CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
BIRTHDAYS

Kimmy was stressed.

She didn't know what the hell to get Aaron for his birthday. Unlike the year before, the blond boy wasn't having a party to celebrate his fourteenth, he wasn't doing anything for it.

He had only told her when his birthday was once before, he had a party the year prior, but it wasn't on his actual birthday. Kimmy shook her head, trying to reassure herself that she had the right date. March 26th.

What was strange to the girl was that no one had mentioned his upcoming birthday, or well, his actual birthday now. The past few weeks no one had mentioned it. And Kimmy began to worry for the boy that maybe they had forgot.

Kimmy shook her head, cursing herself for the idea. They were his best friends, they wouldn't have forgotten his birthday.

Kimmy hoped not at least.

Kimmy hadn't spoken to the rest of the party about this, but she presumed that they would have gotten him a present at least.

The girl didn't really care if anyone else had got him a present, she was going to get him one anyway.

She'd saved up to get him something, she just didn't know what exactly to get him.

It was difficult to buy a gift for someone with so much money who could buy anything he wanted at any time.

Kimmy had no idea what the hell to get the boy. She did want to get him something thoughtful, but she didn't know exactly how to achieve that when he'd never mentioned not having something or slipped something into a conversation about wanting something he couldn't have.

She did not know.

Rather embarrassingly, Kimmy had made him a card herself. With little drawings on the front of it and everything alongside big letters reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON.

Her only issue was his gift, she was sure no one else would be having this issue, seeing as they were probably prepared weeks ago. Kimmy didn't have the money to be prepared weeks ago.

She wanted to wait until she had saved up as much as possible, seeing as Aaron was probably used to getting expensive presents.

She knew Aaron wouldn't care about how much she spent on him or probably if she even got him a gift at all.

But Kimmy cared. She didn't want to look stupid or for him to open everyone's presents then get to hers at for it to be a slight let down in comparison.

Kimmy sighed, frustrated that she couldn't think of what to get him, this should have been easy, she spent most of her time with either Aaron or Max anyway, she should know what to get him for his birthday.

Kimmy almost wished that he had just told her what he wanted and she could get him it, then none of this stress would be here.

But on the other hand, Kimmy was glad he didn't. She would rather get him something that she wanted to get him, getting him a present because she wanted to, not because she felt obligated to after he had told her what he wanted. At least that was a much better way to receive a birthday present in Kimmy's eyes anyway.

Still, this didn't make this any easier for the girl.

Kimmy let out a sigh, she'd been around the entire mall and had no idea what to get the boy. She had been looking for hours.

Well, that was a lie. She had got him a navy blue sweatshirt, but the girl felt that couldn't be the only thing the got him, especially when she had money left over.

Just as the girl went to give up, she past a much larger queue than usual at the ticket office. Kimmy's brows knitted together and she made her way over, trying to see what the tickets were for but her sight was blocked by the queue of people in front of her.

Kimmy huffed, tapping the shoulder of the man in front of her to ask what it was that everyone in the queue was buying tickets for.

About two hours later, and the girl was stood on the doorstep of the Harrington household. Her present now wrapped rather poorly and her card taped on top in a plain envelope she had found ripped and lying around the house.

Kimmy hesitated to ring the doorbell, suddenly unsure if he would like what she had got him. She had got him tickets to a hockey game where his favourite team was playing, she didn't actually know the name of the team, but she recognised the team logo from the posters on his bedroom.

Kimmy began to worry that maybe she had got the logos messed up and she had accidentally bought him tickets to the wrong teams game.

The tickets hadn't cost as much as Kimmy assumed they would, she actually had enough money to buy them for him.

She had got him two knowing he probably wouldn't want to go himself, she assumed Steve would be more than happy to go with him.

Eventually, Kimmy gathered the courage to ring the doorbell, holding the present in her arms nervously as she waited for someone to open the door.

Eventually, the door swung open, Steve stood on the other side of the door with a slightly confused expression.

"Hi, Steve," Kimmy sighed, sending the older boy a smile of relief that he had opened the door before she chickened out and ran off. "Is Aaron here?"

The older boy shook his head, trying to rid his face of the surprised expression that had taken over his features.

Kimmy felt her heart drop, concern clouding her brain her in fear that the boy wasn't home and she would have to awkwardly walk away with the present still in her hands.

"Aaron's not home?" Kimmy asked nervously, her brows raising and she was now unable to hide her look of worry.

"Yeah, no," Steve dismissed, shaking his head and waving his head at the younger girl. "Yeah, he's home."

The boy then turned away from her yelling behind him loudly for his younger brother. "Aaron, door!"

Steve then turned back to face the girl with an amused expression, folding his arms over his chest as he looked to the girl with a slight grin. Kimmy sent him a confused look.

"So..." the older boy sighed, trailing off as he scratched the back of his neck. "You and Aaron been hanging out a lot?"

Kimmy's eyes widened a fraction, her face heating up the slightest bit at what the boy was insinuating. Kimmy knew the older boy was implying.

"Uh, yeah," Kimmy replied awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders as she wished the boy she was waiting for could make his way to the door faster. "I guess we hang out a lot?"

Steve hummed in response, raising his brows as he tried to look unbothered and calm. "So what are you doing here?"

Kimmy felt her brows knit together, lifting the wrapped present in her hands with an obvious expression on her face. "Is this not big enough of a clue?"

Steve rolled his eyes in response, going to say something else before he was pushed to the side, and out of the door way rather harshly by Aaron so the blond could stand there instead.

To much of the surprise of Kimmy, the boy was in his pyjamas, dark green plaid bottoms and a plain black top. Kimmy was admittedly very confused by this, it was only eight at night, and it was his birthday, Kimmy was puzzled at why he was getting ready to go to sleep when it was so early.

"Why are you in your pyjamas?" Kimmy blurted curiously. "It's only eight-"

"This is a late night for, Aaron, Kimmy," Steve joked as he shook his head while walking away. "He's usually asleep by six-"

"Shut up." Aaron scolded, pushing Steve away before turning away with and looking to Kimmy with a slightly embarrassed expression. "What are you doing here?"

"Jesus," Kimmy sighed, motioning with her head to the present in her arms with a dumbfounded expression. "You and your brother, I swear. Can neither of you see a wrapped present right in front of your faces?"

Aaron rolled his eyes, his lips tugging up at the ends slightly.

Kimmy handed the gift to him, dropping her arms to her sides the second she had the chance, anxious to see how he felt.

"Happy birthday." Kimmy mumbled, smiling at him as she tried to push down her unneeded worries.

Aaron looked to her with an expression of slight surprise, gently taking the package from her hold.

"Thanks," Aaron replied in a quiet voice, his cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. "You didn't have to get me anything."

Kimmy shrugged, expecting the boy to say something along those lines, Kimmy rolling her eyes as she spoke. "Why wouldn't I get you something?"

"How do you even know when my birthday is?" Aaron asked next, ignoring the question Kimmy had asked him. "No one's even mentioned it-"

"You told me when your birthday was." Kimmy retorted, confused on why Aaron just naturally presumed she would have forgotten.

"Yeah," Aaron scoffed halfheartedly. "Like a year ago."

"So?" Kimmy rolled her eyes again. "Why wouldn't I remember? Do you... remember when my birthday is?"

Kimmy asked the last question to back up her point, but she soon regretted it. Not knowing what she would do if the boy said no or the wrong date.

"May 2nd." Aaron nodded, Kimmy instantly feeling the relief flush through her but she didn't show it on her face.

"See?" Kimmy said instead, nodding her head in the blond boys direction. "Why would you know my birthday but I wouldn't know yours?"

Aaron shrugged, seemingly accepting her answer. "Fair enough."

Kimmy raised her brows at him, unsure on what to say. She clasped her hands together, not sure if she should just say goodbye and leave or if she should wait and see if the boy would speak first.

"Um, do you want to come in?" Aaron asked hesitantly, anxious as to what her reaction would be.

Kimmy blinked in surprise, not expecting to be invited into the family home especially during his birthday when no one else had been invited.

"Uh- sure." Kimmy nodded, sounding and looking a little confused. "If you're sure-"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Aaron rolled his eyes, reaching out with his free hand and pulling her into the house before slamming the door behind her.

Kimmy kicked her shoes off, running after Aaron as the boy began climbing the stairs. The girl began to worry as she followed him, suddenly regretting that she'd accepted his offer, wishing she wasn't there when he opened his present from her.

Luckily, the boy didn't open it, simply placing it on his bed before walking away, Kimmy let out a slight sigh of relief.

The girl allowed her eyes to trail around the posters in his room, looking for one of the hockey posters to see if she had in fact got the right team tickets. Kimmy smiling to herself when she realised she had.

The two ended up watching some old movie Kimmy didn't know the name of in the living room downstairs, Steve watching with them.

Kimmy was almost furious with the blond boy, he'd fallen asleep, leaving Kimmy sat with Steve who spoke through the entire movie. Commenting on every single interaction with an opinion of his own.

Kimmy soon learned not to comment and to just agree with what he said, seeing as the two had already gotten into two arguments over their opinions on the movie.

Late that night after Kimmy had left, Steve woke up Aaron and the blond tiredly climbed the stairs to get to his bedroom, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep in his own bed.

Aaron had almost forgotten about the present Kimmy had brought with her, opening it along with the card she had got him while he sat on his bed.

Aaron opened her card first, seeing as he would have to take it off the wrapping paper to get to the gift anyway.

It was obvious to the boy that she had made it herself, but he liked it anyway, thinking it was better that she had put her time and effort into it rather than buying one with messages already written inside. The boy opened the card, furrowing his brows as he read it.

Aaron,

Happy birthday, I hope you had a good fourteenth birthday and got piles of presents!!!!

Maybe if you are nice to me I will try skating with you again once it next gets cold enough. Maybe.

By the way if you open your present and you don't like it please tell me so I can get you something else, I wasn't sure if you'd like it. Also I don't know if what I got you was for the right team so tell me if I got that wrong too, I'm still not great with the team names.

From Kimmy :)

Aaron shifted and placed the card up on top of the chest of drawers in his room, standing it up so he could see the front of it.

Much to Kimmy's surprise, Aaron actually did like the presents she'd got him. The girl waking up to him calling the next day to thank her.

Kimmy hid her smile the next time the party hung out together, noticing that the boy was wearing the navy sweatshirt she'd got him.

...

Just over a month later, it was Kimmy's fourteenth birthday. Of course, she had not expected any presents from anyone, it was just something she had learnt to get used to over the years. Kimmy was sure neither of her parents even knew how old she was, never mind knew when her birthday actually was.

Max had called her that morning to wish her a happy birthday, this taking Kimmy by complete surprise, she hadn't expected her girl to remember her birthday especially since she wasn't holding a party to celebrate.

Max had told Kimmy to meet her at the diner in town for lunch, the redhead insisting she'd buy her lunch and they could spend the day doing whatever she wanted for her birthday.

Kimmy knew it probably wasn't much of a big deal to the girl that she was doing something for Kimmy's birthday. Kimmy thought it was a big deal that she had a friend who would do that for her.

Over the past few months, Kimmy and Max had become the best of friends. The two were best friends.

Since November, the two had had countless sleepovers, would hang out whenever they could, and would always gossip about whatever they pleased. The gossip conversations usually revolving around the other five boys in their friend group, at least one of them usually having done something to annoy one of the two girls.

Kimmy did try to see Eleven whenever she could, but she usually only saw her friend while the party were hanging out as a group. Hopper still didn't like her to be out too long when she was out, and usually when Kimmy tried to go visit her friend, Mike had got there first.

Kimmy loved her friendship with Max. The two girls had always the best of times together, they had surprisingly never fallen out with each other. Sure, they'd tease each other, but they both knew their limits.

The two girls were sat in the diner, Kimmy listening intently as Max told her about what Lucas had done to her the day before. What he had done that resulted in their fourth break up.

"So, then I'm all ready to go to the movies," Max ranted, sticking her fork in her fries harshly as she spoke. "And just as I'm waiting for him to come get me, he calls. I already knew then that he was bailing, but I heard him out, waiting to hear what bullshit excuse he whipped up. And guess what he tells me?"

"What?" Kimmy asked intrigued from the opposite end of the table.

"He tells me he's so sick and that he doesn't want to make me sick. I'm already suspicious by this point, I think to myself, you know what? I'm not missing out on my movie just because he's sick." Max continued, looking to Kimmy with wide eyes as if trying to express to the brunette just how much she could not believe what Lucas had done to her. "And who do I see on my way there? Lucas. And what is he doing? He's hanging out with Dustin. Is he serious? Does he think I wouldn't find out he ditched our date to hangout with Dustin?"

Kimmy secretly loved it when Max and Lucas would have a fall out, Max would always rush to tell her exactly what happened, with great detail and exaggeration.

"So you dumped him?" Kimmy presumed as she took a bite of her burger.

"Uh- hell yeah I dumped him!" Max exclaimed in an obvious tone. "I thought he had learned that I won't let him treat me like trash. Clearly not."

Kimmy shrugged her shoulders, far too used to Max and Lucas' break ups than she probably should be.

"He's probably already at Aaron's door trying to get him to help him win you back." Kimmy snickered, finding the way Lucas always seemed so determined to win Max back hilarious. "You know that's what he did last time? The boy had Aaron almost dead with stress as if it was his relationship."

Max laughed in response shaking her head before speaking again in a suggestive tone. "So... how's things going with Aaron?"

Kimmy sighed, leaning back in her chair slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I have been trying to follow your advice but he makes it so difficult sometimes."

Just like Steve had been trying to give Aaron advice on how to win the girl over, Max had been trying to give Kimmy advice on how to win the boy over. Although neither of them knew about the advice the other was receiving.

"He's just too stupid to pick up on your hints." Max scoffed, going to eat more of her fries but stopping herself when she seen the look Kimmy sent her. "Well, he is, Kimmy! He should have asked you out by now. I get taking it slow but this is getting ridiculous."

Kimmy snorted in response, laughing at Max's frazzled expression as she seemed to be more stressed over Aaron's feelings in regard to her best friend than Kimmy was.

"What did he get you for your birthday?" Max asked casually as she went back to her food.

"He didn't get me anything." Kimmy shrugged, flinching at how loud Max gasped at her words.

"What?" Max asked sounding appalled. "He didn't get you anything? Who does he think he is?"

Kimmy sent Max an amused smile at her words, really not bothered that Aaron hadn't got her anything, the boy didn't have to get her anything.

"He doesn't need to get me anything." Kimmy answered calmly as she took a drink of her soda. "I wouldn't expect him to-"

"Well you should!" Max exclaimed, unsure as how Kimmy was so okay with Aaron not getting her a gift. "If Lucas didn't get me a birthday present I would lose my shit."

"Well," Kimmy shrugged once more, trying to calm her friend who was angry on Kimmy's behalf down. "Unlike you and Lucas, Aaron isn't my boyfriend-"

"Oh, my god, hardly." Max scoffed, almost like she was unable to believe the words coming out of Kimmy's mouth.

"He really isn't." Kimmy shook her head at the girl. "Yeah, he kissed my cheek bye at the snowball, but that's the most he's ever done. I mean, you and Lucas started dating because you two kissed at the snowball - kissed on the lips. I can't ever imagine Aaron would ever want to kiss me, can you?"

"I mean, not really. But that's just because it's Aaron, I'm pretty sure he freaks out if I stand too close to him because he thinks I'll infect him with god knows what." Max then checked her watch on her wrist, shaking her head. "He has until midnight - eleven hours. He has eleven hours to give you your birthday present. And if he doesn't, I will be talking to him about it-"

"No you will not!" Kimmy cut off her friend in a harsh whisper, embarrassment clouding her features.

"Well," Max sighed, shrugging calmly, the look on Max's face telling Kimmy that the redhead was deadly serious. "If he gets you a present then I won't have to. Will I?"

The two girls had spent the entire day doing things, roller blading, shopping and getting snow cones from the mall. Kimmy only getting home at eight that night.

Kimmy froze as she walked down her street catching sight of the blond boy she had grown all too familiar with. Aaron was walking away from her front door, flailing his arms up in frustration as he began talking to Steve through his car window.

Kimmy momentarily panicked that he'd knocked on the front door and one of her parents had answered, but Kimmy knew that wasn't the case when she seen the bag in his tight hold. He'd knocked on the front door and no one had answered, Kimmy was more than relieved.

Steve sighed, placing his hand to his face as Aaron spoke to him, the older boy sat in the drivers seat of his car. His younger brother clearly stressing him beyond belief.

"Aaron?" Kimmy asked a little louder than needed when she got close enough, the two brothers turning to look her with surprised expressions. "What are you doing? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Aaron answered instantly, nodding his head frantically as Steve motioned for him to walk up to her. "I'm fine, I'm alright."

Kimmy smiled unsurely at him and her brows knitted together, Aaron sighing in realisation and holding up the bag in his hand as if he'd only just remembered what he was doing there.

"Oh, um, I got this- this is for you." Aaron rushed out, holding the bag he had in his hands for her to take. "I did come over earlier to give it to you but no one was home."

"Oh, yeah, I was with Max." Kimmy replied instantly nodding as she spoke, gently taking the bag from he was holding out for her to take. "We went for lunch then the mall, this is me only getting home now."

"Oh, right." Aaron nodded awkwardly, clasping his hands together, seeing as he had no jacket pockets to put his hands in since it was nearing summer and it was growing much hotter with each day passed. "Did you have a good birthday?"

"Yeah, I did actually, thanks." Kimmy smiled at him, her voice filled with an unusual euphoria. She then motioned down to the bag she now held. "And thanks for this."

"It's fine." Aaron shook his head to dismiss her. "It's your birthday, why wouldn't I have got you something?"

Kimmy pursed her lips, fighting back a toothy smile at his words.

"Well, thanks anyway." Kimmy nodded, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, I better go." Aaron pointed behind him to Steve's car where the older boy was clearly growing slightly impatient. "Happy birthday."

Kimmy smiled at him waving as he walked away. The girl then walked up to her front door, waiting until Steve's car was out of sight until she sat on the step outside her front door.

Kimmy opened the bag he'd given her, reading the card her got her.

To Kimmy,

Happy birthday, hopefully you had a good day. Good job you actually told me when your birthday was unlike last year so I could actually get you a present.

I left the stuff from the store and stuff in the bag in case you want to put it back, I wasn't sure if you liked it but Steve said you would so if it's a bad present blame Steve.

I did put the in the tape thing for your Walkman in case you don't like what Steve helped me pick out so you would at least have something you liked.

Also sorry if my card is completely shit. I tried to make it myself like you made mine yourself but it didn't turn out as good as the one you made did.

Happy fourteenth.

From Aaron :)

Kimmy smiled as she read his card, flipping it back so she could she the front of it again, smiling slightly in amusement at the drawings she had added to it just like she'd done. There was obviously a few he had redrawn a couple of times, she could still faintly see the outlines of the previous drawings he had tried to fix.

Kimmy opened her bag to find a brand new pair of sneakers, they were branded causing Kimmy's eyes to widen. She'd seen the shoes that day while in the mall with Max and to say they were expensive would be an understatement. She loved the shoes he'd got her, her current sneakers were a mess with holes and rips all over, she really had needed a new pair of shoes.

There was also the tape he had mentioned in his card. Although there wasn't just one like he had implied, there was an entire stack of tapes for her Walkman, all different artists and songs.

Kimmy smiled, pushing open the front door quietly, not surprised to find her father past out on the couch. Kimmy rushed past him and up the stairs to call Max and inform her that she wouldn't have to kill Aaron over not getting her something for her birthday.

...

Birthday chapter yay!!

Hope everyone has a good day I think there is only one more chapter until I start season 3!!!!

- AJ :)