If someone had asked me this morning how I expected my eighteenth birthday to feel, I would have said something simple: warm, maybe a little special, at least different from the ordinary rhythm of school life. Instead, the day arrived like any other, quiet and almost invisible, as though the calendar itself had forgotten to mark it. When I woke up in my dorm room, the pale spring light filtering through the curtains felt exactly the same as it had the day before. No messages waited on my laptop, no excited whispers in the hallway, not even a careless "Happy birthday" from anyone rushing past my door. At first, I told myself people were simply busy. Exams had ended only recently, and the entire school seemed obsessed with one thing: results. Everywhere I walked that morning, voices buzzed about marks, assignments, and whether professors had been fair or cruel when grading them. In the courtyard, students gathered in little clusters, their conversations overlapping like a restless storm. Some argued about who had scored the highest in economics. Others debated whether the literature professor had secretly favored certain students. A few people leaned against the low stone walls on campus, talking about movies instead, especially the ones everyone seemed excited about this year. I heard the title Beauty in Black mentioned at least three times before lunch, and someone near the fountain was passionately explaining why Culpa Nuestra was going to be the biggest thing of the summer. It was strange to listen to them. Spring had only just begun, the air still carrying that sharp chill that clung to the early months of the year, and yet everyone was already dreaming about summer movies and holidays. Normally, I might have joined one of those conversations just to avoid being alone, but today something inside me felt heavy. I kept waiting for someone—anyone—to suddenly remember the date. Angie, maybe, or Ivy, or even Elliot with one of his sarcastic comments. But the hours kept passing, and nothing happened. By midday, I had convinced myself that nobody cared. It wasn't even the lack of celebration that hurt; it was the quiet realization that the day meant nothing to anyone else. Birthdays always sound important when people talk about them, but when they arrive unnoticed, they suddenly feel small, almost embarrassing. I tried to pretend it didn't matter. After all, we were students at Königsberg Catholic High School, not children waiting for balloons and cake. Still, I couldn't stop the little ache growing inside my chest. What made the day even stranger was that I hadn't seen Rafael at all. Not once. Normally, he would show up during the day, even if just briefly in the corridor or the yard. Sometimes he would just pass by with the other boys and give me that quiet smile that always made my thoughts disappear for a second. But today there had been nothing. No message, no glimpse of him near the classrooms, no familiar voice echoing down the corridors. I hadn't seen Brandon either. The only person from our group I spotted was Elliot. He was leaning against a railing outside the library earlier that afternoon, laughing with two other students. I was about to walk over and ask him where the hell Rafael had disappeared to, but before I even crossed the courtyard Elliot pushed himself off the railing and walked away quickly, disappearing around the corner like someone who had suddenly remembered an urgent appointment. It left me standing there alone. By the time evening approached, the sky turning soft gray above the school rooftops, the truth had settled in my mind like an uncomfortable certainty. My birthday was just another ordinary day. No surprises. No celebrations. No one remembering. And somehow that made the whole world feel a little quieter than usual.
With supper over, the campus started its typical weekend clearing out. Some students drifted toward the small cinema room the school allowed us to use on weekends, arguing about which movie they thought should start first, while others disappeared toward the dorms, blankets already waiting for them. Laughter echoed through the courtyard as groups split apart, everyone choosing their own plans for the evening. I stood near the steps for a moment, watching them go, unsure what I wanted to do next. Since nobody had remembered my birthday, the night didn't feel special enough to celebrate, and yet it also felt too heavy to ignore. I was about to return to my dorm when I heard footsteps behind me. "Mary." I turned, and there he was. Rafael. For a second, I almost forgot how disappointed I had been all day. He looked calm as usual, hands in his pockets, his dark eyes resting quietly on my face as if he had been searching for me for a while. "Do you want to walk with me?" he asked. The question surprised me. Rafael rarely walked alone. Most evenings he was with Brandon or Elliot or the other boys, laughing loudly as they moved around campus together. Walking quietly around the schoolyard wasn't exactly his style. I had also heard the small rumors people sometimes whispered—that he occasionally walked with Anna—but I had never paid attention to them. I hated walking most of the time anyway, and besides, rumors in a boarding school could grow out of absolutely nothing. Still, when Rafael reached for my hand, I couldn't refuse. His fingers closed around mine naturally, warm and steady, and something inside my chest softened a little. We started walking slowly across the courtyard. I rarely said much. Words rarely came easily when Rafael was around. But somehow that never made the silence uncomfortable. He always seemed prepared, as if he had quietly collected a list of things to tell me during the day, just so our conversations would never feel empty. And I liked that about him. Effort. He talked about small things at first—how the weather was finally beginning to change, how the school grounds looked different when spring arrived, how noisy the campus felt now that exams were over. His voice was calm. It was easy to listen to him. I answered occasionally, but mostly I just walked beside him, letting his words fill the air between us. I barely realized how far we had gone. By the time I looked up again, we were already near the canteen beside the school gate. The building stood quietly under the dim outdoor lights, its windows dark against the evening sky. It didn't surprise me too much that we had come there. Still, something about the place looked strange tonight. The lights inside the canteen were off. I slowed my steps, staring at the dark windows. "Is it closed?" I asked quietly. Rafael didn't answer immediately. Instead he opened the door. The darkness inside made the room feel almost mysterious. For a strange second I wondered if we were about to do something sinfully fun like other couples sometimes did on weekends—sneaking into quiet places just to be alone together. The thought made my heart beat a little faster, but I didn't pull away. After all, Rafael was my boyfriend. When the door swung fully open, a small chill ran through me. The room was completely dark. Before I could ask another question, Rafael stepped closer behind me and wrapped one arm gently around my waist. His warmth pressed against my back, and I felt his breath brush softly against my hair. Instinctively I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the warmth calm the sudden shiver that had run through me. Then suddenly— the lights exploded on. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" The entire room burst into shouting voices and laughter.
For a moment, I couldn't move. The sudden explosion of light and voices left my mind completely blank, as if the shock had swept away my thoughts. Everywhere I looked, there were faces—friends, classmates, people from our dorms—standing around the room, smiling and laughing while the words happy birthday kept echoing through the air. Someone started singing the birthday song, and the rest joined in almost instantly, their voices rising together in a messy but joyful chorus that filled the entire canteen. I felt Rafael's hand still resting gently at my waist, steady and warm behind me as if he was making sure I didn't run away from the moment. My chest tightened and suddenly my eyes began to burn. I hadn't expected this. Not after the long, empty day I had spent convincing myself nobody remembered. A table covered with decorations and a large cake glowing under the lights stood in the center of the room. The wax candles on top were already sparkling and bursting softly, little golden flames dancing in the air while everyone kept singing. Angie appeared beside the table, clapping loudly, her grin wide and proud as if the entire plan had been her personal victory. When the song ended, people cheered and urged me forward, their voices overlapping as they pushed me gently toward the cake. I stepped closer, wiping the corners of my eyes quickly before anyone noticed the tears forming there. Eighteen candles waited for me; their flames trembled softly. I bent forward and blew them out in one long breath, sending my wish silently into my heart—to be happy all the time with all the people I loved—while the room erupted in applause. For a second, the smoke curled upward in thin gray ribbons before disappearing into the ceiling lights. Rafael moved beside me then, taking the knife and guiding my hand as we cut the first slice together. I could feel the calm confidence in the way he held my fingers, as if this moment belonged to him just as much as it belonged to me. When the slice was ready, he handed it to me, and we shared it, laughing quietly while Angie began helping the others pass plates around the room. Soon music filled the air, loud and bright, bouncing off the walls as conversations and laughter grew even stronger. Gifts started appearing on the table beside the cake—small boxes wrapped in colorful paper, envelopes, ribbons tied in messy bows. Angie collected them carefully like a treasure guard while I stayed near Rafael, smiling and thanking everyone who came close enough to hug me or wish me a happy birthday. I noticed Rafael looked happy too, but calmer than usual. His smile was there, soft and polite, yet something in his eyes felt quieter than the excitement surrounding us. I didn't know how to ask him about it, so I didn't try. Instead, I sat beside him while the music and laughter continued around us, letting the moment move forward on its own. Then the music changed. A new rhythm burst from the speakers—one of those songs by Ya Levis that everyone always danced to at parties. Immediately the room exploded again with cheers and whistles. "Zouke! Zouke!" someone shouted from across the room. People began surrounding us in a loose circle, clapping their hands and calling our names. I hesitated, laughing nervously, but Rafael simply stood and held out his hand. I took it and he led me into the center of the room where everyone's eyes followed us with excitement. The music wrapped around us like warm air. His hands settled firmly at my waist, pulling me closer than before. My arms slid around his neck and for a moment the cheering voices faded into the background. We moved together with the rhythm, slow and close, the world outside our small circle dissolving into nothing but music and soft lights. Then the song changed again. The lively rhythm melted into a calm melody of soft French piano, the kind of music that makes a room fall quiet without anyone noticing. Conversations lowered, laughter softened, and suddenly it felt like the whole world had paused for a breath. My head rested against Rafael's chest while his breathing moved slowly above me, warm against the top of my hair. Everything felt peaceful. Perfect. Until the door of the canteen opened. The sound cut through the music like a crack of thunder and settled inside my head like a bomb exploding in the silence of morning church grace. My steps slowed when I saw her. Anna.