April 2005...
A few days had passed and her birthday is getting nearer, maybe it's even here. Only 18 more hours till her birthday. Her excitement knew no bounds.
Savannah finally got up and made her way to the bathroom. Her mood was great and she felt as though she was already 13.
She walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later. She was already in her school uniform, the only thing left was to make her hair, then she'd be fully ready for school.
She usually just braids her hair or packs it with a rubber band but today she wanted to try something different. She was never a pro at styling hair, that's why she kept it simple. But today was a Friday, meaning, she couldn't see her friends on her birthday. So that means she had to dress over the top like it was her birthday.
Holding the comb on one hand and the curling iron on the other, she didn't know whether to make it straight or curl it. She had never used a curling iron before, so she decided to just make it straight.
She combed it for a while before making a little braid on the middle. When she was satisfied, she got up and made her way to the kitchen.
Instead of the usual cereal for breakfast every day, her mom made pancakes with strawberries on top.
"Don't worry , I'll help you". Savannah said before she took the tray from her mom's hands and made her way to the living room. She sat on the mat before taking one of the plates.
"Your brother is probably still sleeping". Amanda said quietly before also taking her own plate which was toast and omelettes unlike the others.
Before any of them could take a bite from their food, Adam walked into the living room.
"Good morning mom". Adam said as he sat down next to Savannah. He took his plate and started eating.
It didn't take long for them to finish their meal and move to the car. All through the car ride, Savannah kept her focus on school. Christine said she'd give her gift today. She didn't know what to expect, she didn't even know if she'd receive another gift other than Christine's .
Once they arrived at school, both Adam and Savannah got out of the car and waved goodbye to their mom.
Savannah was quite excited to see Christine today. She went to her locker and opened it before taking out her notebook. She didn't see Christine by her locker and after waiting for a while, she decided to go to class.
Surprisingly, only a few people were in the class. She walked to her desk and put her head on her table. She didn't enjoy the silence but didn't want to strike a conversation with either Samantha, Kyle or Alex.
Even though there was a free seat separating them, Savannah still felt a little nervous at their closeness.
After what seemed like forever, Christine finally arrived at school. She was holding a box that was beautifully decorated with a blue and red polka dot wrapping paper and a big red bow on top.
She rushed excitedly to meet Savannah before placing the box on her desk.
"What is this?" Savannah asked once she saw the box and how excited Christine looked.
"Open it". Christine said before pushing the box closer to Savannah. Savannah was curious to know what was in the box so she opened it. She had her own guesses in mind but decided to see for herself.
Savannah opened the box to see a bunch of sweets. She was confused and looked at Christine.
"Remove them". She said before Savannah quickly started sorting through the sweets. There was something underneath and as soon as she pushed the sweets out of the way, she saw a book. But not just any book. It was the newly released book by Debbie Rein. One of her favourite authors. In bold letters they wrote THE SHOOTING STAR across the silhouette of a boy and a girl standing Infront of a shooting star.
Savannah abruptly got up from her seat and hugged Christine so tight.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!" Savannah said before finally releasing Christine.
"You're welcome". Christine said before finally taking her seat.
"Wait but, how did you know I wanted to read the book?"
"You said you liked her last two books but didn't have this one, so I thought of getting it for you". Christine said before the two of them hugged again.
...
The first three classes were like a blur, when finally, lunch arrived.
Everyone rushed out of the class as soon as the bell rang. Savannah walked hand in hand with Christine to the cafeteria. They both got seated and began eating.
Savannah felt a bit restless. She couldn't find masked boy in the cafeteria and it somehow felt like he wanted to tell her something during class but she didn't know what exactly.
She looked around but he wasn't around. Christine noticed her restlessness and asked what was wrong.
"It's nothing". Was all she said when deep down she knew there was something.
....
Masked boy didn't come during lunch but he was present during class . She didn't know why but she felt like he knew something she didn't.
Once the last bell rang, Savannah went to her locker and took some of her books before locking it back. She was about to go outside when she saw masked boy. He stood a few feet away from her holding a present. Without saying a word, he just gave it to her and walked away.
Savannah stood there confused. She looked at the present in her hand, a smile formed on her face before making her way outside
...
THE NEXT DAY...
Savannah woke up pretty early. She stayed up late thinking about what her mom would do this year.
Eventually getting up from bed, she made her way to the bathroom. Her mom said the night before that the theme is orange and red. Maybe it's because those are her favourite colours .
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she walked over to her wardrobe and took out her dress. It was a floral dress , the same one she wore on the day they moved here. It was orange with red roses on it.
She took the dress to the bathroom with her and after a few minutes walked out fully dressed. She couldn't help but twirl around. Today she's finally thirteen, the day she's been waiting for for so many years.
After a long while, she finally made her way to the kitchen. She couldn't help but wonder what cake her mom baked this year. Her mom was done making breakfast and was on her way to the living room.
"I'll take it",Savannah said before taking the tray to the living room. "So mom, what are doing today?" She asked as the two sat down.
"We're going out. Sight seeing, gift buying. We have a lot of things to do today". Amanda said as she took her plate. The talk of gift buying made Savannah remember the gifts she received yesterday.
"Yeah and, yesterday I got a gift from someone. She's my classmate and friend ". Savannah said beaming with smiles.
"Wow, what did she give you?" Amanda asked while smearing butter on her bread.
"She gave me a book from my favourite author. One that got released just two weeks ago!"
"So did you receive anything else?" Savannah suddenly went quiet remembering the gift Kyle gave her, a smile forming on her face.
"One of my classmates gave me a gift. I haven't opened it yet", Savannah said softly before changing the topic. "So, what flavour is my cake going to be this year". Before Savannah could reply, Adam walked into the living room already fully dressed in a red t-shirt with black jeans.
"Oh, happy birthday", Adam said once he saw Savannah. "You're finally growing up". He continued before Savannah rolled her eyes at him.
"The two of you should hurry up, we have places to be today". Amanda said before getting up from where she sat and making her way to her room.
...
The whole time, Savannah kept thinking of her gift. She didn't know why but she felt like she'd treasure this gift more than the others. Yes, maybe she was going to receive a gift from her mom like every year, but this year masked boy's present took the cake.
They did go sight seeing and wondered round the city for a bit before settling at Starlane mall.
The place was beautiful as always and Savannah was wondering what her mom would buy but her mom surprised her and got her a necklace. It was a simple one with only a little heart that's been shot by Cupid's arrow as a pendant. It wasn't as expensive as Savannah expected but it was expensive and Savannah couldn't love it more. She imagined reading the book Christine got her with this beautiful necklace around her neck.She put it on and said she'll keep it on till they got home.
They also went window shopping and surprisingly, most of the things that were in the stores the last time they went were all gone.
They came back home a little bit into 6:30. Ate dinner and talked for what seemed like forever before Amanda finally brought the cake. It had white frosting with a few fake flowers on it. The words Happy 13th birthday were written in bold letters on the top and it was no surprise that Amanda used Vanilla and Chocolate while baking. The cake was delicious just like the dinner they had.
For a moment Amanda wondered what it would be like to have everyday of her life like this.
After dinner, Savannah changed into her pajamas before putting the heart necklace in its case and then in the cupboard. While putting the necklace in the cupboard, she couldn't help but notice the gift Kyle gave her. She still hadn't opened it and wondered what was inside. Without hesitation, she ripped open the wrapping paper to reveal a birthday card on top of a heart shaped box of chocolates.
She opened the birthday card and it read...
' Happy birthday special someone.
Enjoy this day because it's the only one.
And for the rest of the year enjoy your days,
Because time is something that never waits.' And under the poem he wrote, ' birthday wishes from Kyle'. She didn't know why her stomach fluttered when she saw his name. She didn't know why she felt a rush of happiness when he gave her the gift. She didn't know why this small gesture meant so much to her.