“Happy birthday!” I wake up to my mom screaming at me and plaster a smile on my face to make her happy. Her face is lit with happiness and excitement for the first time in forever. “Happy sweet 16, baby,” she gushes as she pets my hair and kisses my forehead.
“Thanks,” I tell her with a cheerful voice like I know she wants and was hoping for.
“What do you want to do today?”
“Actually, I had plans for this morning. But if there was something you were wanting to do...” I trail off, hoping with everything in me that there are no plans in her mind.
“No! No, go! Do what you had planned and have fun. You deserve and need it. I’ll see you later, and maybe we can do something then,” she tells me, probably just happy to see me actually wanting to get out and hoping I’ve finally made a friend.
“Are you sure?” I double-check, not wanting to disappoint her since that would go against everything I’ve been trying to accomplish by putting on this façade for her.