Alicia had always hated her birthday. Despised it, even. It was just a reminder of how fast time was passing by, how quickly she would need to gain the skills necessary for her future life, and how people would expect even more of her as time flew by. She felt rushed. Not only that, but every year on the 23rd of January, the people around her offered a cruel assurance layered in honeyed, happy wishes. It made her want to yank the stuffing out of the embroidered pillow she was currently holding, even though she knew that doing so would make her feel far worse.

Alicia leaned back, clenching the edges of the pillow with her hands in fists, her knuckles going white. Her phone sang a horrible song on the beige table next to her, and she frowned, picking it up and accepting the call. “Julia?”

“Hiya, Alicia!” Her best friend’s voice echoed brightly from her phone. “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing much. Just chillin’. What about you?”

“Well, I was actually thinking about going out to have dinner at Stefano’s.” Julia’s voice went up an octave at the end of her sentence, like it always did when she was hopeful for something. Alicia could just imagine her fingers crossing eagerly.

Alicia crossed her arms, a knowing look on her face as she spoke into her phone. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the date, would it?”

“The date? Oh, no, I haven’t got a darn clue whatever that’s supposed to be. But, um, can you make it for dinner? Text me; I’ve got to go!” Julia hung up on the phone swiftly, and Alicia sighed. She was most definitely trying to get Alicia to go out for dinner.

Her 16th birthday was something that her parents had been begging her to celebrate for months. Ethan, her younger brother, had even promised to stop annoying her for a full week, which, aside from the fact that that was impossible, only made her feel worse. She didn’t like her birthday, and not a single thing would ever change that. Why would Julia think differently?

A text chimed on her phone.

Julia: Are you coming or what?

Alicia repressed a sigh and glanced over to where her red coat hung on the doorknob of her wardrobe.

Alicia: See me at Stefano’s in 15.

Stefano’s was a cute little pasta bar that Alicia and Julia often frequented. The manager knew them quite well, and it was tucked away in a tiny mall close to their apartment block.

Alicia shrugged on her coat and headed out the door, giving a quick heads-up to her mother on the sofa, who simply called out, “Have fun!” no doubt knowing exactly what Julia was up to. She headed down the road after signing out with the security guard, taking the five-minute walk to their community mall, Meadows.

She ended up outside the warmly lit Stefano’s not seven minutes later, where Julia was already waiting with her usual mischievous smile. “I got us a high table!” she said happily, before they both walked to the high table with tall, low-backed chairs. It was Alicia’s favourite, much preferred over a booth, which Julia knew quite well. She ground down a smile and hung her handbag on the side, swinging herself up onto the chair as Sofia, a waitress, came over.

“Will you two be having your usual, or do you need the menu today?” she inquired, smiling. The two of them went to Stefano’s about every weekend since the beginning of their friendship, which was why the staff knew them so well.

Alicia opened her mouth, but Julia beat her to it. “I told Dali our order already,” she explained. Alicia looked confused. You told him the order already? Dali was the owner of Stefano’s.

When Sofia left after jotting down the order for two lemonades, including the mysterious pasta that Julia had apparently told Dali to make, Alicia turned to her friend, raising her eyebrows. “What is this about, Jules?”

“I wanted to make your birthday special. Don’t look at me like that, Ali; it’s your 16th! You have to celebrate!” Julia made big gestures with her hands, prompting a smile.

“We aren’t even Americans! What’s there to celebrate?” Alicia argued. “Besides, I don’t...”

“Like your birthday, I know,” Julia interrupted. “But look—you're sixteen now! GCSEs will be finished in, like, less than six months! And then after that, it’s A-Levels, and you’re just going to lose so much freedom. Instead of looking at your sixteenth like it’s a bloody death sentence, why not look at it as a celebration of the past year? A reflection, rather than a prediction?”

Alicia pursed her lips, tongue-tied, for a retort. Just then, Sofia swooped in with a dish under the top of one of the silver covers, the kind that happened in the movies and belonged to rich old men, served by a butler. She raised her eyebrows. “Special, huh?” Julia went pink, and she smiled shyly. “I hope you enjoy it.” She lifted the covering.

For a moment, Alicia was speechless. If a third party were to peer in at the moment, they would not see anything out of the ordinary, least of all the lid that Julia had just lifted.

But for Alicia, something squeezed her heart.

It was a simple pasta. Cacio e Pepe, cheese, and pepper, but with less pepper because Julia knew how it irritated Alicia’s throat. With mussels. It was so simple, yet perfectly sentimental. Why? Because it was the pasta that the girls had eaten on their very first hangout. Alicia simply stared at the pasta.

Julia gave a nervous chuckle. “Um… so…”

Alicia looked up, her eyes shining with tears of happiness. Silently, she got down from her stool and gave Julia a hug that almost knocked her off of her own—a hug that deprived her of oxygen but produced the largest smile she’d ever seen. Alicia sat down again, wiping her eyes. “I can’t believe you remember,” she said finally.

Julia raised her eyebrows fondly. “I can’t believe you thought that I’d forget.”

Alicia glanced down at the pasta again, blinking her eyes. She heard a small click! and whipped her head back up to see Julia looking guilty with her camera. “It was a cute moment,” she shrugged. Alicia only laughed and rolled her eyes.

The pasta seemed to vanish into the girls’ watering mouths since they practically inhaled it. Julia sighed with utter contentment at the flavour, and Alicia followed suit.

“I don’t think I could possibly eat anything else,” she said, groaning. “That will forever be my favourite pasta.”

“Well, I hope you left your dessert space empty, because you will never guess what I’m getting you!” Julia wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. Sure enough, Sofia came with another dish to replace the pasta.

Alicia froze. “You didn’t…”

Julia lifted the platter, smiling ear to ear. “Your favourite. Mango Sticky Rice.” Alicia let out another squeal, launching herself at her friend, who gave a small scream in response but hugged her back. “It’s your birthday; I had to make it special!” she laughed.

Alicia pulled back in happiness, completely ready to dig in, before Julia nudged her. “Let’s get a pic!” Alicia agreed, leaning in as they both took a Polaroid in front of the mango sticky rice. Then she completely dug in. Julia just watched her, face aglow, secretly proud of how she’d managed to uplift her with the birthday dinner.

Once they got the bill, which Julia refused to let Alicia see, insisting she would get it on her birthday, they walked away from the bar in the cold, crispy air. Julia was walking Alicia home to her apartment block, which wasn’t far from her own, which was why Alicia didn’t say no. “OK, now before you go and enjoy the last dregs of your 16th birthday,” Julia began, ignoring Alicia’s groan at the mention. “I have a present for you!”

Alicia’s jaw dropped. “The dinner wasn’t the present? Julia, I can’t accept anything more!”

Julia tutted. “It was part of the present. Don’t be ridiculous; I had to get you something.” She handed a parcel, neatly wrapped, to Alicia, with a card stuck on the front. “Don’t open it until you’re at home, and text me!” She winked, giving Alicia another quick hug before walking away down the road. Alicia pouted, sighing, as she turned and walked into the apartment building.

Once she was there, she unwrapped the careful packaging, nearly forgetting to read the tiny card.

Dearest Alicia,
I can’t believe you’re 16 now! Say bye to the easy world before A-levels, LOL. Is it weird to attach a birthday card? Whatever. Anyways, you’re my best friend, Lisha, and every day I can’t believe I have such an amazing friend. Now, I know you don’t like your birthday, but knowing me, I said some positive and motivational things at Stefano’s, so just remember that, OK? I hope you love your present. I just had to get the best for the best friend I could’ve ever made.

Love,
Juliette DeVaughn.

Alicia smiled after reading the card. She really did love Julia. With her brows furrowed, she held up the still-packaged present, trying to guess what was inside before giving into her temptation and ripping off the paper, almost screaming when she saw what it was.

The Collector’s Edition of “Paper Cranes”.

Paper Cranes was her favourite book of all time. To get a Collector’s Edition? With the maps, the guide, the tidbits, the novella, and the author’s note, Alicia almost screamed again with pure delight when she saw the signing of the author, Cordelia Mae, on the inside of the cover: For Alicia, Happy Birthday!

She may have melted into a puddle of warm joy right there and then.

Immediately, she picked up her phone and dialled Julia without a second thought. The moment she picked up, Alicia spoke, her throat hoarse from tears of happiness. “You’re wrong. You’re the best friend anyone could’ve ever made.”

Written by: Sara Rowan
Edited by: Hazel Antler
Proofread by: Lily