I can consider myself lucky just for finding someone who's willing to spend time with my grumpy self for my birthday. It wouldn't have been possible without Party Enterprise, Inc. and their "Lonely Party" service. If only I had found it earlier... I'd definitely have spared myself years of cards I wrote myself, imagining they'd come from friends and loved one.

Yeah. Friends. The ones I'm expected to find, yet never manage to. All because I'm a clumsy dork who can't seem to get her act straight when it comes to social interactions. To be fair, it isn't completely my fault.

All my classmates have their little cliques and make sure they never cross. How am I supposed to fit in when everyone insists on staying in their own lane? Well, at least there's coherence in this aspect: I stay by myself, they stay in their close knit circles.

Plus, why do I need to surround myself with such toxic presences? I don't need Suzie Beckette or her stupid friends around, treating anyone who isn't worth their attention like shit. They can go and act like "pick mes" away from me, for as much as I care.

By the way, I need to start letting go of the toxicity surrounding me now. I'm supposed to have fun and enjoy myself. After all, it's my birthday. Plus, it's at my favorite diner, one of the only places in this town I enjoy going to.

One of the other "loners," Celina Fletcher, throws me a worried glance. "You don't look like you're having fun, darling," she points out. "What's the matter? Do you want me to look for more cake?"

I shake my head. "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. Anyway, what's in plan now?"

She presses her pointing finger against her lips. "It's a surprise," she replies in a hushed tone. "You're gonna like it! But, for now..." She doesn't finish her sentence, leaving a mixture of suspense and excitement lingering.

I believe her. It has to be something that will change not only the course of the day, but possibly of my life. I try to be optimistic—after all, today is a special one. Okay, I've repeated it too many times, but it helps me stay in a good mood.

The other "Loners" (people who take part in this project) join Celina and me, leading us to an area at the back of the diner. It's sealed with a lock and chains. I ask, "Does anyone have the keys?" No-one answers. Does this mean we have to forge the lock to open the door?

Out of a sudden, I notice a key hung on the wall east of the door. I collect it and use it to pick up the lock. Easy task. Then, Celina removes the chains, while another guy whose name I don't remember pushes the door. Behind it, a seemingly abandoned area awaits us.

I seize the opportunity for all of us to do something together. "Let's turn this into the best party hall, like those we see in movies," I suggest. The others scatter around to find tasks to complete, while Celina and I look for cleaning supplies.

I turn to her. "How about we clean the floors before the furniture can be moved?"

She exclaims, "Great idea! Then, we can start adding decorations."

"Let's go!"

Within the next hour and a half, the hall is ready to hold an amazing party. Our efforts have paid off. Celina and I share a high five. "Good job, Braverly!" she says, but I remind her it was a group effort.

"It wouldn't have been possible without the help of you all. Seriously." While Celina is flattered, other Loners somehow laugh. I mean, they deserve recognition. Seriously.

I continue. "Who wants to take charge of music? I mean, what kind of party is it without music?" Two guys raise their hands, so, in order to make a decision, I suggest flipping a coin. "Heads or tails?"

One of the two guys, who wears a green and purple T-shirt, baggy jeans and a necklace with the name 'Victor' as the pendant, chooses first. "Tails!"

The other guy has to pick heads, then. Nonetheless, tails wins, so 'Victor' (if that's his actual name) is officially in charge of music. He brags about his DJing skills, making fate's decision even more obvious than it was set to be.

"Come on, Liam, why don't you ask Braverly to dance?" Celina's latest suggestion embarrasses me. He's the guy who lost to Victor over who should be the DJ. He's also in evident distress.

In fact, he tries to protest. "You know I'm shit at dancing. Can't you dance with her? She's way closer to you."

Celina, however, won't relent. "Be gentle and invite her on the dance floor!"

I reassure Liam. "Don't worry, I'm probably worse than you. But I'll gladly give it a try." Between a cheer and another, the two of us are at the center of the hall, followed by Celina. The three of us dance like a bunch of idiots as we repeatedly step on one another's feet.

"Okay, maybe we should stop," I say while bursting into laughter. "We're making fools out of ourselves."

Just as I pronounce the last words, I hear clapping. No-one in the hall is, though. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but why can I hear it clear and loud?

My worst fears have just come true. Griffin is here, ruining my lone moment of happiness. On my birthday, nonetheless! How dare he? "Look at yourself, redhead... You're so desperate that you have to rent paid actors as partygoers. Shame on you, Lane!"

I throw silly string at him. "Fuck you, Griffin! You're not ruining my moment, not this time! Go away!"

He snickers. "You're panicking because you know I'm right. Those suckers aren't even your friends. Accept reality, little miss. You're a nobody." The point is, as much as I try to convince myself I can have friends, Griffin is 100% right.

Will I ever see Celina, Liam and the others again from tomorrow and onwards? Is their warmth genuine? Or are they acting a party, and I'm just the latest actress in the script? Too many questions in my mind.

Griffin has just sown doubt in my mind and ruined the moment. Now, I'm back to my insecurities, to my fragile self. How do I leave the rut he has stuck me back in?

Anyway, he leaves without letting me counter his absurd bullshit. Meanwhile, the party atmosphere progressively wanes as time passes. Fuck that piece of shit. Griffin Evans has ruined the mood. He has destroyed the magic of my birthday celebration. That's 100% unforgivable on my book.

While the other partygoers disperse in the venue, only Celina and Liam stick by my side. The former tries to encourage me. "Don't listen to his pointless bullshit. He's just dead air."

"You can't let him get under your skin again. You're far better than he can dream of," adds Liam. He's right. The point is, will I be able to maintain my stance and stand up to that brat once for all?

"Thank you, guys. These words are the reassurance I needed. This birthday party means a lot to me. It's the first one where I truly had fun and was myself." I don't need to delve further into details for Celina to understand my pain.

Her goodbye is simple but powerful. "Your power is solely in your hands. Don't forget that."