hey guys i done goofed by messing up my updating days. oh well. enjoy this.

question of the chapter: who is your favorite character?

"Aaliyah's really cool," Maya relays as she takes her usual seat at the table to the left of me. Asa sits across from me with a mouthful of food, which I cooked, and an interested look on his face. I can tell he wants to be apart of this conversation.

"She thinks you guys are cool, too," I pass on the compliment. I'm not lying either. I couldn't get her to shut up about how funny Maya is and how cute Asa and I would be together. Of course, I can't relay that last bit without raising a couple of questions.

"Did Poison tell you?" Asa asks as he twirls his fork in my direction. I stare at him in slight confusion, wondering what could possibly come out of his mouth.

"No, what?" Maya replies as she glances at me before turning her attention to Asa.

"Aaliyah thinks I'm cute," he informs her, which gets a small squint from me.

I stare at him, wondering if it'd be weird to ask if he finds her cute. I decide to just go for it as I push the food around on my plate. "Do you think she's cute?" I wonder and Maya's head snaps in my direction and I can tell she's gauging my intentions.

Asa stares back at me and tugs his brows together. "Are you trying to hook me up with her?" he trails in a slightly curious tone.

"Are you trying to be hooked up with her?" I flip the question as I tilt my head a bit. His gaze narrows as he struggles to come up with an answer. A minute passes and he blinks a few times before coming to a conclusion.

"No, Ivy, I'm not," he answers slowly while giving me another skeptical glance. I probably look and sound like an idiot.

"Uh...anyway," Maya switches the subject after watching the brief stare off between me and her roommate. "Why didn't I know that your birthday is coming up?"

"I don't know..." I answer with a short shrug, slightly grateful for the topic change. The tension is still very present in the air but if I ignore it, it should go away.

"It's the 24th right?" she wonders and I slowly nod. "What do you want? You know, like as a gift?"

"I don't want anything," I dismiss casually.

"You have to want something," Asa comments, which gets a suggestive noise from Maya. Immediately, I shoot her a glare and bow my head. I try to be casual and make it seem as though I'm merely paying more attention to my food than anything but the light blush on my cheeks probably gives me away.

"No, it's fine. I never really celebrated birthdays with my family so it's really just another day," I inform them with a dismissive shrug. It's not a lie. My family would always wish each other a happy birthday but money was usually tight so all we ever did was have cake (if that) and then go about our business.

"You're boring," Asa retorts before taking a long sip of his glass of water. I watch his adam's apple bob up and down as he continues to drink.

"You don't want a few strippers?" Maya wonders with a large and suggestive grin. "I know a business that has male strippers for cheap."

"No, thank you," I shut that idea down with a hushed laugh.

"Damn," Asa mutters disappointedly . "I was hoping you'd request that."

I roll my eyes at him but my smile doesn't waver. Recently, he's been a lot more playful and teasing, which is refreshing. That's not to say I don't enjoy being around him when he's snarky and catty; it's just fun to be able to go back and forth with him. Like I said before, he interests me.

"We don't have to do anything," I announce with a tone of finality in my voice. "A simple 'happy birthday' will suffice."

Maya looks to Asa, who is clearly clueless as to what's going on. "We're definitely doing something," she assures me confidently. "I just have yet to figure it out."

+++

Maya insists that we get lunch together on my actual birthday. And by 'we,' I mean me, her, and Asa. I don't complain much. Though, I have to admit that I'm a bit upset at the fact that of all the notifications I received this morning, he was not one of them. I'm not sure if he just doesn't realize or is doing it on purpose; it's hard to imagine he doesn't know when he lives with Maya, who apparently treats birthdays like serious holidays. It reminds me of my ex in some weird, awkward way.

Maya and I wait at our table in the corner of the dining hall and I roll my water bottle between my hands. I wasn't lying when I told her a week ago, I'm not a big birthday person. I got my birthday wishes from my family and friends and am ready to move on with my week. It's not like this is a special birthday, like 18 or 21. I'm stuck in the middle at a disappointing 19, where I can't do anything special except buy cigarettes and lotto tickets, neither of which I'm interested in doing.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I stare at the number, vaguely recognizing it. I read the text once and then twice before letting out a sharp breath. "What happened?" Maya questions as she coats her pizza in parmesan cheese.

"Drew...my, uh, ex..." I mutter as I read the text once more. Happy birthday, Ive. I stare at the heart he sent at the end of the text and feel chest tighten. I shake my head, lock my phone, and shove it halfway across the table.

"He texted you?" she asks with raised brows, which gets a quick nod from me.

"It's nothing," I dismiss with a vigorous shake of my head. "He just takes birthdays seriously. I just...it's nothing."

She stares at me for a few seconds before I wave it off again and change the subject. We talk for a few more minutes until she perks when she sees Asa approaching. "Here he comes," she announces and I allow my gaze to wander. It lands on him and I quickly scan his outfit. A nice pair of well fitting jeans and a baggy hoodie, which doesn't do his body any justice. Having seen him shirtless, I know very well how good he'd look in clothes that are tighter, or none at all.

"Hi," he greets shortly as he takes a seat. He grabs one of the individual pizza slices that Maya bought for herself.

"Sure, you can have that. It's not like I'm really hungry or anything," she grumbles as she glares at the slice that's now in front of him. While we were in line getting food, she specifically commented that she can't wait to eat both slices of pizza.

"Great, thanks," he responds back as he takes a large bite.

"Anyway, the entire point of this meeting is to determine what you want to do on Saturday? You know, to celebrate?" she starts the conversation. "We can invite Aaliyah. She's cool."

"Hm...I don't remember you bringing that up to me," Asa acknowledges through a mouthful of her food.

"Shut up," she remarks without skipping a beat. He sighs noisily but lets her continue to make plans. "Does that sound fun, Ivy?"

I shrug in response. "Sure...as long as we keep it small," I insist with a slow nod. I can't care less about what we do, whether it be watch a movie or play board games all night. I just don't want a lot of people there, especially if I don't know them well enough to be myself around them.

"Good," Asa grunts roughly as he steals a large sip of my drink. Maya glares at him and drags hers across the table to avoid having that stolen, too. He notices her pointed action and rolls his eyes. "I don't want your gross fruit punch."

"So who were you thinking? Me, you, Zack, Asa, Aaliyah?" she asks once she turns her attention back to me.

"Yeah," I conclude with another brief nod.

"Oh so I'm actually invited to this event?" Asa blurts through a mouthful of pizza.

"Yes, which means you have to socialize. No sitting in your room," Maya informs him with a pointed finger.

"What exactly are we celebrating?" he questions.

I stare at him for a few seconds with narrowed eyes. I'll pretend that didn't sting. "My birthday," I remind him sharply.

"Isn't that today?" he asks with a blank look on his face.

"Yes," I respond. Did he know the entire day or did Maya clue him in via text message? He didn't say happy birthday to me at all. He has my number so he definitely could've texted me last night or anytime this morning. He also could've said it as he sat down or at any point leading up to now. For some stupid reason, I was very excited for a message from him specifically. I scrolled through my notifications five times over hoping his text was lost in the sea of wishes. Even something as simple as a birthday cake emoji would have sufficed. Though, I know he's not one for small things like that, I couldn't help but hope for a slight curveball in his actions. A girl can only hope.

"So we're celebrating twice?" he asks Maya, who glares at him with wide eyes. He opens and closes his mouth to form an uncomfortable 'O' shape. "I'll shut up now."

I look between the two of them for a few seconds until Maya quickly recovers from the clearly awkward slip-up. "I'll get to planning Saturday. I assume no alcohol is fine?"

"Perfect," I assure her with a quick nod.

"What kind of cake do you like?" she asks as she nudges Asa. He tunes back into the conversation quickly.

"Chocolate..." I suggest as I tap into my cravings.

"Chocolate frosting, too?" she continues to interrogate.

"Yes," I confirm with a nod.

"Your favorite color?" she pries with a brow.

"Grey..." I answer in slight confusion.

"Me, too," Asa comments as if slightly thrown off by the common fact.

"I mean an actual color that has pigment," she retorts as she waves her hand at Asa.

"I don't know. Red?" I answer after a few more seconds of thought.

"Me, too," Asa pipes yet again.

"Cool," she nods slowly. "I like pink."

Asa gives her a pointed once over. I do the same, acknowledging the pink bow in her hair, which matches the pink romper she's wearing. "Really? I wasn't aware," Asa remarks sarcastically. She contorts her face and repeats what he said in a high pitched tone. I repress a chuckle as she mocks him.

"I have work in fifteen minutes so I should get a move on," she announces as she rises to her feet. She slides the rest of her pizza to Asa, who quickly picks it up and takes a large bite. I wonder what happened to her monstrous appetite. I take a forkful of salad into my mouth and give her a goodbye nod.

"I'll see you later, right?" she asks me as she trails backwards towards the exit. "History project session?"

"Yes," I agree after I force down the bite of spinach. She gives me a quick nod before hauling it in the direction of the exit.

I turn to Asa, who continues to eat. "You're lame," he acknowledges.

"Gee, thanks," I mumble as I shake my salad some more. "What makes me lame this time?"

"You're studying on your birthday," he clarifies weakly.

"It's a Wednesday," I remind him. "What should I be doing?"

He shrugs thoughtlessly. "I don't know- something fun," he responds as he continues to gaze at the pizza.

"Like what?" I start before quickly shutting down the conversation. "You don't get to have an opinion about what I do on my birthday."

He gazes at me as he roughly bites off a piece of the crust. "Oh yeah, and why is that?" he asks through a mouthful of food. How hot, I think to myself sarcastically. 

"You didn't even know it was my birthday," I announce with a slight scowl on my face.

"Yeah I did," he answers with a short nod.

"Yeah, thanks to Maya," I excuse him and he shakes his head. Wordlessly, his hand shoves into his pocket and returns to the table a second later clutching his large phone. He flashes the screen at me and I try to figure out what I'm supposed to be reading. My eyes inadvertently take in the text messages clouding the plain, black lock screen. All the names are male except for one at the bottom of the screen. Aria. I don't risk skimming the message and instead, glance at the top notification, which is a reminder from 12:00AM labeled 'Poison's Birthday.' I stare at it in slight confusion and he glances at the words before clarifying.

"That's you," he informs me as if it isn't obvious. His phone returns to his pockets and he continues to eat.

"Then why didn't you say 'happy birthday?'" I ask with an annoyed shrug.

"You know it's your birthday. I know it's your birthday. You know that I know that it's your birthday. It's kind of implied, don't you think?" he answers as he steals the last sip of my drink.

"That's not how it works, Asa," I mumble as I take another bite of my salad.

"Why does it bother you so much?" he asks with a small smirk as he continues to attack the crust of the pizza. I would be surprised at his boldness if it weren't for my slight irritation. Here he is, publically smirking at me and doing what I think is flirting.

"It doesn't," I deny with another weak shrug. "Don't say it, then. I don't care."

"Okay, I won't," he promises. I glare at him and he only stares back in an amused state. What a jerk.

+++

I walk down the hall of the apartment on the phone with my twin brother, trying my best to go as slow as possible in hopes that he'll end the conversation soon. "This is our first birthday spent apart, you know?" he reminds me as if our father didn't cry to me about it only thirty minutes ago.

"I know. I was there for all of them," I reply as I come to a slow stop outside of door 517. I'm barely there for two seconds before the door swings open and Asa appears.

"What are you doing just standing here?" he asks and I point to the phone in my hand.

"Who was that?" Ian presses in a curious tone and I wave Asa away.

"Nobody, just some guy in my dorm building," I lie quickly. Asa furrows his brows before letting the door partially close. "Anyway, I have to go. I have a lot of homework."

He lets me go after saying one final happy birthday, which I return just as I hang up and slip my phone in my pocket. I shake away thoughts of my brother and push open the apartment door. As I walk further into the house, I drop my bag on the couch and call Maya's name.

"In the kitchen!" she yells back. I remove my shoes and stumble out of the living room, slightly surprised at the sight before me. Asa and Maya stand on either side of the square table in the dark. Between them sits a chocolate cake. I take a slow step closer and skim it. Happy Birthday, Poison. A small smile breaks onto my face as I look from the store-crafted cake to Asa.

"Just to be clear, that's not me saying it," he mumbles as his fingers swirl above the red letters. "I said it to the guy on the phone and he wrote it. So if anything, it's him."

"Shut up," Maya snaps with a light slap to his chest.

"Also, just so you know, these candles have been lit and died out three times already so they don't have much life left in them," he remarks.

"I'm sorry I have faulty ears!" Maya gasps in annoyance. I approach the cake and blow out the candles wordlessly. "What about the song?!"

"It's a stupid song," I mumble as I flip on the lights. I don't bother fighting off the smile on my face as I stare at the pretty cake.

"Thank you," Asa retorts with a pointed look at Maya. "I also think that song is stupid."

"It's tradition!" she snaps back defensively.

"Can we cut this bad boy?" I question as I pick up the knife near the cake. I slice into it and cut a piece for Maya, who eagerly accepts it.

"I want a big piece," Asa requests as he stares at the chocolate cake. I shift the knife to snag him a corner piece but he quickly intervenes. "Not a corner piece; that's too much frosting."

"I have a knife," I remind him as I point it in his direction. He stares at me challengingly.

"Go for it," he insists without skipping a beat. I huff noisily as I cut deeper into the cake, creating a canyon within it. Now it's split into two separate pieces all because Asa wanted a big non-corner piece. "You're lucky I don't grab some cake and wipe it on your face."

"You're too scared to touch me," I retort as I cut myself a piece. Maya chuckles through a large mouthful of chocolate cake. I use my fork to smear the red lettering before taking a large bite. "Thanks guys."

"Happy birthday again," Maya coos with a large grin.

"This is good cake," Asa dismisses the conversation, which earns a short glare from me.

"I invited Zack but he couldn't come because he's at work," she informs me with a small frown.

"That's okay," I confirm with a shrug.

"But he will be there on Saturday," she assures me as she bobs her head up and down.

"I'm not sure if I can make it on Saturday," Asa comments and Maya stares at him with narrowed eyes.

"What do you have to do?" she asks suspiciously.

"Nothing, I just don't know if I want to be there," he offers a shrug.

"Oh, shut up Asa; it's five people. That's two more than what you're used to," she dismisses his concerns.

"I don't really know them," Asa replies with a shrug.

"You met Aaliyah," I mumble and repress the urge to remind him about how cute she thinks he is.

"I recall," he agrees with a short nod. "But I don't know her."

"You know Zack," Maya reminds him.

"Barely," he retorts quietly.

"He's really cool," I tell Asa, who glances at me and nods rigorously.

"So I've heard. I've also been advised to 'get me a Zack,'" he recalls with a tilted head. I can only continue to shoot him a dirty look and in response, I get a deadpan expression.

"You're going to be there," Maya concurs as she points her chocolatey fork towards him.

"Why?" he whines in slight annoyance.

"Because Ivy wants you there," she insists as she points at me with her eating utensil.

"She never said that; did you Ivy?" he retorts, turning his attention to me.

I did not say that but she's not wrong. I do want him there. But I'm not going to outright admit it. "Come if you want," I decide to say. He's not saying happy birthday to me; I'm not telling him I want him at my birthday celebration.

"See? That's literally the 'sure, you can come if you want' version of an invite," he tells Maya, who narrows her eyes.

"You're coming," she insists and he rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he remarks with an entertained gaze.

+++

I lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. My birthday wasn't too bad. Zack managed to call me for twenty minutes before he went to sleep. He has an exam bright and early tomorrow morning so I figured I'd let him get off the phone. He said he's excited for Saturday, which helped make me a bit more anticipatory, too. However, today was dull. It was the same as every other day, except Maya, Asa, and I had cake, which was undeniably the best part.

My casual gaze turns to a heated glare when I think about Asa. He seriously didn't say 'happy birthday' to me. I told him that it meant a lot to me yet he still didn't do it. Challenge or not, he didn't even make an effort. If the roles were reversed, I would've said it even if I told him I wouldn't. I roll onto my stomach and press my face into my pillow. I'm ready for my birthday to be over. Just as I close my eyes, my pillow starts to vibrate. I stare at it in confusion before realizing my phone is buried beneath it. I pull the device from the depths of my bedding and squint at the screen.

Who the hell is calling me at 11:58PM? I read the contact in slight surprise. Asa's unsaved phone number. My stomach jolts when I reread the last few digits to confirm it's him. Something has to be wrong. Maya must not have come back from work or something. I quickly answer and turn my voice to a whisper as to not wake my roommate. "Hello?" I hiss.

"Hi," he greets me casually as if we have these late night conversations every day.

"Is everything alright?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yeah," he replies. "I just wanted to say something."

"Now?" I ask in pure confusion.

"Because it's 11:59, it's still your birthday," he acknowledges, essentially dismissing my concerns.

"That's how it works, yes," I respond with a roll of my eyes.

"So, happy birthday," he says into the phone. I'm silent for a couple seconds as a large grin breaks onto my face.

"I thought you weren't going to say it?" I ask while attempting to hide the smile in my voice.

"I wasn't going to until I realized you'd probably hate me," he remarks. "Don't tell Maya I said it."

"Why not?" I ask.

"I haven't said it to her in all my years of knowing her. Then again, she never raised hell about it," he explains before his tone turns joking. "But don't feel special either."

"Trust me, I don't," I assure him.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now," he concludes with a sigh.

"You stayed up just to say 'happy birthday?'" I inquire as my brows raise.

"Perhaps," he responds after a few seconds of thought. "But again, don't feel special."

"Not feeling special at all. Goodnight Asa," I whisper.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mumbles back tiredly. I hang up the phone and stare at the screen for a couple seconds. How cute was that?