'It's my birthday tomorrow'

Hawnlica though as she looked into a hallway mirror and sighed.
She bagan tidying her hair into a bun.

'Not looking forward to it!

Why you may wonder?

Well, not only is it yet another forced family reunion were I'm forced to stockpile gifts I don't want and others didn't want to give me (- Yes! I have a conscience) but I'm reaching the wrong side of my teens.

Before I know it, I'll be the dreaded twenteen'

She continued in her head as she finished her hair.

'But you know, I could flip all that and think positive.

What would Layla say?

"Re-gift the things you never use, it saves me buying gifts for others"
And
"At least you'll get young adult minimum wage now"

She thought as she scraped plague off her teeth then wiped it on her light top.

"Yep! Definitely spending most of my birthday with Layla; I could do with some sanity and a good chat'

Hawnlica thought as she moved to the room a few steps away from her and gazed in; her mother was asleep on the sofa.

'I haven't seen Lay in months, but that's OK; I have that relationship with her, and Ester - we sort of just pick up where we left off, and we don't even need to spend - friendship can be expensive, Layla works a well paid job, yet she's the only one who understands that I'm broke, so not going out clubbing isn't me being anti-social. This can't be said for the rest of them'

Hawnlica thought as she sat at the end of the sofa beside her mothers curled up form.

She removed the controls from beside Asia's feet before she mimicked her mother and curled up on the opposing end of the sofa.

Hawnlica flipped through TV stations, napped, then awoke to a phone ringing...

Hawnlica giggled in union with a man over the phone...

"Keep the noise down" Asia quietly moaned from her half sleep state.

"Well go to bed" Hawnlica replied with her hand on the receiver.

Asia huffed and began getting up to leave...

"What was that" Hawnlica asked.

"I said I'd take what she says with a pinch of salt" he said.

"She speaks sense you know, if you think, old English literature, talks weird sense" Hawnlica stated.

"So you gonna see her tomorow?" he asked.

"I won't see her on my birthday, I like to give her a bit of space now and then; it gives me more to talk about and the twenty minute walk can be tiresome, especially when I don't really need to leave my bed" she answered.

"So you're giving yourself a break than" he claimed.

"I suppose so" Hawnlica answered as she thought "I don't want visiting her to become a chore and it doesn't really make any difference to her weather I show up or not, I don't think anyway"

"But she knows you" he claimed

"She forgets who I am most of the time" Hawnlica stated.

"She may do but you're right; she does take in more than people think" he said.

"Yeah, and she aint boring; it's nice to be around an interesting person, and one that's not clingy" Hawnlica said.

"And gives you practical gifts - I miss that you know" he said.

"I know, I'll go thank Ester for that; lasted a good three days, but I'll have to quiz her on hunting protected animals" Hawnlica claimed.