I woke up early in the morning and got dressed. It was a dark morning, the sun hid behind clouds that looked as if they would burst from too much rain. I wondered if they would burst today as I slid into my ultra-tight pair of skinny jeans. I went downstairs to get my shoes and something to eat. My parents sat at the kitchen table, waiting for me with anxious looks on their faces.

“Onyx, your father and I have something we need to tell you.” She announced, elbowing my dad so he could break whatever news there was to me.

“Since today is your 16th birthday we think there is something you should know.” He said gruffly.

“Like what?” I asked hesitantly, their facial expressions were making me nervous.

“What your father is trying to say is… you aren’t our real daughter.” My mother blurted.

“Excuse me?” I said wide-eyed.

“You were adopted, and we want you to understand that it’s okay with us if you wish to see your real mom.” She explained quickly.

I silently left the kitchen, grabbed my shoes and an unfamiliar set of car keys that I assumed were now mine. They hung there on the hook with a bow on them so I had a feeling I was right. I walked out the front door and saw a black mustang sitting in our drive way.

“Happy birthday to me…” I whispered to myself sadly.

I got in the car and pulled out of the driveway so fast that a screeching noise came from my tires. I barely noticed. Driving away from my house, I began to question everything about my life here in Columbus, Ohio. My whole life I had been lied to by two of the only people I thought I could trust. Who were my parents really, if the two people who had claimed me weren’t really the people I thought they were? I wondered why my mother would have given me up. I even questioned who I was now. Was I really Onyx, the girl with the jet black hair with light brown streaks in it, bright green eyes, and the emo style? Or was I really just some stupid preppy girl in disguise?

All of these thoughts ran through my mind as I drove to the only place I could ever find comfort. I pulled into Oliver’s driveway and parked. I sat there in the car that my “parents” bought me for a minute or two before I finally got out and could knock on his door. When Ollie answered he was wearing a t-shirt that said “I watch ShaneDawson T.V.”, skinny jeans that hugged his a**, and a pair of black DCs. His black hair was just as emo as mine, and he had eyeliner on that made his blue eyes even brighter than usual. He had a lip piercing that made him look even sexier than he already was.

“Oliver… I…” I barely choked out before I started to cry.

“Onyx! What’s wrong?” He asked, worried.

He knew I only used his whole name if I was mad or scared. Right now I was a lot of both. He hugged me close to him and I could feel his abs as he pressed our bodies together in the most comforting hug I had ever received.

“My parents, if you can call them that, decided to tell me that I’m adopted! Today of all days! This sucks! Oh yeah, and they bought me a car.” I told him after the tears had started to diminish.

“Well the car part is good, but wait, they told you that you were adopted?” He sounded concerned and confused, and I knew he genuinely was.

“Mhm.” I replied through the tears.

“ I’m so sorry.” he said.

He pulled me inside after he released me from his bear hug. He held my hand and led me up to his room in the attic of his old Victorian style house. He was alone in this place because his own parents had died when he was only 14. It was lucky for him that they had left him a large sum of money for him to live off of. Poor Ollie had been so depressed after his parents died that he had almost committed suicide. I had walked in just in time to save him. When we reached his room he let go of my hand. I sat on his bed, and he went over to his desk. He pulled a small box with a little blue bow on top out of one of the drawers and gave it to me.

“Happy birthday Onyx.” He said.

I opened it and inside was a silver half of a heart on a silver chain. My half said, “Together”.

“Where is the other half?” I asked him.

“Right here with me.” He replied and pulled his necklace out from under his shirt.

It seemed to glow a little as I put the two halves together. Now it said, “Together Forever”. I smiled faintly, and pulled my half of our heart away. I put the chain around my neck, and I knew that everything would be alright now because I was with Ollie.

“Thanks Ollie, you’re the best.” I said and gave him another hug..

He put his arms around me and hugged me tightly as if he would never let go.

“Any time Onyx.” He whispered.

I pulled away and looked around his room. I saw a picture of us sitting on a park bench, his hand behind my head making bunny ears, and my tongue sticking out so it looked like I was going to lick him. The picture had only been taken a month ago, but it felt like it had been years. It’s funny how bad news can make all of your good memories fade away. I closed my eyes and tried to forget this morning hoping that maybe it was only a bad dream. It didn’t work. The sadness began to creep it’s way back in again, taking me back to the way I had felt before I was with Ollie.

Slowly I opened my eyes and saw Ollie’s gorgeous blue ones. My heart fluttered, an unusual response to my best friend’s closeness. I turned away, not wanting to see the extent of my sadness. I had already ruined his morning by magically appearing on his doorstep and crying in his arms. He sighed, and I knew that he had seen the emotion that was apparent in my eyes. I suddenly remembered the time he had told me that my eyes were far too easy to read, and I realized that it was futile to resist telling him how I felt.

“Please try to be happy, it is your friggin’ birthday after all.” He pled.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more happy about this.” I apologized sarcastically.

He glared at me, then smiled. He had always thought my sarcasm was the funniest thing about me.

“Well, I guess I’m just going to have to make today wonderful for you.” He stated.

“What are you talking about?” I asked bewildered.

“We are going to do something so ridiculously fun that you will have to be happy. The day is young, and so is the summer, we are going to make the most of both.” He said, a plan beginning to form in his mind.

“What do you mean?” I inquired hesitantly.

“You’ll see.” He laughed in his fake evil laugh, and winked at me.

Suddenly I was somewhat frightened of what he was thinking. He went over to his closet and pulled out a suit case filled with clothes. He grabbed my car keys out of my pocket and made his way downstairs. How long had he been planning on taking me somewhere? I followed him out the front door and to my mustang. He threw his luggage in the trunk and jumped into the driver’s side of the car. I got in the passenger side as he started the car. He drove me to my house and we sat parked in front of my house. He looked at me with eyes filled with determination and… something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“Go inside, pack some clothes, and anything else you might need, then come out here and we will go.” He told me.

I nodded and followed his instructions. I packed half my wardrobe, and some make-up along with my toiletries. When I went downstairs with my duffle bag in tow my mom finally noticed I was there. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and suddenly I wasn’t mad at her. I couldn’t be, she may have lied to me for 16 years, but she had raised me and loved me as if I really was her child. She gave me a hug and told me she loved me.

“Honey I know that you are mad that we lied, but for a long time it didn’t feel like you were anybody else’s child but mine. Recently I knew that we would need to tell you because you deserved to know. Please just remember that we really love you and no matter what happens you will always be welcome here.” She said all teary -eyed.

“I love you too mom. I’m glad that I got to be your daughter, even if it was all just pretend.” I replied.

She sobbed a little, gave me a kiss on the cheek and waved as I drove away with Ollie, going God knows where. I wondered to myself, as my child hood home faded from my view, if I would ever come back. The place I had always thought of as home was now behind me as we got onto the turn pike with a sign that said, “New York City” above it.

“Ollie where the Hell are you taking me?” I asked.

“Somewhere special and fun.” He laughed.
I was silent for a moment, then decided that I should play some music. My ipod shuffled through songs by Blood on the Dance Floor, Nickasuar!, Show Me the Skyline, Black Veil Brides, Simple Plan, and Get Scared. When we stopped for the night we stayed at a Holiday Inn in Philadelphia. I entered the hotel room and immediately noticed that there was only one bed. That wasn’t a huge problem because he and I had shared a bed before, but it wasn’t going to be the same. Then we had been younger, but now I reacted differently around him.

“God… I specifically asked for two beds.” Ollie said kind of annoyed.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have cooties.” I joked.

He sighed and put our bags on the floor.

“I’m going to shower, then I’m going to sleep.” He announced.

“Okay.” I replied.

He went into the bathroom and the next thing I knew laying on the bed, and soon I was asleep. It was a short dream that I had, and in it was a woman with black hair like mine and an Italian accent. All she said was that she was sorry, over and over. I didn’t understand why she was saying she was sorry, or what she had done that made her feel so much guilt, but I knew I had to try to console her. Then I woke up. I got off the bed and looked around the room.

Ollie had just gotten out of the shower and had a towel wrapped around his waist. He grabbed some boxers out of his bag and went back to the bathroom. I let out a breath that I hadn’t noticed I was holding. When he came back in the room I found myself staring at his amazing arms and abs. I grabbed a bra, some underwear, and some baggy sweat pants from my suit case and went to take my shower. Half an hour later I got out of the bathroom, and saw that Ollie was still awake. He watched me closely as I sat on the bed. He was laying down on the left side, but he stared at me with an intense look in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to scream something, but he held it in.

“You okay Ollie?” I asked.

“No. he replied with a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” I inquired.

“I just… nothing.” he tried to avoid the question.

“Please tell me.” I said with a puppy dog look.

He took a breath and put on his brave face, ”Well the truth had to come out sometime.”

“What do you mean?” I questioned him.

“Well-” He began, but just as he was about to say it my cell phone rang.

I picked it up and answered the call.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hello, is this Onyx Adams?” The voice of a woman with an Italian accent asked me.

“Yes, may I ask who is speaking?” I replied.

“This is the secretary of Meredith Johnson, Ms. Johnson wishes to meet you in Rome.” The woman explained.

“Uh…” I tried to think of what to say.

“We will arrange for a driver to pick you up, along with your friend. The driver will take you to the nearest air port. He will be there in an hour.” She said and then hung up.

She didn’t even wait for a response, so I guessed we didn’t get a choice. I sat there in shock of what had just happened. I totally forgot about the conversation that Oliver and I had just been in the middle of, and told him of the mysterious call.