The next two weeks soared by. The entire school was buzzing as both the dance and winter break drew nearer. As luck would have it, the final day of school before the break just so happened to fall on a Friday the 13th, so Dwayne, Crystal, Roxanne, Carson, and Emilie all went to Julia's house for a scary movie marathon and party. They stayed at Julia's until around 1:30 in the morning, and then Carson and Dwayne went back to Carson's house to sleep while the girls stayed at Julia's. Dwayne went home the next morning, so that he could hang out with his dad until around 5:40 when he began to get ready for the dance.
"Wow! Dwayne looks like he might have actually brushed his hair!" Roxanne joked around as Dwayne got in to Carson's car.
"Shut up," was all Dwayne said in reaction to this, though he had a smile on his face when he delivered the words.
"Dude, we're lucky this dance is casual. Roxanne here may have had a heart attack if you'd worn a suit and brushed your hair!" said Carson as they drove to Emilie's house. They picked her up and quickly drove to the school, where the dance would be held in the adjoining gym and cafeteria area.
"Ready?" Julia said to no one particular when they got out of the car. Emilie's eyes scanned the group. All four of the girls donned skirts of varied lengths, starting with Crystal's quite short skirt, and ending with her own long flowing one. They also had on t-shirts, all with short sleeve's bearing different patterns and words. Carson and Dwayne had both opted for plain colored t-shirts, Carson's was a button up maroon, and Dwayne's was plain black, both boys were wearing khaki pants.
"See you at eleven," Caron said, taking Julia by the hand and leading her on to the already crowded dance floor. Crystal and Roxanne followed them shortly, Roxanne throwing a wink and Dwayne and Emilie before following Crystal. This left Emilie and Dwayne to talk.
"Uh, um, I'm sorry, but I can't dance…" said Dwayne awkwardly.
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't expect that you would," Emilie smiled at him.
"Do you want to go out into the courtyard and talk?" asked Dwayne, not sure of what else to do.
"Sure, why not?" Together they walked outside, and sat down side by side on a bench.
"Nice evening! It's a little warm for December don't you think?" said Emilie.
"Yeah, it reminds me of back home. Olive and I used to sit outside on nights like this. She would look at the stars, and I- well I would sit there and just think."
"If you miss New Mexico so much, then why don't you go back for a visit?" \
"I have a problematic step father; he doesn't really want me around Olive. You see, I have a few indiscretions in my past and…yeah." Dwayne trailed off, not really wanting to go in to all that had been going on.
"Well, then he doesn't know what his own daughter is missing out on. I would kill to have an older brother like you."
"You don't have to tell me things like that just to be nice."
"I'm not! I'm dead serious. You are an amazing person Dwayne, I mean come on, you listen to me crazy rants without complaint." Emilie laughed and Dwayne smiled. They had been talking on the phone a lot during the last couple weeks.
"True, true, but I do have to say that they are amusing rants."
"I'm trying to be serious for once, god! The way you talk about Olive, and Frank, and Albuquerque, it's just, it's just where you belong!"
"What?"
"It's your home, it's where the people you care most about are, meaning that it's where you should be too." Listening to Emilie made Dwayne think. He didn't want her to be right, but he knew that she was.
"Well too bad. I'm here now, and it would take way too much time and energy to relocate again anyway."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Emilie shrugged.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Whatever you want to tell yourself, you know that with everyone's help you could easily be out of here and be home by Christmas." Dwayne didn't answer. "Seriously, from talking to you almost daily over the past couple of weeks I can hear it your voice, and from talking to you now, I can see it in your eyes."
"So it's that obvious that I think I made the wrong decision?"
"No, what's obvious is that you needed to come here to realize what you need. You made the right decision, and now it's time to make another one. It's time for you to go home."
"Oh, so now you're trying to get rid of me?" Dwayne joked.
"Absolutely," Emilie nodded and giggled.
"Well, what about you guys?"
"Trust me, Olive needs you more then we do, isn't she living with a victory obsessed father, a smoking mother, and a semi-suicidal uncle?"
"A valid point," Dwayne admitted.
"So you're going?"
"I dunno, maybe, I mean I'd have to get a flight out, and at this time of the year, that's hell."
"Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, happy Kwanza or whatever you celebrate." Emilie handed Dwayne an envelope.
"How did you- I mean, Whoa." Dwayne didn't know what to say. The envelope contained an airline ticked to Albuquerque, one way.
"We all chipped in some, and your father made the reservation. You have one more week, and you'll be where you belong before Christmas." Emilie smiled at him.
"Thanks." Dwayne leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Slow down there Casanova, my heart belongs to another." Emilie laughed.
"Right, of course, Mr. Brick Wall, how could I forget."
"Bingo."
"Well, I think now I could manage a feeble attempt at dancing, if you want to give it a shot." Dwayne said, standing up and offering his arm to Emilie.
"You have to promise me one thing first."
"Uh oh, the catch."
"Keep in touch. We'll miss you around here Mr. Dwayne Caulbury." Emilie stood and accepted the offered arm.
"Oh come on, that's nothing! I'd have a fucking hard time not keeping in touch!"
"Oh, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Watch your fucking language please." Dwayne gave Emilie a look, followed by two voices laughing.
"You are such a hypocrite." Dwayne shook his head in mock shame.
"You nailed it." They walked back into the dance, and with laughter, enjoyed the rest of the dance. At eleven, when the dance ended, they walked out to the meeting place where they waited for the other four.
"Well?" asked Carson when all of them gathered around the tree they had agreed to meet at. Somehow, the top two buttons on his shirt had come undone, and both his and Julia's was hair was mussed.
"I'm going home next week."
"We knew you would." Julia said.
"Damn! I'm gonna miss him!" said Roxanne.
"We all will, but he'll stay in touch. Besides, we still have a week, no school, to hang," reasoned Crystal. They walked to Carson's car, and drove home, talking and laughing the whole way.
The next week was spend doing as many different things as possible. His friends helped Dwayne pack up all of his stuff, which he had barely finished unpacking, as well as run about town. They were out or at least at someone's house together until at least 2 AM every morning. Dwayne got to choose what they did, so naturally they went back to the flight simulator. It was a fun week for all, but an heir of sadness hung over it. Dwayne was happy to be going home, though no one aside from Frank new of his return, but Dwayne would miss his friends greatly. While Albuquerque was where he was meant to live, without the lessons he had learned in Florida he may not have ever realized what he really had with his family.
THE END (excluding the coming Epilogue)