Keo’s birthday is early in the year, very early in the year; January 25^th to be exact. But even with a birthday earlier than most people on the 97 age line, she still managed to act childish at times. A countdown had started as far back as August and Keo was sure to cross of every day until she stared at her calendar the eve of her birthday.

                This was it. Her sixteenth birthday. Sure it wasn’t much, but she promised herself she’d do something spectacular this year, even if she didn’t know exactly what it was going to be at the time. Maybe love? Of course her boyfriend could supply her with that. After a steady three months, Keo and Dominik had been dating and Keo was very happy with how their relationship was going.

                Maybe she’d make a new friend. Preferably female since the males didn’t hang around long after her boyfriend fought them away (not that she was on the to do list or anything, Dominik just didn’t like other guys around his girl). Yeah, a new friend would be nice. She, because Keo lacked female friends as well, could freshen up day to day life Keo lived that was becoming very repetitive.

                Waking up the next morning was not as hard as going to sleep the night before. Keo was speedy in getting washed and ready; reminding her parents she’d be going to Iris’, Keo’s sister, house for a birthday dinner with her and her husband. If there was anything she was excited for, it was the upcoming dinner. Kris, Iris’ strange husband, had promised Keo a gift that would blow her mind.

                Keo wanted this school day to move fast. Especially since it was her second exam day of the first semester.Sure, she loved seeing Dominik and her few friends, but an exam on her birthday – she wasn’t really a fan of that idea. She sat quietly speeding through the essay questions at the end of the exam,glancing up at the clock every thirty seconds, sighing when the large hand moved minute by minute.

                With luck she could run and catch the earlier subway train to her sister’s apartment, but that would take a fair bit of work on her part. The subway train would board and leave the station at 10:15 and school ended at 10:05. Keo tapped the end of her eraser on her desk looking up to the clock which read 9:45. She was already finished, because she rocked at English and the exam for it was easy, and the hour was taking far too long for Keo’s liking.

                Absentmindedly, Keo had spent fifteen minutes drawing out the fastest route to the station. When she looked up, the clock read 10 o’clock and Keo quickly jammed her mess of erasers and pencils into her bag and watched the second hand tick around the clock’s face.

                She knew exactly when the bell would ring on the school’s faulty time. The clock she was sitting in front of would have to tick its second hand twice past the two before the bell rang. So, Keo waited. Her hear tipped from side to side in unison while the seconds counted down. Three.Two. Keo leaped from her seat just as the bell sound and she sprinted for the door, leaving her classmates behind.

                The hallway was a mess. Teenagers cluttered the already small corridor and the farther Keo dodged into the crowd, past the gym change room, the stronger the scent of sweat and masculinity started to become. Keo held her breath holding out a thick math textbook in front of her and bulldozing through the cluster of people she would rather not be so close to.

                Keo looked down at her phone, wheezing in some new air at the front door. 10:06.She had exactly nine minutes to run two blocks. She could do it, she would do it. She was determined. Faster than she left the classroom, she started on her way yelling an odd mash up of words to Dominik as she rushed past him. Keo was too focused on making it to the subway station on time to form any coherent words or phrases.

                It was in Keo’s favour that the streets hadn’t yet filled with school buses and taxis that would bring kids home from school. The busy streets of Toronto really wouldn’t have helped her cause if they were. Keo skipped down a flight of stairs into the lower levels of the city. She slipped only once, but less-than-gracefully caught herself before she could fall. Her legs were growing tired from the extreme running she had done, but she didn’t stop. Her textbook was threatening to fall from her thin limp arms as she buggered around looking for an entrance into the subway’s boarding station.

                Sliding her bus pass long the sensor lazily, Keo made it in the last thirty seconds of boarding. She slumped onto a seat, chest pumping up and down dangerously. She held her math book close to her chest, trying to regain her breath. Keo laughed quietly to herself, she’d run all that way to catch this stupid train.

                Looking around the subway cart, Keo could see it was quite empty. Nothing but two other people sat in the cart, both of which were looking bewildered at Keo as she continued to heave breaths. She tried to give a small smile and wave, but the result was too pathetic and embarrassing to describe. Exhausted she hid her face behind her math book.

                Iris’ apartment was exactly one block and three steps from the subway station. Keo had memorized this with her countless visits. Casually, she slipped in her ear buds and started walking on her short ten minute journey. Keo was hoping she’d surprise Iris and Kris with her early arrival. She was hoping that maybe she would catch glimpse of her surprise as it was being wrapped or something along those lines.

                At the apartment building, the doorman let her in with a tip of his hat. She grinned at him and went to the elevators. In front of her sister’s apartment door, Keo used her text book to slide the spare key from the top of the door frame onto the ground. She picked it up and let herself in.

                “I’m here!” Keo sang tearing her ear buds from her head and throwing them aside with her bag and books.

                Kris popped her head out of the main bedroom with a raise eyebrow. “Way to barge into someone else’s home.” He grinned at her and greeted his sister-in-law with a hug. “Iris just went out to buy groceries for dinner. She’ll be back soon. In the meantime, you might as well open that.” Kris led her to the living room, where a giant box was situated. She flicked on the lights excitedly and marvelled at the size of her present.“Happy birthday.”

                Keo grinned wide looking at the box. It was probably four and a half feet tall and three feet wide covered in all blue wrapping paper and a small bow decorating the lid. Keo ran her fingertips along the smooth wrapping paper until they reached the rim of the lid. Carefully she pulled the top off to be greeted by a load of wrapping paper. She stepped back to place the lid behind her when she heard a thud.

                It sounded like something had fallen, which puzzled Keo. She took another step back as the walls of the box began to tear away from each other falling to the ground. Keo’s initial response was blank, motionless, so in shock that she must have been petrified. Kris wanted to laugh, but when Keo let out the loudest earth shaking, volcano erupting, avalanche starting scream she could, he refrained.

                It really didn’t help that Keo’s present was screaming right back at her. Keo was staring at a teenage boy wearing blue jeans and a pink polo shirt done right up to the top button. He was sitting on a short stool with his feet tucked away under it and a sign resting on his knees saying “Happy Birthday!~ I’m Soonyoung!”  Keo whipped her head between Soonyoung and Kris letting out inhuman noises and screams.

                Soonyoung held a hand over his chest as if he was about to have a heart attack, huffing in short breathes he lost while screaming.

                “What the hell is that?!” Keo yelled her body pulled up on the couch, cowering slightly. Kris kicked the bottom of the Soonyoung’s chair slightly. The boy got to his feet taking the wrapping paper from his head and brushing off his pants before extending a hand hesitantly.

                “Happy Birthday!” He said awkwardly causing Keo to flinch, “I’m-“

                Soonyoung was cut off by another long line of screams. This time with Keo running as far as she could from him. Soonyoung left his mouth open a gap watching the new sixteen year old plug her ears with her fingers and walk a track into the ground hollering every sound she knew.

                Kris laughed watching his sister-in-law throw some sort of childish tantrum, “Why’d you scream?” Soonyoung held out his hands by his head, trying to concentrate on Kris rather than Keo.

                “She screamed first, I got scared.” Soonyoung pouted taking a seat on his original chair. He lolled his head back and forth watching Keo shout various logical explanations as to why she received a teenage boy for her birthday.

                The door kicked open suddenly letting a new person into the apartment, “What the hell is going on?!” Iris shouted over Keo, trying not to fumble around bags of groceries. She stopped having just entered the room and was left speechless. Kris’ expression dropped from its satisfied look to a new guilty puppy eyed look.

                Iris shifted her eyes from the boy to Keo to Kris. She closed her eyes and groaned out her husband’s name, calling him into the kitchen. Kris followed obediently.

                Keo was stuck in the tracks she had made. She bore her eyes into Soonyoung’s skin, making him uncomfortable. She could tell he was afraid of looking up at her by the way he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.Now calming down, her head tilted looking at him and wondering why exactly Kris wanted to give him as a present and how exactly he got Soonyoung to comply.

                "It's just a joke. Yeah, Kris probably got me a stripper. A very under aged-looking stripper.For my sixteenth birthday.Yeah." Keo didn’t notice the face of horror and confusion she had on her face from the idea of an under aged stripper being her sixteenth birthday gift while she muttered to herself.

                Soonyoung clumsily rubbed his right hand over his forearm and finally raise his eyes to see Keo. He swallowed the lump that developed in his throat that Keo created by watching him for so long and straightened his back. “H-Happy Birthday,” he said in a cautious tone, bracing himself for more screaming.

                Keo exhaled in annoyance before strutting towards the door and exiting the room.