?” Quinn asked. My mom gave her a
quick squeeze, which caused a twinge in my heart. Every time I saw
evidence of how close those two were getting, I wanted to hurl. But at least
Quinn had gotten nicer as a result. That was something. If I was stuck with
her for the entire summer , I was better off with this version of her instead of
the stony-silent version.
“Sure.” I headed for the living room area while my mom whisked the
cake away to cut it.