Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy as always for their awesome feedback and being their amazing selves.
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing feedback! It is always appreciated. I've particularly appreciated all the excitement for this new chapter in Casey's life.
And thank you for the birthday wishes last week!
Hope you enjoy!
More Than Ready (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Aaron opened the door and stepped back so Casey and Jenna could enter the house first after picking them up from the airport.
"You're here, you're here, you're here!" an exuberant voice called out, growing louder as she neared.
"Hey, Joan, oof–" Casey exhaled, stumbling back a step as Joan ran into her with an enthusiastic hug. She glanced at the adults with a grin. "You'd think with three younger siblings I'd've been ready for that."
Aaron chuckled as he stepped inside beside Jenna with one of Casey's large duffels. "She's been a little excited the last couple days waiting for you to get here."
"Yeah, you'd think you were moving in here instead of the dorms," Mary said, running a hand over her daughter's hair. "Okay, peanut, give me a chance to say hello, too."
Joan dutifully backed up a few steps, excited smile still firmly in place, as Mary welcomed Casey and Jenna with a hug. "We're so glad you could come for a few days before move-in."
"Thank you so much for letting us stay here," Jenna said.
"Of course," Mary readily replied. "Anytime." She looked at Casey. "That goes for the whole semester, okay? Anytime you need a home-cooked meal, or your roommate drives you crazy, or you just want a little break from campus, the guest room is yours."
"I made a sign!" Joan squealed, grabbing Casey's hand. "Come see it!"
"Okay," Casey said, chuckling, and allowed herself to be pulled through the kitchen and down the hallway, throwing a quick glance back before the two disappeared.
"What did she mean 'a sign'?" Jenna asked.
"She decorated a sign that says 'Casey's Room' to hang on the guestroom door whenever she stays over," Mary explained.
"Awww."
"She really is excited," Aaron said. "She says it's like she's getting a 'big sister.' "
"Ohhhh," Jenna said, a hand going to her chest. "That is so sweet. I'm so grateful to you for opening your doors whenever she needs it. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to know you're in the same city. Just to know she's not totally alone and 2500 miles away from any family …"
"I can imagine," Aaron said, nodding his understanding.
"We are definitely here for her, whatever she needs," Mary said. "But something tells me Casey is going to thrive at USC."
"I think so, too," Jenna agreed. "She's always been very mature and independent, and so confident. Ever since she was a little girl."
Aaron nodded, but added, "But even the most confident among us like knowing there's a bit of a safety net, even if that's just in the form of my special homemade mac and cheese."
Jenna grinned. "Now that'll get her here every weekend."
"Mama! Can we give Casey her present now?" Joan asked after they'd moved Casey and Jenna's bags into the guestroom.
"Sure, peanut," Mary said from her spot on the sofa. "Good idea. The bag is–"
"I know where it is!" Joan interrupted, already running for the office.
Aaron stood to follow. "I'm sure she'll only grab the bag she wrapped," he said, disappearing down the hall. He and Joan returned a moment later.
"Here, Casey!" Joan said excitedly. "Open it!"
"What's this?" Casey asked, accepting the bag. "You didn't have to get me anything."
"It's just something to get your school spirit going," Mary said, nodding for her to look inside the bag.
Casey removed the tissue paper and pulled out a t-shirt. Her eyes widened as she looked at the front. "Wow, that is … very sparkly," she said, eyeing the rhinestone letters spelling out the USC logo.
"I picked it out myself!" Joan said. She looked at her hopefully. "Do you like it?"
Casey smiled. "I do. Thanks, Joan. This is really awesome."
Joan beamed proudly.
Mary leaned over to Casey and whispered, "Don't worry, we got you an un-bedazzled version as well."
Casey grinned at her. "Thank you," she mouthed back.
Aaron handed her a small bag and another to Jenna.
"For me?" Jenna asked, surprised.
"We thought you should have your own USC apparel," Mary said with a grin.
Jenna pulled out a USC Mom t-shirt and smiled. "Ohh, that's perfect." She turned it around and held it up against her chest, grinning over at Casey. "What do you think?" she asked her daughter.
"That's a great look," Casey returned, smiling back.
"I should see if they have a UH one for Cody, I could amass quite the collection by the time Jacob is in college."
Casey grinned. "You could almost have one for every day of the week."
"What about the other stuff, Mama?" Joan asked. "For Casey's room … I mean, her dorm," she stressed the word she'd been practicing all week.
Casey looked at Mary, confused. "Stuff?"
"You know how you and your mom figured it'd be easier to pick up stuff for your dorm once you got here, rather than try to pack it for the plane or ship it here?"
"Yeah …?" Casey asked, raising one eyebrow.
Mary looked a little sheepish. "Well, we might have gotten a little headstart on the shopping," she admitted. "Nothing big," she quickly reassured her. "You should get to pick out your own towels and sheets and stuff like that but …" Her voice trailed off as Aaron brought in a large box.
Joan clapped excitedly. "It's like Christmas!"
"I thought you said 'a little headstart,' " Casey said, eyes widening.
"I may have gotten a little carried away …" Mary admitted. "But I'm doing the non-traditional student thing here. I never got to shop for a dorm room when I was your age, and I've gotta admit, it's kind of fun."
"Come on, Casey!" Joan encouraged, kneeling by the box.
Casey knelt a little uncomfortably and opened one of the flaps.
"We've got all the receipts," Mary hurriedly reassured her. "Please don't feel like you've gotta keep anything."
"It's just some things we thought would come in handy your first semester," Aaron said.
"I'm just …" Casey began. "This is so generous, I don't know how to thank you."
"You just did," Mary said, smiling.
"Look, Casey! This water bottle keeps your water cold all day," Joan told her. "I've got one for school."
"Oh, that's great," Casey said, relaxing. "I accidentally broke the lid on mine."
They looked through the rest of the items in the box including a shower caddy, a small fan, a desk lamp that had a USB charger and spots for pens and pencils and post-it notes, a power strip and extra charging cords, a small bluetooth speaker, a collapsible hamper with a pocket for laundry detergent, a fold up drying rack, and an electric kettle to boil water.
"That'll be great for making ramen noodles," Aaron said with a grin, "a staple of the college-student diet."
"Yeah …" Mary said, her sheepish grin returning. "We picked up a carton of those for you, too."
After dinner with Aunt Deb who'd brought Casey a set of ear plugs and an eye mask, "Just in case you're rooming with a night owl or a snorer," they all got a good night's sleep. The next day, the group headed out so Casey could get the rest of what she needed for her dorm. As they walked through the store aisles, Joan slipped her hand into Casey's.
"Can I come with you when you move into your dorm, Casey?" she asked. "I want to see what it looks like."
"Sure," Casey said. "So long as that's okay with your mom and dad."
"Daddy says it's like a bedroom with a bunch of other bedrooms around it, and bathrooms, but it's not a house."
Casey thought for a second and nodded. "That's a pretty good description."
"And you're going to share it with someone you never even met?" Joan asked, her face growing incredulous at that.
"Well, we've met on FaceTime, but we haven't met in person yet. Her name's Ayanna, and she's from Portland." At Joan's confused look, she added. "That's in Oregon, the state north of California."
"Ohhh. I hope she's nice."
"As far as I can tell she is," Casey said with a little shrug. "But living with someone is different than just talking to them on the phone."
"There are the sheets, Casey," Jenna said from behind them, and pointed to an aisle that featured extra-long sheets especially for dorm beds.
"Oh, look at these pink stripe ones!" Joan said, dropping Casey's hand and running over to feel the square sample attached to the shelf. "Ohh, it's so soft. Feel it, Casey."
As Casey, Joan, and Aaron began looking through the store's selection, Mary and Jenna stayed back momentarily to watch.
Jenna sighed wistfully. "Feels like yesterday I was putting her on a school bus, and now she's starting college."
"Don't say that, I did just put my daughter on a school bus yesterday."
Jenna smiled over at her. "It really does go by so fast. You'll be in my shoes before you know it. But as much as I miss the early years of macaroni pictures and untying shoelace knots, I've gotta admit this is exciting, too. Watching my oldest daughter start her adult life." She sighed again, but this time happily. "I can't help but smile at the sight."
Mary smiled at the woman who had become such a close friend. "With a daughter like Casey, I'm not surprised to hear that. But seriously, all your kids are so great, and that's a testament to you as their mother, raising them through tough circumstances to stand on their own two feet and excel, in whatever way that means for them."
Jenna blinked back tears and smiled. "Thank you for that. It's always good to hear."
Mary grinned. "And if you're ever missing macaroni pictures, I'm sure Joan would oblige."
On move-in Saturday, the group got up early and packed Aaron's SUV full with all of Casey's belongings old and new. He drove that vehicle while Casey, Jenna, and Joan rode in Mary's car to the USC campus. They arrived in front of Casey's dorm just a few minutes after her scheduled move-in window had started and began the arduous process of hauling bags and boxes up three flights to her assigned room. With four adults plus Joan, they were able to get a good amount up in just one trip.
Arriving in the room, Casey saw that her roommate was already there, standing between the two beds and looking back and forth between them. She looked up at the commotion in the doorway.
"Casey, hey," she said, her face brightening into a smile.
"Hi, Ayanna," Casey replied, easily returning the greeting.
"It's so cool to meet you in person finally!"
Casey smiled. "Yeah, you, too." She remembered her family behind her and stepped farther into the room so Jenna, Mary, and Aaron could set down what they'd been carrying. "This is my mom."
Jenna reached out a hand with a warm smile. "It's so nice to meet you, Ayanna."
"You, too, Ms. Allen."
"Please, call me Jenna."
"And this is Mary and Aaron and Joan," Casey went on. "They're our family here in L.A."
"Hi," Ayanna said, smiling at them all. "My parents are getting the rest of my stuff from the car."
Joan tugged on Casey's arm and then cupped a hand around her mouth and leaned up to whisper. "She does seem nice."
Casey chuckled awkwardly, glancing over at her new roommate who smiled.
"Hi, Joan," Ayanna said, bending down a little to look at her. "It's nice to meet you."
"I like your shirt," Joan said, looking at the glittery tank top Ayanna was wearing.
Casey grinned. "Yeah, I think you two are going to get along great."
Ayanna looked back at the two empty beds. "I didn't know which bed you'd want and I didn't want to just claim one before you even got here. My cousin did that and her roommate never forgave her."
"Oh, I really don't care," Casey said honestly. She spotted the small potted plant on top of a box. "Hey, you should take the bed by the window. That way you can put your plant on the windowsill."
"Really?" Ayanna asked hopefully.
Casey smiled. "Definitely."
"Oh, that's so awesome, thank you!"
Jenna and Mary shared a smile, happy that the two new roommates seemed to be hitting it off.
"I'm going to go grab the rest of the stuff," Aaron said. "Pumpkin, do you want to come with me or stay up here?" he asked, smiling as he could already guess the answer.
"I'll stay up here, Daddy," Joan said, her eyes roaming the room. "I like your dorm, Casey. You've got a bed and a desk and a little closet, too." She opened the closet door to see a hanging bar and a couple of shelves. "I want to live in a dorm like this, too, someday. Can I, Mama?"
"Mmm, not for a very long time, peanut," Mary said, wrapping her arms around her from behind in a hug. "Let me enjoy a couple more years of macaroni pictures and shoelace knots." She glanced over at Jenna with a meaningful smile.
Aaron returned a few minutes later, having met Ayanna's parents on the return trip. The Johnsons were excited to learn Mary and Aaron lived so close and gratefully took them up on their offer to be there if Ayanna ever needed anything.
After some unpacking, a videocall to Oahu to show her siblings her new room, and a walk around the immediate vicinity, the time came for goodbyes. Casey thanked Mary and Aaron again and again for their generosity and help, and promised them and Joan that she'd be over for dinner soon. Then the McGarrett-Reyes family headed for the vehicles to give Casey and Jenna a little privacy for their own farewell.
"Well …" Jenna began, heaving a big sigh. "I guess this is it."
"Yeah," Casey said, and bit her lip in a way that was more reminiscent of her younger sister.
"Come here, honey," Jenna said, opening her arms and enfolding her daughter in a reassuring embrace. "You're gonna love it here, I just know it."
"Yeah …" Casey agreed slowly. "I mean, yes, I know I am, but now that the big moment is finally here …" She pulled back to look at Jenna. "I'm really gonna miss you, Mom."
"Oh, honey." Jenna hugged her again, blinking back tears. "I'm gonna miss you, too. But I am so, so proud of you for following your dream. And I know you're ready for this. More than ready."
"Thanks, Mom."
"And it's okay to be a little homesick, but Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and in the meantime, I'm just a phone call away."
Casey nodded.
Jenna released her and stepped back, taking Casey's hands in hers. "And I'm so excited for you. I didn't get to have the college experience like this, but I'm so glad that you will. Enjoy every second, even when you're staying up all night to cram for finals."
Casey chuckled. "I will. Thanks for everything, Mom," she said, conveying her boundless gratitude in those simple words.
Jenna nodded, smiling through her tears. "My baby girl." She squeezed her hands. "I love you, honey."
"Love you, too, Mom."
After one more squeeze, Jenna released her hands and took another step back.
A breathless Ayanna appeared in the doorway, fresh from her own farewells down at her parents' car. "Casey, come on, let's go to the quad–" She stopped. "Oh, sorry, Ms. Allen, er, Jenna."
Jenna smiled warmly. "No problem, I was just leaving." She turned back to Casey and smiled. "Go on. Go introduce yourself to the world. It's going to love you as much as I do."
Casey gave her another hug and watched as her mother left the room. She wiped a stray tear and exhaled a long breath. When she looked back at her roommate, an excited smile slowly replaced the bittersweet expression.
"Let's go," she said, and remembered her mother's words. "I'm more than ready for this."
Hope you enjoyed!
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