A Single Daffodil

You know, I’ve never been a fan of beer.

In fact, I kinda hated beer.

But for some reason, I always found myself sipping on a Budweiser when I’m watching the Miami Heat’s away games. I started drinking beer with Jayden a couple of years ago -- in the seventh grade, to be more specific -- while we watched away games because back then, I actually lived with my dad and we thought we were being a couple of badass rebellious teens while he was out of town. Now, it was more of a superstition thing.

It was a late Thursday night, meaning game three against the Chicago Bulls just started. And since I wasn’t in Chicago with my dad and the team, I was tucked away on a big pillowy sofa in my living room with an eight pack of Budweiser sitting on the oak coffee table in front of me. My place wasn’t too big, but it was cosy, and that was just the way I liked it. I moved out of my dad’s place when I started college for a lot of reasons, but the main reason was it was too big and showy for me. The NBA league pays him big bucks, and just like all the other basketball players on his team, he liked showing it off. I found it pointless because he was never even home enough to enjoy his enormous mansion on Star Island. He was either at the arena or traveling the country with the team so the summer after I graduated Miami High, I moved into my own little bungalow on South Beach. I loved it because I had my own backyard with a pool and I was even closer to Grandpa Gene.

Just as I was reaching for my second Budweiser during the second round of commercials on my flat screen tv, my front door slammed open.

“Hola, Chicka!” Sophia strode into my house, her pearly whites illuminating the whole living room as she grinned. “We’re here!”

Jayden wasn’t far behind her, holding three huge bags of BBQ flavored Doritos and another eight pack of Budweiser. He dropped his car keys at the side-table by the door and immediately fell into the two-seater adjacent to the sofa I was tucked into. He nodded at me. “Yo.”

“I didn’t know you were coming, Soph!” I was genuinely surprised. It was usually only Jayden who came over to watch the game. Sophia didn’t much care for the televised version because none of the players could see her on the sidelines.

Sophia jumped into the empty spot next to Jayden, fully equipped with her iPhone and Spinach and Kale chips she probably bought at Publix. Sophia was a self pro-claimed Vegan, which was weird, because she was Columbian. I don’t know how her extremely traditional mom let her get away with it.

“I only agreed to come watch the game because we all collectively decided to go to Jessica Franklin’s party after.” Sophia said.

I looked away from the tv. I started moaning. “What? No! I hate Jessica Franklin.”

“Tell me about it.” Jayden responded in a monotonous voice. He seemed just as displeased about this as I did.

Jessica Franklin was the popular girl at Miami High and somehow still managed to stay social Queen even two years after we graduated. She was well known for putting on pretty tremendous parties at her dad’s mansion on the beach, and they were totally impressive and all, but it always turns into a shitshow when everyone’s drank too much alcohol or a girlfriend found their boyfriend kissing somebody else. Suddenly it’s a seen out of Braveheart, except there’s less bloodshed and more vomit and pulled out weaves. I always passed on going when I had the chance.

Besides, I was already in my pajamas and I had no desire to put make up on.

“Please don’t make meeeeee.” I continued to moan. “The last time I went to one of her parties, I got a football thrown at my face. I had a bruised eye all through Homecoming week.”

Jayden crunched down on a Dorito chip and chuckled to himself. “I remember that.”

I threw a pillow at him.

“Aw, come on, Vita!” Sophia pleaded. “I need the booze and Jayden offered to be designated driver-”

“Actually, the way I remember that conversation going down, is you forcing me to drive.” Jayden interrupted. I laughed because I knew that was exactly how it went.

“-Regardless!” Sophia continued, putting her hand up to Jayden. “He’ll be sober and annoying, so do me this kindness, por favor, and keep him distracted.”

I looked over at Jayden, who merely shrugged. “She speaks nothing but the truth.”

I tilted my head back and groaned. “Fine. But we’re only staying an hour and we’re buying a case of Dr. Pepper on the way there.”

“Good!” Sophia clapped.

Thinking the conversation was over, I turned back to the television to watch Dwayne make a shot. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I caught Sophia giving Jayden an obvious, expected look with big eyes. I raised an eyebrow when she shoved her elbow into the side of his hip.

Jayden cleared his throat. “Speaking of...outings. I have to go to this benefit thing that Monster Energy is hosting tomorrow night.”

“Oh yeah?” I said.

“Yeah!” Sophia spoke up just as Jayden opened his mouth. “It’s a big fancy fundraiser so you and I have to go with him.”

“Oh um, okay. Yeah, I guess I could come.” I pondered out loud, mentally checking my schedule for tomorrow. I only had an early shift at work. “What’s the benefit dinner for?”

Sophia and Jayden looked at each other for a second. Just as Sophia shouted, “Cancer!”, Jayden said “Dying babies.” at the same time.

I immediately narrowed my eyes with suspicion. “What is happening right now? Why are you guys acting weird?”

“We’re not, we’re not.” Sophia flicked her wrist and laughed in an unnatural high pitch. “What Jayden and I meant to say was the benefit is for babies with cancer.”

“Babies with cancer.” I repeated slowly. I then raised an eyebrow at Jayden. “That’s awfully specific.”

“Babies deserve a full life, Vita!” Jayden voiced with clarity. “We have to do whatever we can to give them that!”

“Right.” I was still unconvinced.

“Anyways, you’re coming over to mine after work and we’ll get all dressed up!” Sophia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ll even lend you one of my dresses! And I’ll do your makeup.”

“Lucky me.” I said sarcastically before taking another sip of my beer. I nodded my head at the Doritos bag sitting on Jayden’s lap. “Chip me.”



“I am not wearing this to a benefit dinner.”

“Yes, you are!”

“Sophia.” I turned away from the mirror to face my best friend. “My cleavage is showing.”

Sophia laughed as she finished brushing bronzer across her face. “That’s the whole point, you big granny!”

I slowly turned back to the mirror and shook my head. This dress was so far from inappropriate for a benefit dinner, it was ridiculous. First of all, the dress was black and skin-tight. It was something you were suppose to wear to a nightclub, not a goddamn fundraiser that fights cancer. It didn’t exactly help that the front dipped low in the shape of a V. with a tiny lacey trim at the hem of the dress. It was your typical Sophia dress. The minute she yanked it out of her closet, she practically had to wrestle the thing on me.

“I can’t wear this.” I continued to complain. “People will think I’m some kinda whore-slut thing.”

“Aye, what you trying to say, huh?” Sophia whipped around to snarl at me. Her Columbian accent was extra thick when she got angry.

“You’re hot in this because you have the big boobs to fill this thing out!” I grabbed my chest, suddenly feeling very small in comparison. “I look like Lindsay Lohan circa 2004.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Vita. You look gorgeous.” She stood up from her vanity and motioned for me to sit. “Come, I do your make-up.”

“Why did Jayden only tell me about this fundraiser-benefit thingy yesterday, anyways?” I asked as I walked over to the vanity. Sophia pulled me down into the chair and started pulling out the huge curlers that were in my hair - oh yeah, Sophia went all out when I gave her permission to dress me up. She treated me like a goddamn barbie.

I watched Sophia shrug in the mirror in front of me. “I don’t know. Probably forgot. He’s been busy with training.”

“Huh...” I continued to reflect. “I thought he hated these kinda things, though. Doesn’t he always bail?”

“He can’t bail on dying babies, Vita.”

She got me on that one. I kept quiet while she started brushing out my now wavy blonde hair. I don’t know why, but I had a weird feeling about all of this. I’ve never seen Sophia concentrate so hard on how I looked for something as stupid as a benefit in my life. She didn’t even pay this much attention to how my hair looked for our Senior prom.

Now I was extra suspicious.

“Who’s gonna be there, Sophia?” My eyebrow elevated in a second. “There aren’t going to be any certain type of celebrities in attendance, are there?”

“Why you look at me like I know, huh?” Sophia pointed the hairbrush she was holding at her chest. “There’s probably gonna be athletes there, so you can relax.”

I stayed quiet for the remainder of the time Sophia spent painting my face with her makeup collection, save for the occasional hum to the song playing on her laptop.

Twenty minutes later, Jayden’s 2014 Lexus pulled into Sophia’s driveway. Just as we walked out the front door, Jayden got out of the car to whistle at me.

“Wowza, Vita. Aren’t you a hot tamale?” He smirked, knowing I was more than uncomfortable in what I was wearing.

“I’ll cut you.” I retorted, pulling down the hem of the dress to my knees. I then realized Jayden wasn’t dressed up at all. In fact, he was wearing an old t-shirt with the Nike check on the front and his old forrest green corduroy jeans. I paused in front of the car. “Wait a tick. What’s with your get-up?”

He looked down at his outfit, immediately flushed in the face. “Oh, uhh..”

“Like we could ever get Jayden to wear an actual shirt and slacks!” Sophia came up behind me in her own hot pink dress. She grabbed onto my wrist and dragged me towards the car. “Come on, we’ll be late!”

“Where is this thing being held?” I asked. I felt like I had so many questions about tonight, and they were both being short with me. Or every time I asked Jayden about it, Sophia always had the answer. How she knew more about this fundraiser than Jayden did, was a mystery to me.

“The River Rock, right Jayden?” Sophia answered as she fiddled with the huge gold hoops that dangled from her ears. She was sitting upfront with Jayden. “It’s downtown.”

“Yep.” Jayden concluded.

“Huh. Never heard of it.” I sat back in my seat and sighed.

Sophia didn’t live too far from downtown Miami, but it took longer than usual because it was five pm, which meant traffic was backed up in the whole city. It was dusk by the time we pulled up to a great, architecturally pleasing building that had ‘The River Rock Restaurant’ written in bright blue lights. As we got out of the car and walked over to the two main doors, I couldn’t help but realize just how excited Sophia looked. She was a good five feet ahead of Jayden and me, which never happened. She was clapping too.

That should have been the first thing that tipped me off, but it wasn’t.

The second thing that should have tipped me off was a waiter dressed to the nines escorted the three of us to some private room under Jayden’s name. That’s when I realized there wasn’t a fundraiser in sight.

The last thing that should have tipped me off about what was happening was when, seconds before the waiter opened the double doors to a private dining room, Jayden turned to me and said. “Now’s probably a good time to say I’m sorry, don’t hate me, and Sophia made me do it.”

I was about to ask him what in Gods name was he talking about, but the minute those double doors swung open, I didn’t have to.

Harry Styles was standing next to a table set for two in the private room with a huge grin on his face.

“Surprise.”