"It's your birthday, Jessica. It's a celebration. And you're not spending it in your room doing homework."
I remember my promise to Nate. "Okay. I suppose I can go for pancakes. But I'm paying for myself. Nate gave me birthday money."
"Al gives you a free meal on your birthday. You just need to show your driver's license."
"Really? That's awesome! You should have said that from the beginning. I would have said yes right away."
He laughs. "I know another place that offers birthday freebies. We'll go there later tonight."
"What place?"
"It's a surprise. You ready to go?"
"Give me a few minutes to change and do something with my hair."
"Okay. I'll be down in 10."
I walk him to the door. "You said you just came down to say hi, not go out all night. Don't you have stuff you need to do?
