Later that evening, Angelo stumbled in through the front door. He was exhausted and his brain was fried to a crisp. It was dark inside as he fumbled for the lightswitch, the light clicked on and,
"SURPRISE!"
Angelo nearly fainted as a group of familiar faces materialized in front of him. He was confused, "Wh-what's going on?"
"Hah, hah!" Ryan, a friend of his from school, approached him and slapped him in the back, handing him a beer bottle, "don't tell us you forgot your own birthday!"
"My birthday...?" he felt a grin break his tired face, "How'd you all know?"
Ryan laughed again, "These invitations! Didn't you make these?" he handed Angelo a small card. Then, Ryan got distracted by a girl near the hallway and wandered off. Angelo looked the card over and noticed it was all hand-written. The ink was a shiny teal color and he recognized the handwriting straight away. He proceeded to take the stairs three at a time.
However, when Angelo reached Yosei's bedroom door, he found it locked. That was expected though. His house was full of Angelo's friends.
There weren't many people that liked Yosei. As a matter of fact, Angelo was the first, and only person since, to have even given him a chance. He was Yosei's only friend and family. The boy had been ostracized all his life for things his father did decades before he was even born. He'd been teased and tormented in school, Angelo had always come to his rescue. But, somehow, Yosei always found something to smile about. Perhaps that's what drew Angelo to him; the ability to bounce back all the time.
Angelo pulled out a keychain, found the key he was looking for, and made his way into Yosei's room. He peered around the corner, whispering his name. Then, he spotted his friend asleep on his bed, a book half-open in his hands. Angelo draped a blanket over Yosei's shoulders and mumbled, "Thank you." He then spotted his lucky green pen on Yosei's desk and swiped it. He took one last look at his friend in understanding and left the room, locking the door behind him.
