Summer Days

Chapter 23 - Kept Promises

Connor and Emma's visit had ended faster than I wanted it to. Maybe because I was used to being with them for months at a time. Either way, I wanted them to stay for so much longer. Over the weekend, they helped me pick out a homecoming dress, and we just drove around looking for any adventure that the town had to offer, much like summer. Damn, anything I did with them brought me back to summer. I was in so deep.

They left on Sunday in the middle of the day. I drove them to the airport, which was in a bigger city about 45 minutes away. As they were getting their bags out of my trunk, I did something I didn't think I would: I cried. I was surprised at myself, and even they seemed a little surprised. It was only a few days I spent with them, but I think I cried for my summer, to have it back for one more day. 

It's Friday today, which means Liam comes home, and the homecoming game is tonight, which deserves a huge thank you to God. I've been in a gloomy mood since Connor and Emma left, so I'm hoping Liam and the game will put me in a better mood, cause they usually do. Liam was supposed to get here around 4:00, and then we're gonna go to the game together. Maybe my school's football team will actually win this year. We're scheduled for a team that isn't having a good season, and we actually have a decent team this year. For the past 5 years or so (not an exaggeration, though I wish it was), we haven't had the greatest team, and our homecoming games were always against the best teams. 

I got home from school and anxiously waited for Liam to get home, even though there was still an hour and a half until he was supposed to get here. I went to my room and got onto YouTube, to maybe help the time pass quicker. Of course, I got into a spiral of videos I've seen a million times before, but always manage to make me laugh. I looked at the clock when I initially got on my laptop around 2:40, and I looked again to see it was already 3:30. Moral of the story: if you wanna pass time, go on YouTube. With the remaining time, I decided to do my homework. It was weird for me to not be starting it on Sunday at 8:00 at night, but I knew I'd wanna spend all weekend with Liam, and he was leaving Monday morning, so I probably wouldn't get another chance to do it. I actually didn't have very much, anyway. 

As I was finishing what I had to read in my book for English class, I heard someone start to unlock the door and stumble in. I bolted from my room to the front door, and ran directly into Liam, giving him a huge hug. 

"Hey kiddo" he said, dropping his small duffel bag and hugging me back. "Miss me a little?" he laughed.

"No, leave" I joked. 

"Where's mom and dad?" he asked as we simultaneously broke the hug. 

"Did you seriously already forget that they don't get home from work till like 5:30 or 6:00?" I laughed again, he's so absent-minded. 

"Oh duh" he said shaking his head, as if he was jogging his memory. "Speaking of work, do you have a job yet?" he asked. 

"I've applied to a few places here and there. First two applications didn't get me the job, and I just sent an application to the hospital a few days ago."

"The hospital? Did you go to medical school in a month?" 

"They give jobs to high school students in the gift shop or cafeteria, dumb dumb" I laughed again. Liam always knew how to make me smile. There was a smile silence as our laughter died down. 

"So how you holding up? With Dakota and everything?" I was dreading the moment he brought this up. 

"Alright. Obviously it's hard, only seeing him on Skype or FaceTime, and only texting or calling him. I mean I'm grateful for all that technology, but it's so different from him actually being here" I said, choking up a little. "He promised he'd come visit as soon as he got a chance, but who knows when that'll be."