A short story by Erika M Szabo
Sixteenth birthdays are special, but something they find in Grandma’s attic will make sure they’ll never forget this party.
An Excerpt from the story published in the What If? Anthology
It was Mia’s sixteenth birthday. Before, her birthdays were always celebrated with her parents, two brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. But after a long discussion with her parents, they hesitantly agreed to let her have a house party with only her friends and celebrate with the family the next day. She invited half of her classmates and friends from the neighborhood, and they had a blast in the small cottage in the back of the property where her grandmother lived before passing away two years before. Ever since, the cottage stood unoccupied with her grandmother’s things still intact.
Mia looked around the living room, watching as her friends danced, and nibbled on snacks she prepared with her mom and with Kati, her best friend. Everyone seemed to be having fun. The music was loud, she felt the thumping of the bass beneath her feet. It was hard to believe that just a few short years ago, she had been a tomboy whose wardrobe included only a few T-shirts and jeans. Now, here she was, an outspoken, confident teenager, blossoming into a young woman. She loved beautiful dresses, feminine shoes, and accessories, and she took special care of her long, shiny chestnut hair that she usually wore in a ponytail.
As she scanned the room, her eyes fell on the old family photos lining the walls. Her grandmother had been capturing every moment of her family's lives. Mia felt a pang of sadness as she reminded herself that her grandmother was no longer there in the house that held so many fond memories.
The party was in full swing, the music blaring through the speakers, the smell of pizza and cake in the air, and her friends laughing and dancing around the room.
Suddenly, the front door burst open, and a tall, dark-haired boy named Jake walked in uninvited. He had his usual charming, devilish grin on his face that made girls around him feel desirable and alive in a way that no other boys their age could.
“What is he doing here?” Mia rolled her eyes and looked at Kati. “He’s such a troublemaker and gets into fights all the time.”
“I know he’s unpredictable and unreliable, but he’s so damn good looking…”
“Yeah… I know you have a crush on him,” Mia laughed. “I don’t want to interrupt the party and throw him out right away. But as soon as he puts one toe over the line…”
“Okay, I admit. I have a little crush on him, but Jake is definitely not boyfriend material. He’s like a butterfly. Goes from flower to flower and never settles down. You can’t even have a normal, relaxed conversation with him. All he wants is to get into your pants while his eye is on the next girl to conquer,” Kati sighed.
“You didn’t… did you?” Mia’s eyes grew wide, and she took a sharp breath.
“Of course not! I’m not stupid,” Kati indignantly replied. “But I can look and daydream,” she giggled, winking at Mia.
Mia wasn’t immune to Jake’s charms either, but her steady boyfriend, Collin, was different. Not as charming as Jake, but she liked him a lot and loved spending time with the quiet boy who had solid plans for the future. He’s so steady and predictable, and he treats me with respect. Mia could never forgive Jake for the embarrassing incident when they were fourteen. He yanked her bikini top off in the pool and grabbed her breast. He laughed and told his friends that they were not ripe yet, not even a handful. He made me feel dirty and violated, I wished I could’ve just died, she thought, shuddering.
“Why are you so gloomy? It’s your birthday!” Kati whispered as she hugged her best friend.
“Oh, I just miss Collin.”
“Why didn’t he come? You didn’t break up with him, did you?” Kati asked, concerned.
“No! Of course not. His little sister had an emergency appendectomy in the afternoon and he’s in the hospital with her.”
“He’s a good guy,” Kati said.
“Yes, he is,” Mia replied watching Jake as he pulled a vodka bottle from his pocket and started pouring it into the punch bowl. “Now he did it!” Mia shouted and with a few strides reached Jake and yanked the bottle out of his hand. “Out!” she yelled. “Everyone knows how much I detest alcohol, and you weren’t even invited.”
“Just a little something to get your boring party going,” Jake chuckled.
“Boring?” Mia shouted when she saw the sarcastic smirk on Jake’s face. “Get out! Now! Have fun somewhere else.”
“Okay,” Jake shrugged. “Who wants to come to my house and have a real party?” he asked, looking around.
The majority cheered and when Jake headed toward the door, they followed him. Some of her classmates, whom Mia thought were her friends, gave her a sheepish, apologetic look, and others just left without showing any remorse.
“Just go!” Mia said, fighting back tears.
“At least you found out who your real friends are,” Kati pointed at the two girls who were shaking their heads in disappointment as they watched the others leave.
“He ruined my birthday,” Mia turned to her friends, sobbing. “Thank you for staying, but I think you better go home too. Suddenly, I lost my happy mood.”
Kati gently slapped Mia’s shoulder. “What are you talking about? Are you going to let that scoundrel ruin your day?”
Mia wiped her eyes and sighed. “He did that already.”
“Come on, cheer up!” Cloe, a chubby blond girl hugged her. “I don’t feel like music or dancing either, but we can still have loads of fun. Old houses like this are usually full of treasures. Let’s look around.”
“That’s gonna be fun!” Donna, their shapely red-headed friend clapped. “I love looking at old photo albums. People back then looked so elegant. I especially love the 1930s dresses and hairdos.”
“Yes!” Kati exclaimed. “Remember?” She turned to Mia. “When we were little, we spent hours in the attic rummaging through boxes of stuff and trying on your grandma’s fancy dresses and shoes.”
“I haven’t been up there for years,” Mia gazed at the staircase that led up to the attic. “She did have a lot of old stuff up there, and my parents left everything as it was when Grandma was still alive.”
The four friends climbed the stairs and from the small landing tiptoed into the attic. Pushing aside the cobwebs, the stale air that had collected in the rafters made them sneeze. The spacious room was dimly lit by moonlight that filtered through the slanted windows at the apex of the roof. Mia turned the lights on and gasped. Everything was as she remembered. In the center of the room was a large table littered with forgotten, dusty relics of decades past. Boxes and old suitcases filled the space by the walls, leaving only a narrow path around the table.
“Wow!” Cloe shouted, and when she heard Donna’s wheezing breath behind her, quickly turned and asked her friend, feeling concerned. “Are you okay?”
Donna, reaching into her pocket for her inhaler, managed to say after pushing the pump and inhaling the medicine, “Just my… asthma. I’ll be okay. I just need to sit down for a minute.”
Mia quickly pulled out a small ottoman from under the boxes, and Kati helped Donna to sit down. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Mia asked, worried.
“I’m fine, don’t fuss!” Donna snapped, giving Mia a quick smile, her breathing already calmer and voice clearer. “I’ll sit here for a minute. Go, find some fun stuff!”
Continue reading the story in the Anthology
What if you think the known world isn’t strange enough? Embark on a journey that pushes the boundaries, challenges your perception, and questions reason, logic, and established beliefs.
