“Sounds like fun,” Jason decided. He felt kinda old up here with the kids, smoking dope and swilling cola. He could feel Shelley’s hand lying on his leg. It made him nervous. Nerit’s talk about taking advantage of the moments of life they had now had really affected him. He was thinking about a lot of things in a different way. He had even made himself scarce when it was obvious in the early evening that Juan and Jenni needed time alone. It was time for him to chill out and try to enjoy life.

“Has your Mom remembered it’s your birthday yet?” Melanie asked.

Jason shook his head. “Not yet. I keep waiting, but I’m not sure she even knows what month this is. She’s kinda an airhead at times.”

Shelley took the joint and inhaled deeply and swatted her brother’s hand away when he reached for it. “You’re too young.”

Ricky frowned. “I’ll tell Dad.”

“Go ahead,” Shelley dared, and thunked him on the head.

“Bitch,” Ricky said sullenly, then sipped more cola.

The other kids joined them one by one. Soon, they were all joking and laughing. Drinking way too much soda and candy, the younger kids were soon very hyper, while their older, stoned counterparts just giggled.

Jason was feeling pretty good when Shelly gave him the first kiss of his young life. It wasn’t expected so he blew it a little by trying to ask her what she was doing. Her lips pretty much hit his teeth and tongue.

She drew back, leaving him startled.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“No, no, try it again,” Jason said quickly, and flung his arms around her.

This sent Melanie and Dylan into guffaws of laughter, but Shelley smiled sweetly and kissed him firmly on the lips for about two seconds. It was enough to make him blush and grin.

“Ugh, no making out in front of me,” Jenni said from above him.

Jason looked up to see her standing over him wearing a bright red tank top, a knee-length cotton skirt with black abstract designs on it and sandals. Her long hair flowed loose around her face. Juan was lingering at her side, his new cowboy hat looking far too neat on his tussled curls. Jason had seen him earlier trying to get it to look more worn. It had been funny watching Juan throwing it around and smacking it against things to break it in.

“Uh, busted,” he decided.

“Yeah, you are.”

“Oh, gawd,” Jason moaned.

“I’m sorry,” Shelley said quickly. “It’s his birthday so…”

Jenni laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” She hugged Jason tightly and kissed his cheek, embarrassing him as only a mother could. She handed him a small brown bag as Juan sat down across from them.

“Open it.”

Jason smiled and opened up the bag to find a copy of “Ender’s Game,” his favorite book.

“I grabbed it a few weeks ago when scavenging the library,” Juan explained.

Hugging his Mom, he kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.” To Juan’s surprise, he hugged Juan, too. “Thanks, Dude.”

Juan nodded. “No problem. Hope you enjoy it.”

Jenni leaned over and snagged the joint from Dylan, who was trying to hide it. “What’s this?”

“Look, I…uh…found it on a waiter. I think it’s a cigarette…” Dylan mumbled.

“Sure you do,” Jenni answered. She inhaled deeply and handed it to Juan.

“I’ll pass,” Juan said, and handed it back to Dylan.

“Shit,” Dylan whispered in awe, staring at the doorway to the ballroom.

Jason looked up to see Katie in the doorway. She was wearing a very slinky purple halter dress with high heels. She looked absolutely hot. He must have been staring, because Shelley smacked his arm.

Katie walked over to join them, her heels clicking on the patio.

Dylan was openly gawking. Juan looked over and whistled. With a grin, Katie sat next to Jenni and tucked her legs to one side.

“Katie, you’re totally hot,” Dylan said in awe.

“Thank you!” Katie beamed.

Jason noted she was actually wearing makeup and had let her hair fall free and curly to her shoulders. “Yeah, totally.” Shelley smacked him again and he looked at her and said, “Well, you are, too.

Seriously, you are.” He kissed her cheek. Her smile was a relief.

“Yeah, I put on her makeup and fixed her hair. She has a hot date tonight,” Jenni said.

“Yeah, who?” Melanie looked very curious. “I didn’t think there were other gay girls.”

“Travis, actually. I’m…” she faltered, “open-minded.”

Jason knew this wasn’t the case at all, but figured Katie didn’t feel like going into the details of it all. He was glad Katie was looking happy. For a long time, she had looked rather sad.

“Cool,” Dylan said with a wide grin that had Melanie glaring at him. “Wanna smoke?”

Katie took the joint and arched an eyebrow. “You do realize I was a prosecutor before the zombies.”

Dylan blinked. “Oh.”

Katie shrugged. “Oh, well. I haven’t done any since college.” She took a drag and handed it back.

Jason couldn’t help, but stare as the smoke unfurled from her lips.

She was really, really hot tonight.

Ricky, again, reached for the joint. Shelley smacked his hand.

There was a brother/sister tussle and lots of giggling over it. The world on top of the hotel was full of laughter. Jason found himself smiling more than he had for a long time.

When his Mom and Juan helped Katie to her feet so they could go join the other adults inside, he stood up and hugged them all again.

“Travis is pretty lucky,” he said to Katie.

“So is Shelley,” Katie answered back.

Jason blushed and sat back down as the adults left.

“Super damn hot,” Dylan said, watching Katie leave.

Jason laughed as Melanie smacked him. He turned to Shelley and kissed her very firmly on the lips.

It was an okay birthday after all.

2. Hell Erupts

Katie felt a little embarrassed as she entered the ballroom. Nerit’s amazing work on the Halloween costume had resulted in a slinky dress that made her slim, athletic build look very womanly. It tied behind her neck and revealed her strong shoulders before gliding down over her hips and ending in a slanted hemline that accentuated the curve of her legs. Despite all her bruises, she looked amazing.

She felt very much like a girl and it made her a little nervous. No one would have ever called her a dyke before, but she was most comfortable when dressed in her running clothes or a good pair of jeans and a tank top. Dressing up was what Lydia had been good at while she had just tried her best to look presentable when they went out. But tonight, she felt that she had achieved a level of femininity that was new territory for her. She felt like a bombshell.

Feeling a bit lightheaded and giddy from the pot, she moved to the bar where Felix was playing bartender.

“A glass of wine,” she said and blushed under his awed stare.

Sipping the chilled white wine, she began to make her rounds around the ballroom, greeting people, and trying not to look too anxiously for Travis.

Juan and Jenni were out on the dance floor laughing and hoofing it up to some country music. They were both pretty good and their moves were fluid and graceful. A few older people were on the floor as well, moving slower, but obviously enjoying themselves.

Peggy was trying hard to get away from a tall, older man who smelled so badly Katie winced. She recognized him as the crazy old guy who had arrived on the scooter. He was talking rapidly and waving a video camera around.

“…so you can tell the Mayor that I don’t believe he has the flu and I think he is avoiding me as he always does, because I alone know the real truth of what he is planning to do. And I plan to write letters to the media and report to them how he has blocked their transmissions from this town so he can…”

Peggy walked by Katie and whispered, “Nice dress” then kept walking with the crazy man right behind her.

Finishing up her glass of wine, she went back for another and found Bill at the bar, drinking a beer.

“Nice dress, Katie,” he said with an appreciative smile.

“Thanks, Bill. I’m trying to impress someone tonight.”

“Well, I’m impressed, if that counts.”

She laughed and nodded. “Yes, it does. How are you doing?”

“Still trying to figure out this vigilante business, but letting it go for now. We have a lot of other stuff to worry about.”

“That we do,” Katie admitted. She was now feeling very lightheaded and a bit tipsy and her shoes suddenly seemed way too high to walk in, but she gave Bill a soft smile and turned to watch Jenni and Juan tearing up the dance floor.

Among all the fond memories of her life, one of them was when Lydia saw her for the first time in her wedding dress. The look of awe and love in her lover’s eyes would stay with Katie forever. It was only matched by the look on Travis face when he finally entered the ballroom looking very handsome in a dark blue shirt, jeans, his leather jacket with his freshly washed hair curling slightly over his brow. She finally knew what it looked like to see someone struck speechless.