Not So Sweet Sixteen

“Guess what!” Alice said to her best friend Justin.

“What?” Justin asked turning towards her.

“There’s only 3 more days until our birthday!” she said cheerfully.

Yes, you didn’t mistake her. She said “our”. And that’s because hers and Justin’s birthday are on the same day.

Justin chuckled as they walked down the sidewalk to the neighborhood park. It was finally becoming warm in Atlanta, even though winter was still upon them. They were having a warm spell.

“Whatcha gonna get me?!” Justin asked excitedly.

“Hey! I can’t tell you!” Alice said. Then she happily skipped ahead and sat down on the swings.

Justin walked up to her as she started to swing really high. So he sat down in the swing next to her and started to push himself also.

“What are you gonna get me?” she asked him.

“Well, now that is a surprise!” he smiled at her as they swung back and forth in sync.

“Yay! I love surprises!” she giggled, “Oh! Jumping contest?” she asked.

“Of course!” he said.

“Ok, on three; one,” she started.

“Two,” he continued.

“Three!” they said at the same time flinging themselves off their swings at their highest peak.

“Ha! I won!” she said pointing at his feet which were indeed about an inch behind hers.

“Yes you did! And now, I’m gonna have to get you for it!” he said chasing her.

She screamed like a little girl and ran off towards the play set.

^-^

Those 3 days had passed rather quickly, with both him and her being homeschooled (not by the same people though).

Their birth date had fallen on a Saturday this year and it was still warm outside.

It was about 7 o’clock in the evening and Alice had not seen Justin all day, or for the past 3 days in fact.

The first part of her surprise for Justin was the little chocolate cupcake she had made for him with the single candle in the middle. It was already burning when she left her house to walk down the street to give it to him.

She approached the Bieber household and when she rang the doorbell Pattie answered.
“Oh, Alice! It’s only you,” she said smiling, “I was just coming back to the house to pick up Justin’s present that I forgot.”

Alice was confused, “Well, where’s Justin? I thought he was home? I was gonna give this to him,” she said motioning to the cupcake with the burning candle on it.

“He didn’t tell you about his giant party he was having?” Pattie said worry smeared all over her face.

“No,” she whispered looking down at the ground and back up at Pattie.

“Oh, I thought he would have, well do you want to come with me? I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you,” she said nicely.

“Oh, no,” Alice said kindly, “I don’t think I will. I’m really tired and my parents still had presents to give me when I got home,” she lied.

She was hurt that her own best friend didn’t even mention the fact he was having a party.

“Oh well ok, I’ve gotta go, sorry Alice, and Happy Birthday!” she said nicely closing the front door behind her and heading out to her car and speeding off.

Alice let a tear fall down her cheek and she whispered, “Happy Birthday to me,” as she blew out the candle on the cupcake and threw it in the garbage can out by the street.

She quickly sped home before the rest of the tears came.

T_T

Alice spent her night in her room and when her parents came up to give her, her gifts, she put on the most convincing smile and happy-act that she could.

But once they left to go to bed she logged onto her computer and changed her status on everything; her twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Twitter: happy bday to me… ): not exactly very happy when you’re sittin in your room crying on your birthday…

Facebook: Alice Stewart is wandering if he even cares right now. Seems like he doesn’t.

MySpace: anyone know how to fix a broken heart? (btw its my bday if anyone cares…)

She even checked on Justin’s twitter and saw that he had posted some twitpics of the party already.

He got a freakin’ car for his birthday.

Spoiled brat, she thought to herself, gets a car and leaves his best friend.

Tears poured out of her eyes as she looked at the rest, of him blowing out his candles, opening his expensive presents, and hugging a bunch of toe-head blondes. Probably some fans, that he apparently cares more about than his freaking best friend.

She logged out of everything and closed her laptop. She lay down on her bed and pulled her blanket close to her.

She knew why this was hurting her so badly; it was because she liked him more than she should. She always had.

But he doesn’t care, he never did, and it was just proved to her. Or at least that’s what she thought.

o.O

A week had passed and Alice had heard nothing from Justin. She found on the internet that he had apparently gotten a tattoo for his birthday also.

That was the last straw. She decided to text him.

u got a tattoo?

yeah

were u evr gonna let me knw bout it?

idk

Ok this was really pissing her off; one word text messages?! So she decided to talk to him; face to face.

meet me @ the park if u wanna keep me as ur friend.

Ok

So that was that and she went down to the park (letting her mom know where she was going in the process).

She listened to her iPod on the way to the park and she sat in the gazebo waiting for Justin’s arrival.

While she waited Breakeven by the Script came on, she began to sing simply because it was one of the things that helped to improve her mood.

“I’m still alive but I’m barely breathing, just pray to a god that I do believe in,” she always sang it differently because she was a strong believer in god.

“Cause I got time, while he’s got freedom. Cause when a heart breaks no it don’t break, no it don’t break, no it don’t break even no!” she sang.

“What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you? What am I supposed to say when I’m all choked up and you’re okay? I’m falling to pieces, yeah, I’m falling pieces, yeah, I’m falling to pieces, I’m falling to pieces,” she finished, “Oh it don’t break even no, it don’t break even no, oh it don’t break even no.”

She leaned her head back on the swinging bench that she was sitting on.

“That was really beautiful,” she heard. Her head snapped up to see Justin walking into the gazebo looking as good as usual. Some things never change.

“So?” she asked leaning back again and pushing the swing.

Justin managed to sit next to her and kept it moving. Alice didn’t look up.

“I’m sorry,” he said. She didn’t acknowledge it.

“Alice,” he sighed.

“What?” she snapped looking at him. He noticed how her eyes were glossing over. She was about to cry.

“You’re not gonna cry are you?” he asked worriedly.

“If I am I’ll just look away so you don’t have to look at me,” she said, sitting up and turning her head the other way.

She sniffed and wiped her face keeping her back to Justin.

“When were you planning on even talking to me again?” she asked.

Justin sighed, “Alice, it’s complicated.”

“Too complicated to even send your best friend a freaking text message?!” she yelled turning to him.

Her face was wet and tear stained and her nose was red. Seeing her like that made Justin get nervous, sad, and mad at himself all at the same time.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands.

More tears began to stream down her face because he didn’t even have a good answer to her question. She was beginning to think he really did just not wanna hang around her anymore. She felt outdated; like now that he was famous he didn’t need her anymore. Why would he? He could just go hang out with Usher and Drake and Jasmine and all those other hot girls in the world that he had wrapped around his finger.

“Thanks for giving me the worst 16th birthday anyone could ever have,” she whispered.

“Alice…” he trailed off looking up but she stood and began to make her way home.

“Alice wait!” he said walking behind her and grabbing her wrist to make her turn and look at him.

“What do you want Justin?!” she yelled, “I know you just don’t have time for me anymore! And why would you want to hang out with me anyways? You’re famous now and I’m a nobody! Just go and have fun with all the other beautiful girls you have wrapped around your finger.”

He looked at her with pain in his eyes. She really was his best friend and truth be told; he liked her a lot more than she thought he did. He was not ready to lose her.

“Alice! Will you just listen to me for one second?!” he shouted back at her.

“What?! Are you finally gonna explain to me why you never talk to me anymore? Why you didn’t let me be a part of your birthday party and why you never, not even once, wished me a happy birthday or smiled at me since the day before?” tears were pouring out of her eyes like waterfalls. She hated being forgotten and he knew that.

“I haven’t talked to you because I’ve been busy and my mom took away my phone, I tried calling you the night before and the next morning but you never answered your phone, and I didn’t smile at you because I didn’t see you. I’m sorry that I ever hurt you, I’m sorry that I didn’t try harder to get you at that party. As it turned out, that party sucked simply because your face wasn’t something I saw that night. I wanted you there more than you could ever know,” he explained and he gently laced their fingers together and put one of his hands up to cup her cheek and wipe away some tears with his thumb.

“Really?” she sniffed. Now she felt stupid for overreacting.

“Yes really. Alice,” he sighed and looked down and then back up at her, “I love you, as more than just a friend. This isn’t really how I wanted to tell you but there it is. You needed to know.”

Tears were still falling but at a slower rate this time and they were filled with more joy now.

A smile slowly crept onto her lips and Justin looked at her with confusion.

“What are you-,” he started but he was cut off by her lips on his.

He was surprised at first but kissed back just as quickly.

She pulled away much to his dismay and simply wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her small waist and closed his eyes as a smile crept onto his face too.

“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” she said against his neck.

He laughed, “Don’t talk on me like that it tickles.”

She pulled her face away and laughed, “Sorry.”

She back off a little so that she was simply facing him now and his hands stayed on her waist.

“Oh, and by the way,” she looked up into chocolaty brown eyes, “I love you too.”

And their lips met again.

So maybe she didn’t have such a great 16th birthday; but tonight made up for it.