A few days later we were all really busy getting ready for parents day. I was feeling kind of nervous about seeing my parents again. They hadn't seen or talked to me since I arrived at Horizon five weeks earlier. I was afraid I hadn't changed and they would come and everything would be like it was before. Before I accepted Crystal's death. Before I met everyone at Horizon. All my fears left the second I saw my parents come into the room. My mom was standing in front of the window next to my dad- My dad!- who was checking them in. My mom caught my eye and I smiled. She smiled back. I could tell she was surprised by me smiling and I liked that. My dad saw me and they both walked over. I walked towards them, too and when we got close enough I hugged them both. I hugged them so hard. I hadn't realized until just then how much I missed them. Even them bossing me around. At least they cared.
"That's a welcome." dad joked.
I smiled and stepped back. I could feel tears in the back of my eyes. "I missed you guys!" I said happily.
"We missed you too sweetheart." mom told me. I was glad, so glad, to hear that. To know they thought about me and actually missed me. I was so happy. "You're brother and sister wished they could come. They told me to give you these." She gave me something in a paper bag. I peered in. There were Reese's peanut butter cups, swedish fish, chocolate, and smarties. All my favorite candy. We weren't allowed to have sugar or caffeine at Horizon.
"Tell them I say thank you. I can't wait to eat it!" I giggled. I had been giggling a lot. It kind of freaked me out.
The whole I showed my parents around. I showed them the ropes course, the dining room, the kitchen (my parents were shocked when they found out I helped cook for the whole school), my cabin, where we had school. I showed them every single thing at the school. I was really excited when we ran into Peter. "Mom, Dad, this is Peter. He's in charge of Horizon. Peter, these are my parents."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs" My parents told Peter to call them by their first names and Peter went on to say, "Olivia's come a long way since she first came here. You should be proud."
My parents smiled their proud smile. The smile the saved for Matt and Calee, not the one they used when they talked about me. I guess I had changed! I smiled so wide I felt like Jules. But I honestly didn't care. It was like being high. Nothing can bring you down. "We are." Dad said. "We can't thank you enough, Mr. Scarbrow, for all your help."
"Oh, it wasn't just me. It was Olivia's choice." We were all quiet for a minute. Someone waved at Peter and he said, "If you'll excuse me. It was good to meet you both."
"Nice to meet you, too." Mom replied. We continued our walk around the campus. Mom told me, "We are proud of you Liv."
Dad added, "We're glad to see you so happy. Like you were before the accident."
I bit my lip. It was the first time my parents had ever really talked about Crystal with me. Before I realized what I was saying I told him, "It wasn't an accident. Crystal . . . she wanted to die." We all stopped walking. "I wanted to die, too."
"Oh, honey." Mom said sympathetically, hugging me.
I continued, "But I don't anymore! I want to keep living and I want to move on." And then it dawned on me. "I have moved on" I said. And I had. Crystal and her suicide- I could call it that now- we're behind me. A part of my past. Now it was all about the future. I saw Ezra and Kat coming towards me and I knew I wanted Ezra to be a part of my future. "Hey." I said to them. I quickly introduced them and my parents then asked, "Where are you going?"
"It's almost time for my play." Ezra told me.
Kat looked just the slightest bit annoyed. "Right. You're play."
"Katherine, why can't you accept that I've never read Romeo and Juliet?"
"Because I can't accept that you wrote the greatest love story in history. I can accept a lot but not that."
I laughed at that. "I'll see you guys later."
"They seem nice." My dad said.
I nodded, "They are."