"Are you sure you won't be okay?" Christopher asked her, hugging her. "It's your birthday today."
"Thank you," Mattie replied, burying her head against his shoulder as she hugged him tightly. "But honestly, it's alright. I'll text you both later."
Christopher pulled away after a couple seconds and nodded. "All right. Have fun on your date," he grinned teasingly, winking at her.
Mattie rolled her eyes slightly at his teasing, rolling her sleeves down before pulling her jacket back over herself and turning towards the door. "I will."
With that, she left the house, closing the front door behind her. She walked across the road to the bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive. She sat down as soon as she arrived, glancing over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure that her siblings we
