Chapter Two: Getting used to the way things are
The next couple of days go by at lightning speed. It feels good to be home, but it is hard to get back into the groove of things. Everyone has changed so much. I almost feel like a stranger. It seems really weird. It is Monday morning and I wake up at the crack of dawn. This is most likely due to the fact that I am still used to having to get up early for school. I then pull my hair into a ponytail and walk down the aroma of freshly brewed coffee floods through the air. I then go into the kitchen and see my mom. She is sitting at the bar enjoying a cup of coffee. I then go over to the coffee maker and pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down beside her.
"Good morning." She says.
"Good morning." I say.
"I'm surprised that you got up so early." She says. "Not that it is a problem."
"My body is still used to getting up early for my eight o'clock classes." I say.
"I'm sure that eventually you will get used to a different time schedule." She says as she takes a sip of her coffee. "But I wouldn't mind the company in the morning."
"Where's dad?" I ask.
"He's still asleep." She says.
"Oh, I'm surprised." I say.
"Well it is only six thirty." She says.
"I thought that it was later." I say.
"That happens sometimes." She says. "So what are your plans for the day?"
"I'm not sure yet." I say.
"Well, I was thinking that the two us could spend some time together." She says.
"But don't you have to work?" I ask.
"I had taken the day off already." She says. "And besides, I wanted to catch up with my daughter."
"I would love to spend the day with you." I say.
"Perfect, I have a lot of things planned for us to do." She says. "Now how about you go get dressed."
"Ok, but what do I need to put on?" I ask.
"Anything is fine." She says. "Just wear whatever you want to wear."
"Ok." I say. I then go upstairs to my room and start getting ready. I start by putting on some makeup. I then find a cute outfit to put on. I then gently pull my hair out of the ponytail, and leave my hair as it is naturally. I then put in a pair of earrings and then put on a pair of sandals and am ready to go. I then go downstairs and see that the rest of my family finally has gotten up. Brie notices me first and motions for me to sit beside her
"Are you going to go to school with me?" She asks.
"I wish, Brie, but I can't go to school with you." I say.
"Sure you can." She says.
"Brie, she has other things that she has to do." Dad says. "But I'm sure that she will spend some time with you when you get out of school."
"Promise?" She asks.
"I will do my best." I say.
"Ok." She says.
"Don't worry, I am planning on spending a lot of time with you." I say. "Maybe we can have a tea party sometime."
"Yay." She says. "Tonight?"
"I don't know about that one, but we'll have to see." I say.
"Ok." She says. I then grab some breakfast and another cup of coffee. After a little while, everyone else has left except for my mom and I.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask.
"You'll just have to wait and see." She says. She then grabs her purse and keys and we leave. After some time, we pull into a parking lot. We walk into a nail salon first and get manicures and pedicures.
"This was very sweet of you to take time off of work so that you could spend some time with me." I say.
"You're welcome." She says. "I have always enjoyed spending time with you."
"Me too." I say.
"So, how are things going with you and Chris?" She asks.
"Pretty good." I say. "I thought that it was going to be very hard to be so far away from each other, but I think that it actually made things better for us."
"That's good." She says. "Do you think that he's the one?"
"I don't know." I say. "I could see us together."
"I can see you both together as well." She says. "You both make a very cute couple." I just a little while, we leave and go grab some then spend the rest of the day shopping and catching up with one another. It is good to have some girl time. A few hours go by, and we are at home. Brie and Connor are home with us as well.
"Sissy, could we have a tea party now?" Brie asks.
"Sure." I say. She then runs off and grabs some dress up clothes. She comes back with a dress and high heels on. She also has on a tiara. She then hands me a tiara to wear. I then put it on my head. Then I set up the tea things, and put apple juice in the pot, since Brie doesn't like actual tea. We then sit down at the table.
"Did you have a good day at school?" I ask.
"Yes." She says. I then pour her a cup of "tea" and place it in front of her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." I say. We both then sit there and talk for a little while. She really has grown up since Christmas, when I last saw her. She is turning into a mini adult, and it is sort of adorable. After a little while, our girl time is interrupted. Chris comes into the room, and tries to sit down.
"No, this is for girls only." Brie says.
"Come on." He says. "I thought that we were friends, Brie."
"We are, but you are a boy, and this is a girl thing." She says.
"Brie, it's alright." I say.
"Ok, fine." She says.
"Wow, she's gotten a little bit sassy." Chris says. "I guess that she takes after her older sister." I then smack him, but it wasn't really all that hard. He pretends that it hurt. "Brie, your sister is mean."
"No she isn't." She says. "You deserved it." All that I can do is laugh.
"Wow, some friends you both are." He says.
"You know that I love you, right?" I say.
"Yes, of course I do." He says. He then leans in to kiss me, I stop him though. "What?"
"There's a four year old in the room." I say.
"So, I bet your parents kiss in front of her all the time." He says. He then tries again. I am hesitant, but I let him kiss me. It's just a quick one though.
"Ok, that's enough." She says. Chris and I both laugh. "You two are gross."
"I'm sorry, I tried to tell him." I say. She then giggles. Chris then tickles her, making her giggle more. "Be careful, she might pee on you."
"No she won't." He says. He continues to tickle her and she laughs even harder.
"I'm being serious." I say.
"Alright, I'll stop." He says.
"Thank you." I say. "Alright, Brie how about we clean up the tea party things."
"Ok." She says. She then picks up the cups and the pot and puts it on the counter so that it can be washed.
"Nice crown." Chris says to me.
"Oh, this thing?" I ask. "Brie wanted me to wear it." I then start to take it off.
"I sort of liked it." He says.
"Really?" I ask.
"No, I was kidding." He says. "But if you want to wear it, go ahead."
"Nah, I'll just go ahead and take it off." I say. I then take the tiara off and place it on the table. Brie then comes back into the room. "Hey, cutie."
"Do you guys want to color?" She asks.
"Not right now." Chris says.
"But if you want to, you can." I say.
"Ok." She says. She then goes back to her room.
"So, did you spend a lot of time with Brie while I was away?" I ask.
"Some what." He says. "I was usually over here, because your brothers wanted an extra person to play basketball with."
"Well, I'm glad that you didn't mind." I say.
"It's no trouble at all." He says. "You should see how well Zach plays."
"I'm sure that I will at some point." I say. "I saw potential in him before I left, and I've played a couple of pick up games with him but it's been a while."
"Well, I honestly think that he is stiff competition." He says. "I know that he has offers to several colleges for basketball."
"That's awesome." I say. "He never told me about that."
"He's too modest." He says.
"I know, but normally he tells me things like this." I say.
"He probably will, just give him a couple of days." He says. "I know that he was really excited when he found out."
"I am so proud of him." I say.
"You should be." He says. "He's amazing."
"Yeah, he really is." I say.
"Well, I need to run." He says.
"You don't have to leave." I say.
"I have to get some lesson plans together, since technically I am the one teaching." He says. "The teacher didn't leave me anything."
"Well, if you need any help just let me know." I say.
"Will do." He says. "Maybe tomorrow, you could join me for lunch."
"I would love to." I say. "Just let me know the details."
"Will do." He says. "See you tomorrow then."
"Alright." I say. I then walk with him to the door. "Bye, Chris."
"Bye, Jess." He says. He then steals a quick kiss from me before he leaves. I really am glad that we started dating four years ago. I couldn't imagine my life being any different. He makes me happy, and I hope that I do the same for him. He is very important to me.