The sound of singing woke me. My eyes shot opened to find my dad, my mom, Cash, Samir and Aunt Mimi all crowded around my bed singing Stevie Wonder's version of Happy Birthday.

A smile split my face in two as my family sang loudly and off-key. I loved them, but I was forever grateful neither of them tried to get into music.

Cash held a plate of rainbow pancakes topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit, sprinkles and a candle that my dad was reaching over to light.

"Thank you." My voice was groggy with sleep as I sat up wiping crust from my eyes.

A camera clicked and I glared at my aunt. Hopefully she kept the pictures of me in my leopard print bonnet to herself.

"Go on, make a wish," my mom urged, her smile as big as her hair.

It had been a week since everything went up in flames—Cake Me Up, whatever I had with Nate, my dreams of going to Bake-A-Palooza.

The only thing that got me through it was the anticipation of my birthday. Seeing my family together always made me happy. And the fact that in a few hours I'd be heading to the happiest place on earth didn't hurt either.

I had everything I could've wanted. I shouldn't have felt like something was missing. Yet, there was an ache in my chest I couldn't shake.

No matter how much I denied it, I missed Nate.

He hadn't reached out since last week. I was both thankful and irritated. I appreciated that he understood I wasn't ready to talk to him, but I was annoyed at him for giving up so quickly. My feelings for him were a jumbled up mess of scheming uncles and ex-girlfriends.

So, what did I wish for?

Clarity.

A well-defined path to take, whether it meant forgetting about Nate or giving him a second chance. I just needed a direction.

I blew out the candle to cheers and more happy birthdays and more clicking cameras.

We relocated to the kitchen, where I ate my birthday breakfast with my family. There was a pancake buffet set up on the island, balloons and streamers decorated the kitchen, and there was a pile of gifts waiting for me in the center of the table.

My birthday was usually pretty lowkey, but my family seemed to step it up this year. I couldn't help but think it was because of all the crap that had happened recently.

My chest felt ready to burst, filled to capacity with my love for them. I didn't realize I was crying until Cash pointed it out, telling my step-dad to pay up. Apparently, they bet on how long it took for me to start the waterworks.

"Charm's a crybaby," Cash announced as he counted the bills Samir just handed him. "You should know this by now."

My mom snatched the money from him and stuffed it into an envelope with a birthday card before handing it to me. "Happy Birthday, baby," she said, ignoring my little brother's stunned expression.

"Are we doing presents now?" My dad steered me to the head of the table, instructing me to sit before he handed me an envelope of his own.

It wasn't big enough for a card, so I was confused. My confusion only worsened when I pulled out a read piece of paper, the words YOU'RE FIRED written on them. "Um... what is this?"

"Exactly what it says," my dad said, squeezing my shoulder. "You're old enough to make decisions about your own career path. So, I'm firing you."

No other gift I got would top no longer having to deal with teeth. "Thank you so much," I said, throwing my arms around him.

"Don't sound too excited." He almost looked offended.

"Open mine next." Cash shoved a colorful gift bag in my face.

There was a jewelry box inside, the kind that held a necklace or bracelet. I was impressed. Last year, Cash got me a pack of sock. I mean, they were really cute socks, but jewelry was a nice step up.

When I opened the box, my smile fell. "This says Vanessa," I said, holding up the dainty bracelet.

"Yeah, could you give that to her?"

Samir knocked the grin off his face by smacking him in the back of the head. "That money was for your sister."

"What? I got her something, too," he said, rubbing his head.

Reaching into the bag again, I pulled out a twenty-five-dollar Starbucks gift card. I didn't even drink coffee. Still, I hugged and thanked my brother. It was the thought that counted, right?

After opening the gifts from my family—new clothes from my mom and Aunt Mimi, and one of those cute instant cameras from Samir—I tossed on the new romper I got from my mom. It was purple and flowy and nothing like my mom had ever bought me before. I was happy my talk with her last week made a difference.

As I was styling my hair into a high-puff, Aunt Mimi came into my room. "You look cute," she said, standing behind me and watching my reflection. "How does it feel, finally being seventeen?"

"The exact same it felt being sixteen," I told her. Setting my brush down, I turned to her. "But also, different."

I didn't think the difference I felt was because of my age. My life was different. Cake Me Up was gone. I no longer had my dad trying to push me towards being a dentist. I fell for the annoying gamer boy who was only using me to scam my aunt.

The cracks in my heart must've been all over my face as well. My aunt squeezed my shoulder, frowning sympathetically. "Have you talked to Nate?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked, turning back to my mirror and fussing with my puff just to keep busy.

"I know this whole situation is a mess, but I honestly don't think Nate knew anything about it."

That was hard for me to believe. In my experience, guys like Nate only talked to me when they wanted something. He wasn't interested in me. It was all part of the sick game his family was playing.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and I meet her eyes in the mirror. "I might not be the best judge, all things considered, but I think he really liked you."

She also thought Cheyenne liked her, so I didn't know how well romance detector was working. I kept that all to myself though, instead saying, "Poor judgment in relationships must run in the family."

My aunt slumped in defeat. "Charm—"

I looked up at her, cutting her off. "I want nothing to do with him, okay?"

Her eyes were wide as she stared back at me. Nessa disrupted the tension in the room when she entered. The huge smile on her face faltered as her gaze bounced between me and Aunt Mimi.

"Hey, Auntie," she said, giving my aunt a quick hug.

Aunt Mimi smiled. "Have fun today, you two."

After she closed the door, Nessa asked, "Were you two arguing?"

"No."

If she knew I was lying, she didn't call me out on it. "Well, birthday girl, your chariot awaits."

I snorted, going to grab my sneakers from under my bed. "My chariot?

"Okay, so it's Landon's mom's minivan, but it's white, so, close enough."

After slipping my shoes on and double checking that I had everything I needed in my backpack, I was ready to go, but Nessa stopped me.

"Wait, before we leave," she grabbed my hands. The way she locked eyes with me creeped me out. "I love you."

"O...kay," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I love you, too."

Then she grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug. "Also, Nate's coming with us." Her words came out rushed against my ear.

"What?!" Now I understood why she hugged me so tightly—to keep my arms pinned so I couldn't strangle her for keeping that vital information from me. "Why? I didn't even know he was back in town."

"Apparently, he is," she said, still hugging me like she was afraid I'd attack. "Since you're not telling anyone he might've been involved in the fire, no one thought to un-invite him."

I didn't know if it was embarrassment or denial or just the fact that I still cared for Nate, but I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone other than Nessa the truth about the fire. They, like the authorities, thought it was a freak accident.

"Might've?" I echoed once her words fully registered.

"We don't know for sure that he was involved."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like my aunt."

"Whatever, it's going to be fine, okay?" She said, finally loosening her grip on me as she looked me in the face. "Because Disneyland is huge. After the car ride, we can easily lose him and it'll just be you and me, like it's supposed to be."

I held on to that promise as we climbed into the van. A red-haired woman sat up front in the driver's seat. Everything about her screamed soccer mom—from her visor, to her fanny-pack, to the cooler of sandwiches and water she packed.

If Landon sank any further into the passenger seat, he'd be on the floor. He audibly groaned when his mom, who introduced herself as Mrs. Thomas, reached around and handed me a button. "Mom, she doesn't want to wear that."

The button read "BIRTHDAY GIRL" in the signature Disney font, a pink polka-dotted bow on top.

"No, it's cute," I said, pinning the button to my romper. "Thanks, Mrs. Thomas."

Her smile widened and when she turned around to start the car, my distraction from the giant elephant in the minivan was gone. "Buckle up everyone!"

When I shifted to click my seat belt into place, there was Nate, sitting beside me. I hated the way my heart jumped at the sight of him.

Nessa tapped me, her eyes asking if I wanted to switch seats. But I didn't want to make a scene. Also, she got to sit next to Lorenzo in the back seat. I shook my head. It was only a three-hour drive, I could survive.

Daisy was the last to get into the car, her dad dropping her off in front of my house at the last second. Once she took her seat on the other side of me, Mrs. Thomas pulled out onto the street.

Liz popped her head between me and Nate. "Remember, we have to take lots of pictures for Kara since she got stuck with grandparents this weekend." Then she pulled put her phone, framing the three of us for a selfie.

When she returned to her seat, Nate and I were left staring at each other. My eyes had a mind of their own as they dropped to his lips. My entire body broke out into goosebumps at the memory of how soft those lips were.

I started to think that, maybe, I wouldn't survive the drive.