Page 46 of Something to Believe In

Everyone is tiptoeing around the fact this is the first birthday in ten years that Oliver has missed; and he only missed my eighth birthday because he had the chicken pox. Brad doesn’t even complain when I choose sushi for dinner, despite it being his least favourite meal. He draws the line at joining our movie marathon though, locking himself in his room after we eat.

By midnight Ashley and I are well and truly terrified, our hearts pounding in our chests as we huddle together on the mattress on the floor in the living room watching the originalFriday the 13th.Ashley sucks in her breath for the fourth time as she grabs my arm, making me jump.

“Why the hell do you like these movies?” She gasps.

I laugh but it turns into a squeal as Jason springs out of the lake, dragging Alice down into the water with him.

“Thank God that’s over!” Ashley collapses onto my shoulder, her hands covering her face. “Remind me never to come over for movie night again unless it’s a comedy or a trashy romance. I’m never going to be able to sleep now!”

“We’ll be fine,” I assure her. “We have each other.” A loud creak echoes through the silent house and we both let out a squeal. “Just in case, we’ll sleep with the lights on.”

“Maybe we could put on a comedy to lighten the mood a little?” Ashley gives me puppy dog eyes. I nod and she flicks through the movie menu until she findsLegally Blonde. We look over at each other and quote our favourite line from the movie, “What, like it’s hard?” Collapsing in a fit of giggles, we settle in to try and get some sleep as the movie plays in the background.

“Thanks for tonight, Ash,” I whisper.

“What are best friends for?” She nudges me with a smile.

They’re for breaking your heart, apparently.

∞

The light streams in through the open blinds in the living room and I rub my bleary eyes. I’m officially eighteen. I don’t feel any different. Rolling over, I spot the big balloon bouquet on the coffee table next to me and smile. Since my thirteenth birthday, Brad and Oliver have always surprised me with a treasure hunt for my presents. I’m grateful for my baby brother continuing the tradition.

My phone buzzes, and I reach over to pick it up. It’s not quite nine yet, but I already have messages from Michelle, Sam, and Jake. Macca and JD have sent me funny birthday memes. I have a couple of text messages from some girls at school. I even have one from Tiana. But nothing from Oliver. I rub my chest, trying not to think about him. I’m not going to let him ruin my day anymore.

Ashley yawns as she rolls over.

“Happy birthday!” She grins at me. “What’s that?” She stifles another yawn as she points to the balloon bouquet.

“Just a birthday tradition. It’s the beginning of my birthday treasure hunt.” I shrug, trying to keep my voice from betraying my emotions.

“That is so cool! You told me about this but I’ve never actually seen it in action.”

She squeezes my hand. It sucks Oliver’s not involved this year, but I still have Ashley.

I give her a small smile. “Come on. Let’s start the search.” I pull out the first card from the bouquet and read it out loud. “If you want to find more clues, look in the place where you put your shoes.”

“Oooh! To your room!” Ashley pulls me up and we run down the hall. She opens my wardrobe door where we find my first gift sitting on top of my running shoes.

I smile as I unwrap a copy of one of my favourite books,The Diary of a Young Girlby Anne Frank. Flipping through, I notice there are highlighted passages throughout the book.Weird. I stop on one and read it aloud. “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”

“Very profound.” Ashley raises her eyebrows. “Maybe a sign thereisstill good things in your life.” She bends down and passes me the next clue card which had fallen to the ground.

“Violets are blue, roses can be pink, the next clue is where you go when you stink.” I groan. Leave it to Brad to be a typical fifteen-year-old boy. Ashley just laughs at his crazy creativity with words.

As we move into the bathroom I share with my brother, nothing stands out to us at first. We start pulling open all the cupboards and doors.

“This is so much fun!” Ashley exclaims, pulling out the next gift that was wedged in between my hairdryer and my makeup bag.

Putting the next clue card on the bench top, I pull off the wrapping paper to find a bottle of the new Taylor Swift perfume. After giving us both a quick spritz, I pick up the next clue card. “Now that you are playing the game, look in the place where we keep your picture in a frame.”

“There’s millions of photos of you in this house,” Ashley grumbles.

I roll my eyes at her. “There’s not that many. Come on.” I grab her hand and lead her back down the hall to the living room.

My stomach rumbles at the smell of pancakes, and I can hear my family’s voices coming from the kitchen. I take one side of the room, while Ashley takes the other and it isn’t long before I find the family photo on the bookshelf that holds a day spa gift voucher and another clue card.

Picking up the photo frame, my heart twists at the memory. The photo had been taken two years ago at a family barbecue with the Johnson’s. Oliver’s dad had taken the photo. I sigh as I place the frame back on the bookshelf. I’m not going to let pain overshadow the effort Brad put into my treasure hunt.

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