My Misadventures

43: Welcome Home, Skylar

I'm kinda irritated, I'm not gonna lie. I just... wake up one day in April? What the fuck? What about my schoolwork? And what about this mystery man Caleb? Also, did I have a dog?

I unlock the front door of my dad's house and find several people waiting for me. They all shout in unison; "surprise!"

I recognize most of these people; classmates, friends, and family. There's a banner in the back: 'Welcome home, Skylar' with the R a little smaller because they ran out of room when writing my name. They wrote my name. That's so sweet.

Everyone in the room cheers and claps. I smile wider than I have in... probably months. I drop my bag next to my shoes and run forward to embrace everyone waiting there.

I'm getting excited. I remember these people. "Clarissa, Tyson. Tim. Morgan! You guys came?"

"Of course!" Morgan smiles. "I know we never really hung out much, but I'm glad to see you safe and sound."

"You really think I would give up seeing my best friend out of the hospital?" Tyson rubs my head.

"I brought some of your favorite snacks!" Clarissa says.

They let go of me so I can hug my grandpa, and then Aunties Sheryl and Beth. Then I shake hands with some of my uncles and kiss my grandma's cheek.

Then I spot someone standing next to the counter. "Arielle?"

She smiles sadly, opening her arms. She hugs me so tightly. Tears spring to my eyes. I can't stop them from falling. I can't believe she came. I missed her so much.

I back up and cover my face so I can wipe the tears. There's a chorus of 'aww's while I try to dry my face. I take a deep breath, then face everyone who showed up for the celebration. I give a big thank you, and then pass it off to my dad, who announces it's time to eat.

While everyone around me starts getting plates, I search the small crowd. I see Caleb sitting on the couch across from Asher and Emery. They were all waiting for their turn.

Caleb and I make eye contact, and he smiles at me, which makes my chest feels all... tingly.  I make my way over to them, and Caleb stands up to greet me.

Wordlessly, we embrace. I bury my face in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar smell.

"Hey, baby." He whispers.

"Hi." I smile, perfectly content. "Dude, you'll never believe what just happened."

We get some food, and then sit back on the couch.

"She did?" Caleb asks, eyes widening.

"Dude! That's awesome!" Asher shakes his head. "Man, mom must've been going through it, y'know?"

"Yeah, for real." I sigh. "But that means you can finally meet her."

Caleb only smiles. Just then, Morgan walks over.

"Hey, Skylar, Caleb... I know this is kinda shitty timing, but I wanted to give you these." They hand us two pictures- wedding announcements. "I don't know when I'll see you guys again, because our schedules are so inconsistent now, but I hope you can make it."

"Wow. You're getting married?" I look up and smile. "That's fantastic! Congratulations!"

They smile politely. "Thank you. It's scheduled for mid-June, so we aren't in school anymore. I wanted to invite you guys as soon as possible so you can plan for travel if you're going out of state for summer break."

I nod. "This is great! I'll for sure do my best to be there."

The party ends, and everyone starts leaving. While we were chatting, people were updating me on what was going on in their lives. I made sure to write down the most important things:

- Arielle and Alexander are expecting a child

- Morgan is getting married (to someone I don't know, oof. Caleb knows her from his major and classes or whatever.)

-Asher and Emery are calling it official! they are boyfriend and partner now!

- Grandma and Grandpa are getting a house extension (?) they figured it was time, because of how jam-packed their house had been on thanksgiving. 

I'm sure there were other ones, but right now, laying in bed with Caleb sprawled across me snoring peacefully, I can't remember. The good news is, I have a lot of things written down in my journal. There's an entire page with just lists of information about myself, formatted in a way that's easiest for me to understand. I wrote it, obviously, but I can't remember when or why.

For now, life is good. It's not great, but it could be a hell of a lot worse. I've got my journal, and I've got my boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

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okay so it's one am and I'm sobbing in my room- ANYWAY I basically have the rest of this book outlined, and guess what? PLANS FOR A BOOK TWO! I just hope people actually read it oof.