And just like that, within the span of both last week and this week, I've managed to wrap up all of my final exams. Today is Friday, December 21st. New Year's Eve is just ten days away, and I don't know how to feel about that. On one hand, a new year would be great for everyone right now. We've all managed to put some of the most difficult things behind us, and we've managed to make some big risks in life. On the other hand, I don't know what 2047 will bring for us. It's scary just thinking about having to deal with another year on this planet. How do you go on like this every year?

I can't think about that right now. That's for my future self to worry about. Today's the first day of winter recess, and Christmas Eve is just three days away. Of course, this means Quilene and I will have to vacate our dorm at this time. Thankfully, it sounds like our things will still be here when we come back next semester. I do miss our dorm already, though. I'd hate for our Netflix account to go to waste. I guess we could still watch Netflix while living apart, but it won't be the same. It won't be too bad, though. Quilene and I can still talk with each other over the phone and through FaceTime, so I won't have to miss her too much. Plus, she's still willing to be in a long-distance relationship with Jonah, so I guess that's good news on his part.

I get into my car and start driving down to Beach City. Just to pass the time, I also make sure to play some Christmas music. I've missed Mom and Jonah so much, and I've especially been missing Aunt Pearl, Aunt Belinda, Aunt Amy, Aunt Peri, Aunt Nyoko, Uncle Greg and Aunt Margie, and most importantly of all... April. She's gonna be so thrilled to see me when I come home for the holidays. The last time I got to see her was at Van's funeral, which was just such a sad occasion. This reunion will be much, much happier.

It takes me just about an hour and forty-four minutes to get my destination. Once I've made it to Beach City, I pass by all the familiar spots: Fish Stew Pizza, The Big Donut, Beach Citywalk Fries, The Crab Shack, and even the Funland Arcade. A wave of nostalgia passes over me. I still remember when Mom took me and Jonah to Fish Stew Pizza for lunch the summer before we left for school. Kofi, in particular, seemed so genial albeit a little grumpy. Then again, I couldn't really fault him for being grumpy when he was practically running the place by himself. Hopefully, he'll retire within a couple years and have his daughters take over for him. It takes a while before I finally make it to the beach house, parking my car alongside Jonah's in the driveway. Guess Jonah got the same memo about vacating his dorm, too.

First things first, I have to go up to the front door and knock. It takes a few seconds before someone opens it up. To my relief, it's Jonah.

"Hey, sis," Jonah greets me. "It's good to see you back home."

"Ditto," I reply. "How's Delaware State treating you?"

"Pretty good. I've got a tutor to help me with schoolwork and reading."

"Oh, cool. What's their name?"

"I'm glad you asked, Hope. His name is Theodore Murphy, but he goes by Theo for short."

"Neat. What exactly has Theo been helping you with?"

"Well, he's just been helping me use speech-to-text technology so I can better understand what I'm studying. We also do some one-on-one tutoring after classes. He has me enunciate what I'm reading, and then he corrects me if I'm messing up."

I give him a big grin. "That's great, Jonah. I'm so glad to hear you're doing well."

"Thanks, Hope. I'm just glad he came along. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"How well has he been helping you anyway?"

"Well, he helped me get two B's and two A's this semester."

"That's... that's incredible!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Why don't you come on in? I'd hate for you to freeze your butt off out there."

I follow him inside, eager to hear more about his tutor. From what I'm hearing right now, Theo has been a huge help to Jonah so far. He's always free to tutor him over the phone, he's lobbied to have Jonah's professors give him more time on his exams, and he's helped him get a good grasp on sheet music so Jonah can properly follow along with his instruments. It sounds like Jonah's been doing great without me. It's at this time when Mom comes along, wearing oven mitts and holding a tray of gingerbread cookies. I can smell them from a few feet away. They're delicious.

"Would you kids like some cookies?" Mom asks warmly. "I just baked them."

"Oh, sure," I reply quickly. "I'm practically starving."

"Oh yeah, me too," Jonah agrees.

Without hesitating, Jonah and I dig into the gingerbread cookies. They're hot enough to warm up the insides of our mouths, but not hot enough to singe our tongues. We don't care if anybody else wants them at the moment. We're just happy to be home for the holidays, and we're happy to taste Mom's cooking again. It was only a month ago when we got to taste it last.

"Oh man, these are so good," I moan while eating the cookies. "I can't imagine what our sibling might think of these."

"I hope to God that our sibling appreciates them like we do, Mom," Jonah chimes in. "You're the best when it comes to this stuff."

Mom just chuckles. "Oh, I'm sure your sister will love them too, kids."

It's at that moment that Jonah and I stop wolfing down the cookies. Did Mom say what I think she said?

"S-Sister?" Jonah asks with a falter.

"Yep." Mom proceeds to cradle her bump. "It's a girl."

Jonah and I are getting a younger sister? I-I don't... How are we supposed to process that?