Blueberry Milkshake

Epilogue

I looked at the mirror, a smile spreading on my face, aware that I'm likely to regret this decision later on.

"Do you like it?" the hairdresser asked.

She cut way more than I was expecting, but then again; I told her to do as she pleased. There it goes my short hair virginity.

"Yeah, I do," I answered shortly, too focused on my new visual.

I present to you now Avery Josephine di Laurentis, the last teenager on Earth to try short hair.

That still bothers me, though. Being a teen, I mean. Nineteen is still considered a teen and James is an adult, a grown man. Sometimes I wonder if he finds me childish.

I leave the small shop in the middle of the mall when my phone notifies me of a text.

Are you still up for dinner?

It's my father.

Lately, I don't mind attending his family gatherings as much. As long as he kept Grant away from me, this is. The guy keeps insisting on that family crap and I'm not tempted to be the 'sister' of a homophobic son of a bitch. His mother is not great either.

I sent him a simple Ok and shoved the phone down into my pocket.

Things have been good lately. I got a scholarship to an okay university (not really sure how). James and I have never been better. Mum is dating a delightful man from an insurance company (they met when she crashed the cab on a rainy night. But she's okay). Court went to the same uni I did. Louis is hanging close and life is good.

Besides, today I'm meeting James for a movie night so, as it is my turn to pick after he made me marathon Money Heist last weekend, I'm thinking about forcing him to watch It. He'll be pissed at me but I earned the right to choose.

Now, looking through the store to rent the film, I end up in the Mystery section. Wow, even when I want to watch horror, I go back to please him. Well, I don't dislike his taste.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I exclaim when I hit someone as I backed away from that section.

"It's fine, I..." she shuts up when she sets eyes on me and my hands fly to my mouth "AJ! Oh my god"

I hug her tightly, my mind still not wrapped around the fact that Jade is here.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in disbelief.

She cracks a smile, and I notice for the first time the red-haired woman in her twenty-something behind Jade. She looks familiar, but I guess it is because she has the same dark eyes and thin lips as Jade.

"Jackie is getting married! You remember Jackie, right?"

Jackie, right! Jade's cousin from the cool side of the family.

I notice the huge rock on her finger that makes my eyes widen. That ring is so beautiful!

"Hi" she waves with a smile.

"Oh, congratulations," I say.

"It's not such a happy thought," Jade adds, and Jackie's smile drops. "The wedding is getting postponed. Because of the virus and all, you know"

"You don't believe that's actually getting here, right? They're making a big fuss about it but I doubt it's travelling all its way from China to here." I rolled my eyes.

Jackie doesn't share my opinion. "One infected guy travelling here is enough to infect all. If they close the country I don't want to be stuck in the UK"

"Close the country? Who's talking about closing the country?"

"Everyone," Jade tells me, "Haven't you seen the news? If it gets here, it's really likely that we'll be in lockdown. Like quarantine",