I had been foolish this evening. Although I made choices that I absolutely did not regret, I knew that I was walking a fine line. It was late and all that stood between me and being grounded for life was a promise Nancy made me. Nancy and I had repaired our relationship, but it still felt a bit rocky.
It was a few minutes past 1 o'clock in the morning when I quietly made my way through the front door of my house. I had no idea what was going to await me on the other side. If Nancy had done her job well, then hopefully nothing. Ideally, I would sneak up to my room with no questions asked. But that wasn't the case.
When I walked into the house, a light flicked on. I was surprised when I saw Nancy staring back at me instead of my mother.
"You owe me big time." Nancy stated.
"I know." I agreed as I tidied my hair and clothes, trying to conceal any sign of the evening I had just had with Eddie.
After Eddie's concert, we went back to his trailer. When the evening started, I had no intention of taking things to the next level with Eddie, but after the excitement and adrenaline from the concert and staying out late, my intention quickly changed.
Back in his trailer, what had started as a passionate make out session, soon became a new exploration of our bodies. Eddie and I discovered new ways to express our feelings for each other through more than just words. Afterwards, I felt like I was in heaven and he assured me he felt the same.
I moved to sit on the couch next to where Nancy perched on the recliner. Based on the look she gave me, she definitely noticed my slightly disheveled hair and flushed cheeks. There was an understanding on her face, but no judgement.
"Were you at least safe about it?" She asked with care. I nodded my head in response. "Good." She replied.
The two of us sat there in silence for what felt like forever. I finally broke the quiet and simply said, "Thank you".
She turned to me. "For what?" She inquired.
I gave her a shy, but sincere smile. "For covering for me with mom... but also for not judging me. It means a lot."
Nancy shrugged it off, almost with a laugh. "Of course, that's what sisters are for."
For a reason unknown to me, her words made me tear up a bit. I reached over and the two of us embraced. I finally felt like I had my sister back. My sister who always watched out for me growing up. My sister who knew when to put me in my place. My sister who was my greatest defender and protector.
As we pulled out of our embrace, I looked over to find Mike standing in the living room, donning his pajamas bed head, with a warm smile on his face.
"What are you doing up?" Nancy questioned Mike.
"I wanted to see how Y/N's studying went." He replied sarcastically.
I shot a glare at Nancy. "You told him what I was doing, didn't you?"
Mike spoke up before Nancy could respond. "Could you blame her? It's not everyday our quiet and goody two-shoes sister lies to go hang out with a guy at a bar."
He was right. Three months ago I never would have dreamed of doing something like I did tonight. Before Eddie, I had always been so focused on following the rules and being the dependable one. Too anxious to be seen or heard at school. Too worried about making sure everyone around me was taken care of before my own needs to met.
Everything was different now. Eddie made it that way. He helped me realize that enjoying life is more important than being perfect. The judgement of others was still something I worried about, but I no longer let it control my life. I felt free.
"I guess I have been acting more bold than I have in the past." I admitted to my siblings.
"You think?" Nancy added. The three of us laughed.
"I like it." Mike said. "It's like you're finally becoming yourself."
"Me too." Nancy agreed. "I like the new Y/N."
Not knowing what else to say, I simply replied, "You guys are the best."
Mirroring the embrace that Nancy and I had just moments before, the three of us wrapped our arms around each other and expressed what words could not. How lucky we truly were to have each other.
As we made our way up to our bedrooms, Mike realized her never actually found out how my evening was. "So did you have fun tonight?" He asked.
I made eye contact with Nancy and we both giggled. "Yeah, I would say so."
"What's so funny?" Mike asked, clearly both confused and irritated that he was out of the loop.
"Goodnight, Mike" was all both Nancy and I replied.
And as I closed my bedroom door, I heard Mike say, "I love you guys, but man do you really drive me crazy sometimes."
I heard Nancy call through the door, "Love you too!"
With that, I made my way to my bed. Removing my clothes as I trudged over to my haven of comfort and rest. I hadn't realized how tired I was until this point. The business and excitement of the past 18 hours was finally hitting me. When my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep almost instantly. My body giving into the exhaustion.