Sweet Silver Lining

Annabelle looked at Landon sleeping, debating whether she should wake him up right now or wait a little longer. It was his birthday, and she had the whole day planned out, and she was probably more excited than Landon was. Deciding to wake him up, she jumped on his bed, making sure not to land on him, and began tickling him awake.

Landon squealed and squirmed underneath Annabelle, laughing the entire time. “So,” Annabelle began. “I hear it’s someone’s birthday today. Now, who could it be?”

“Me!” Landon exclaimed. “It’s my birthday!”

“No, I don’t think so,” Annabelle said, shaking her head. “Because I think it’s supposed to be someone’s sixth birthday, and there’s no way you’re six today.”

“Yes I am, Annie! I’m six years old today!” Landon told her, jumping out of bed.

“Are you sure?” Annabelle asked.

“Of course I’m sure!” Landon told her in an obvious tone.

“Well, then it’s a good thing I made you a birthday breakfast, eh?” she asked as Landon ran out into the kitchen to see it full of his favorite foods, including chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. She heard Landon cheer, and she laughed to herself.

The doorbell rang, and Annabelle walked out to answer it while Landon continued to eat his food. “Hey, Lily, what’s up?” she asked, letting Lily come inside.

“So, there’s been a change of plans,” Lily told her, looking around for Landon. “Where is he?” she asked.

“He’s in the kitchen eating breakfast. And, what do you mean there’s been a change of plans?” Annabelle asked worriedly.

“The guys have a surprise for him,” Lily said with a smile.

“The guys?” Annabelle asked with a questionable look.

“The guys,” Lily repeated. “You know, the team. Dave, Ladder, Sharpie, Burish…”

“What kind of surprise?” Annabelle asked with wide eyes.

“He’s practicing with them today. They talked to Coach, and he agreed to have Landon come to practice,” Lily told her, and when Annabelle didn’t say anything, she continued. “Annie, don’t you get it? This is going to make Landon’s day!”

“But, I already have plans with him,” Annabelle argued.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Lily asked with disbelief. “You’re seriously considering not letting Landon go? Come on! This is like his dream. Why aren’t you happy right now?”

“I really appreciate the guys doing this, but birthdays have always been a family time for us. It was always like that with me and my mom, and I want it to be that way with me and Landon,” Annabelle explained.

“Annie,” Lily began. “It’s not like they’re telling you to stay at home,” she said with a laugh. “They obviously want you to come, too. They’re not trying to stop your family birthday, they’re just trying to make it more special for him.”

“Whose idea was this?” Annabelle asked.

“Um, I think Andrew’s. Why?” Lily asked.

“Of course,” Annabelle muttered under her breath as Lily glanced at her, trying to figure out what was wrong. Landon suddenly ran out into the living room, and Annabelle put on a huge smile.

“Hi, Lily,” he said before turning around to Annabelle. “What were you guys talking about?” he asked her.

Annabelle glanced up at Lily before bending down to Landon’s level. “Lily was telling me how the guys want you to come to practice today,” she told him, deciding to tell him the truth.

“Really?” Landon asked excitedly as his eyes went wide. “Can I go?”

Annabelle took a deep breath, tears stinging her eyes as she realized that Landon would much rather spend his birthday with the guys than his sister. “Yeah,” she said, putting on a fake smile. “Go get ready,” she told him, and he ran back to his bedroom as fast as he could.

“I don’t get why you’re so upset right now,” Lily told her. “I thought you’d be happy that the guys wanted to do this.”

“I am happy,” Annabelle told her. “I just wanted it to be a family day. But, nothing ever seems to go as planned,” she said with a sigh. Lily just shook her head, not understanding why Annabelle was acting this way.

***

Andrew watched as Annabelle sat in the stands, a scowl on her face, as she watched Landon skate around with his teammates. He quickly told Patrick Sharp that he was going to go talk to her, and he skated off the ice towards her. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked her, jumping over the boards to the bench.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Once again, you’re the hero of the day,” she stated bitterly.

“Can we talk?” Andrew asked her.

“Go ahead,” Annabelle said, looking out onto the ice, and avoiding eye contact with Andrew.

“Preferably somewhere where everyone, including Landon, won’t hear us,” Andrew added. Annabelle stood up, and made her way over to the bench, where both she and Andrew went into the tunnel. She walked a little ways in and then leaned against the wall, looking up expectantly at Andrew.

“What have I done to piss you off so much?” Andrew asked.

“You’re joking, right?” Annabelle asked him.

“What?” Andrew asked in disbelief.

“Why do you keep doing this? Why can’t you give me just one day with him?” Annabelle asked.

“What?” Andrew repeated, getting angrier by the minute.

“Damn it!” Annabelle exclaimed. “You’re always there with him! Every single time I have plans, they get ruined because you come along and say you want to do something with him. And, obviously, Landon isn’t going to want to watch movies with me when you’re offering to let him come to your fucking practice!” she yelled.

“I thought you’d be happy!” Andrew screamed back. “I thought it would make Landon and you happy!”

“Well, you made Landon happy,” Annabelle told him. “But, you never even thought about me in this whole thing. You couldn’t have honestly believed that I would be happy that he always wants to spend time with you. You really thought I’d be happy watching him spend his birthday at practice with you?”

“Yes, I thought it would make you happy,” Andrew argued. “And, it’s not like I took him away from you for his birthday. I invited you to come here with him. I wanted to make both of you happy,” he screamed.

“Why the hell do you care if I’m happy or not?” Annabelle yelled.

“Because I like you!” Andrew screamed, not giving her a chance to respond as he captured her lips with his. Annabelle stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do before her instincts kicked in and she kissed back, quickly intensifying things. She pulled at his lower lip before his tongue slipped into her mouth.

All of a sudden, they heard a voice say, “Annie? Where are—oh! Sorry!” They quickly broke apart and turned around to see Lily standing there, looking embarrassed. “Continue,” she told them. “Sorry!”

Annabelle couldn’t help but laugh at her friend before she turned her head back around to look at Andrew. “We should talk,” she told him. “And, probably somewhere where someone won’t just randomly walk by.”