TheRealXenocide – It's ok, I figured out what you meant. And thanks for the advice; I'd never heard that before. I tend to avoid all English classes if possible, I'm awful at them. I don't want too much to happen all at once and hopefully it won't; this is just setting up the situation. I do know where I want this story to go, I'm just not sure how it will end up getting there.
And to everyone who reviewed…Thanks!!! You guys totally made my day.
And now, on with the story!
"Lizzie!" Her mother's cry pierced the din in the airport as Lizzie got off the plane. Lizzie had one glimpse of her mother hurrying toward her before her face crumbled into tears. Jo wrapped her arms around her daughter as she had so many times when Lizzie was younger and led her to a nearby row of seats.
Lizzie wasn't sure how long she and her mother sat in those seats, but by the time she wiped her eyes, the waiting area was almost empty. She blinked several times and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
"Hi sweetie." Her mom smiled at her. "I missed you."
"Hi Mom." Lizzie managed to say and gave a small laugh. "I must look so crazy, bawling my eyes out in the middle of the airport."
Jo grinned. "I'm positive you're not the first to do it, and I'll bet you won't be the last. Come on, honey, let's go get your luggage."
In the car, Lizzie half slept, half listened to her mom, who talked the entire way home from the airport.
"I just couldn't believe when I heard it on the news Monday night. It's so hard to imagine Ethan in trouble like that. He was always such a sweet kid. I remember being worried when I heard he wasn't going to college, he was going to try out modeling. But I guess college wasn't for Ethan. Remember how you called me almost in hysterics when you found his picture in a magazine you were reading? That was his first big break and then it seemed that overnight, his picture was popping up everywhere. He even did that series of ads for Abercrombie. I don't think anyone expected him to be that successful as a model, but everyone supported him as if he were their own kid."
Lizzie nodded vaguely, trying to tune her mother out. She appreciated someone to talk to about this, but thinking about Ethan right now was still too painful. She couldn't believe he was gone. This was the same Ethan she and Miranda had crushed over all through middle school. Although their crushes ended with middle school, they were great friends with Ethan all the way through high school. Ethan was popular with everyone in high school, but was also one of the genuinely nicest people Lizzie knew. He supported everyone in whatever they wanted to do and in turn, everyone had supported him. Lizzie knew many people were being affected by Ethan's death.
As Lizzie and her mom pulled into their driveway, her dad and Matt came out to greet her. She hugged her father and gave Matt a quick hug and grabbed one of her suitcases and lugged it to her room. Matt followed her with another suitcase. He set it on her floor and stood there uncomfortably.
"What is it Matt?" Lizzie asked expectantly, looking up at her brother. He had grown a lot the past few years and now towered over his entire family.
"I just-" he stopped and tried again. "How're you holding up?" He asked, his face voicing his concern.
"I dunno." Lizzie told him truthfully. "The whole situation just seems…" Lizzie paused, searching for the right word.
"Surreal." Matt finished for her. Lizzie nodded in agreement.
"School has been like that the last week." Matt told her. "Most of the upperclassmen remember Ethan, so it's been really quiet. But there weren't a whole lot of us who knew him really well, so I guess it's different than what you're going through."
"Probably not as much as you think." Lizzie told him. "How did everyone at school react?"
"Well, like I said, there were a whole lot of us that knew him really well. But most people were pretty shaken. This is the kind of thing that you hear about on the news and stuff, but it never happens to anyone you know." Matt said thoughtfully.
"When you leave high school, you expect to hear about where people are going to school or working, or who's getting married or having a kid. You don't ever think about hearing that someone's-" Lizzie voice caught and she blinked several times, trying to keep the tears from coming.
Matt nodded and headed towards the door and paused. "Mom told me to tell you that dinner's at 6:30." Lizzie nodded. "And I'm glad you're back." Matt told her. "It's no fun being the only child. There's no one to torment." He grinned as she threw a pillow at him. "Nice try." He called, racing down the stairs.
Lizzie shook her head and retrieved her pillow. Matt may have grown and matured some, but it was nice to know he was still her annoying little brother. Lizzie liked knowing that while so much in her life had changed suddenly, some things would never change.
R/R! You know the drill…