Not long after their heart-to-heart talk, Sebastian and Delilah arrived at the mall. She was excited at the opportunity to buy him a gift; however, as soon as she stepped foot into the mall, a sudden realization hit her: she had no idea what to buy him. Sure, the idea of buying him a gift meant that her heart was in the right place but it was a spontaneous reaction. She embarrassingly turned to Sebastian and scratched the side of her head.

“So, where to?”

“Wherever you’d like to, I suppose.”

“It’s just that I had the idea of getting you a gift but I don’t know what it is you like. Maybe you could help me out here?”

It’s nice that she’s trying but… for someone who doesn’t deserve a gift or celebrate his birthday, there isn’t a whole lot that I’d want. I mean, I could ask for a copy of The Zero Eclipse but that’s a $70 game. We’re both high school students with no jobs living off of whatever money our parents give us for an allowance. There’s no way I would ask her to buy me something as expensive as that.

I’m betting that she was thinking something more along the lines of a cheap trinket of some sort but I don’t have a use for anything like that. I’d still accept one anyway just to honor the effort she’s putting into this but… the reality is, I don’t want anything and would be happy with whatever she decided on giving me. She’s probably not going to like this answer since it won’t help the situation but there’s nothing else I can think of to say.

“Haha, I’m not sure. I’d be happy with anything you get me so I’ll leave it up to you.”

Just as he suspected, Delilah frowned a bit because she had hoped for some sort of clue. She realized that she had hit a dead end and internally sighed. She was left with only one option which she presented to him.

“I guess we can just go from store to store until I find something I think might make a nice gift… that is if you don’t mind being dragged around by an indecisive girl.”

“I don’t mind. I didn’t have anything planned today anyway outside of hanging out with you and since we’re not doing any drawing lessons, browsing the mall is okay with me.”

Just hearing that made her smile. She took him by the hand and began to lead him away. She figured the best place to start would be the nearest store and they could work their way down.

The first store they entered was filled with nothing but odd novelty items. Everything there ranged from LED-lit lava lamps to old-style landline phones shaped like animals. Some of the things in there were a bit eccentric and while a few things would humorously make a good gift, neither one of them felt that anything they offered would have been worth the trip. With one store down, they went to the next. This one was a clothing store that had some of the latest trends in fashion. As she looked around, an idea popped into her head.

“Say! I see you wearing the same pair of khakis all the time. Maybe I can get you a new pair of pants! It’ll be practical! What’s your size?”

Wow, she’s starting to sound like my mom… and my size? I, honestly, never thought to measure myself. My mom knows what it is and just buys all of my clothes for me. I guess that rules out a new pair of pants as a gift.

“I don’t know what my size is.”

“That’s okay! They have measuring tape here! I’ll just measure your waist!”

Ah, okay. Wait. What!?

Delilah went off in search of some tape. They had a small stand set up in the back of the store where customers could help themselves to a few items, measuring tape being one of them. When she found it, she beckoned him over. Sebastian gulped hard and nervously approached. She wasted no time and wrapped her arms around him, pulling the tape tightly against his stomach. He could feel her hands pressing into him which made him blush.

“Hmm… 29.5 inches. You’re skinnier than I thought you were! Now I just need to measure your length.”

She let the tape dangle down to the floor then pressed it up against the side of his leg up to his waist. His eyes looked around to see if anyone was watching this. So far, nobody seemed to be paying attention. Once she was done, she stood up and gave him the results.

“31 inches so a 30, 32 pair would fit well and give you that little extra room where you need it. Let’s see if we can find something in that size! What do you want? More khakis? Blue jeans? Stonewashed?”

I just want to leave…

“Um… given the price of some of these pants, maybe we could go with a t-shirt instead?”

“Why? They can’t be THAT expensive?”

When Delilah looked over, she noticed that the pants were, indeed, very pricy. A lot of the brands the store carried were from designer labels which would explain the high price range. She internally facepalmed because she never thought to check the name of the store before entering. She just saw clothes and thought a new pair of pants would make for a nice gift.

“Yeah, I’d probably have to save up a month’s worth of allowance just to get you something from here. I guess I got a little too excited and didn’t bother to check first… I’m sorry. I guess we can try somewhere else.”

“It’s fine. It’s the thought that counts.”

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh of relief and with that, they were on to the next store, one that sold a bunch of trinkets such as pendants, rings, and small items that would look good on a small table or as a centerpiece for conversation. It seemed way more practical than Delilah’s first two choices so they opted to poke their heads around in there.

Sebastian wasn’t big on wearing jewelry so, right away that eliminated about half of the store. The remaining options were things such as crystalized figurines of plants and animals, small fake potted plants, and other random household accessory items. After hitting another dead end, they headed out to try their luck at the next store. By this point, Sebastian wondered if this was a lost cause.

This isn’t going very well. I’m starting to feel like I’m wasting her time. I mean, I get that she’s trying to do something nice for me and she’s putting a lot of effort into it but, I just don’t know what I want. I can’t help her with this and to see her try and fail kind of hurts. I guess all the years I spent not caring about my birthday is showing here but… I just never felt as if my life was worth celebrating. Maybe I should just pick the most random thing out and tell her to buy it just for the sake of ending all of this.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The next store was a rather large department store that sold just about anything you could imagine. Delilah figured that if they were going to find anything for him, it would be in this store. The only problem was where to begin looking.

As they entered, they noticed that there were a lot of home landscape products displayed right up front. While she thought that Sebastian would look good riding a mower, it was a little out of her price range. They continued and saw that there was an automotive section, followed by home appliances, furnishings, hardware, and more. The store stretched on for what felt like an eternity but then she spied a section that caught her interest.

“Say, let’s go check out the Electronics section!”

Electronics? Everything there would be well out of your price range. I don’t see a point in it but if she wants to go and just window shop, I guess that would be fine.

Delilah led the way. Something about visiting the Electronics section perked her up and soon Sebastian found himself needing to catch up. When they arrived, it became even more clear when she went right up to the video game section and started browsing through the titles. As she scoured them, something, or rather, someone caught Sebastian’s eye. When he looked over, he saw Bryce at the other end of the aisle, also checking out the games for a different console. Bryce didn’t notice Sebastian at first but that changed when Kayla and Shiloh rounded the corner with shopping bags in hand. They looked straight at him before tapping Bryce on the shoulder to grab his attention.

Suddenly, a lump developed in Sebastian’s throat as they made their way over. As they approached, Delilah looked over and saw them. Remembering their earlier conversation, she tensed up as she already knew that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience.

“Hey, Bryce,” she said meekly.

“Hey. I take it that you didn’t think much about what we said earlier, huh?”

“She did,” Sebastian said, interjecting himself. “She told me everything that you said to her.”

“And yet, you two are still together?”

“Yes… we’re still friends. I told her everything and while I was doing so, I realized that you don’t know everything about me, either. It’s… rather complicated but I know I was in the wrong so many years ago. I destroyed our friendship but, if you can believe me, back then… I wasn’t aware of what was going on. I know that seems silly but… it’s true. Today, I now know what I did and… I can fully understand if you don’t want to do this but… I would love the opportunity to talk and explain everything to you guys… even if it means not being able to salvage our friendship.”

“I don’t know, Sebastian. We never did a thing to you. You somehow thought we turned our backs on you when it was you who did that to us… all over a stupid camping trip. Then, you put your hands on Kayla when all she wanted to do was stop us from fighting.”

“I know. You have no idea how much I have regretted that day. That’s why I swore to never have another friend again but… Delilah showed me that people can change and they can be given a second chance. Once I explained everything to her, she still put her trust in me. She taught me that it’s okay to stop hiding and that I can just be myself. That’s why I want to talk to you… so that I hope you can put that same faith in me as she did. As I said, I don’t expect an explanation to repair our friendship but, at the very least, I owe you the truth.”

“Bryce, why don’t we hear him out?” asked Kayla.

“You honestly think that whatever he has to say can change the fact that your nose has never been the same since he broke it?”

“Bryce… even I could tell that it was an accident. Even if you don’t want to, I’d be willing to hear him out and see what he has to say.”

“Me, too,” said Shiloh. “We’ve held onto this grudge for far too long. I’d be willing to give him another chance. After all, we never knew why he suddenly stopped wanting to hang around us. It would be nice to get some sort of closure.”

“I… I don’t know. I thought we had made a new friend and then, for something as silly as missing a camping trip all because you were sick, you threw all of that away… it seems petty to me. If you two want to hear him out, have at it. I, on the other hand, need to think about it.”

Bryce turned around and walked away. Kayla let out a heavy sigh and walked over to Sebastian, placing his hand into her own.

“I’m sorry about that. We’re still willing to hear you out but, I see that you and Delilah are trying to spend some time together, we can always talk some other time when things are… well… better.”

“Thank you. That means a lot. I… never meant for any of this to happen. I truly mean that.”

“I know you do. Well, we’re going to get going. I’ll see what I can do to talk Bryce into hearing you out. See you at school on Monday and… oh, yeah… happy early birthday. We never forgot.”

Kayla and Shiloh both smiled as they turned and walked away. Sebastian couldn’t believe that neither of them forgot when his birthday was. He stood there stunned silent as tears welled up in his eyes. Delilah placed her hand on his shoulder and gazed at his face. She immediately knew how he felt as if his feelings were connected to hers.

“They told me everything because they were concerned for me and now, they’re more than willing to listen to your story. They may not have seemed like it at first but they are good people, aren’t they?”

“Yeah… they are. We had a lot of fun when we were younger. I… only have myself to blame for ruining all of that but I’m going to try my hardest to make it up to them and…” he said as he turned around and faced her. “...I have you to thank for all of that. If you hadn’t shown me that it was okay to put my trust in someone again, I don’t know if I would have ever gotten an opportunity like this. I’d still be holed up in my room playing video games and cursing the world around me. Thank you… for everything.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I still owe you a birthday gift. Let’s go, Sebby. I think I know just the thing to get you.”

Delilah had something in mind but she didn’t know where this store would keep it or if they even sold it at all. They went up and down nearly every aisle until she spotted something tucked away in the back corner. There were several peg hooks filled with thin strands of colored rope that were meant to be worn around one’s wrist. She looked through them until she found one that was the perfect color.

“This!” she exclaimed.

“A rope bracelet?”

“Yep! People wear these as a symbol of friendship. If I buy two of them, then we could each wear one. That way, you’ll always be reminded of our friendship and if your mind tries to decide that all of this is just some sort of illusion, you can look at it and remind yourself that our friendship is real!”

“I’d love to get a gift like that from you but… just one question. Why the mint green color?”

“Haven’t looked in a mirror in a while, huh? Because it matches the color of your eyes!”

“Haha, I guess you’re right. I do have green eyes, don’t I?”

“It was one of the first things I noticed about you. They’re cool looking!” said she before she took a brief pause to stare at the bracelets. She then looked up at him to see that they did, indeed, match his eyes. When she looked into them, she smiled. “Happy birthday, Sebby.”

“Thanks, Lilah!”

Delilah looked around as if she were thinking about sticking them in her pocket. Sebastian got a bit suspicious as he didn’t want to go to jail over two dollars worth of colored rope. When she saw that nobody was around, she looked back at Sebastian.

“Don’t read too much into this but here’s another early birthday present.”

Delilah leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Sebastian couldn’t believe that she had done that. The look of confusion and shock on his face was priceless. Delilah had a good laugh at him before she nudged him in the arm and invited him to come with her to check out. As he walked with her to the register, he couldn’t help but notice how happy she seemed.

I can’t believe she just kissed me. I mean, it was just a friendly peck on the cheek but still… It’s pretty much a given that she likes me but if she’s starting to become this bold and daring… is she planning to confess to me? Is she going to do that on Sunday when she comes over? If she does, what am I going to do? Delilah is a great friend and all but I’m not sure if I’m truly ready for love yet. Let’s be real here… I’ve only known her for two-ish weeks. People just don’t fall in love that quickly, do they? Maybe she’s just being friendly? I mean, I’ve seen ordinary friends hug and give each other a “good to see you” kiss. Maybe that’s all this was?

After they checked out, there was no need to be at the mall any longer. They headed out; however, on the way home, Delilah opened the bag and pulled the bracelets out. She handed the green one to Sebastian who stared at it for a moment.

“Want to wear them on the way home?”

“S-Sure…”

He accepted the bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist. He held up his arm and looked at it. He focused on it so much that Delilah became blurred in the background… that is until she grabbed his attention.

“I think it looks good on you.”

“I never thought that I would be the kind of person to wear any type of jewelry and while this isn’t exactly like a watch or anything like that, I think I could get used to this.”

As he said that, Delilah put hers on and pressed her arm up against his.

“Look! We match now!”

“Yeah… I guess we do…”

After he said that, Delilah surprised him by taking his hand into her own. Their bracelets were just the right height so that they touched each other while they held hands. Neither one of them noticed that little detail, though… especially Delilah who was too busy looking at Sebastian and smiling.

“So… Do you want to do anything special for your birthday?’

“To be honest… I don’t celebrate my birthday. Never have.”

“Well, this year I’m going to change all of that!”

“Please don’t. If you want to hang out, that’s fine but I would much rather not do any celebrating.”

“I kind of get why. Let me put it this way, then. You took a chance on me and became my friend and because of that, you began to see life in a new light… a light that you thought that had burned out and gone dark forever. You were able to get Kayla and Shiloh to agree to hear you out which means you have a great shot at repairing your friendship with them… something else that you thought was never possible. Now, here we are faced with the same problem with your birthday. You think that celebrating your birthday is wrong and shouldn’t be possible but it is and it’s okay to do so. I’m not telling you that we’re going to celebrate but rather, just think about it and let me know if you change your mind. Until then, I look forward to just hanging out with you on Sunday!”

Sebastian knew that Delilah was right. He had made so many big strides in such a short amount of time. Perhaps it was something worth thinking about. For now, he was just happy with his friendship with her, and judging from the warm smile on her face, it was quite evident that she was happy, too.

Two days remained before he turned seventeen which meant he had plenty of time to decide whether or not to take another big step.