Finding Love and Myself Along The Way

Raina It was a week of my big birthday. We will be renting out the garden space that like my mom and me planned. I was checking everything off the my list when Tony my brother and his cute friend walked in. I said good morning to both of them but James his friend just kind of nodded. He used to be hilarious but now just keeps his distance. I miss when we’d play sports together but he always says “something came up” if I try to play, so now I just give him space. As they we’re about to head into our backyard to play basketball I asked if they both planned to come to my party. Tony said of course he’d be there and James said “sure I’ll go if you want me to go”. His lip curled up on one side like he was giving me a devilish smile and then winked at me. Was he flirting with me? Unless, he had something in his eye and I’m just imagining the whole thing. That’s it I’m writing the whole thing off as he had something in his eye. I followed the boys outside and was watching them while I doodled on my notebook. Then, I got a call from The Garden Venue I had booked for my party. When I answered the phone the place said “we’re so sorry but we have to cancel the event. A very important person needs that specific day and we are already booked the rest of the month.” There was nothing I could do about it. I was absolutely horrified! I said “it’s a week before my event the invitations have been sent you can’t do this.” They said “some big shot wanted the space and we couldn’t offend them.” I didn’t realize it but I was starting to raise my voice and tears had started to come down my face. When I looked up both boys were right in front of me. Tony tried to take the phone to try to get some answers but The Garden Venue had hung up. Tony just held me and said he was sorry knowing I had been planning this my whole life. It was the party mom and I had planned before she passed. James walked away. A few minutes later James asked “do you guys have any other ideas for a venue” I just shook my head as I looked at the floor. James said “we could use my companies boat for the party if you’d like?” I didn’t know what to say it was sweet of James but I didn’t think a boat would be big enough. I said well we had planned to have around hundred guests so I’m not sure we could make it work. James said “how about I show you it then you can make up your mind.” Tony said “I think it could work it should fit a hundred people though I don’t think we’ve tried”. A boat that fits a hundred people? Is James rich? James asked “would you both like to come tonight to look at the boat?” When I got to school that morning I discovered who was having the party at The Garden Venue. It was Paula. There was posters everywhere and everyone was invited. Her birthday was two weeks after mine and Friday was on my actual birthday. Since she’s my ex best friend since we were little she knew how important that venue was to me. She always has to make everything about her. One day I didn’t agree with how she was treating a junior girl from our school so I just told her “stop the way your treating her isn’t okay” she got so upset and said “no she’s ugly and we need to treat her as such. Throw this at her or were not friends”. I ignored Paula and just helped the girl up and walked the girl home but because I didn’t “obey” Paula she ghosted me. Our other friend Carmen said she was making fun of me every chance she got now. We’ve been friends since we were little but she changed and I didn’t notice. I’m glad we’re not friends anymore but I miss having a friend group. The rest of the day at school was just a blur of everyone coming up to me wondering if I had changed my party or if it was going to be with Paula’s or if I was going to fight Paula. I told them “I found somewhere even better and I’d have more details tomorrow.” By the end of the day people were excitedly talking about both parties. The only people I really needed was Carmen my only real friend left and a date. I was thinking Chris the Quarterback since he had told me he would be coming to mine. I decided I’d ask him to be my date and he said “heck ya sounds like a good time” he scooped me up in a big hug with his arms around my waist. I had a big smile on my face when he put me down. I giggled and said I’d see him tomorrow. When I turned to walk to my car I saw Paula she was looking right at me like she was calculating what to do next. She smiled at me and said “so sorry I had no idea your party was the same day as mine”. I took a deep breath and said “no worries because of you I’m planning something even better but hope you have a great party”. Her new friend Hailey said “good-luck trying to out due Paula her dad is spending a fortune to make it the biggest party of the year”. With a synthetic laugh I said “I hope all the friends daddy buys you have a great time too” then I walked away. What a freaking B*tch. I drove home went straight to shower to try to decompress. No one was home yet. After my shower, I walked out in my towel to head to my room.At that exact moment James came up the stairs. In a husky voice he said “I’ll see you tonight” but he didn’t even look at me. He probably just thinks of me as a little kid. We used to play sports together and joke around until he became an adult and was too cool to ever hangout with anyone other than a bunch of other jacked guys. I see them running shirtless around the forest all the time. He’s only two years older than me but my brother and him act like I’m the baby and don’t want to tell me anything.Tony and his friends are so protective over me and I’m practically an adult now. What I would do to get James attention. He only dates the hottest girls though. Tony is always talking about the people he gets to meet through James, most of the ones he brags about are basically super models.