"Abiabiabiabiabi!"
I was attacked by my brother even before I could enter the gate at the waiting lounge. I almost toppled over when he run into me, clinging to my waist with all the strength he possessed in his thin arms.
"Hi, Teddy-Bear." I ruffled his hair, using the old nickname I'd given him. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too!"
Seems like right now he was going through that hard phase of yelling. I winced and pulled back, looking past him.
"Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked
"There!"
My gaze followed his finger pointing at something behind him. Ah. There they were. The moment I saw Mom and Dad standing there, waving and smiling, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They were holding a plate saying: 'Welcome home, pretzel!' With an exclamation mark. I almost rolled my eyes at the old nickname they'd given me. I gained it as a kid and for some reason, they drew an endless joy from using it to call me every chance they got. They said the stupid name had something to do with the way I used to sleep when I was small, all tangled up - just like a pretzel. What I couldn't understand was why, after all these years, they chose to make my life a living hell by using it publicly. I mean, seriously. I might be childish, but I was nineteen, for God's sake.
I was debating turning around and running for the first flight to leave but was stopped by Teddy's small hand clasping mine.
"Come on!" He tugged me forward. "They missed you, too!"
Not wanting to upset my little brother, I went along, dragging my suitcase behind me. When we were ten feet from where they were standing, I plastered a huge smile on my face. It wasn't all-too-fake, though. I really was happy to see them. Just... not with the plate.
"Look who I found!" Teddy yelled, almost running now.
I tried hard to keep up with him, at the same time not falling onto my face or letting go of the suitcase's handle. For such a small human being, my little bro was extraordinarily strong.
"Careful or she'll trip!" Mom cooled him down, stepping towards us.
"Thanks, Mom." I mumbled, stopping as Ted finally let go of my hand.
"Oh, you know I didn't mean it that way." She huffed, realizing just now how it sounded. "I wasn't suggesting you were a -"
"But she is a klutz, Meggie." Dad cut in, coming to stop next to us. "There's no use pretending otherwise."
Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you Mr. Duncan Hindley, my dear father who was always there to support me and raise my self-esteem. Bravo.
"Thanks, Dad." I repeated myself, rolling my eyes. "It's good to see you, too."
"Oh, honey, there's no need to be so grumpy." Dad nudged me with his elbow. "I was just stating the truth."
"Just like you just wanted to be funny writing this?" I pointed to the plate he was still clutching in his hands for the world to see.
"Oh no, pretzel." He smiled. "This was meant to embarrass you. Being a parent has to have some perks, after all."
Have I ever mentioned just how much I loved my family?
"You're impossible." Mom shook her head, but I saw that she was fighting not to smile.
"Better take Abi's suitcase and come on. She must be tired after all these hours spent on the plane.
"She is right here." I waved. "And she can take her suitcase herself."
Don't ask me why, but I hated when people talked about me like I wasn't there when, in fact, I was standing barely two feet away from them, hearing everything with my own two ears.
"No, she can't."
Before I could react, my Dad came up to me and snatched the suitcase away from my grasp.
"Hey!" I exclaimed. "It's mine! I want to take it!"
"Such a shame." Dad kept walking.
Well, if anyone ever found me impossible to deal with, they should spend an hour with my Dad. Maybe then they would understand why I'm so hard to be around.
I sighed and flung the strap of my other bag over my shoulder. Taking Teddy's outstretched hand, I followed Dad to the exit, with Mom close behind us.
"I'm glad you're finally with us." She said, catching up with us. "I know it's irrational, but I'm afraid every time you fly over this stupid ocean."
I smiled lightly. Mom and her endless worries. I was also struck by how... strange she sounded to me. During the time spent in the US, I've grown so accustomed to their accent that hearing my parents' English one surprised me. If that's what happened after barely four months of absence home, I was worried what it was going to look like after longer time.
Oh God, I just hoped I didn't sound like an American now. Dominic could laugh all he wanted, but I loved my strange English accent.
"And you have no idea how happy I am to see you." Mom went on in that typical Mom style. "Now that we have you here, I'm not sure we're going to let you go back to that States of yours."
I chuckled.
"I'm afraid you will have to. I'm getting my exam marks when I come back."
"If you come back" She corrected me and I shook my head with a smile.
Digging through my bag, which was not an easy task to do with one hand, since the other one was still trapped in Teddy's, who was actually in the middle of a very passionate-sounding monolog about something his friend had told him a few days ago, I went in search for my phone. I wasn't the kind of girl whose bag looked like a black hole, since I carried only a book, my phone with earphones and some tissues, but the thing was the size of potato bag, which made looking for everything harder than it should be. Finally, I fished out my mobile and turned it on, wanting to check if Sierra has also landed. But the moment it came to life, I was attacked by a ridiculous number of missed calls and messages. What the -
"Right, Abi?" Ted broke me out of my haze, tugging at my hand furiously.
Having no idea what he was talking about, I nodded my head, knowing it was the safest option in this kind of situation. But the smile that broke out on his face - the one that revealed empty spaces where his milk teeth used to be - I started wondering what the hell I've just agreed to.
"Here we are!" Dad exclaimed and I raised my head to see that we've approached our old, blue Vauxhall.
I felt smile tugging at my lips at the sight of it. This car was old - hell, it was probably even older than I was - but if it broke, it would be a tragedy. Our good, old Vauxie was an inseparable part of our family and I couldn't imagine my life here without it.
I helped Dad place my suitcase in the boot and jumped in next to Teddy. He was big enough now that he didn't need the child security seat and he didn't hesitate to inform me about it. The moment we reversed out of the parking lot, he started rambling about everything that came to his mind and I had to remind myself that he was only nine. Honestly, during the time I've been gone I forgot how hyperactive he could get when he was super excited. True, it could get tiring after some time, but right now I was too happy to see him to object.
Damn, I had missed home.
"So, honey, have you met someone interesting?" Mom asked using the moment of silence where Teddy took a breath. "I remember you mention this Borah, but one new friend during such long time is not much, is it?"
"Better ask her outright if she has a boyfriend." Dad cut in, causing her to scowl at him.
"What?" Dad scoffed, seeing her face. "We all know what you were going for."
She sighed, turning back to me.
"What I was going for," One more pause used for sending Dad another fearsome glare. "was if you've made some new friends. I know you're not a... big fan of big groups, but I was hoping that maybe -"
"I have." I cut her off, seeing she didn't know how to put it. "In fact, I am a part of a group now. It's all right."
"Really?" Her face lit up. "God, I'm so happy for you. You have no idea. It's great, isn't it, Dun?"
She turned to Dad who was once more wearing that secretive smile of his.
"Well, you haven't asked what kind of group it is." He replied. "She could as well be a Satanist and take part in black masses at nights."
Sometimes I wondered if he was serious or just joking.
"Duncan!" Mom scolded him, her eyes wide.
"What? I was just -"
"Stating the truth, Dad, we know." I cut in. "But I have to disappoint you, I'm not a Satanist. No black masses for you."
"That's good to hear, honey." Mom said in a tense voice. "But I would be glad if you saved that discussion for later."
She glanced meaningfully at Teddy, who was too preoccupied with singing to some tune to listen at the time. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped the bomb about black masses in the middle of the dinner or something. This boy could listen.
"Anyways..." I started, hoping to take their minds from that ridiculous conversation. "Sierra likes them, too. She likes everything, in fact. We're both happy there."
The smile that broke out on Mom's face right then could beat the sun in the contest of brightness. I knew what hearing this words did to her, after all the... things Sierra and I have gone through. And I knew Dad was happy, too, even if he was too macho to admit it.
I was just going to tell them something more about the school, or the US at all, but was stopped by my phone ringing. Hoping it was Sierra calling, I fished it out quickly. And frowned.
Dominic's stupid photo flashed on the screen, making me want to laugh despite my growing confusion. I'd taken this picture when he was too busy making stupid faces to notice I'd taken out my phone. When he realized I managed to capture the one where he was spouting with his eyes crossed, it was already too late. It went straight for the contact photo. I had to go through an especially long tickling-session for it, but hell. It was wort it.
Amusement gave way to confusion, though, when I wondered why on earth was he calling me. When I was leaving, I told him I was going to call him when I come home. And since I wasn't home yet, I had no intentions of calling him right now, with my whole family in the car, just waiting for hot rumors.
Like my little, lovely brother, who glanced over my shoulder before I could manage to hide the phone.
"Some Dominic is calling Abi!" He informed my parents proudly.
Oh yeah, here we go.
"Who's Dominic?" Mom asked, turning around.
"Your boyfriend?" Dad accompanied her, glancing at me in the review mirror.
"Abi has a boyfriend!" Teddy yelled with all his might, waving his arms.
Someone kill me now.
"He's not my boyfriend." I said, denying the call and stuffing the phone back in my pocket. "He's just a friend from school."
Even I didn't believe myself.
"Honey, you're talking with two grandpas who used this excuse long before you were even born." Dad said, eying me with pity. "Better think of a new one and stop using ours, because let me tell you, it never works."
So maybe I should have gone with the black masses, after all...
"Really." I insisted. "We are just -"
My phone buzzed again, stopping whatever I wanted to say. Letting out a low growl, I fished it out and denying the call, turned it into silent mode. I was hoping that it was going to end the discussion, but when I saw Dad still glancing at me in the review mirror, I knew I couldn't be more wrong.
"Don't worry, answer it." He said, amusement lacing his voice. "We could always turn up the radio if you don't want us to hear you make kissing noises."
I sighed and banged my head against the window. Yeah, I was so glad I was back home.