My Mumbling Thoughts

Now when I look back on it, all of the signs were there. I can't believe I was so stupid to have missed them. The way they would get quiet as soon as I would walk into the kitchen. Their eyes would dart over to me quickly and everyone would remain quiet until I left. When Carlene stepped outside in the hallway to talk to me and sent Cat in my room to talk to Ash. When Ash told me that he had agreed to doing something on Saturday and was vague about all of the details. The way they sent Cat and me over to the bar an hour early because, hell, I'm already dressed up with no place to go and Cat needs a beer to make her feel better. The way that Carlene told me to be dressed and ready to go at 8pm sharp and no later, which is strange, because the girls are never ready until at least half nine. When Zoe told me that she was stressed out because something was wrong with Carlene's leg and she was lying on the kitchen floor in absolute agony.

I should have known that something was up. I should have felt like something was off. Maybe it was because I was a little tipsy or because I just can't tell who's lying with all of the different accents, but it wasn't until I walked up to the kitchen door, saw that the lights were turned off and saw a bit of light reflected off of little beady eyes that it finally clicked in my brain, I finally realized what was going on.

The sneaky little bitches had thrown me a surprise birthday party.

All of the girls were there, Ash, Chris and Aloke were there, people that I didn't know were there but who I vaguely remember having a drunken conversation with. I got a card and shirt with a picture of the girls and me from the first we all went out together in Hammersmith. I took a shot of...something...two seconds after I walked into the door, got a glass of wine to hold and nurse for most of the evening, mingled for a bit, blew out birthday candles, ate really good cake, drank some more, quickly made a steak dinner with potatoes and had a semi-debate about Americans, racism and why all Americans don't believe that we're superior to the rest of the world. We just have a lot of confidence. We walked down to the other college (I was in a skirt and seriously uncomfortable boots), I managed to get inside despite not having my stupid student ID on me. We danced, we drank, we smoked, we got shot with water guns and then Trish and I decided to walk back to the flat, drink the rest of my wine, eat the rest of my birthday cake, raid the kitchen fridge and have in depth, long, drunken American conversations, because goddammit, we hadn't had one of those conversations the entire time we were in England, we were homesick, and we needed to have one of those conversations.

It was an awesome 21st birthday. Americans everywhere should be proud that I celebrated in true American fashion by keeping with the tradition and getting absolutely wasted.