Guess what DAY it is

It was many days that day. Saturday, July the fourth, cuatro de julio, American Independence day. A little blueberry cake sat on one of the tables in the lounge, with a single student sitting next to it. Candles lined the cirumference of the little cake. All sixteen of them were lit, melted wax creeping down to touch the white frosting. If one were to look closer, instead of "Happy 4th of July!", it would read in dark blue lettering, "Happy Birthday Heron" Bright red smears of frosting were below them. Obviously the words had been changed.

And there was the birthday kid, head laid sideways before the cake. Staring at it. It had come in the mail for Heron today, this completely vegan cake, from his aunt. Not a single egg graced this thing. A little mumble of the birthday song came from his mouth before blowing out the candles.

What a coincidence.

She had honestly been hoping to avoid everyone at all costs today, retreating to the lounge since every student must've been going to that stupid campfire at the lake or preparing for it. That was the thing - she had figured she'd be alone and now she felt absolutely guilty to walk in on someone else's business. One moment, she wanted to shut the door and run away, another time, Lamia wanted to find out what he was doing in there alone when every other student was celebrating. This entire day, she wanted to blot it out of her mind... Why can't life be any easier?

Reality really kept messing with her. There was a part of her that wondered where Heron had wandered off to that morning, but she didn't pursue it. In all honesty, she hardly cared. So what the hell was she doing following him and watching him from a corner like a stalker? She hadn't even congratulated him or asked him about the tournament when he came back either. Was this his own self-celebration? She'd be imposing...

But here she was, standing in the doorway, with nothing but her roommate in front of her. Was she supposed to ask him what he was doing first? Greet him? Ask him what the cake was for? Wave and smile? Slip away and hope that he never heard the door open? Lamia took one deep breath, ignoring her own second-guessing, and spoke. Chin up, raise your voice, maintain eye contact.

"U-um... H-hi..."

A soft creak echoed across the room, barely audible. Nothing happened. Putting it to the school's old structure, he went back to staring at his cake. The winter poked at the white frosting with the plastic knife in his hand. A voice forced him to turn and look up, at one of his roommates.

"Hey Lamia," he murmured. Straightening up, he focused on her face. Over the few months he'd been here, the little things his roommates did became familiar. It made sense that she wouldn't be at the fireworks show at the lake. "Do you want some of the cake? It's blueberry,"

Was it normal for people to be this casual when she just snuck up on them? No, it wasn't. People would be wondering what the hell she was doing, watching them like that or tell her to get lost because she was unwanted. What made Heron any different? It was probably a trick, poison or something to get her out of the way... Nobody was generally nice without some kind of ulterior motive. Never ever. Not to her. Especially not with her.

"C-cake...?" Lamia repeated with a small frown. It was just the Fourth of July, right? Was he just celebrating his success in the tournament? She wanted to ask, but it'd probably make the situation worse. That was a law with her always. If it was bound to go wrong, it will go wrong.

Something wasn't quite right. He frowned slightly. The student before him seemed to be incredibly shy, too shy to be born with. Relaxing, he gave a smile and spoke again, attempting to become as nonthreatening as possible. "It's just my birthday." He cut a small slice and placed it on a paper plate. Holding it out to her, he offered the thin piece. If she didn't want it, Heron supposed he'd have to eat it himself; that would be awkward.

"O-oh..."

She took the plate from his hand with a tiny smile. It was probably too late to try and leave... As rude as it seemed, Lamia didn't want to be here. She wanted to be alone, that's all. Her eyes suddenly found interest in the cake as she took a seat on the opposite couch, the fork in her hand picking at the frosting. Life would be a lot less complicated if she could just shrug and smile and roll with the punches. Maybe that's why she couldn't trust others... They always looked down on her and she accepted it instead of laughing it off.

"H-happy birthday, H-heron..." she murmured. It must be hard having a birthday on a holiday, especially one on Independence Day... Nobody knew. "D-do you l-like blueberries?" Lamia asked, desperate for some kind of conversation that wasn't as depressing as the one she was relaying in her head. God, you sound stupid. It's clearly a strawberry.

Relieved she took the plate, Heron cut a small slice for himself. Two thirds of the cake remained. The boy warily took a bite and looked at it in mild surprise. 'Wow. It isn't absolutely terrible.' The far away screech of a firework made it into the room. "Not too shabby. For a vegan cake," he muttered.

Now that someone else was here, he felt a bit happier. Those three words were enough to cheer him up. "Nothing can beat blueberries. Although, they do tend to stain," he responded. And sure enough, his tongue had turned blue. "When's your birthday?" Maybe when hers came around he'd get her something.

Was he just asking that to make her feel better?

A queasy smile formed on her lips before she let out a sigh. Lamia wouldn't admit it to him, but she never really liked any kind of berries. She only submit to taking the cake because... she wasn't very good at refusing. Forcing herself to relax, the lounge wasn't much better than her dorm, now that she thought about it. At every moment of the day, she could hear someone chatting or laughing or jumping around.

It was really maddening, but there really was no escape. Unless she wanted to leave her dorm... where all of her misadventures happened. She considered saying nothing. Maybe Heron wouldn't question her about it again. Her birthday wasn't important... It was her twin's special day, not her's. Maybe I could pretend I'm not even here... She thought to herself, but there was a sudden pang of guilt as she remembered... It was his birthday. If all he wanted was someone to be there to keep him company on his birthday, Lamia-- she wasn't the right person to do it. But she could try.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself before she could say anything. Don't do this. a small part of her warned. You'll regret it later. Don't tell him. But remembering, she summoned all of here courage and softly mumbled an answer. "U-uhm..." there was some hesitancy as she began, forcing herself not to trail off into nothing. "M-may tw-twenty eighth..."