Jackson
We didn't really celebrate birthdays in my family. I mean, I usually bought Katie a present on her birthday, and took her out for an ice cream or something to try and make it special. My mother didn't even remember my eighteenth birthday. That made planning Raymond's birthday party both exciting and a little bit sad. I was stoked for Ray, I really was, but it hurt a little to see how much Katie and I had missed out on over the years. We should have had helium-filled balloons, and colorful frosted cakes with candles too.
I tucked that self-pity away and threw myself into helping Mrs. Miller prepare for the party. I hung streamers, and helped mix the potato salad, and ran back to the store when she forgot to buy the ketchup for the hotdogs and hamburgers she was going to cook out o
