Loving the Boy My Family Raised

4: 4

My birthday party was only a few days away, but Mom and Dad were still in England hammering out a deal and might not make it back in time.

So they'd booked me a five-star hotel in advance and told me to invite my friends and classmates to celebrate.

When they heard I planned to fly over after my birthday to settle in early, Mom was thrilled and said this way she could throw me a proper party later to make up for it.

I said nothing about the mess with Burton. I didn't want them worrying, or dropping their work over it.

But on the day itself, the moment I reached the banquet hall on the second floor,

I saw my own welcome poster had been swapped out for a glamour shot of Jenna.

Across the top, in bold, curling script: Jenna's College Send-Off.

The hall was packed with her relatives and the little clique of girls she ran with at school.

My friends, the classmates I was actually close to, were all crowded at the door, lost, with nowhere to even sit.

I found the manager I knew and asked, "Who gave you permission to change the theme?"

He blinked at me, wide-eyed. "You didn't know?"

"Young Master Henson from your household called last night and said you'd agreed. I figured, the two of you being so close, I shouldn't disturb your rest—"

Because I was held in such regard, they gave Burton the same standing.

I frowned. "Clear the room, now. Put the original theme back."

"Wait!"

Burton appeared with Jenna in tow and pulled me off to the side.

"May, don't make a scene. I'll explain everything later. Jenna saved you a seat, go sit down."

Hilarious. They'd hijacked my venue and my banquet, and I was the one being told not to make a scene?

"Burton, my family paid for this. What gives you the right to turn my birthday party into her send-off?"

Jenna caught my hand, all fake regret.

"May, don't be angry with him. My relatives heard I'm going abroad to study and they all wanted to come celebrate, but the diner had a slow month, and my mom couldn't afford to host this many people—"

"If we did it somewhere shabby, people would laugh at us. That's the only reason Burton stepped in to help. We're classmates, after all, and you have so much money. You wouldn't nickel-and-dime over this, right?"

She'd dropped the campus-heartthrob talk and moved on to calling him by name like they were close.

I gave a cold laugh and pulled my hand free.

"Having money means I deserve to be the sucker? If you can't afford it, don't throw it. Guilt-tripping someone into paying, what is that? Are you a beggar?"

Jenna's face went white in an instant, her eyes brimming.

Seeing it, Burton shoved me hard.

"May, you've gone too far!"

The push sent me stumbling backward, and right behind me was the steep staircase.

If my deskmate hadn't been worried enough to follow me and grab me in time, I'd have gone tumbling down and split my head open.

Burton startled too, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

It hardened back into cold indifference just as fast.

"Your whole life, how many parties have your parents thrown you? You really can't spare this one?"

"That day you smeared her family's food and made her cry, you already owed her an apology. Consider this making up for it."

"The guests are already seated. Changing the theme now won't do anything. So either stay and eat, or leave, but don't cause trouble on someone's big day!"

I looked at his face, familiar and a stranger at once.

Like I was meeting him for the first time.

"Burton, you're really set on this?"

He pressed his lips together and coaxed, "May, I'm begging you this once. Just give her this party, and I'll wear the couple's necklace with you and make us official."

Ha. Even now he thought he could reel me in with that.

But I didn't care anymore.

I nodded. "Fine. Everyone, enjoy the meal. We'll be going now."

I'd booked another hotel and treated everyone to dinner there.

My deskmate cursed, unwilling to let it go.

"The nerve of them. Those decorations, the cake, the champagne, all those dishes, you could tell they were expensive. That had to cost a fortune."

"May, are you really just letting them off that cheap?"

I laughed and popped a piece of steak into her mouth.

"Yeah. It cost a lot. But they didn't necessarily come out ahead."

In the days after, Burton took Jenna traveling through the nearby cities, calling it one last splurge before going abroad.

I boarded my flight overseas alone.

A week later, on their way back, Burton finally seemed to remember me and sent a message:

*I got you a birthday present. I've been thinking, why don't we leave two weeks early. Jenna needs time to adjust to life abroad.*

*She's worried she won't get along with a roommate. I remember you have an apartment over there. Let's just stay there, it's close to campus too.*

He waited a long while and got no reply.

Burton got a little angry.

*Still sulking after all these days?*

*May, if you're going to keep throwing these spoiled little tantrums, I'll have to rethink whether I'm studying abroad with you at all.*

Three seconds later, his phone and Jenna's went off at the same time.

Burton felt a quiet flush of triumph.

Just as he'd expected, I was still the same May who caved first when he got angry, who apologized on her own, terrified he'd ignore her.

But when he opened his phone, he froze.

Because it wasn't a reply from me. It was an email, in English.

From the university he'd been about to attend:

*As you did not complete tuition payment within the required period, your admission has been revoked. Please be advised.*