Aurora's room smelled like vanilla candles and strawberry lip gloss. The four of us—me, Aurora, Elena, and Joanna—were sprawled out across her pink-and-white queen-sized bed, our laptops and phones scattered between piles of glossy magazines and nail polish bottles. Music pulsed softly from Aurora's Bluetooth speaker, one of those sugary pop songs Elena insisted on replaying five times in a row.
It was Friday night, and we were in full-on sleepover mode, except we weren't just gossiping about random crushes or bingeing Netflix. No. This was serious. We were planning my eighteenth birthday party.
And everything had to be perfect.
"It's going to be at the beach house, right?" Joanna asked, twirling a strand of her long blonde hair. She was perched on the edge of the bed with her laptop open, typing furiously as though she was my personal secretary.
"Yes," I said, tugging my satin scrunchie tighter around my wrist. "Dad already gave me permission to use the beach house. It's literally the perfect place. Ocean view, private pool, plenty of space. Only the most iconic spot for an eighteenth birthday."
Aurora squealed, rolling onto her stomach and propping her chin on her hands. "Ugh, imagine the photos we're going to take. Sunset, the ocean behind us, you in your birthday dress,Clara, it's going to blow up on Insta."
"As if it wouldn't," I smirked, biting delicately into one of the cookies Aurora's mom had brought up earlier. Just one. I was on a diet. No way was I letting carbs ruin the way I'd look in that silk dress I'd already mentally claimed from Prada. Elena, of course, was on her third cookie, crumbs dusting her pajamas, and I honestly had no idea how she didn't gain a single pound. Life was unfair.
"You need fireworks," Elena said, mouth full, reaching for a fourth cookie. "Like, imagine at midnight—boom! Fireworks over the water. People will remember your party forever."
"Yes!" Aurora clapped her hands, almost knocking over the nail polish. "Fireworks are so extra, but so you."
I leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes for a moment and imagining it: everyone gathered around, staring in awe, phones out, while fireworks exploded behind me like I was the main character in a movie. It would be legendary.
"It's settled," I said, opening my eyes with a smile. "We'll have fireworks. My parents are going to complain about safety regulations, but whatever. I'll handle them."
We all burst out laughing, the kind of sleepover giggles that didn't need much reason. But Joanna, ever the serious one, cleared her throat dramatically.
"So…" she began, her eyes flicking to me. "Clara. About you and Mark."
The room went quiet for a second. I raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"
"I thought you guys broke up," she said carefully.
Aurora sat up straighter, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders. "Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It doesn't look like it."
"Of course we did," I snapped lightly, rolling my eyes. "We are not a thing anymore."
"But…" Aurora's lips curved into a sly smile. "He keeps hovering around you. And let's not forget he sat down at lunch like nothing happened."
I flipped my hair over my shoulder, letting it cascade down my back. "Well, that's his problem, not mine. I'm done with him. I've already moved on."
The girls gasped in unison, like they'd been waiting for me to say those exact words. "Moved on?" Elena demanded, sitting cross-legged with a cookie still in hand. "To who?"
Heat rushed to my cheeks before I could stop it. Ugh. I hated blushing. But I couldn't help it as I fiddled with a strand of my hair. "If you must know," I said, drawing it out just to torture them, "it's Jason."
The room erupted.
"Jason?" Joanna's eyes widened. "As in Mark's enemy from junior year?"
"Yes," I said simply, smiling to myself. "He's hot, he's sporty, and you know I have a weakness for sporty guys."
Aurora threw a pillow at me, squealing. "Oh my God, Jason is so hot. You and him would be like—ugh, the hottest couple in school."
"Exactly," I said smugly.
"But don't you think Mark will…" Elena trailed off, waving her cookie for emphasis. "…you know, explode when he finds out?"
I shrugged."I don't really care what Mark thinks. He's the past. Jason is the future."
"Future Mr. and Mrs. Hottie," Aurora sang, making kissing noises.
"Shut up!" I threw a pillow back at her, laughing despite myself.
For the next hour we talked nonstop about the party—music playlists, color themes, even arguing over the cake flavor until we finally agreed on strawberry shortcake with pink frosting. By the time we drifted off into late-night giggles, I felt giddy with anticipation. Everything was falling into place.
Monday arrived, and I strutted into school ready to own the week. My outfit was carefully curated—red crop top,black denim jacket and black skinny jeans with black ankle boots with chunky heels. Effortless perfection, but not really effortless at all.
When I opened my locker, though, I froze.
Inside, tucked neatly against my books, was a bouquet of roses. Red roses, long-stemmed, tied with a silk ribbon.
Behind me, my girls gasped so loudly heads actually turned.
"Oh. My. God." Elena leaned over my shoulder, her eyes wide. "Clara, are those for you?"
"Of course they are," Aurora said, already pulling out her phone to snap a picture.
I picked up the bouquet, inhaling the sweet, rich scent. A small folded note was tucked between the stems. My heart did a tiny skip as I opened it and read aloud:
"To the most beautiful girl in this school. You deserve more than attention,you deserve admiration."
Unsigned.
"Awwww!" Joanna practically melted into the lockers. "That's so romantic!"
Elena nudged me with her elbow. "You've got yourself another admirer."
I smirked, sliding the note back into the bouquet. "Please. I have dozens of admirers. This is nothing new."
"Yeah, but still," Aurora said, bouncing on her heels. "Who do you think it is?"
I didn't hesitate. "Jason. Obviously. He's finally making his move."
Joanna tilted her head. "But how do you know it's him? He didn't sign it."
"I just know," I said with a toss of my hair. "Besides, a mere flower won't win me over. He's going to have to do way better than this."
The girls all laughed and agreed. I carefully set the roses back in my locker, grabbed my notebook, and shut the door with a snap. Jason was playing his game. And I was ready to play mine.
They all gathered round my table during recess, the guys deep in some pointless football debate while we scrolled through fashion blogs. My latest Instagram post had already hit five hundred likes, and I couldn't resist showing the girls.
"That's iconic," Aurora gasped, zooming in on the picture. "Your outfit yesterday? You looked like a model."
"Because I basically am one," I said with a laugh.
That's when Elena nudged me hard. "Good news and bad news," she whispered. "Good news: Jason is walking toward us. Bad news: the nerd is with him."
My stomach flipped at Jason's name, but I forced my expression into one of practiced calm as I watched him approach. God, he looked good. Tall, broad-shouldered, that confident stride. His smile alone was enough to make the girls around us turn and stare.
"Hi, girls," Jason said smoothly, flashing that heart-stopping grin. He fist-bumped the guys, while the nerd trailed behind him awkwardly, clutching his books.
"Hi," the nerd mumbled. He actually held out his hand for a shake. Nobody moved. Nobody except Jack, Aurora's boyfriend, who gave him a pity handshake.
"How are you, Clara?" Jason asked, ignoring the awkwardness. His eyes met mine, and I swear I almost forgot to breathe. "You look beautiful as always."
My heart fluttered. I tilted my head, letting a smile play on my lips. "Well, I always look good."
Jason chuckled, his gaze warm. "This is my friend, Adrian," he said, gesturing to the nerd.
I gave Adrian the briefest glance—ugly glasses, hideous sweater, shy little eyes darting anywhere but at me. "Hi, Clara," he stuttered, blushing furiously.
I wrinkled my nose. "You're friends with this loser?"
Jason blinked, looking genuinely surprised. For a second, I thought he might actually call me out. But then he smiled tightly, masking it. "He's not a loser."
"Yes, he is," I said with a dismissive laugh. "He can't even defend himself. Such a loser."
Adrian shifted his weight, staring at his shoes.
Aurora jumped in, her voice sharp. "Jason, you shouldn't hang out with people like him. You're better than that."
The rest of the table murmured their agreement.
Jason's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Well," he said finally, his voice polite but clipped. "It was nice talking to you guys. See you around, Clara."
"See you around," I said softly, watching him walk away.
The second he was out of earshot, Elena leaned across the table. "Can you believe Jason's friends with that?"
"You guys were kind of rude," Jack muttered, frowning.
Aurora rounded on him instantly. "Excuse me? We put him in his place. And why would you even touch him? Don't touch me with that hand until you wash it."
Jack sighed, running a hand down his face. "Fine. Whatever, babe."
"Anyway," Joanna said quickly, trying to smooth things over. "Now I'm really convinced Jason was the one who sent those flowers."
I smiled, but I wasn't happy that Jason hangs out with that stupid nerd.Jason was perfect. But his choice of friends? Not so much.
I pushed the thought aside, pulling out my phone to check Instagram again. My latest post had crossed six hundred likes. And just like that, my mood soared back up.
Because Clara Richards didn't have time to worry about nerds. I had a party to plan.