Misty

Mother Nature gave us a break at Christmas before throwing our asses into a deep freeze. I didn't order a freezer to hang out in. She can stick her subzero temps where the sun doesn't shine.

If we didn't wear layers of clothes, we would develop hypothermia from the negative temps. No offense to anyone, but I wasn't a fan of freezing to death. Nash treated me like I was his own present to unwrap. My boyfriend was a dirty boy.

Nash and I ran into the bakery, dancing around and rubbing our arms to get warm from the little time we spent outside. I couldn't feel my toes in my winter boots even though I wore two pairs of socks. We hurried to the counter, where Diego waited for us.

"Cold?" He asked.

"Freezing. It surprises me that you're working in the bakery since you work in the cafe at home," I mentioned.

"My dad wants me to learn all facets of cooking, including baking. He wants me to follow in his footsteps at the restaurant."

"Is that before or after you eat his supplies?"

"I enjoy sampling delicious meals." He smirked. "What can I get you?"

"Two hot coffees. A caramel latte for Mags. A regular for me," Nash ordered.

"Two coffees coming up." Diego gathered our drink order while we waited.

Nathan and Noah arrived and busted their asses to the counter.

"Give me a coffee, Diego," Nathan ordered.

"I'll take a hot cocoa with whipped cream," Noah added.

Diego nodded before returning to our drinks.

"I thought you had class," Nash said to them.

"Not for a few hours. The girls have class," Nathan said.

"We came to get hot drinks since the machine at school sucks ass," Noah said.

"No shit," Nash said.

"Why do schools stock vending machines with the worst coffee ever? Does every staff member get together and say let's stock these machines with motor oil?" Nathan asked.

We laughed because he wasn't wrong. The coffee vending machines at our old high school stock shit they passed off as coffee. The energy drinks were even worse.

"We can't help it if our family turned us into coffee snobs." Noah shrugged.

Diego placed our drinks on the counter. We paid him before taking them to a table and sitting down.

"When do you start your core classes?" Nathan asked.

"Next year. We have most of our basics out of the way. Aside from English, Math, and a few electives, most are core classes. I can't wait to dive into the pastry classes," Nash said.

Nathan nodded in agreement.

"What do you want to do for our birthday this year?" Noah asked.

Before Nash could answer, the bell chimed on the front door, and Nixon and Nolan entered. They stopped by the table briefly before heading to the counter. They returned with their coffees and a box of pastries. I grabbed a glazed donut and bit into it.

"What are we discussing?" Nixon asked, grabbing a bear claw from the box.

"We're trying to figure out what to do for our birthdays," Nathan said.

"Why don't we check out a college party?" Nolan asked.

We looked at Nolan like he wanted drunken antics part deux.

Nolan rolled his eyes. "I don't mean to attend a party and get blitzed off our asses. But we can't say we came to college and didn't attend any parties."

"What's the sense in attending a party if you're not drinking?" Noah asked.

"Not everyone drinks."

"Everyone drinks at college parties," Nathan said.

"Not Grandpa Matt since he doesn't drink."

Nolan was right. Matt didn't drink. I can't speak for the rest of their family since some did drink and develop issues with it.

"I'm sure we can attend a party without drinking," Nash said.

"If anyone starts shit, we'll leave," Nixon said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"What about you, Mags?" Nash asked me.

"I'm good with attending a party without getting drunk. Once was enough to last me a lifetime," I said.

"Yeah, but that wasn't your fault. Someone spiked your drink," Noah reasoned.

"I still suffered from the episode. I prefer to have all my faculties."

"Any new information from Castiel?" Nash asked Nixon.

"Nothing that would help us. It's not like Castiel is forthcoming," Nixon said.

"Doesn't it seem odd God's helpers are being quiet? Shouldn't they advise us on how to avoid these things?" Nathan asked.

"It doesn't work that way. Demons don't play by the rules. They make their own rules."

"It's still not helpful. How do we figure out this thing's next move?"

Good question.

*******
Nash

Nix and Nathan got into a theoretical discussion about angels. I wanted to say it would help us, but it didn't. We were no closer to getting any answers than we were before.

I didn't like attending a college party, but my cousins were right. It would seem suspicious if we didn't participate in at least one party at college. It doesn't mean we need to drink. We make an appearance. If the party is lame or has problems, we leave.

Mags and I finished our coffees before bundling up and running to the house. We had to dodge ice before we slipped and fell. We didn't need a broken bone from smacking the frozen ground. Our parents would throttle us since we weren't being careful.

When we arrived at the house, we removed our coats, hats, gloves, and boots and covered ourselves with a blanket on the couch. Mags' teeth chattered uncontrollably. I rubbed her arms to warm her until she stopped shivering.

"I wish we could move somewhere warm," Mags mentioned.

"If we did, you would want to move to a cooler climate."

"True, but I have the right to change my mind."

I chuckled.

"Nash, are you sure going to a party is a good idea?"

"Honestly?"

Mags nodded her head.

"Not really. But I can't keep everyone from having the full college experience. People would start side-eyeing us."

"What if something happens at the party?"

"If anyone starts their shit, we'll leave. I'm not dealing with bullshit because my cousins want to attend a party. Plus, Nana will be busy for Dad's birthday."

"Tori does enjoy celebrating everyone's birthdays, doesn't she?"

"Nana has turned everyone's birthday into a national holiday since Grandpa hates weddings."

Mags giggled. "I think it's sweet that Tori celebrates everyone's birthdays. Most people don't."

"Most people get to the age when it means they're closer to having one foot in the grave."

Mags shoved me playfully. "You're terrible."

"Why? It's the truth." I shrugged.

Mags rolled her eyes and shook her head.

My cousins and I share my dad's birthday. Mags' birthday is the following day. I prefer to celebrate her birthday over mine. I followed in my dad's footsteps in that aspect.

******
Misty

If I learned anything about Nash, it is that he preferred to celebrate with others instead of himself. He was happy if I gave him a cupcake with a candle on his birthday. He said it meant more because it was a sincere gesture.

I can see how Nash would view it that way. Too many people go crazy over birthdays. You can celebrate someone's birth with cake and ice cream without the added production.

Nash glanced at me. "What?"

I looked at him. "I was thinking about your birthday. I would wait until midnight and give you a cupcake with a single candle. It became our tradition."

"It meant more to me. You would wake me up and give me a cupcake at midnight."

"And you never complained even if you had been exhausted from work."

"How can I complain about a thoughtful gesture? You wanted to be the first to wish me a happy birthday."

My lips curled upward.

*****
Valentino

"No matter what, Mags, it's a tradition I still honor." I pulled Mags to me, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed the top of her head. I did everything wrong the last time with her. I refuse to make the same mistakes again. If I learned anything from our past life, we got a second chance to get it right. I planned to take it.

However, my cousins' idea would cause chaos and land us in the clink on our birthday again. Our little stunt wouldn't sit well with our dads when they showed up to bail us out, setting the stage for our spring break vacation. We would end up with the worst chaperones ever.

I blame Nolan and Noah for this party idea.