I nodded, my curiosity piqued. “Of course.”
“Aw, did ye get her somethin’ cheesy ye don’t want the rest of us to see, King?” Luke teased.
Tobias sighed. “Whatever.”
“He did.” Andy laughed. “Oh come on, Com, open it. Let us see.”
“Nope.” I tucked the gift into my bag. “For my eyes only.”
Tobias smiled at me in gratitude. “So birthday girl...breakfast is on us. What do you want?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
He and Vicki exchanged a look. “Belgian waffles.”
I giggled happily.
Best birthday ever.
It was only proved as such later that night when I snuck Tobias into my room. We’d spent the whole day with our friends in the city. First we’d gone to the cinema to see the latest Marvel flick, and then we’d just wandered around, checking out shops together, having a laugh.
Being with them all was great. Having them in my life was something I hadn’t even realized I was missing. Yet, I was also desperate to get Tobias alone so I could open his present.
“Finally!” I threw myself on my bed and immediately dived into my bag for the gift.
I was aware of Tobias taking a seat on the armchair across from me but I was mostly focused on the present.
Caressing the paper, I was at once excited and nervous. There was always a chance of not liking a gift someone I loved gave me and I wasn’t sure I was very good at lying.
“Would you open it already?”
I bit my lip at his nervous impatience. “Sorry.” I tore the paper, and my heart started to pound when I realized it was a Thomas Sabo jewelry box. Inside I discovered a thin rose-gold double-banded bracelet. The metal of the bracelets was twisted to make it look like rope. Decorating the middle was a rose-gold, unopened lotus flower inside a larger opened flower. Four tiny crystals embellished the inner flower, sparkling and catching in the light. A card fell out as I picked up the delicate, beautiful bracelet, and I opened it only to suck in my breath at the words he’d scrawled on it.
Every beautiful thing I see reminds me of you so it was hard to choose just one. But I thought you’d like this one best.
Happy 17th Birthday, Comet.
I love you more each day.
Tobias
I looked up, tears shimmering in my eyes, at his expectant, wary expression. “Do you like it?”
Carefully, I placed the card and the bracelet aside and then I launched myself across the room at him. His surprised laughter was cut off by my kisses.
He temporarily broke free of my passion to say breathlessly as he carried me across the room toward my bed, “I guess you like it.”
“Love it,” I corrected him, laughing as we bounced across my mattress.
“Shh.” He reminded me my parents were upstairs and I tried to stifle my giggles. “We better be quiet or Kyle will kick me out before I give you your other present.”
At his wicked expression I muffled more laughter. “So full of yourself, King.”
He grinned cockily. “With reason.”
I bit my lip to stifle more laughter and then he was kissing me, stifling it for me.
Yeah.
Definitely my best birthday ever.
THE FRAGILE ORDINARYSAMANTHA YOUNG
28
The sky fell down today
And shattered into pieces.
—CC
“It’s hopeless,” I bemoaned.
“What?” Vicki said, concerned.
“I’m never going to understand rugby!”
As if to illustrate my point something happened on the field and people standing on the sidelines beside us cheered. Including Tobias’s mum. “What? What did I miss?”
Lena grinned. “I have no idea. I just went with the crowd. But I think Tobias’s team is doing well.”
I turned to my best friend. “Please tell me you know what the hell is going on.”
“Not a clue.” Vicki shrugged. “Luke talks to me about the game and I think I understand what he’s talking about while he’s talking about it but as soon as he stops it’s like all that information just dribbles out of my ears.”
“Get used to that, girls,” Lena said. “It’s called spousal memory loss.”
We laughed loudly, drawing a glare from one of our team supporters, which only made us laugh harder. Once we’d calmed we turned our attention back to the game and I concentrated so hard on trying to work out what was going on that I missed the fact that Tobias had scored. Everyone started cheering, so we started cheering, too.
“Did they win?” I cried. “Did they win?”
“I think they won!” Lena grinned.
“They won!” the disgruntled man who had glared at us earlier confirmed, making us cheer with delight again.
Tobias celebrated with manly hugs and pats on the back with his team and coach, and then he and Luke started to make their way toward us. Lena’s phone rang, and she frowned at the screen. “Go congratulate the boys. I have to take this.” She strode away from the loud crowds as Vicki and I hurried to meet our boyfriends.
“Well done!” I cried as Tobias swung me up in his arms. His skin felt slick and hot, and he smelled of fresh sweat and heat. I kissed him in congratulations, feeling him smile against my mouth, and when I pulled back he grinned from ear to ear.
It was the first time I’d seen this side of him—his triumphant sportsman side. He seemed to vibrate with energy and joy. Being around him was heady. “Wow. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like what?” he asked, squeezing my waist to keep my close.
“All jazzed and giddy.”
Tobias rolled his eyes in good humor. “I’m a guy, Com. I don’t do giddy.”
“Well you’re the man-version of giddy.”
He laughed and hugged me, lifting me right off my feet and I enjoyed the moment.
I’m glad I did.
Because the next...
As my boyfriend lowered me to my feet, his gaze moved over my shoulder. The smile on his lips died as his brows drew together. “Mom?”
I turned in his arms to find Lena standing in front of us, her mobile curled tight in her fist, her face leached of all color. The bleak expression in her eyes made me freeze in place.
“Mom?” Tobias gently eased away from me to approach her. He touched her arm. “What’s wrong?”
“That was Carole,” she said, her voice hushed. “Stevie... I’m sorry, son. Stevie’s dead. He...” She shrugged, looking as confused and scared as I suddenly felt. “He overdosed.”
No.
No!
NO!
My hands flew to my mouth as if to stop the sudden wave of nausea from vomiting out of me. The field around me blurred at the edges and wavered as I swayed on my feet. I was vaguely aware of someone putting an arm around me and asking me if I was okay, but all I could do was stare at Tobias. He stumbled back from Lena, the color drained from his cheeks, and then suddenly he bent over, his heads on his knees as he struggled to draw breath.
His shuddered as his mum put her hand on his back in comfort and his whole body shook with tearless sobs.
Somehow I came unstuck, moving through the thick fog of unreality toward him. He looked up as if he sensed me and stared at me with a wild, frightened gaze that made me halt. And then he pushed up, jerking his mother’s hand off him, and he strode away.
Soon he was just a blur, walking away in the distance being chased by another blur, and it wasn’t until I felt arms around me and Vicki’s voice saying she was sorry in my ear that I realized I was crying and she was comforting me.
THE FRAGILE ORDINARYSAMANTHA YOUNG
29
He fell into Midnight’s dark embrace,
While I could do nothing to stop it.
I hope Midnight leads to a better place,
A heaven lush, sweet, peaceful and sunlit.
—CC
The turnout at Stevie’s funeral surprised me.
When a child died it was customary for the headteachers to arrange for the school to be closed so classmates and teachers could attend the funeral. Stevie’s funeral fell on a school holiday, so there was no need to formally organize anything or even to discuss it. Stevie’s closest friends were all in attendance, including Jimmy, Forrester and Alana. Where Jimmy and Alana looked uncomfortable being there, Forrester openly cried.