ii. fuck.

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"Just text him," Sasha says, stuffing a forkful of take-out in her mouth.

"Just text him," you mock. "Well, damn, Sasha, if it were that easy, don't you think I'd have done it already??"

She shrugs. "What's the problem, girl? You're usually not afraid to hit guys up."

"I'm not doing it," you mutter, discarding your phone by tossing it on your bed and placing your hands on your knees.

Sasha sighs. "I understand... kind of. You swear you've never been through anything to have such strong feelings about relationships, yet you're hell-bent on these rules of yours."

"I've never even been in an actual relationship," you say. "The only thing I've been through relationship-wise is pretty bad bullying. I think it might be that, I don't know, it doesn't matter, I'm not texting Eren."

"Okay," she nods. "I get it. You don't have to. I hope you'll be able to find someone for you one day. But it's not a stress, you're only 19... well, 20 now. Speaking of which, you should probably finish getting ready for the day. Aren't you going to see your family?"

"Yep, and I can't wait. I haven't seen my parents in a while."

"Alright, just don't forget. We leave at about 9:30," Sasha reminds you. Have you got your ID?"

"Yep, one fake as shit ID, check."

She laughs, walking out to give you some privacy to get ready. 

time skip :: your parents house.

As you pull up, you notice the amount of cars in the driveway—no doubt Jadah's. Your parents have their own vehicles, so only Jordan and Briana don't have one yet. And you think your aunt is here too.

You step out of your car and walk up to the door. Just as you're about to knock, your mom opens the door. "Y/n!!"

"Mama!" You lean forward and wrap your arms around her, giving her a big hug. She ushers you inside and closes the door behind you. "Where's daddy and them?"

"Out back, c'mon," she walks through the house and you follow her to their backyard. Once you step outside, your jaw drops. "Surprise!!" They all shout in unison and clap for you. Your siblings quickly surround you, pulling you into a group hug.

"You look so good, girl!" Jadah smiles, touching one of your curls. "The hair is givingggg."

You laugh, "How have you guys been?"

"So good, we have so much catching up to do," Briana grins.

"Hold on now. Y'all can talk later. Let's light the cake and let Y/n open her presents," your mom calls out, walking over to the large table laden with food and, more importantly, cake.

As you all gathered around the table, taking a seat and playing some music in the background, Jordan sheepishly sat beside you, rubbing the back of his neck. "Happy birthday," he mutters.

"Thanks," you deadpan.

"What's wrong with y'all?? Not you having beef already," Jadah comments with a laugh.

"None of that," your aunt Hannah says, raising a finger. "Enjoy your birthday, love."

"She's pissed at me because last time I saw her, I ruined her favorite sweater," he groans and then adds quickly, "By accident! And I've apologized so many times already."

You mug him and mutter, "You know better than to touch my stuff, Jordan. And 'my fault,'" you mimic him in your best Jordan impression. "Over and over... isn't an apology. But whatever, I'm tryna blow out the candles, already. Dad, come on." It was tradition for him to light the cake.

"Right here, pumpkin," he walks around to lean over you as he lights the nice-sized cake in front of you. The '20' illuminates the rest of the cake and, for some reason, it's just sinking in that you're no longer a teenager. Maybe it's the candlelight that makes your eyes look extra glossy, but everyone almost thought tears were welling in your eyes just slightly.

Your dad places a kiss on your cheek, and you smile ear-to-ear. "Happy birthday, baby."

Your mom is the first to start singing, and everyone else joins in.

You smile sheepishly, the attention making your cheeks burn a bit. They all cheer loudly as you blow out the candles, just as the final notes of the song fade away.

[ something similar but of course with candles and maybe a little bigger ]

"Gift time!" Briana announces.

Your parents got you a new laptop, and your aunt restocked your go-to hair products. Jadah gave you some new car accessories, Briana gave you her Starbucks gift card, and finally, Jordan handed you a white bag with your initials on it.

You look at him before taking out the black gift paper and unraveling it, revealing a brand new sweater, even better than the last one but with a similar color.

You glance at him, smiling as you open your arms for a hug. "Thanks, monkey."

He hugs you back, rolling his eyes. "That's not.."

You start cracking up at his reaction. 

time skip :: in line at the nightclub

[ similar outfits so i put both for each of 'em 🤷🏾‍♀️ ]

"It's cold as fuck out hereee," you whine, hugging your waist and then flocking to Sasha and Annie.

"Well, you're practically naked, soo.." Annie says, noting the obvious.

"Well, duh, I'm tryna be seen, seen tonight," you smirk. "It's my birthday tradition."

"I feel like it's your every night tradition," Sasha mutters.

You hit her arm. "Not every night! Just some weekends. A bitch lovesss ha some dick, no strings attached," you laugh. "Feels healthier for my heart somehow."

Sasha and Annie shake their heads at you, laughing. "I get what you mean, though. Armin has me running around in circles. I can never tell if he's into me or not."

"He's into you," you and Sasha say in unison like it was the most obvious thing in the world. You actually never met him but based on the texts, voice messages, and the occasional face-timing... it was obvious.

Annie silently rolls her eyes and you turn to Sasha. "Niccolo didn't say anything about you being out at a club without him? You know the niggas gon' be around."

"Well, ... it's a girl's night. He'll be fine," she says anxiously.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" You huff out a small laugh, rubbing at your cold legs as the line moves along.

"No, but I mean, he'll be busy tonight anyway with the restaurant, and it's your birthday! I had to come out with the girls," she says, her voice a pitch higher than before. "He'll be fine." She repeats, seeming as if she was trying to convince herself more than you.

You and Annie share a quick look, before nodding once toward Sasha.

When it came to be your turn to show the bouncer your fake ID's-all but Annie anyway, who was already 21-you handed him the fake plastic thing and waited for him to let you pass. When he glances between you and the card one final time, you instinctively smile sweetly.

You, Sasha, and Annie are cleared and they step aside to usher you inside.

Once you all walked deeper into the loud building, you all cheered, making your way to the bar. "Okay, before any of us drink, which of us is the D.D.??" You ask, looking between the two.

"I'll be, I shouldn't get drunk," Sasha says. "I'm the only one who has a boyfriend. Officially anyway. So, it's safer if I just don't." She laughs.

"Alright," Annie says, hitting the bar and calling for the bartender. "Let's get litttt."

You laugh and drink a couple of shots before standing up. "I'ma go dance!" You say over the music to let Sasha and Annie know. Annie nods and Sasha throws you a thumbs up.

As you walk over to the dance floor, you're frozen in your tracks when you notice a familiar pair of green eyes. Emerald eyes. You do a double take and you're certain that's him. He looks... a bit different than before. His hair is out, showcasing the exact length. His arms are exposed so you can see all of his tattoos. Or at least their outline was visible, teased by the dim lighting. His pants are a bit low, so if he were to lift his arms or his shirt a bit... you'd see his hipbones.

Fuck.

Continued in the next chapter 🌚