The Birthday That Changed Everything
I barely opened my eyes before Jacob crashed into my room like some overenthusiastic puppy, balancing a tray of pancakes and singing off-key.
“Rise and shine, birthday girl! You’re seventeen now! Time to celebrate!”
I groaned, trying to shield myself with my blanket. “Ugh. What time is it?”
“It’s ‘Hanna’s birthday’ o’clock,” Jacob grinned, setting the tray on my lap. “Seventeen. Big day. Life-changing. You know the drill.”
I smiled despite myself. “Thanks, Jake.”
He always tried to make my birthdays special—just like Mom and Dad used to. I swallowed hard, pushing down the emotion that threatened to bubble up. Birthdays were still hard without them.
“So,” Jacob said, sitting on the edge of my bed and stealing one of the pancakes. “Any big plans today? I heard Ciara’s throwing you a surprise party.” He wiggled his eyebrows in that annoying older-brother way.
“Ha. Funny,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “No, but Emily and Elordi want to hang out later. And you’re not skipping out on our traditional movie marathon, right?”
Jacob grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. But first, pancakes.”
As we ate, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny spark of excitement. Today was my day—just me and my brother. It felt perfect. At least, for the moment.
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