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It has been two years now since we started hanging out, and every day we do, I think I fall a little more in love with him. I’m sure if he becomes aware of how much I imagine my name as Birdie Miller instead of Birdie Wilder, he might run for the hills. But I blame my teenage hormones and his beautiful smile. Not to mention how nice he is to me…
I’ve grown up thinking guys would never want to be near a chunky girl, but he's shown me otherwise. He isn’t embarrassed to be seen with me. He even talked to me at school and introduced me to his parents. Which led me to believe he liked me for who I was, right?
Outwardly sighing, I make my way into my small bedroom, flopping down on my gray bedspread. On my ceiling are posters of bands like Oasis, Third Eye Blind and, eliciting Liam’s teasing, Hanson. Their long hair was once a weakness of mine, what can I say?
I take a bite of the PB&J sandwich with Lay’s potato chips within, and chew thoughtfully. School has just ended for the year, and this weekend I have plans to chill and listen to music with Liam before we start work at The Daily Scoop again on Monday. And if all goes according to plan, Liam and I will be doing more than just scooping ice cream and listening to tunes in our rooms together this summer.
A smile spreads across my face. Maybe I could get my first kiss… or even make it to second base! I squeeze my jean clad thighs together at the thought of Liam’s dark head between my legs. I blush, trying to keep those dreams out of my head… at least for now.
I take another bite of my sandwich, the silence of our two-bedroom condo enveloping me. I arrived home a couple hours ago from school to find a note from Mom that she’d be gone until tomorrow. She left me a vegan frozen pizza for dinner and made overnight oats for my breakfast. I cringe. Who likes vegan pizza? I shake my head at my crazy mother.
Though the infamous Lorri Wilder leaves me home alone a lot, I never feel neglected. It’s weird, and most kids my age pity me, but I’m fine. I have a great life, and I’m lucky enough to have a mom who at least leaves me notes and feeds me. She also supports my dream of becoming a famous singer and listens to all the horrible songs I’ve created over the years. The worst was my emo phase at thirteen. Those songs were dark!
“I didn’t name you Birdie Wilder for nothing,”she always says,“I gave you a name that every person will never forget. And with the voice you have, you’re off to the moon and beyond, Birdie baby!”
I felt excited by the dreams she’d laid out for me before I could even sing a note. And though sometimes I’m lonely when she leaves to teach yoga in other cities and follow her favorite Beatles Cover Band around the states, I fill the quiet with my piano and my voice. And in the last two years, I’ve also filled it with Liam.
His feathered hair, rectangular face, and dark eyes fill my mind. I know Liam struggles with his parents being gone more than I do, though he’d never admit it. So, I gladly take up that space for him. Just like Mom, he listens to all my songs and is always honest with me when the lyrics don’t work, or the melody is off. We just work together, and I hope he feels the same way…
My phone rings and I pick it up immediately thinking it’s Liam sending me a new song or asking me what time we can hang out. I’m surprised when a female voice rings out from the other end, but I smile, nonetheless.
“Oh my gosh, Birdie! Guess what just happened!” My friend Wren’s voice is laced with so much enthusiasm, I can’t help but smile. We’d met through Liam after we started hanging out, and she’d been dating his best friend Ben for the last two years. We quickly became good friends and had movie nights at least once a week or went to a coffee shop to study sometimes. She is a short redhead with a big Irish family and a smile always on her face. She’s extremely smart too.
“You and Ben had sex?” I ask.
She giggles maniacally, “You just cut straight to it, don’t you, Birdie?”
“Was it good?” I press on, my stomach tight. Wren had been talking about losing her v-card to Ben, they’d already done everything else, but she hadn’t felt quite ready yet… until now apparently.
“Oh my gosh,” she laughs again. I can practically hear her blushing through the phone. “Can I come over? I don’t want to talk about this on the phone.”
“Um—” my answer is interrupted by a knock on the door.
“I hope that “um” was a yes because I’m outside!”
I shake my head, “You’re nuts.”
“Come get me before I sweat to death out here! You know my hair can’t stand Michigan humidity. I already look like a frizz ball.”
“I’m coming,” I laugh, hanging up the phone.
I put down my sandwich and get out of bed then head to the front door. Wren is still pounding on it like I forgot about her within the last five seconds, but before I can even fully open it, the fiery ball of my friend is grabbing my arms and shaking me.
“I’M NOT A VIRGIN ANYMORE!”
I can’t help but laugh, even though I’m being jostled around like a human puppet. “O. M. G.,” I humor her. We jump around in a circle, dumb smiles plastered on our faces. As soon as she lets me go, she heads for my small kitchen.
“I’m parched, got any lemonade?” She asks, opening the fridge and taking out the pitcher of sunny liquid before waiting for my answer.
She pulls out two glasses from the cupboard like she owns the place and pours us each a glass. She holds up hers, waiting for me to do the same.
“Cheers to me and my cherry being gone forever at the precious age of sixteen-almost-seventeen!”
“Congrats! I’m proud of you.” We giggle before we clink glasses and take a sip. The lemonade is tangy and sweet, and the taste of it calms my stomach a little.
I’m starting to get nervous about telling Liam I like him, and all the excited energy of Wren’s announcement has got me in a twist. I shove my nerves down and drag Wren to the living room, sitting on Mom’s favorite green velvet couch.
“Sooo… tell me everything.”
