The next few weeks felt like torture. I love Aunt Lauren, and I'm so grateful she's letting me stay with her, but I miss my friends.
Owen and I still make sure to FaceTime every day, and I've also texted with Sav, Charlie, and Madison some. I talked with Jeremy and Carolynn over the phone the other day. Still, nothing beats being with these people in person.
Owen's been really good about it. I gave him my address and he sent me yet another letter about a week ago. The letter wasn't as heartfelt as the two he gave me before I got on the plane, it was mostly just random stories to keep me distracted from the fact that we are apart. We've had a few more virtual sleepovers, but again, they don't feel the same. I miss having him beside me.
I even got to talk to GG on the phone the other day, which helped a lot. I realized I hadn't talked to her since the plane ride, so I decided to make an impulsive decision and call her. She actually made me feel a lot better. Her endless positivity never ceases to amaze me.
I also got to see my dad. Not my mom, thankfully. He came over to bring a few things from my old room a couple of days after I got to Aunt Lauren's. It was a bit weird, considering he kept apologizing for my mom's behavior, but it wasn't totally awful. I caught him up on the past few months, told him about Owen. He seemed happy for me.
Aunt Lauren has been amazing. She and Owen have a very funny relationship now- I think he's starting to like her more than me. Every time she hears me talking to him, she always had to come in and say hi. She's been great at giving me time and space to adjust, considering she knows how hard it was for me to move back.
I've been thinking about moving to LA. There's a couple of dance studios there that have job openings, and I've thought about applying for a few. At least that would get me out of this town and into somewhere where there are more people. Plus, I would be able to get my own apartment. I've mentioned the idea to Owen, and he seems on board with it. He's also mentioned moving to LA himself, so maybe that's why. I secretly hope that we both do, just so that we can live close together again. Maybe not as close as we used to, but at least in the same area.
Today is Christmas. I know we used to always go over to Aunt Lauren's for Christmas, but I doubt my parents will show up here today. Aunt Lauren got me a few things, my favorite being a new notebook and pens, because I've taken up drawing as a way to cope. She also got me a couple of hoodies and another fuzzy blanket, which I don't need more of, but how can I pass that up?
We've spent most of our day in our pajamas, on her ginormous couch watching Christmas movies. So far, we've watched Rudolph, Elf, and some cheesy Hallmark movie that may or may not have made me cry. Seriously, no need to remind me I'm lonely, cheesy Hallmark movie.
Aunt Lauren is not big on cooking, but she did whip up some chocolate chip pancakes for me because she knows they're my favorite. They were quite good, but I still got sad because I remember that one time I made chocolate chip pancakes with Owen and Charlie.
While in the middle of watching Home Alone, I hear the doorbell ring. Aunt Lauren looks over at me, silently asking me to go get it. Reluctantly, I get up and walk over to the entryway.
When I open the door, I see my dad on the other side, holding a bag.
"Hey, I wanted to drop this off. I know we're not on great terms right now, but I still wanted to get you a Christmas present."
"Thanks," I say, taking the bag from him. He stays there, silent for a minute until I realize that he probably wants me to open the present. So I do.
It's a hoodie. With a Cat Noir logo on it.
"How'd you know I like this?" I ask, because I seriously don't remember ever telling him that I watched Miraculous.
"Aunt Lauren. I asked her what you liked," he admitted. "I do hope you like it. I was worried that it wouldn't get here on time."
"Well, thank you. I do like it," I say, offering him a half-smile.
"Course, Jenny," he smiles back at me. I never told him about going by Jenny either, so I guess that was also Aunt Lauren's doing. But I don't hate her for it. My dad never really was the strict one, maybe I could forgive him. My mom is a different story, but at least my dad is trying, and that's something.
Once he leaves, I go back to the living room.
"So, who was it?" Aunt Lauren smiles when she sees me.
"My dad," I tell her. "He gave me a hoodie. A Cat Noir one. Thanks, by the way."
Her face falls a bit, to my surprise. "Oh, yeah, I did tell him you liked that Miraculous show. Do you like the hoodie, though?"
"Yeah, it looks very comfy."
"That's good then," she smiles, but I can tell it's not a hundred percent genuine. "Let's finish the movie."
I snuggle under my blanket as she unpauses the movie. We watch the rest of the movie in silence for the most part, but I notice that Aunt Lauren keeps checking her phone, occasionally texting something. I'm curious as to who she's texting, but I don't want to pry, so I don't ask.
She's still texting as the movie finishes, and my curiosity is starting to get the best of me. However, I withhold myself from asking any questions. I just scroll through my phone so that I can't see what she's doing.
After a few minutes, I hear the doorbell ring once again.
"Jenny, can you get that for me?" Aunt Lauren asks. I nod, and I go back to the entryway to see who is at the door. I open it and instantly scream when I see who is on the other side.
"SAVANNAH!" I squeal, pulling her into an extremely tight hug, which she gladly reciprocates.
"Hi, Jenny!" she laughs, pulling back. "It's so, so good to see your face again."
"Tell me about it. Now, how did you get here?!"
"Your aunt planned the whole thing. She knows how much you've been struggling without us, so she instigated this whole thing. We tried to get Charlie to come, but he couldn't make it today."
"Wait, you keep saying 'we' and 'us,' what's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, how about you see for yourself," she says, gesturing behind me. I turn around and nearly jump out of my skin when I see someone standing right behind me.
"Hey, bugaboo," Owen smiles. It takes me a moment to actually recognize that he's actually here- in my house- but when I do, I scream and practically jump into his arms.
I wrap my arms around him, and he twirls me around, keeping a tight grip on me. I'm crying by this point, but he doesn't seem to mind me getting his shirt wet with my tears. When he pulls back from the hug, he presses a kiss to my lips that was far too short for my liking.
"So, am I good at surprises or what?" Aunt Lauren says, coming up behind Owen. We all laugh at her comment.
"Yes, you're good," I agree. Owen smiles back at me, still keeping my hands in his.
"I sure hope you like it, cause me and Owen had a time trying to get here. We were supposed to be here a couple of hours earlier, but..." Sav says.
"It doesn't even matter, I'm just so glad you're both here," I smile. "How long are you going to be staying?"
"About a week or so," Savannah says. "Your aunt claims she has plenty of room. Plus, Kenny invited us all on a Hawaii trip near New Years. I'm not going to be able to go, but Owen is, so we figured we would stay until then, and then you and Owen could fly out together."
"That's great!" I exclaim. "I'm so excited to see you both again."
"Yeah, you've mentioned it a few times," Owen jokes. "But seriously, we're excited to see you too."
Savannah makes her way over to where Owen and I stand and pulls us into a much-needed group hug. Tears are still rolling down my cheeks, but I don't even care, because I get to be with these amazing human beings again.
