Chapter 1 — Liam’s Birthday

TAYLOR’S POV:

I couldn’t wait to celebrate Liam’s birthday today. My second sister, Nora, and I had gone out last week to get Liam’s birthday present.

Once, when Liam and I had passed a Fila store, he said he wanted to buy the bag that was displayed in the window. He almost bought it then but realized it was too expensive.

Luckily, I had saved up enough money over the past few months to buy that bag for him since he loved it so much.

I began getting ready for his birthday party as it would start in an hour. After I was done changing, Nora put my hair into a braid and then did my make-up as well because my make-up skills weren’t as good.

“You look so pretty, Taylor,” Nora said, smiling at me.

“Thank you for doing my hair and make-up.” I blushed slightly at her compliment.

She pulled me in for a hug and said, “You’re welcome. Now leave. Dad’s waiting to take you to Liam’s house.”

I kissed her cheek and waved at her. “See you later!”

I made sure to grab the birthday card I had made for Liam and left the room.

I had written the card yesterday, wanting to confess my feelings for him by writing them down in the card. The letter said:

Dear Liam, Happy birthday!!!! You have always been there for me, ever since we were young, even when Melissa and the others bully me. You are the best friend I've ever had, and I am so grateful for that. I am so thankful that I've been able to be friends with you all this time. The reason I am writing this letter to you is I wanted to tell you that I love you as more than a friend. I hope that you feel the same way about me as I feel about you. Now that I've told you this, I hope that we can be together. I love the way you smile at me, especially your dimples. Anyway, Happy Birthday, my Liam.

Love, Taylor After scanning the letter one last time, I put the card carefully into his bag and left the room. I grabbed my heels and headed towards dad’s car, where I found him waiting for me.

Dad saw me and said, “Let’s go, sweetheart, or you’ll be late for Liam’s birthday party.”

I got into the car quickly and nodded.

It took us only ten minutes to drive to his house, and I was amazed at how the house looked. It was decorated incredibly nicely, with a large sign outside that read, ‘Happy Birthday Liam.’

My dad looked shocked and said, “Wow! His parents really know how to have a blast. We should do something like this for your birthday.”

“Dad, I don’t want a party. I just want to spend my birthday with my friends and family,” I said, shaking my head.

Dad nodded his head in response and opened the door for me. He hugged me, saying, “Have fun, honey. Be back by 10 pm.”

“See you later, Dad.” I hugged him back and got out of the car.

I walked to the door and knocked on it. Liam opened the door with a smile on his face and greeted me, “Hey Taylor!”

“Happy birthday, Liam! Here is your birthday present,” I replied and stepped inside.

I passed him his birthday present, waiting for his reaction once he saw what I’d gotten him. The moment he saw the Fila bag, he grinned with happiness and said, “You bought my favorite Fila backpack? Thank you so much, Taylor! You're the best!”

Before I could respond, there was a voice behind me, a voice I instantly recognized. I looked behind me, and Melissa said, “Well, who do we have here? Taylor, the loser.”

I turned around to see Melissa wearing a red dress that barely reached her thighs. I was pretty sure if she bent down, everyone would see her panties.

Liam gave her a stern look. “Melissa, can you please not start? It's my birthday today. Let me be happy.”

Melissa gave me a fake smile that I could easily see through. She said, “Alright. I will give you your birthday surprise later. I know you're going to enjoy it.”

As she walked past me, she flashed me an evil look, which made me feel uneasy.

Liam looked at me and said, “Let’s go in.”

Liam led me to where the crowd was, and I couldn’t help but be shocked at how many people there were. There was a DJ, playing pop songs, and a dancing area where people were already dancing.

“Where are your parents?” I looked around.

“Well, they needed to go on a business trip at the last minute. Apparently something went wrong at one of their factories.”

“You still have me, so don’t worry. Plus, this party will surely boost your spirits,” I said, trying to cheer him up.

He flashed me a smile and nodded in response. “Do you want me to get you a drink?”

“Erm...yeah, sure. I'll take a fruit punch.”

He nodded and began to walk away. “One fruit punch coming right up.”

Suddenly all the lights switched off, leaving just one spotlight trained on Melissa. I saw her holding a microphone, and she once again flashed an evil smile at me, making me realize that something bad was about to happen.

She said, “Hey everyone, I am Melissa, as all of you know. I want to give Liam his birthday present, and I am going to give it to him right here, right now.”

I saw Liam looking at her, paying attention to what she was saying.

She continued, “My present to Liam is a secret that everyone has to know.”

My eyes flew wide in shock, and I felt like running away from the party. I heard her saying, “Our little friend, Taylor, told me her biggest secret. She told me that she has loved Liam ever since she was young. What a loser, right?!”

Everyone around me started laughing and calling me names.

“You're so ugly!”

“No one loves you.”

“What a nerd!”

“She's such a loser!”

I looked at Liam, who had always defended me, but he just stood there, dumbfounded by what had just happened. He didn’t even move an inch when those people started hurling insults at me. I saw Melissa approach him and kiss him on his lips.

All I saw was red. I fled, away from everyone, away from the party. I had never felt so betrayed before, and it hurt. It was as if hundreds of knives were stabbing my heart.

By the time I arrived outside my house, tears were rolling down my cheeks nonstop. I wiped away my tears and walked into my house, not wanting anyone to know that I had been crying.

I walked in and saw my parents sitting down with my sisters in the dining room.

My mom saw me walking in and called me over to join them, "Sweetheart, can you come here for a moment? Your dad has something important to tell you."

I sat on the chair next to my sister and looked at them, waiting for them to speak. "So, what do you want to tell me, Dad?"

“I've been promoted. They're transferring to the company headquarters in New York,” Dad said, smiling at me.

I smiled, but it didn’t last long as I realized we would be separated. "That's great! But New York is so far away. How will we see you anymore if you're in New York?"

Dad frowned and said, “We’re all going to move there. Are you okay with that?"

In my heart, I felt like I could not leave this place; it was too full of memories. However, remembering what had just happened at Liam's party, I changed my mind. “Yes, I want to move to New York." I nodded confidently.

At this moment, I promised myself that I would never return to this place ever again. I would never look back at those people who stooped so low and hurt me.