Author's Note:This story was written a long time ago (2001).
I sat in my car, driving home from the University of Connecticut, having just wrapped up my freshman year there. I had decided to major in Education, so I could work with kids. I was thinking of becoming a Physical Education teacher, so I could combine my two great loves: Kids and sports. I figured after all those Krusher practices, I'd be a natural!
I hadn't seen my friends from home at all since I left for college, but we'd stayed in touch, although we went our separate ways. My best friend, Mary Ann, went to Yale University to major in English Lit. Claudia was attending art school in New York. She absolutely adores art school. I tease her all the time that she just likes the fact that there's no spelling in art.
Stacey went to NYU to study medicine. She says she plans to work with kids who have diabetes. She also got involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Since Stacey's a diabetic herself, all of this is very important to her.
Dawn went to UCLA to major in Enviornmental Science—She wants to shave the planet!
Mallory and Jessi are still living in Stoneybrook. They're both Juniors at Stoneybrook High School. Mal's the editor of the school paper there. She's still dying to become an author. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she became the next Danielle Steel in a few years! Jessi still dances. In fact, some very prestigious dance schools have already been scouting her.
Abby is the only one whose future isn't quite set yet. Like Mal and Jessi, she still lives in Stoneybrook, where she's attending junior college. She hasn't quite decided what she wants to do yet, but she's in training for the next Summer Olympics. She wants to join the US Soccer team.
As I drove back home, all I could think about was how excited I was to see my friends and family again. I'd missed them all terribly. As much as I'd enjoyed college, I missed the activity of the Brewer/Thomas household. I know it sounds strange, but I missed the little things, like arguing with my brother Charlie over the TV remote or yelling at my little brother David Micheal and my stepsister Karen to stop fighting.
I was back in Stoneybrook almost before I knew it. As I pulled into Mom and Watson's driveway, I could see that everyone had gathered on the lawn to greet me. I saw a huge banner hanging on the front of the house with the words "Welcome Home, Kristy!" on it in huge letters. I barely had time to get out of the car before I was besiged by my family. I was nearly hugged to death! But I loved it!
As I hugged Mom, she whispered in my ear, "Welcome home, Sweetie. How was school?"
"Mom," I replied, pretending to be annoyed, "You know how school was. I e-mailed you every day!" Oh well, I guess that's just how mothers are.
We all went inside for dinner. It was great! Not only the food, (Nannie's cooking is way better than school food!) but also the atmosphere. It felt like I'd never left. After seeing my family again, I was completely psyched about the next day. Even though the BSC no longer exists, we had decied to hold a mock-meeting at Claudia's for old times' sake.