"July first, I'll remember that," Arden said quickly, happy to leap onto the shift in conversation. Explaining her fraught relationship with her birthday just felt like maybe looking for pity, or like she was trying to guilt people into celebrating her. And that wasn't even taking into account that she'd run away from ho--from Callista's house last year on her birthday to avoid her debts.

Birthdays were very complicated.

"Beach party for you next year, huh?"