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Dedication: Peacedaisy123 for the edit of Hayden and Grace! Thank you!

Recap:

We re-joined with Harvey and Caitlyn. Harvey had a sour look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"We get our HSC exam timetables today. Can you believe that in a few months, we won't be school students anymore?"

"I don't even want to think about it," I replied honestly.

We all began to make our way to class and I couldn't help but smile. Even though the thought of finishing school is scary, I know I'll be fine - because I am going to make sure, I'm with my best friends, no matter what.

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"Happy Birthdaaaaay to you," my mum's voice sings as I sleepily open my eyes.

A slow smile stretches across my face as I rub my eyes, slowly sitting up in bed. It is good to see mum. She had to work my birthday last year and I didn't see her at all.

"Hi mum," I greet, my voice laced with sleep.

"My little girl is all grown up," she pouts, sitting on the side of my bed. "The big 18! You can legally be out in bars now... Oh God, I feel old."

I let out a laugh. "Don't go getting too mushy with me."

She turns, grabbing something off the bed. She passes me a plate filled with toast, hash browns and strips of bacon, thankfully no egg.I grin at her. It is hard to make a good breakfast when I'm fussy.

"So, what are you doing today?" she asks me.

I wash down my food with some orange juice and clear my throat.

"I think Hayden is coming over soon. I'll probably try and catch up with Harvey later. Do you have to work?"

"I'm starting at 1pm today, but at least I got to see you this morning," she smiles. "Now eat up, you'll want your energy for today."

"Yes boss," I reply sarcastically.

I am almost finished eating, when she speaks again. "Your present is on the way. Sorry I don't have it for today."

"That's fine."

After breakfast, I shower and dress quickly. I enter the kitchen, to see a tray of chocolate muffins, with the number 18 written in icing.

"Aw, that's so cute."

She isn't a very good cook, but I must admit her chocolate muffins always taste delicious.

I had just sat the table, when mum turned around. "Would you mind checking the mail?"

"It's a Saturday."

"I haven't checked it for a while," she says dismissively.

Frowning, I get to my feet and pad to the door. A shocked gasp leaves my lips when I see a Mitsubishi Lancer sitting in our driveway with a big red bow on it.

"Holy shit," I breathe, running down the stairs.

It is an electric blue with dark windows and a spoiler. The blue is sparkling underneath the sun.

"Oh, I forgot that was there," my mum says lightly. "Thought you might appreciate having some wheels."

"This is for me?" I ask her slowly, my eyes so wide I'm half-surprised my eyeballs don't pop out of their sockets.

"Well, do you know another Grace Connaway turning 18 today?" she teases.

I throw myself at her with so much force that she falls over backwards onto the porch. I wrap my arms around her tightly and she lets out a squeak.

"I love it, I love it, I love it! Thank you! How much did this cost?"

"Don't you worry about that. I know you can't have a job with your swimming practises and you have to maintain the house while I'm away. This is a thank you gift for having to be an adult before your time. Just be very, very careful, okay?"

"I will," I assure her, getting to my feet and pulling her up with me.

"Well, are we going to take it for a spin or what?" she asks, tossing me the keys.

After going inside and grabbing my license, I slide behind the wheel. I am only on my learner permit so I can legally drive with mum in the car. Once I have my hours up, I will be eligible for my restricted license.

I start the car and remember what Hayden told me. I ease out of the driveway, impressed with myself that I didn't stall it.

"That's good," she eyes me suspiciously. "You haven't been driving, have you?"

"Of course not," I say, avoiding her eyes.

The car is smooth and quiet as we drive. I love the feel of the cool leather on my skin. We do three laps of the block, before I pull into the driveway again, accidentally scraping due to the car being low. Still, I can't wipe the smile off of my face.

"This is such an amazing gift. Thank you, mum."

"I love you, pumpkin," she smiles.

"I love you, too."

We had hardly been inside ten minutes, when I hear Hayden's ute. I rush outside.

He let out a low whistle. "Nice wheels!"

"Did you know she was doing this?" I demand.

"Yes, no, maybe so," he shrugs, coming over to me and wrapping his arm around me. "Happy Birthday, gorgeous."

He kisses me delicately, before stepping back.

"Now, my present isn't exactly a car, but anyway," he shrugs, going back towards the ute.

He emerges a few moments later with a Victoria Secret bag clutched in his palm.

"My present is a bit naughty, sorry," he grins sheepishly. "My cousin helped me pick it, which is kind of weird, but anyway."

Inside the bag is a lacey, black night-gown with red strips of fabric flaring up the side. It is very skimpy. I roll my eyes at it. It is hot. He also bought me scented candles. I could already smell them through the plastic wrapping.

"I wonder what we will be doing later," I say to him sarcastically.

"And last but not least," he grins, handing me a velvet box.

As I open it, the sun caught the shiny silver, making it dazzle. Inside is a charm bracelet, one where you collect beads to put on it. So far, there are two beads on there, one with the letter G engraved and the other with the letter H.

"Oh my God," I whisper. "This is so cute."

"You like it?"

"These gifts are amazing, thank you," I smile, wrapping my arms around him. "Although I feel the first one is more for your benefit, than mine!"

"Guilty."

I let out a laugh, before detangling myself from him and slipping the delicate bracelet onto my wrist. It fit well, but a little loose due to the lack of beads. I plan to fill it with as many as I can.

"You might want to take that off for what I have planned next," says Hayden.

"What's that?"

"I can't tell you."

"You are being very mysterious, Mr Cameron."

He winks at me. I make my way inside, with Hayden following me closely. Hayden ducks upstairs with the Victoria Secret bag quickly, to save telling my mum that he brought me sexy lingerie.

I show her the bracelet and she tells me she wants to buy me a bead that has an 18 on it.

Hayden darts back down the stairs and enter the kitchen, an easy smile on his handsome face.

"This is gorgeous, Hayden," she compliments in awe.

His cheeks turn pink as he smiles shyly at her.

After hanging at the house for another half an hour or so, Hayden instructs me to change into swimmers. I do as I am told, skipping down the stairs, with my one-suit on underneath my denim shorts and loose t-shirt.

As we get to his ute, Hayden hands me a black piece of cloth.

"What's this for?"

"It's your blindfold."

"You're kidding?"

"No, put it on," he teases. "You can wear it again tonight if you want."

I roll my eyes.

As I sit in the car, I slide the cloth over my eyes. I felt anxious. Sensing my uneasiness, Hayden reaches over, his warm hand finding mine.

"It's okay, we'll be there soon."

A few minutes later, the car stops. I wait for Hayden to open the door. When I step out, I feel the strong wind slap my cheeks. The blind fold almost flies off my face. Strands of grass tickle my bare feet as he does. He undoes the blind fold and I blink a few times, adjusting to the light.

We are standing on a glade, really high up. The grass glade stretches across in front of me, before dropping off.

"Wow, this place is beautiful."

"It is," he agrees. "I used to come here as a kid and jump off the cliffs."

My jaw drops. "You jump from this high?"

"Yeah of course. You're not scared, are you?"

"Of course not," I quickly say, accepting the challenge straight away.

"Still cocky as ever, I see," he reply with an eye roll. "What are you waiting for, then?"

I grin, stepping out of my shorts and sliding my shirt over my head. I thank myself for not wearing my bikini. It might have been awkward if I jumped and lost my pants halfway down.

Hayden strips to board shorts and we toss our clothes back into the ute.

We edge towards the cliff edge. I stick my head over.

"Is this safe?"

Hayden shrugs. "It's legal."

"That's not what I asked."

"I used to do it all the time, you'll be fine," he assures me. "Ready?"

Letting out a breath, I nod.

"Jump wide, there's rocks."

"Hayden!"

"What?" he laughs.

"If we die, I'm going to be really mad," I say as we begin to back up.

"Well, at least we'll die together," he grins, before grabbing my hand.

The next moment, we are running. I feel the cool wind hitting my face in full force as I sprint towards the cliff edge.

With one last fleeting glance at the boy next to me, hand in hand, we jump.

***

I scream loudly as I feel myself soaring through the air.

It feels like the drop was two seconds long. I drop into the icy cold water and plunge deeply. I lose Hayden's hand as I flail to the top. I emerge, panting, to see Hayden giving me a wicked, adrenaline-pumped smile.

I taste the salt on my lips, feel the wind on my cheeks and the sun beating down onto my skin as I stare at him.

"That was such a rush," I pant breathlessly as I tread water.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I paddle over to him. We exchange a slippery, salty kiss, before paddling back to shore.

Hayden flops down on my side, flicking water droplets onto me. He props up on his elbow, shielding the fierce sun from me. He leans down, pressing his lips to mine.

His lips are cold but his tongue warm as the kiss deepens. He sinks his fingers into my wet hair, placing more of his weight on me. I hook my leg around his waist. His hand slides up my bare thigh while my fingers trace the muscles on his back.

After a few moments, he pulls back, offering me his dimpled smile.

"I love you, Grace Connaway."

"I love you, too, Hayden Cameron."

***

After completing the cliff-jump three more times and laying in the sun for twenty minutes to dry, we finally retire to the ute. After having all that adrenaline course through my veins, I actually felt a little tired, even though it is only lunch time.

"We have to do that more often," I say to Hayden, closing my eyes briefly. "That was so much fun."

"Definitely."

We listened to the radio on the drive home. I tap my fingers against my thigh. I ditched my shirt, now only wearing my denim shorts and swim suit. The day had become warm out, which is nice. Last year, it rained all day. So much has changed since then and I couldn't be more grateful. A lot of bumps along the way but in this moment, it is like a distant memory.

I can't help but smile as we pull up, seeing my shiny, new car sitting in the driveway. I trail my fingers along the paint as we pass it.

"I can't believe I own a car now."

"I know, it's bloody dangerous," Hayden jokes.

I lightly slap his arm as we walk through the door. I can hear music. I raise my eyebrows, looking around, trying to decipher where the sound is coming from.

The ground is vibrating as we walk through the house.

"What the...?" I ask, staring at Hayden.

He tries to hold back a smile, but fails. When I walk out the back, I gasp. There is a big streamer that says "Happy 18th Birthday" and is strung up near the pool. There is a table set up with finger food and soft drink. There are eskys dumped around, with alcohol, I'm assuming.

Clumped in small clusters are people from school. Straight away, I see Harvey, Caitlyn, Leisel, Mia, Mike, David, Ryan and a few others that I have hung around with before.

They all turn to me and cheer. Harvey places his drink down and runs over to me, picking me up as he spins me around.

"Happy Birthday, best friend," he beams toothily.

"Who organised this?" I ask, my eyes wide.

"Me, Hayden, Leisel and your mum."

My mother appears at the doorway, dressed in her scrubs. She always wore a pair there, changed upon arrival and then re-changed, before heading home.

"I'm heading out now Grace. Have a good time with your friends," she says to me. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

After giving her a hug, she disappears into the house and I walk back outside. Everyone came over and said happy birthday to me, even Mia. I had to laugh, David has been out of school for the past couple of weeks, due to getting his wisdom teeth out. His face was still puffy and he looks like a chipmunk.

"I can't believe you're all here," I gush to them, embarrassed that my eyes were tearing up. "You guys are the best."

"Aw, are you getting a bit emotional?" Harvey teases.

"Shut up!"

He laughs, wrapping an arm around me.

It is so weird to think that a few months ago, these people despised me. Now they were all at my house, celebrating my birthday with me.

"You are amazing."

"I know," he jokes.

I stand on my tip-toes, meeting his lips.

He smiles at me, before taking a sip of his drink.

The rest of the afternoon sails by quickly. We began drinking at about 4pm, still out by the pool as the sun slowly began to sink away, leaving a hazy, orange glow in its wake. After paddling around in the pool until night, it eventually got too cold. We all retired into the lounge room.

I walk into the kitchen to see Hayden holding a beer.

"What?" I ask stupidly, moving my eyes from the beer, to Hayden and back to the beer again.

"Spending a few nights in a cell made me realise that I am nothing like my father. I will never do what he did. You stopped drinking for me and I know you like to drink and socialise. It's my turn to meet you halfway."

"I don't care about drinking. Please don't feel like you have to-"

"Grace, this is something I need to do. I have been afraid of alcohol and honestly, I know now that I will never let it consume me like it did my father. I'm ready for this."

"I feel like we're making this dramatic," I say with a laugh. "But sure, if it's something you want to do, I won't stop you."

He wearily brought the beer to his lips and take a sip.

"I wonder what you're like drunk."

"I guess you're going to find out," he replies with an eye roll, pulling me to him.

After we all dance around the house for a while, we end up putting a movie on. I'm surprised everyone came and has stayed all day. It's been really fun, spending time with everyone outside of school.

As I perch on the lounge, I reach over, placing Hayden's hand in mine.

"Thank you for making this day one I will never forget," I whisper.

He turns to me, a drunk smile on his lips. "Just wait for tonight."

I roll my eyes. I should have known he would say something like that.

As I sit back, watching the T.V, I find myself smiling.

Today has been perfect.

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