"Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me, Mia," Emmie says as soon as I enter the coffee shop she asked me to meet her at earlier in the day. Today just-so-happens to be December 14, which just-so-happens to be no other than my birthday. I'm eighteen now, and I tell myself that it's not a big deal. I'm legally an adult, which is something, I guess.

It's not that my parents don't love me, but we've never been big on birthdays. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we've never been that close as a family, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that my parents are always unusually busy almost all of the time. When my birthday rolls around, my parents usually just give me some money and buy me a cake from the store, which is what happened today. It was a nice little celebration, nothing extreme, but I enjoyed it all the same. It's eight at night now, so the celebration is long over.

"Of course," I say, sliding out of my jacket and flashing Emmie a small smile. The café is abnormally empty, I realize. Then again, it is eight o'clock. Most people don't want coffee right before they go to sleep.

"Oh," Emmie says suddenly, digging something out of her pocket. "This is for you. Happy Birthday, Lil M!" She rests a tiny gift-wrapped box in front of me, and the gesture makes me smile. It's the little things that always seem to really get to me, for whatever reason.

"You shouldn't have—"

"Of course I should have," Emmie cuts me off, shaking her head like she couldn't disagree with me more. "You're my friend, Mia. And it's your freaking birthday!" I beam at her words and the way she grins at me. Ever since we ran into each other in the bathroom at the school dance, Emmie and I have started to hang out again. We even ate lunch together a few times before school let out for winter break.

"Should I open this now?" I ask her, raising an eyebrow. Emmie shrugs, giving me a secret smile, one that clearly reads I know something you don't know.

"You can wait, if you want," she tells me. Emmie's blue eyes gleam mischievously as they meet mine, her strange smile widening. I recognize the look on her face all too quickly. It's her I'm-up-to-something face.

"Hey!" she exclaims, gesturing to the front door of the café. "Is that your phone on the ground, Mia?" I turn around curiously, looking at the spot she's pointing to.

"Um, no, I have my—"

When I turn back around, I'm not prepared for the sight in front of me. Suddenly, it's not just Emmie and me in the café. There's about ten more people, all looking at me with knowing expressions. I spot Charlie, Violet, Jay, Wells, Asher, and Thorne immediately. The other four people I don't know personally, just as friends of Emmie's.

"Surprise!" they cry, genuinely surprising me.

"Guys?" I cry, blinking like I can't believe what I'm seeing—because I can't. I'm thinking that when I open my eyes I'll be at home in my bed, all this having been nothing but a dream. Only when I open my eyes, they're all still standing in front of me, wide grins on their faces.

"Happy Birthday!" Emmie cries loudly, giving me little jazz hands. I turn to her, stunned.

"Did you plan this?" I ask her, a little shocked. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting her to do anything of the sort. I mean, we've only just started to hang out again after all the Saige drama. She totally didn't have to go out of her way to do something like this.

"Yeah," Emmie admits, shrugging modestly. Her eyes are still gleaming, and there's a proud smile on her lips. "I asked Thorne to round up all of your friends and have them meet me here. I figured we should do something special for your birthday, you know, because you're turning eighteen."

This just proves that Emmie has been a true friend of mind all along. I mean, the thought that she went through so much trouble just to make me happy on my birthday . . . it means a lot to me.

"You should have seen your face!" Charlie cries gleefully, clapping. "You looked so startled!"

"Yeah!" Violet chimes, laughing. "Like you were about to barf!"

"How'd you get the café so empty?" I ask, confused.

Emmie points to a girl standing behind her with long dark hair and warm brown eyes. "You remember Camila?" she asks me, and I nod. Camila is a long-time friend of Emmie's that I don't know personally, but have always been acquainted with. "Well, she works here. She pulled a few strings so that the place could be 'closed' for the rest of the night."

"Thank you!" I tell Camila, unable to hide my grin. Camila just shrugs, though she's smiling, too.

"It wasn't a problem." With that, Camila disappears behind the counter, returning with a cupcake in hand. The cupcake is decorated with white frosting and little edible-pearls, a lone candle light in the center. The candle's flame flickers as she walks, appearing to be dancing. I can't contain a grin as Camila stops at the table, setting the cupcake down gently in front of me.

My friends burst into an off-key rendition of the Happy Birthday song. I meet Thorne's gaze as he sings, as he's the only one to sing "Happy Birthday, dear Sunshine", shooting a wink in my direction as he does so. My cheeks flush at this for some reason, and I'm smiling so wide the action almost hurts.

"Make a wish!" Violet cries when they finish singing, gesturing to the candle in front of me. I close my eyes, but I can't think of anything I want to wish for. What could be better than this moment, right now? After a moment, I open my eyes, blowing out the candle.

"Thank you guys," I tell my friends, praying that I won't cry. "This means a lot to me."

"It's nothing, Mia," Charlie says. Shrugging, she adds simply, "We love you."

It's those three simple words that make me go a little misty-eyed. I mean, what more could a person want in life than to have a group of people they love and who love them back? It's all I've ever wished for.

Thorne appears at my side then, blowing hair off of my neck before planting his lips on my skin. "Happy Birthday, Sunshine," he tells me in a whisper, wrapping his arms around my body. "What'd you wish for?"

"I can't tell you," I tease him as he sways our bodies back and forth. "Then it won't come true." I can't tell him that the only thing I wished for was to have a million more moments in the future just like this one.

"Fair enough," he mumbles into my hair. "Can I tell you what I wished for?"

"It's not your birthday," I joke, though I wait for him to go on.

"Nothing but you," he whispers in my ear, making me smile.

"That's one of your cheesier lines," I tell him. Thorne withdraws himself from me, scoffing and pretending to be insulted, though his eyes shining brightly give him away.

"You think my lines are cheesy, Sunshine?"

"Well—"

"Don't finish that sentence." Thorne holds a finger to my lips, shushing me. "You'll regret it."

"Lovebirds!" Charlie calls, beckoning for us to join the rest of the group at the table. "The Birthday Girl forgot to eat her cake."

"And Charlie won't let me eat it, so . . ." Wells trails off, his amber eyes sparkling playfully. I roll my eyes, though I do grab the cupcake, unwrapping it carefully. For some reason, I can't stand to see the cupcake get messed up in the slightest. Just the thought of eating it seems almost wrong. It's weird, but I almost wish I could save it, just to have a tangible reminder of this day.

"You guys are silly."

"Just eat the cake," Violet grumbles rather aggressively. "Because I'm seriously willing to fight you for it."

"It's her birthday, V," Charlie chides, giving Violet a disapproving frown.

Violet rolls her dark eyes, muttering, "I know, Char."

I lift the cupcake to my mouth, going to take a bite. Before my mouth makes contact with the cake, however, a hand bumps mine, pushing the cake into my face. I squeeze my eyes closed, feeling my mouth and nose become coated in frosting. I open my eyes as everyone else starts to laugh. Thorne looks smug, like he's just pulled the prank of the century.

"So funny," I tell him, icing on my nose and lips. I stare up at him, trying and failing to be annoyed.

"Yeah?" Thorne asks, smirking. "I thought so, too."

"You gonna eat that?" Wells asks, gesturing to the cupcake. I hand it over to him without hesitation, as I've had enough of it already. I grab a napkin, going to wipe the frosting from my face.

"Allow me," Thorne says, taking the napkin from my hand. Then he's licking the tip of my nose, pressing his lips to mine as he leans in for a kiss.

"Gross!" I hear our friends crying around us, but I don't really care. "You guys are kinky," I hear Emmie saying, making me laugh as Thorne pulls back from me. I wipe the rest of the frosting off of my face with a napkin, sharing a knowing glance with Thorne.

Before I know it, the bodies of my friends are crushing me, pulling me into a group hug. Even the people I don't know as well pile on, making me smile. In this moment, surrounded by my friends—some old, some new—I know there's no place I'd rather be. Somehow, they've managed to make this my best birthday yet.

★★★

For the first time in my life, it feels like everything is perfect. I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. I've reconnected with Emmie and even made some new friends through her, and through Thorne. I've cut the negativity out of my life (cough, Saige, cough) and feel better about myself than I ever have. I've somehow managed to keep Thorne a secret from my uptight parents, which means we're still going strong.

Thanksgiving and my birthday went better than I expected them to, which was great. Christmas—though I don't get to see Thorne that day—goes pretty smoothly, too. I exchange gifts with my family and have dinner at my grandparents' house, and even that is more manageable than usual.

Today is the very last day of December, signifying the coming of a new year and the ending of winter break. I feel a little bittersweet thinking about this year coming to an end, but I'm excited for what's to come. For the first time ever, it feels like things can only go up for me.

Charlie throws a New Years party in her apartment, and I'm lucky enough to find an excuse to go. Emmie is invited, as she bonded with Thorne's friends immediately (they're very similar, if you know what I mean). My parents think that I'll be staying the night with Emmie, when really I'll be at the party. It's almost like I live a double life with all this sneaking around, but I don't seem to mind it. For now, it's the only way. One day, I'll work up the courage to tell them what I've been up to. But until then, I'm fine with the way things are.

Charlie's apartment is the most crowded I've seen it yet. The regulars are over: Jay, Violet, Wells, Thorne, and Charlie herself. Then there's a few new people: Emmie, Asher, Camila, and a few others I'm not very familiar with yet.

There's a lot going on from the second I walk through Charlie's door. A large group sits in the living room, and it's loud with everyone talking at once. A small group of people enter the living room from the kitchen, drinks in hand. I spot Emmie as she practically dances in the room, nearly spilling her drink all over the ground. Violet and Charlie share a recliner, gazing at each other like no one else is in the room. Asher is trying to steady Emmie and take her cup from her, but she snatches it away at the last second. Jay sits on the couch, looking down at his phone. Across from him sits Wells, who is very obviously flirting with Camila. And then there's Thorne leaning against the doorway of the kitchen/living room, his eyes spotting mine and shooting me that knee-weakening smirk of his that I've come to love.

"Shut up!" Charlie screams to get everyone's attention, frantically gesturing to the TV. "The ball's about to drop!"

Checking the time on my phone, I'm surprised to find that it's already 11:59 on the dot. The telecaster on the TV starts the count down to the New Year, the voices of my friends joining him.

"Three . . . two . . . one!" With that and the ball drop, my friends let out loud whoops around me.

"Happy New Year!" Emmie cries loudly, looping an arm around my shoulder. She's very clearly intoxicated as she throws herself at Asher, the two of them making out in the corner of the living room. Charlie and Violet share a sweet kiss, popping a few glitter guns and sending confetti everywhere. Wells still flirts with Camila on the couch, and Jay pats Thorne on the shoulder, an easy grin on his lips.

When my gaze meets Thorne's, he gestures for me to walk over to him. I join his side, wondering what he's up to. He takes my hand in his, gently tugging me out of the living room. With all of the commotion going on, I doubt that anyone notices our disappearance.

Thorne doesn't stop moving until we're outside on Charlie's balcony, surrounded by the chilly night air. Sometime in the night, it must have started to rain. The only evidence of this are the small white tufts of snow that trickle to the ground, too light to really stick. It's beautiful, though, to see the snowflakes falling around us, landing in my hair, on Thorne's clothes.

The second I shiver, Thorne pulls his sweatshirt over his head, handing it to me. I pull it over my head, thankful that he's very observant. He stands in the cold in nothing but a t-shirt, but if the chill gets to him he doesn't show it. Still, I know we shouldn't stay out here too long for his sake, but I can't help wanting to have a few seconds alone with him.

I trace the rose tattoo on his arm with my fingertip, still unable to really believe that he got it. It's my favorite of his by far, just the sight of it never failing to make me smile. Sometimes it reminds me of who I was before I met Thorne and who I've become since then, and I find myself thinking that Thorne was maybe the best thing to ever happen to me.

"They're getting pretty wild in there, huh?" Thorne asks as the sound of a crash resonates through the stillness around us. I smile up at him, snowflakes catching in my eyelashes.

"Yeah," I admit, adding, "I don't mind."

"You're something else, Sunshine," Thorne tells me, shaking his head. He's got this distant smile on his lips, like he's thinking about a sweet memory. "You mean a lot to me. I hope you know that."

That weird feeling flows through my veins again—that this is goodbye feeling. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake it. I don't know why, but every time in the past week Thorne has said something like that to me, the feeling appears. I know it's silly. I mean, this isn't goodbye. It can't be. How could his sweet words, telling me how much he loves me, equal a goodbye? Wouldn't a goodbye be the opposite? What has gotten into me recently?

"I don't," I say playfully, running my hands up his chest. I force the negative thoughts aside, telling myself to live in the moment while I still have it. "But I have you to tell me."

Thorne chuckles softly, his eyes wandering over my face. There's a soft expression on his features, as if he's looking at something he really loves. When it registers that he's looking at me, I have to stop myself from grinning too wide.

He cups my face in his hands, his warmth seeping into my skin. He kisses me, slow and gentle, taking his time. Pulling away, he whispers softly, "Happy New Year, Sunshine."