Page 20 of Finding Us
“Oh, Jaz, you have no idea. It goes way deeper … way, way deeper.”
My nose screws up in confusion … I have no idea what she means by that statement.
I’m abruptly woken from my blissful slumber when a heavy weight plonks down on top of me. “Happy Birthday, Jazzie.”
“Ugh … Cass,” I groan without opening my eyes. My parents flew in yesterday afternoon, so we ended up having dinner with them at the hotel they’re staying at. Since Cassie informed them that we were going out tonight to celebrate my birthday, we’re meeting up with them again today for lunch.
“Wake up sunshine and let the festivities begin.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after seven.”
“Ugh.”
“Come on, we have a big day ahead.”
“We’re not meeting my parents until midday … that’s hours away.”
“I know, which doesn’t give us much time. After a gourmet breakfast, we are hitting the shops.”
“A gourmet breakfast? Which I’ll be cooking, I presume? It’s not like you or Connor can cook.”
Cassie gasps. “What kind of a friend do you think I am?”
“A very annoying one.”
“I’m going to ignore that comment. I’d never let you cook on your birthday … I’m going to Uber Eats us something spectacular. After breakfast we will hit the shops. We need to get you a new outfit for tonight. It’s not every day a girl loses her ‘V’ card.”
I reach for the pillow beside me and place it over my head. I was waiting for this. “I never agreed to that.”
“Semantics, my friend … cobwebs remember? It’s my duty as a best friend to rectify that. Speaking of cobwebs …” She jumps off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get your presents, silly.”
“Cassie,” I call out as she dashes from my room. It’s too early for this.I’m tired,and running on five hours sleep. We stayed up talking until 2 am this morning, and God only knows when I’ll get home tonight … or should I say tomorrow. When Cassie parties, she parties hard.
When my best friend returns—hands laden down with a number of gift bags—she plops down on the side of my bed with a bounce. “Happy Birthday, Jazzie,” she says, extending both arms.
I begrudgingly pull myself up into a sitting position. “There are so many bags.”
“I like spending my parents’ money.”
“You know it would mean a lot more to me if you used your own.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re determined to move me into peasantsville aren’t you?”
“Forging your own way in the world doesn’t make you a peasant, Cass.” It’s not like she’s afraid of hard work or lazy. She’s been helping me at Brooke’s dance school the past few days … voluntarily of course, despite Brooke offering to pay her. “Are you going to tell me what you meant the other day when you said your parents’ owed you?”
“Open this one first,” she deflects, grabbing the smallest bag and placing it on my lap. Sighing, I pull out the tissue paper on top. She has never forced her way into my past, so I’m not about to do it to her. If she wants to talk about it, I’m here … if she doesn’t, I’m okay with that too.
“Oh my God,” I screech when I pull out the contents. “You bought me a vibrator?”
“For the cobwebs,” she replies with a shrug. “You’re welcome.”
We are both laughing when Connor appears in the doorway of my room, dressed in only a pair of boxer briefs. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, but when my gaze flicks to Cassie, I find her biting the corner of her bottom lip as her eyes move down the length of his body. “Can you two keep it down … you kept me up half the night with your giggling, for fuck’s sake.”
