I had spent the previous year anxiously waiting for this day to come. I was turning 21, and I was as excited as a young girl getting her first Ken and Barbie set, but maybe a little more excited than that. I was the second of my sisters and brothers to turn 21 and my parents were thrilled for me, but I could tell they had a bit of sadness in planning my party.
My older sister, Kelly, turned 21 a few years ago and since then has gotten married and had a set of twin boys. My brother was still just 19, and I was sensing a bit of jealousy on his behalf. He knew how excited this day meant to me but he seemed disinterested in coming to my family birthday party.
I wanted a small, but elegant birthday bash here at home then follow it up with an ever more so, down and dirty, night out on the town with the friends. It wasn't the thought of being able to legally buy a drink that built up my spirit, but just the simple idea of not feeling like a kid anymore since the majority of my friends were of age already.
I was the popular girl in high school. I was on the Varsity cheerleading squad from sophomore year through my junior year only to be kicked off due to my grades, or lack thereof, during my senior year. I have been dating one of the star basketball players off and on going on 7 years, so yes, other girls wanted to be me. I have a dark naturally tanned complexion with straight dark hair a little past my shoulders and a fresh sexy smile now that my second round of braces has come to an end and were yanked a month ago.
I stood there in my bathroom, leaning over towards the mirror putting the finishing touches on my face when my brother comes walking into my room yelling my name.
"Lindsay" he was shouting with his typical arrogant tone. "Lindsay, hurry up so we can go eat dinner" he continued to voice to the direction of my opened bathroom door.
Shaking my head in a disgusted manner I calmly replied to him saying "I am almost done dude, just be patient."
Rolling my eyes back and forth at my brother wasn't anything new. Ever since he started acting like he was better than me, our conversations didn't last but one or two lines back and forth at each other. I have always loved my brother to death, but dude has been pissing me off a lot lately and I was starting to wonder if something was severely wrong. But, tonight was all about me! He can wait, I thought to myself as I shut my powder case finishing up with the final touches.
I turned the lights off, grabbing my purse that was hanging on the back of my hair and shut my bedroom door and started to head down the stairs to greet my family who seemed to be waiting impatiently.
As soon as I came through the Kitchen walkway, cheers rang out and smiles were on everyone's faces as they were shouting with joy about me being 21 now, and that we were finally going to eat.
I chose "Olive Garden" for us to dine at. I was a sucker for Italian, and even though I liked to watch what I ate regularly, tonight none of that mattered. I wanted a good, family dinner and hoped all 5 of us would enjoy it.
I was the first one out of the door, followed by my brother who actually gave me a bit of a compliment catching me off guard a little. "You do look really good tonight, and I hope your birthday is good for you" he said to me as we walked to my dad's Escalade.
"Aww thanks" I looked back at him and said with a smile.
As much as he had been mean to me as of late, there have been occasional friendly conversations mixed in as well, but very rarely. But it was nice that tonight he was showing me some respect due to my birthday.
All through dinner, we all laughed, and talked about all the fun memories we all have had together and the night was going exactly as I envisioned it would. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, I started to hear clapping and singing voices coming to my direction. I began to snarl at my brother because I know he was the one who did it. He was sitting next to me so I reached under the table and grabbed his leg and dug in with my nails as the wait staff was finishing with the total embarrassing birthday song, but the cake they set down in front of me looked freaking delicious and I had no intention to share with anyone!
As I was eating the cake, my brother decided he wanted to get me back for my digging my nails into him and he started to poke my side knowing how ticklish I am. We went back and forth as I ate my cake but it was all in fun and games. To see me and my brother smiling and having a good time was probably a great thing to my parents.
We arrive back home and I started texting all of my friends about going out and we were making arrangements. My best friend Carla was swinging by to pick me up around 10pm. Downtown venues around here do not get busy until 11pm but I wanted to hit a few bars up before hitting up the dance clubs.
She came and got me on time, and we left to go meet some more friends and finish this 21 year old birthday party off the only way it needed to be finished. By getting my dink on! And we did bar after bar, up and down Broadway and 2nd avenue for a few hours before going to Coyote Ugly. I loved this place. I had no fear of getting on the bar and dancing with hundreds of guys staring at me. I had changed from my dinner attire into my "going out" attire as soon as I got home from eating with the family. I now had on a skirt that came just below my butt cheeks with wedged heels and a ruffle embellished floral top that split above my belly button showing my belly ring.
We got to dancing and drinking and having a good ole time when a bunch of guys started to approach me and my friends trying to get with us. None of them matched my taste of me so I wasn't that interested to say the least but Carla appeared to have different plans. She was all over one of the guys. I wasn't sure if it was her being stupid or if she actually was into him. Either way, it wasn't my position to judge her.
Many drinks later, we were definitely drunk and feeling it, but none of us cared. I had seemed to lose Carla into the crowded earlier in the night and I started to get worried for her. I was able to locate my purse on a bar stool beside me and whipped out my phone and started to text her to find her where about. Just then, a message indicator icon lights up and it was a message from my brother that read "Hey hope you are having a fun time and make it home safe tonight babe." I instantly responded back to him informing him that Carla had seemed to disappear on me.
"That sucks, do you need me to come and pick you up" he wrote back and asked.
"I am sure I will find her but I will let you know in a few minutes if I don't" I responded to him.
I kept looking around for Carla but she seemed nowhere to be found and finally a response from her through a text message read "Hey, I am down at Graham and then I'm going back to Mark's apartment with his friends if you want to come" she wrote me.
I was pissed. It was my birthday and that Bitch is going to just leave me hanging like that, I thought to myself. So I just said fuck it, and I texted my brother to come get me and I told him what she did.
I stood outside on the curb in front of the Bar with a few friends when Justin pulls up and opens the door for me. I get in and he starts to drive off.
"Hey put your seat belt on. The cops are crazy down here" he stated to me as he slapped my leg just above my knee. I reached around and did just that. I was not in any mood to get pulled over and waste my time.
On the way back, we were talking about a lot of things and I kept mentioned to my brother how I must have tweaked a neck muscle dancing tonight. My brother reaches behind me and asks me "want me to massage it for a few moments"
"Sure" I said to him and I really didn't mind and came to a stop at a red-light as he just started to massage my neck.
"Hey I am sorry for all of the attitude I have been given you lately" He randomly said to me as he continued to rub the back of my neck.
"Don't be, Shit happens" I looked at him and said as he smiled at me after hearing my response.
"Hey, do you want to go and sit down by the lake" he asked.
"Why not" I responded?
He drove us down and parked his car on the river side of the Damn. There were a few other cars down there and it looked as if the couple in those cars had steamed up the windows. We made a few jokes back and forth regarding what those couples may have been doing.
I had Justin crack my window to get some fresh air in when he started to say "Yeah we don't want anyone thinking we are in here fucking and stuff."