Festival- 1/31

It is your best friend's birthday party and you are completely ready to walk through those

doors and just throw all of your cares away and have the time of your life. You put your hand

on that doorknob and realize that his car is sitting out there and yours is right behind his. His

sleek and shiny black two door Mustang that you have ridden in so many times before, but

this time it looks so different, so foreign. You slowly let your hand, on the doorknob, fall to

your side and the present just about leaps out of your trembling hand onto the cold, beautiful

wood porch. You replay her invite over and over in your head trying to remember if she

mentioned that he was attending.

"Hey, Karen my birthday party is this Saturday night. You are coming right?"

"Of course Hillary, I wouldn't miss your eighteenth birthday for anything. Who is all going to

be there?"

"Kathy, Jeff, Jared, Nick, Samantha, Sara, Hannah, Caleb, Taylor."

"Okay, that sounds great. I will definitely be there at 8?"

"That's perfect."

You know that is the end of the conversation, but you pray and hope that she said

something else because you want to believe so badly that she wouldn't leave that out. It is

Scott, who you haven't talked to since your messy break up. Hillary knows how much he

despises you and how much you don't want to be around him because of how things ended.

You know that there is no way she would just 'forget' to mention that, so you put on that brave

you do so well and you barge right through that door just like you own the place. You are

inside and you feel the overwhelming sensation that all eyes are on you when in reality it is

just Hillary coming from the kitchen. Seeing her and trying really hard to be mad, but you

can't because she is your best friend in the whole world you march right up to her, give her

that big birthday hug you have been sitting on all year and then pull her aside to talk.

"Hillary, what is Scott doing here"?"

"About that... Karen, he called last night to wish me a happy birthday and I felt so bad because I didn't invite him and he remembered my birthday so I told him he was more than welcome to come to the party if he wanted."

"Why didn't you call and tell me or text me or something to let me know he would be here?"

"I thought that maybe you wouldn't come if you knew he was here. I just wanted you to be relaxed and the fun Karen I know and love."

"I would never ditch you because he came around, I love you Hillary. I am just upset that I had to find out by seeing his car in the driveway. That was really hard for me."

"I know and I'm so sorry Karen, but I was scared of what you would do or say if I told you. By the way, he asked me specifically if you were going to be here, he really wants to talk to you."

"Ugh. What did you say?"

"I told him that you would be here and be more than willing to talk to him."

"What?"

"I know that sounds like the end of the world, but you can't avoid him forever. You broke his heart and eventually you need to take responsibility for that and fix it because you guys are meant to be together no matter what relationship it is, you guys need to be in each other's lives. You will thank me for this later when you realize that I am right."

"Whatever Hillary."