Letters To My Soldier

Letter Eight

April 2018

I learned a few things my senior year of high school. One, that your best friend can be wrong about things she thinks she's an expert in. Two, that when you lie to your adopted parents for the first time, you feel like...well, crap. Especially when you have a massive hangover.

My eyes burned beneath my lids, my mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls, and the constant pounding in my ears woke me up on Saturday morning. It took me awhile to identify my bed as my own, and the relief that fled through me was insurmountable. But then it dawned on me that I still couldn't answer the one question that had been nagging me since I woke up.

What happened last night?

"Priscilla!" I jumped sky high at the sound of Jess's voice down the hall. Oh crap, did I get caught last night? How did I sneak back in? What the hell happened last night?

"Yeah?" I croaked and started coughing in surprise at the sound of my voice. I sounded like I had marbles in my throat.

"Breakfast is ready!" she doesn't sound mad. But, this is Jess. They could be waiting for me downstairs. Dean would lecture me about how many teens he sees going to court for drunk driving and DUIs. God, I hope they didn't catch me.

I took a long shower to relax my sore muscles from the game last night and my apparent party hardy delusions. I brushed my teeth ten times to clean to get the cottonmouth feeling out of them. I swear it felt like Valerie's cat shed its fur onto my teeth. After tossing my hair into a messy bun, I raced down the stairs while checking my phone for any messages from Heath.

There was a text that pulled me to a stop on the fourth step.

I thought you said you weren't going to prom. ~H

Prom? Who said I was going to prom? I'm an okay dancer, I guess, but not without a date. I'd never go stag, mostly because Valerie was never dateless. Who said I was going to prom?

He texted me about three hours ago but I'd try texting him anyways.

Who said I was going to prom? ~P

The reply was almost immediate.

You did, P...You okay? ~H

When did I say that? ~P

I put my phone away when he didn't respond right away. The smell of bacon was enticing.

I walked cautiously down the stairs but stopped short when I heard the unthinkable.

Giggling. My mother, Jess, was giggling. With my father! And humming to...Stevie Wonder songs?

I rounded the corner and came to a stop in the kitchen. My dad had his arms around my mom from behind while she flipped pancakes. He was whispering sweet nothings into her ear that made her giggle. I didn't want to know.

Is this the twilight zone? And what the hell happened last night? Is this an alternate universe where I was the bad child sneaking out at night and my parents were morning people that clearly showed PDA in front of me? And what the hell happened last night?

"Hey family..." I said feeling very awkward.

Dean and Jess turned around with huge smiles on their faces, "Priscilla, baby, join us for breakfast!"

Please, don't eat me.

"Please, don't eat me!" I feigned fear and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Stop being so melodramatic and eat your pancakes," he wrapped an arm around me and sat us down at the table while Jess brought in the plates of food.