And there he was, finally back with his family and friends. I assumed the blonde girl was his girlfriend, Jessica. I guess Austin thought he liked her because of her blond hair, big brown eyes and curvy body. His mom stared at him while her hand covered her mouth. Her eyes were full of happy tears as she approached her son.
“Austin?” I looked at Austin who looked down at me. I nodded and let go of his hand. He took a few steps to meet his mom halfway. Austin was probably the most important person in his mom’s life. He quickly wrapped his arms around his mom pulling her closer. I noticed his friends smiling at the scene in front of the just like I was.
Looking at his friends, the smiles on their faces were true smiles. Austin was finally home and I couldn’t help but feel more than happy for him. That’s until I noticed a familiar face among them. Andrew Constancio’s little brother, Alex. His eyes turned away from Austin and his mom and landed on me. I noticed his eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. He remembered me. I was ashamed of myself at that moment. What if he told Austin what happened between me and his brother back in San Antonio?
“Mom, I want you to meet some people.” I turned my gaze back to Austin and his mom. He grabbed her hand and walked over to where I stood along with my best friends. “Mom, these are Marcus, Victoria and Calli.”
“It’s nice to meet you kids. I’m Michele.” We shook her hand and she offered all of us a smile before looking at me. She reached out her hands to grab mine. “Thank you Calli. Thank you for keeping Austin safe during this whole time. If there’s anything we can do for you just ask.”
“Mom!” Austin was about to protest but Michele shot him glare. I smiled at the scene before looking at her. I placed my other hand on top of hers.
“Just take care of him. That’s all I’m asking for.” She nodded.
“I will.” I smiled at her and she let go of my hands. “I’ll give you kids some time to say goodbye.”
“Sure.” She turned around and walked away. Austin looked at all of us as smile crept on his face.
“Thanks for everything guys. I wouldn’t have made it back home without you.” Marcus and Victoria smiled at Austin. “I’m just going to ask you for two things before we say goodbye.”
“Habla Mahone. We don’t have that much time.” We all laughed at Victoria as she snapped her fingers a few times.
“Look after each other.” We all nodded. He followed to open his arms. “And now give me a group hug.”
“What are you waiting for? Hug him like your life depends on it!” Marcus was the first to hug Austin. Victoria and I hugged them. I guess saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy. We all let go off each other and I noticed Victoria wiping her eyes.
“Alright say adios before I cry a river here!” Austin chuckled and hugged Marcus again. They exchanged a few words and let go off each other. After that he and Victoria shared a hug, making me wipe away a few tears. And finally it was my turn. Austin stood in front of me and sighed.
“Well, I guess this is it.” I nodded. Austin smiled through his words. “I don’t like saying goodbye right now.”
“Me neither.” His hand went up to my cheek to wipe a tear that slipped.
“Don’t cry.” He caressed my cheek before wrapping his arms around me. I cried into his chest while the hug lasted. “Thanks for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He pulled away from me and stared at me. He wiped my cheeks again and smiled.
“I’ll try not to forget you.” I chuckled through the soft sobs.
“Can you go now? You’re going to make me cry here.” He chuckled and pressed his lips against my forehead.
“I’ll miss you Calli.” I smiled up at him. How could he manage to smile through that whole situation?
“We’ll miss you too.” He wiped his thumb across my cheek one more time before taking a step back. He slowly turned around and walked back to his mom and friends. They all hugged him and I couldn’t help but over hear Alex Constancio’s words.
“Welcome back buddy.” They exchanged handshakes and hugs.
Turning around to look at my best friends, I nodded. They both nodded and looked at each other. We began to make our way to the car. I was just about to open the door when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to see Alex coming over. I was bit taken aback by that. I looked down at the pavement below me.
“Calli?” I sighed and looked up. Alex held a happy look with a hint of worry in it. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Thank you. For taking care of him. ”
“No problem.” I nodded. He did the same before turning around and walking away. I turned my head back to the car to see Tori and Marcus staring at me obviously confused by what had just happened. “Can we please get home?”
“Uh, sure.” I opened the door and got in the passenger seat again.
Here goes everything.
12. "He broke his nose?"
Start from the beginning
