Chapter 5

It's been months since Chad left for college. I miss him like crazy. Homeschooling was interesting, but I wanted to experience high school, so after next month, I won't be seeing Miss Caroline again. I'm going to miss her because she's a good tutor, and hence I told Mom and Dad to enroll me in the school where she teaches. But I'm more excited because tomorrow is my fifteenth birthday, and I can't wait to celebrate.

My plans for my birthday morning didn't go as planned. I wasn't expecting to be woken up at dawn. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Millie, happy birthday to you..." Dad, Mom, and Miles sang as my father held the birthday cake with lit candles. I rubbed my sore eyes and sat up properly in bed, clearly annoyed at being woken up from my beautiful sleep, but I knew they wanted to make me happy. “Thank you, everyone. It means a lot to me," I said with a smile.

“Make a wish, my princess," Dad spoke with a nudge to my shoulder. I closed my eyes and wished to be happier this year. “What did you wish for, Millie?" Miles asked, filled with anticipation. “If I say it out loud, it won't come true." Mom and Dad laughed at his reaction.

After the awkward surprise, Mom, Dad, and Miles left the room. I checked my phone and saw fifteen missed calls from my former friends in middle school. I'll call them later in the day, but for now, I needed a good sleep to calm my nerves. Dad placed the birthday cake on the bed, which I didn't want to ruin with my horrible sleeping posture. Gently, I picked up the cake and placed it on my nightstand before jumping onto the bed.

My phone kept buzzing non-stop, and I quickly switched it off. It's official, I'm fifteen today, and I'm so excited about it. Sitting in front of my vanity set, I decided to let my hair loose for once and wore one of my favorite blue dresses along with my Gucci sandals that I got for my fourteenth birthday. I headed to breakfast. The food was really delicious; it was my favorite. My mother did an excellent job with it.

After breakfast, Miles headed for school while Dad left for work. I was stuck at home with my mother. After getting some household chores done, Mom insisted that we go for a girls' time out. We did some shopping for new clothes and a bag. Later, we headed to Wesley's beauty salon and spa across the way.

After a much-needed massage, I felt refreshed and excited. “Which style do you want for your hair? There are a lot of options to choose from," the beauty therapist explained, handing over a magazine for teen girls like me. I was a natural brunette, and I knew that having bangs made me look younger, but that's what I preferred.

“I want to keep my bangs, but I want to try something new. Can you curl my hair for me?" Mom nodded, and the beauty therapist started working on my hair. About an hour later, I looked in the mirror, and I couldn't believe that was still me. I really looked beautiful. “Thank you. I like this look." Mom decided to get the same hairstyle as me but without bangs.

Something seemed off. My mom was doing everything in her power to keep me from going home. We got home very late, and that's not how I planned my birthday. But something confirmed my suspicion—the door was locked. Miles and Dad should be home by now. “Hello, is anybody there?" I knocked on the door while Mom walked up to me. “Mom, you have the spare keys. Can you open the door so we can enter?"

Mom removed the keys from her bag and tossed them to me. I opened the door, and the hallway looked so dark. Unfortunately, the light switch was closer to the stairs. My phone was dead too. Before I could complain to Mom, the lights went on with a SURPRISE. There, standing right in front of me, were Dad, Miles, and Chad. “Did you all plan this to surprise me?" Dad pulled me into a tight hug, and I couldn't help but cry that I have such caring people willing to sacrifice everything to see me happy.

I released myself from the hug and hugged Chad. “You know I miss you, right? And there's no way I would miss your birthday for anything," Chad said, breaking away from the hug.

“Can I open my gifts now?" Mom and Dad nodded with a smile. I walked to the table containing the presents and picked the first one, unwrapping it right away. “Pink AirPods!!! I've been dying to have those. Thank you so much, but wait, who got me these?" I asked, looking at the faces of my family. “That was me. I didn't know you would like it," Miles spoke, and I was shocked. He never got me anything, let alone a birthday gift. “Can I hug you?" I asked uncertainly. Miles nodded and opened his arms wide, and for the first time in ages, we hugged.

Moving on to the next present, I unwrapped it, and it was an Apple Watch Series 6. I knew this was Chad's doing because his smile gave it away. I looked at the remaining present on the table and picked it up. It was quite heavy. Miles helped me unwrap the box. Inside the box was the latest iPhone 13 Pro Max and a MacBook Pro. Whoever gave me these knew that I was saving in my piggy bank towards this. I hugged Mom and Dad together. “Actually, I knew you would need these, and I'm happy you love them," my mother spoke, and I smiled. I thought I was going to have a boring birthday, but I was shocked by this huge surprise.

Before I could head upstairs with my new gifts, Dad told me to wait. “Dad, I'm super tired. I want to relax for a while," I sounded fatigued. “We've got one final surprise waiting for you in the garage." “Is it something that needs help with unloading?" I followed Dad with Mom and my brothers trailing behind me. Once we reached the garage, I was shocked to see a new car wrapped in a red ribbon.

“Is the car for me?" I was in awe of the brand new white Tesla. I had passed my driving test last year, but I didn't know I was going to get a car this soon. “Your Mom and I decided to get you a car since you'll be starting high school soon, and it'll be very useful. It's the least we could do." I was incredibly excited. Dad tossed the car keys to me, and I quickly took a seat in the driver's seat. If the outside was impressive, just wait until you see the interior of the car. It was truly amazing.

I stepped out of the car and hugged Dad. I was beyond grateful because I wasn't expecting such an expensive gift for my birthday.

Hours passed since I received the biggest surprise of my life, and soon it was bedtime. It wasn't how I expected my birthday to end, but I was very happy. As much as I wanted to tell Daisy about my birthday surprise, I also needed a good rest, so I chose the latter. I'll keep her updated later. “Goodnight, Tiana." I hugged my stuffed toy and switched off the lamp on the nightstand. Today was a great day, and I was definitely going to write about it in my personal diary.