For the first time, perhaps ever, they couldn't seat us at brunch. Like, I thought we practically had a table with our name on it, but Gwen turned us away. I should've known. I heard she's dating Harry now. Queen's is too small for my comfort.

At least they gave us to-go cups, and Anthony seemed to know another place. It's his Mama's turn to pay, which works out well because it's my birthday. Not that my birthday has been all that great.

"How could Dantae be so damn stupid?" I ask, sipping my coffee.

The two of us haven't been able to talk since Friday. I wasn't quite ready to talk about Dantae's antics yesterday. Besides, Anthony was at a robotics tournament. They won the whole thing, apparently. I would've gone (not to be on the team, just to support him) if I didn't have to babysit Dantae and Damien all night.

Mama and Papa are furious.

"I mean, he's getting off probation in one month. Vandalism and trespassing are one thing, I feel like I do them once a week. But violence?" I shake my head back and forth, glancing over at Anthony.

The kid shakes his head back and forth incredulously. Although, he can't meet my eyes for some reason. I promised myself that I would try not to dig through Peter, so I'm not going to dig through him either, no matter how tempted I am.

"Your brother," Anthony takes a bite of the muffin he is carrying, although he isn't hungry.

I don't mention that the person I caught him beating up is Spider-man. Mostly because Spider-man and my brother have a past. That's how I heard about the guy in the first place. Spider-shit busted a buddy for robbing a convenience store. Not that the buddy didn't deserve it, but still.

"My brother," I roll my eyes.

There is a question that sits between us. Since last Sunday, nothing has changed for Anthony. He seems happy to talk about my bother rather than about himself. Still, I want to ask if his father is the reason he has been missing do many classes, or if there is a worse demon in his closet.

And I could figure it out, if I wanted to. But I don't. I know better than to go messing around in other people.

"Are you doing okay, Anthony?" I finally force myself to ask the question.

Anthony doesn't answer the question. He doesn't shrug, or blink, or run a hand through his tight curls, or anything. It makes him impossible to read. We round a corner, approaching a bunch of apartment buildings.

"I still can't believe that there was a rabid dog in our school," he rolls his eyes. I'm surprised he didn't bring out a cigarette with him to smoke. "I'm surprised it hasn't been all over the news."

"Everyone is pre-occupied with Spider-shit," I note glancing him over.

"Well, I mean, it's not everyday New York has a new vigilante," Anthony notes.

I'm kind of thankful he doesn't ask me about what I was up to during the lockdown. There are three missed text messages from Peter that I don't plan on answering anytime soon. At least, I imagine Peter only has a little crush on me. His eyes linger just too long. Maybe he doesn't even like me, and just thinks I'm pretty.

It's hard to tell sometimes. I'm not risking the idea of innocent thoughts turning putrid though. Besides, I need more friends, and not more boyfriends.

"We're here," Anthony announces.

He gestures up to an apartment building, and then goes up to a buzzer.

"This is not a brunch place," I read it off him. "This is a shitty surprise party, isn't it? This is Parker's house."

Anthony shrugs, the beginning of a grin on his face. "We planned it yesterday. You really can't keep a secret from you. Just act surprised, alright?"

I cross my arms over my chest, no intention of doing such a thing. We buzz up and head into the elevator. The whole way up, I tap my foot on the ground. With every movement, Anthony flinches.

"Who exactly is going to be there?" I ask him. "You're my only friend. Also, Peter and I haven't been talking because I stood him up, which I bet he mentioned to you."

"Well, obviously Peter is going to be there. So is your brother, Michelle and Ned," Anthony glares at me. He nudges my foot, carefully not to scuff my new shoes.

Honestly, it doesn't sound so bad, but Anthony knows that I hate surprises. A surprise is the same as a prank and you can't tell me otherwise. If the elevator didn't ding as we approached the apartment, I would hit Anthony.

"Please tell me that nobody got me a gift," I tell Anthony.

"I told them all to buy you a new camera, since yours got smashed."

I roll my eyes. He's joking. Right? He's totally joking. I hope.

We walk down the hall. Anthony knocks on the door, and Peter answers on the other side. His eyes only briefly look at mine. "Hey. Come on in."

When the door is wide open, my jaw practically drops. The place is covered in décor. I mean covered. One wall has giant gold balloons in the shape of a 1 and a 6. Behind them are black pieces of fabric taped to the wall. The ceiling is practically covered in a shimmering rainbow of balloons, and streamers cover the other walls.

"Surprise!" Everyone yells.

I feel my jaw dropping. The lights go out, and all that is lit with is a cake with sixteen candles. The people inside the room begin to sing happy birthday, and I remain breathless. Maybe surprises don't suck as bad as I thought they do.

Once the song is over, I head to the cake and blow out the candles. Everyone cheers and the lights turn back on.

"I'm so ready for this cake," Anthony says. He doesn't seem to care that it is made out of ice cream, and is definitely going to give him the worst stomach ache imaginable. After I cut the first slice, I hand it to him.

As I cut the others, an older woman speaks to me. She has soft creases on her face, and a kind smile. "You must be Darcy. Peter has told me so much about you."

I blush, passing a slice to Peter. He groans slightly but hangs around.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker," I know that her husband has died, but from the tension relaxing in her shoulders, I can tell she appreciates it. Even if it makes her feel old.

"Please, call me May," she insists. She looks down at her watch and smiles. "You have me to thank for the photo wall. Peter told me that you weren't really the picture type, but what's a sweet sixteen without one?"

I mean, guess she is right. I've always liked to look back at the photos of my Mama when she was young. Even though I have no plans on having kids in the immediate future, you can never be too careful.

I use the photobooth with everyone, even though it seems no one except Ned likes photos. MJ's forced smile makes my stomach do summersaults but I'm not about to tell her that, so I let her in on the photos. I even drag Anthony away from the cake for a photo. His body goes stiff in front of the camera.

"Peter, come in," I tell him.

He looks up at me, and blinks a few times. "But... but I'm the one with the camera. I can't-"

"Give it to my brother," I tell him.

When Dantae nods, Peter hands it to him. He laughs a little bit, but quickly shuts his mouth.

When Peter and I stand together, his hand hovers over my waist without touching it. For a second, I think that he might not be as bad as Harry. Still, I'm not going to risk it.

Even if he isn't as bad as me.

"Smile Dar," Dantae orders. "Pretend it's your birthday or something."

I do smile, but I'm sure that anyone can tell I'm not happy.

When we've taken our photo, I try to drag Dantae in. As we get in the booth, he pulls me into a hug. Any unease I had melts away. When he pulls back, he slaps my shoulder.

"What did you wish for?" he asks. "You know, for your birthday?"

Absolutely nothing.