Chapter Twenty-Two: Family Matters
Manny
I didn't really talk much in my new home for the first three weeks that I was there. I sat quietly at dinner, afraid to say something stupid that would make Sarah or Peter want me out of there. I'd heard some horror stories about foster homes, and especially about teenagers never being permanently placed.
The more I thought about my mom coming back for me, the more I knew it wouldn't happen. I didn't know where she was, and she probably wouldn't be able to find me now. Who knows, maybe she did know where I was and still didn't want to find me. She could've signed away her parental rights or something. As I realized that she wasn't going to show herself any time soon, I also realized that I wanted to find a permanent home.
A small part of me thought that my dad would get better and take me back. That he'd figure out how to channel his anger into something positive. He did always apologize afterwards, so maybe he really was sorry. Maybe he really missed me. I knew that wasn't true either. So I wanted to stay with Sarah and Peter as long as I could. Sure, even if I got to stay until I was eighteen, I would only be there for three years. I had no idea if that was long enough to actually become part of the family.
After I did all of this thinking, I figured I'd better try to fit in, or they might throw me out. For that reason, I decided to go to the park with Peter when he asked me to. The walk there was silent, much like the dinners we had together. I followed him into the middle of the field where he lay down, staring up at the sky. After a bit of hesitation, I joined him.
"So…" he said. I could tell he was trying to get me to talk. He did that a lot, but it didn't usually work. Today was his lucky day.
"Peter, can I ask you something personal?"
"Maybe," he answered. I could tell by his voice that he was surprised I was actually talking, but he also didn't know what to say. "Depends on what you want to know."
"How did you end up with Sarah?"
"I never really had a dad. I guess my mom didn't know who he was. That didn't bother me though. What did bother me were all the men she brought through the house. They were disgusting and they…"
He stopped suddenly, and I thought he was done with his story. I didn't want to look at him in case he was crying or angry or something else. So I just stared up at the clouds.
"I don't like talking about them. But when I was in second grade, I walked in on them doing drugs. I didn't know what it was at the time; my mom said it was candy. I found out later that she was addicted to a lot of things, and those men were dealers.
"Anyway, she got really high one night and got into a fight with a dealer. He shot both of us. She didn't make it, but I did."
The story ended there, and I was shocked. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes.
"How did you…live?" I finally asked.
"I don't know. I lost a lot of blood, but I guess it wasn't in a crucial spot or something. Just my leg," he added. Without me asking, he sat and pulled up his pant leg. I could see the scar, right there below his knee. I sat up next to him and reached out, touching it.
"Do you ever miss her?" I asked. It was a stupid question, but I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"Every day. I always wonder what my life would be like if she hadn't died. But Sarah's my mother now. She's tried so hard to raise me, and she's done a really good job. I started calling her Mom when I was ten. I've realized now that the day I was shot was probably the best day of my life. I was able to be a kid after that. I didn't have to take care of myself anymore."
"Sometimes I think it would be better if my mom had died. That way, she wouldn't have chosen to leave me," I confessed. It was a horrible thing to think about, but I couldn't help it.
"You'll see her someday and you'll be glad she's still alive. Sometimes people feel like they need to run away for awhile. She'll be back. No one could leave someone as great as you for too long," he told me.
"Do you really believe that?"
"Every word."
I leaned forward and hugged him; Peter, my brother. I already felt like I was on the right track towards being part of a real family.
I only hoped I could stay on it.
Emma
"Sorry I haven't been hanging out much lately. I've just had a lot going on with Paige and Manny. It's not really an excuse though. You're family, and you should come first," Jay said to me. We were in the car, on our way to see his mom. We had a day of ice cream and Candy Land planned with her.
"It's okay, really. I've had my own Craig stuff going on," I told him, sighing.
"I'm guessing he told you then?"
"Told me what?"
"About Spinner."
"How did you know about that?" I asked, surprised.
"We had a talk one day. He told me Spinner kissed him and I could just tell that there was something more to the story. He wouldn't open up to me, but I hoped he would talk to you about it," he explained. "Are you two okay now?"
"We're not together, if that's what you mean. He's completely gay. We're still friends, but he's upset with me that he took my advice a few weeks ago," I said.
"What happened?" Jay asked.
"I told him to go for it. To go tell Spinner how he felt. But it wasn't the right time, and he walked in on him and Sean naked...doing unmentionable things..."
"Sean?!?" he asked, definitely surprised.
"Yep. Apparently, Sean is Spinner's mysterious ex. Craig hasn't talked to him since, even though I told him he should. He didn't want to take my advice this time. Don't tell anyone about Sean though, okay?"
"I won't; don't worry. I just can't believe that. Poor Craig."
"He'll get over it, mainly because I'm going to make him. He's been miserable since that night. I know that he just wants to be with Spinner. I'm going to try to make that happen."
"Maybe you should just stay out of it…" my cousin warned.
"Or maybe you should help me!"
Jay wasn't someone who could help me get over my fears of sex. And he definitely wasn't someone I could fall in love with. But he was someone who would love me no matter what, and would help me get through each day with a smile on my face. I didn't have a brother, but I had a cousin who would look out for me and be a really good friend. I was lucky to have him.
Spinner
"I'm so sorry that this is happening," Sean said to me. "It's my fault."
"No, it's not. We both should've gotten tested a long time ago. We knew there were risks with sex. And you didn't know you had it," I told him.
Sean told me the story about how he got HIV. He was only thirteen at the time, and he was having thoughts about boys. He made the mistake of trying to find someone too old for him. It was a guy who was twenty, and drunk. When Sean changed his mind, the boy wouldn't let him go. He was so afraid to go near another guy for such a long time. But when he met me, he said that I calmed his fears and he wanted to be with me.
If I had known that Sean was raped, I would've never had sex with him. For one thing, there would've been a possibility that he caught something. But I also wouldn't have wanted to remind him of anything from that terrible night. I never asked him if I did though. I didn't want to know.
"What's going to happen if you test positive?" Marco asked me.
Sean, Marco, Paige, and I were waiting for my results. They were supposed to come in the mail that day. I got tested the minute the clinic opened, that day I found out about Sean. Since then, he and I had spent a lot of time together, crying and laughing about the past and about what would happen next. I realized in those few weeks that I still had some feelings for him, though they weren't as strong as the ones I had for Craig.
I still missed him so much, and the question my brother asked me scared me so much that I didn't want to answer it.
"It's manageable, you know. Sean's got it and he's fine. I'll just have to take a lot of medication and I should be okay…" I said this very unsurely, but I said it anyway. "But…I can't be with Craig," I sighed. This thought brought tears to my eyes.
Sure, Craig might never forgive me anyway, but there was a chance that he would. There was a chance that I could get him back…if I didn't have HIV. Sean fidgeted on the couch next to me. I looked over to him and he looked upset.
"And then what?" he asked me. I knew what he wanted to hear. He wanted me to say that if I tested positive, I would be with him. It was a likely choice, since he already had it and there wasn't a chance that I would be infecting someone who was negative. I just didn't know if that was what I wanted. I absolutely did not want to be positive; no one in their right mind would want to.
"I don't know," I sighed. "Sean, I…"
I had no idea what I was about to say to him, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door. My heart started beating faster than it ever had before. I thought it was going to jump right out of my chest.
"Is this it?" I asked out loud. Marco and Sean stared at me, probably feeling almost as bad as I did.
"Why would the mailman knock though?" Paige asked. That was a very good question. He wouldn't.
I calmed down a little bit, but not very much, as I got up to answer the door.
When I saw who it was, my heart sped up again.
Ellie
Getting Alex to open up again wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I figured that once we shared that kiss, everything would fall back into place. I was really wrong.
It took a week of me calling her to get her to answer the phone, and the week after that, we finally hung out. I told my mom I was going out with Jimmy though, and that hurt her.
I have been making sure that I see her eat something every time I'm with her, but I'm still worried. Even though we talk in school again and I sometimes walk her home, things aren't the same. She pulls away from my kisses most of the time, and she usually acts like she doesn't care if we're together or not. I've tried to chalk it up to her being afraid that I'll hurt her again, and I hope it isn't more than that. I don't plan on hurting her, so she shouldn't be worried.
It was a Saturday afternoon, three weeks after that kiss on my couch, when I realized how I could keep her from being upset with me. I was so nervous, but I knew it had to happen sometime. I was getting ready to go see a movie with Alex when my mom came into my bedroom. Perfect timing.
"Getting all dressed up for Jimmy?" she asked me, grinning. That grin was making me sick. She didn't care that she'd been forcing me to live a lie to make her happy.
"Nope," I said, appearing confident, though I was really trying to keep my hands from shaking as I applied my eyeliner.
"Where are you going then?" she suddenly looked confused.
"Jimmy and I broke up, Mom," I confessed, turning so I could look her in the eye. "About three weeks ago, actually." I'd broken up with him after my talk with Manny. He didn't even seem all that upset about it.
"Then where have you been going all this time?" she asked. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was getting angry. And I suspected that she knew where I was going.
"I've been hanging out with Alex. We're going to the movies today."
"You're seeing that girl again?" she nearly screamed.
I wouldn't let her get the best of me this time. And I wouldn't let Alex go again.
"You know what we'll do? We'll hold hands the whole way to the movies, and we'll kiss there in the dark. Maybe we'll even stop by her house afterwards. Her parents are out for the day and we might have some fun in her bed. I'll do it all, knowing that I told you, and that will make me so happy. I'm not going to live your lie anymore, Mom. And if you won't love me just because I love Alex, then I won't live with you at all."
I said it all without taking a breath, and when I was done, I felt so much better. How could I have ever turned my back on Alex to make my mother happy?
She stood there, her mouth hanging half open, and didn't say a word. I stared right back, waiting for her to break.
"You love her?" she asked softly.
"Yes, I do," I said, full of confidence this time. My hands weren't shaking anymore. I expected her to start screaming at me to pack my bags, but that didn't happen. Instead of yelling, she started to cry.
"Eleanor," she said. "I love you so much. I'm just so afraid for you. Do you know how different you'll be treated if you're with her? You're my only child, and I can't bear to think of you having a hard life just because you love a girl. I wanted you to get married one day, and give me grandchildren. And now that might not happen, and it just makes me so upset." She spilled all of her emotions out at my feet, and I actually felt guilty for a second. But only a second.
"I need to have my own dreams. I will get married one day. Maybe I'll marry a guy, or maybe I'll marry a girl. And there's always adoption. I never really liked the idea of squeezing a kid out. Anyway, my point is that I'm going to love whoever I fall in love with. It doesn't have to be hard. If anyone doesn't like that, then they can kiss my ass," I told her.
"Watch your mouth!" she snapped. "Come here." She held her arms open and I gladly stepped forward to hug her. "Have fun with Alex tonight, okay? Just not too much fun."
For the first time in a long time, I smiled a genuine smile at my mother. When she finally let me go, I made my way out the door. But I stopped and turned around to say one more thing.
"I love you too Mom."
Craig
"I…" I couldn't find anything to say. When I showed up at Spinner's for the second time unannounced, it looked like they were having a little party or something. Sean was there, unfortunately, along with Paige and Marco.
"Please come in," Spinner said. I hadn't seen or spoken to him since I walked in on him and Sean two weeks ago. "We need to talk."
"About what?" I asked, unsure of what to do. He wanted to talk, but Sean was right there. I didn't want to go inside just to find out that they were back together.
"Please," was all he said. And I listened. Once we were in the house, he led me up to his room. I immediately sat on the bed; I didn't want to be standing for bad news.
"Spinner…" he started pacing, and acted like he didn't hear me.
"Inviting Sean over that night was a mistake. It was stupid, and I only did it because you wouldn't answer my calls. He also broke up with Ashley that night, and he was upset, so I felt sorry for him.
"If that's all true, then why didn't you go after me? Or at least call me the next day. Why didn't you try to get in touch with me and tell me that?" I asked. I wasn't sure if he was telling me the truth or not.
"I was going to go out and find you. Trust me Craig, I really wanted to. But I found something out about Sean shortly after, and I hate to say this, but it was more important."
That hurt so much. Just hearing him talk about Sean was bad enough, but hearing him say that something having to do with Sean was more important was even worse.
"I can tell by the look on your face that you're upset. But I'm talking about life and death here. My life," he added.
"What's wrong?" I choked up, afraid that Spinner was about to tell me something really bad.
"I found out that Sean is HIV positive. We had sex after he got it, though he didn't know he had it at the time. And I might have it now. We're all here, waiting for the results."
"Didn't you use a condom?" I nearly screamed. I felt like crying, and I almost did. "How could you…"
"I know how you're feeling right now, but imagine if you were me. I'm going to find out today if my life ends here."
"You're not gonna die Spin. It's manageable, right? Sean has HIV, not AIDS. Everything will be fine," I didn't know what I was saying, but I had to reassure him, and myself. "What's going to happen if you get it?" I finally asked.
"I can't be with you." Now he had tears in his eyes. "I would never risk your health like that."
"Like Sean risked yours," I said coldly, crossing my arms.
"It's not like that Craig. He didn't know. And it's not his fault that he got it either."
"So that's why he wouldn't have sex with Ashley," I said. "But how is it not his fault? He probably slept around. And now that he's learned his lesson, it's too late."
"It's not his fault because he was raped," Spinner said, letting his tears flow down his cheeks.
I distanced myself from Spinner in the living room and sat next to Paige. I felt stupid for blaming Sean after Craig told me the whole story. But I still didn't know what to do about the situation. I still had feelings for Spinner. I wanted to be with him. But if he tested positive, I'd never get that chance.
Spinner thought his results were coming in the mail. They weren't. The mailman came and went, and there was nothing in there but bills. We all wondered what was going to happen next, when the phone rang.
He slowly picked it up and I suddenly wished I was right there next to him, holding his hand. Only it was Sean who was doing that. I was so jealous of him right then. I didn't want him to comfort Spinner, no matter how selfish that was. Despite all of these thoughts running through my mind, I couldn't move. I couldn't go over there and replace Sean because I was so afraid that it wouldn't matter anyway.
"Are you sure?" Spinner asked the person on the other line. He swallowed hard, and started to cry again. "Th-thanks," he stuttered, hanging up the phone.
We all looked to him for the news. He stood up and slipped his hand from Sean's.
"It was…negative," he said, a huge smile forming on his face.
I couldn't wait to do it. I ran forward, grabbed his face, and kissed him hard. It was like everyone else in the room disappeared. It was only us, and it would stay that way.
Paige
Once Craig finally pulled himself away from Spinner, we all gave him congratulatory hugs. Sean was fidgeting by the couch, and I could tell he didn't know what to do. He was obviously relieved that he hadn't given HIV to Spinner, but it was a bitter sweet victory for him. It meant that he didn't have a chance now. I knew he wouldn't risk infecting Spinner again after such a close call. He finally hugged Spinner one more time, and, without a word to anyone, left the house. I felt bad for him, but I was happier for my friend. Marco and Spinner had been like brothers to me these past few weeks, and I would've been devastated if something like that happened to either one of them.
While we were celebrating a little while longer, there was another knock at the door.
"I don't think I can handle any more news for today," Spinner said.
"I'll get it," I offered. When I opened the door, I didn't know what to do. It wasn't news for Spinner, it was apparently news for me.
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
She was standing there in front of me, her face and eyes red from crying. She looked terrible; like she hadn't slept in days. She looked like she always did when she needed a drink.
"Paige," she said, bursting into fresh tears. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I can't believe that I…"
She was talking so loud I was sure the neighbors could hear, so I pulled her inside and shut the door. I realized then that my friends decided to give us some privacy, because my mother and I were the only ones left in the room. I made her sit on the couch, but I couldn't bring myself to sit next to her.
"Mom, what are you going on about?" I asked, tears forming in my own eyes.
"He's gone. I made him leave. You can come home now. Please come home," she cried. I looked her in the eyes and knew she was telling the truth. I wasn't sure what exactly she was talking about, but I had to cry anyway. She brought him up, and now we'd have that conversation. She needed to hear a lot from me, and I was going to make her listen.
"What made you come to your senses?" I asked, suddenly feeling very angry. This was my mom, but she was also the woman who chose alcohol and some scumbag over her own flesh and blood. She threw me away for cheap thrills. "Why did you finally throw that bastard out?"
"We got into a fight a few weeks ago. And he…he told me what he was doing to you. And it's all my fault. I trusted him and…" she started sobbing, unable to finish talking.
"Don't try to make me feel sorry for you. I had to fight Steve all on my own. He wouldn't keep his hands or mouth off of me and you couldn't help because you were drunk all the time. Do you think Dad would've wanted this for us?" I cried. "I started to CUT myself because I couldn't deal with it anymore." My tears won over hers. I sat down on the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest. "I needed you and you weren't there," I said between sobs.
"I'm a terrible mother," she said. She got up from the couch and joined me on the floor, wrapping her arms around me. "Your father would be so ashamed of me. I'm ashamed of me. Paige, I love you so much. I loved your father too. And after he died, I was lost. My family meant the world to me, and I felt like I was losing it all. And I guess now I have. I've lost you, the most important person in my life. I need you back, honey. And I know you need me like I used to be. I'm trying so hard to be that person again. I am so sorry that any of this happened to you. I didn't even listen to you when you were leaving. I'll understand if you'd rather stay here, but it would break my heart," she told me.
"You already broke my heart Mom," I replied, wiping my eyes. "How can I be so sure that you've changed? That you won't break it again?" I asked.
"I don't know. All I do know is that I'm trying. I haven't had a drink in a week, and I'm never going to do it again. I might have to go somewhere, where they can help me. But I need your help too. I know that I left you all alone, but I want to be here for you now. Will you give me another chance?"
"Steve might be gone, but who says you won't do it again? There are plenty of losers out there Mom. If you drink one more drop of alcohol, I swear I'll leave and you'll never see me again," I cried.
She threw her arms around me and pulled me close to her. I hadn't shared a hug with my mom since my dad died, and it felt so right. I could tell by that one hug that she was getting better, and that she would try. I never wanted to let go of her.
And I hoped I'd never have to.
Marco
"I'm so happy for you Paige," I said, hugging my friend.
"I owe this all to you," she told me. "If you hadn't sat at my table at The Dot that day, this wouldn't be happening right now. Thank you so much," she told me, hugging back.
"Don't give me all the credit. You're such a strong person. You couldn't have stopped cutting unless you really wanted to. You have amazing will power."
"I love you so much Marco. As a friend," she added.
"I love you too. Do you need help packing?" I asked her.
"Sure. It'll be one last thing for us to do together," she said.
"Don't say that! It's not like this is the last time we'll see each other. We're friends now. It doesn't end with you going back home. And don't forget that you're welcome back if you ever need to get away. You're part of the family now."
We hugged for the second time before she led the way to my bedroom. I was glad to have it back, but I was sad to see Paige go. We'd had a lot of fun since she'd been living there, and even though I knew she was going to be okay, I'd still worry about her.
"I'm glad to be part of your family Marco. But I can't wait to get back to mine now that Steve's gone."
"I know, and I'm so glad that your mom is back," I told her.
"So am I."
Once we had all of her stuff packed away, I walked her out to her mom's car.
"I'm gonna miss you," I said, hugging her one last time.
"Me too. But like you said, this isn't the end."
Jay
After Emma and I got back from spending time with my mom, I went down to my room to get some peace and quiet. I wondered what was going on with all of my friends, but I couldn't find the motivation to call anyone. I'd just drifted off to sleep when someone knocked on my window.
I wasn't even given time to get up and see who it was. Before I was out of bed, the window popped open and Paige dropped into my room. She looked like she'd been crying, so I ran over to her.
"What's wrong?" I asked, worried. I felt bad for not calling her as soon as I got home.
"Nothing, actually. Things are finally falling into place," she said. She walked past me and sat down on my bed, leaving me confused. She patted the spot next to her, so I joined her.
"What's going on then?"
"He's gone Jay. My mom kicked him out and they're getting a divorce. She knows everything and she hasn't had a drink in a week. I'm going home!" she said excitedly.
I knew how much Paige wanted things to go back to normal, so I was very happy for her. But I was also afraid that her mom wouldn't change.
"Are you sure you want to go back right away?" I asked.
"Of course. She needs me Jay. And even though she wasn't there when I needed her, I won't turn her away. I know how it felt to have her ignore me, and no matter how much it hurt, I won't make her feel the same pain. She feels bad enough about everything I went through without her," Paige explained.
"I'm so happy for you," I told her, giving her a quick hug.
"That's exactly what Marco said."
"That's because we care about you." She smiled when I said that, and her smile made me even happier.
"My mom is going to a meeting tonight, so we have to go celebrate!" she said suddenly.
I couldn't hold my excitement in any longer. With Paige in such a great mood, and things finally looking up for her, I did what I'd wanted to do for years. I leaned forward and kissed her.
She kissed me back, but when she pulled away, she didn't say anything. My smile dropped and I wasn't sure what to do. Then she finally spoke.
"It's about time," she said, a grin spreading across her face. "I've been waiting for that for a long time."
Then she kissed me, and I felt like everything was turning out right for once. I couldn't believe I waited so long to kiss her. I was always afraid that she wouldn't feel the same way, but that wasn't the case.
Without leaving the house, we celebrated for a long time. After awhile, I took her shirt off and saw her scars for the first time. She looked a little embarrassed, but I told her it was okay. I kissed her stomach and traced the scars with my index finger.
"You're so beautiful," I told her.
"You're not too bad yourself," she said, grinning. She pulled my shirt off and it all went from there.
No, we didn't have sex. Neither of us was ready for that. But we did have a lot of fun, and it brought something out of my mouth that I never thought I'd be able to say to her.
"I love you Paige." My heart started beating faster, afraid that we weren't ready for that yet either. And then she said it.
"I love you too Jay."
Hearing those words come from her, my best friend, made me happier than I'd ever been in my life.
Sure, we were teenagers, and it was still way too early to see if our love would last forever, but it was only the beginning.
Alex
I couldn't wait for Ellie to come over, but, at the same time, I was dreading it. Ever since our kiss, it seemed like she really wanted to be with me, but she still wouldn't tell her mom. I really didn't think we'd last if we had to still keep us a secret. I wanted her to stand up to her mom. That's why the first words out of her mouth made me happier than ever.
"I told her!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down. She hugged me and kissed me before I even had a chance to react.
"And by that you mean…?"
"That we've been seeing each other again, that we'd hold hands, kiss, and maybe have sex tonight, and that I love you!" she said.
"Did you really say that?" I was shocked. This was coming from the girl that hid her tail between her legs and ran away the last time her mom confronted her. Okay, so she doesn't have a tail, but still.
"Yep; all of it. And the best part is: she's OKAY with it! I mean, I'm sure it'll take her awhile to get used to, but after we had our talk, she actually told me to have fun with you! And she wasn't being sarcastic!"
"I love how cute you look when you're excited," I told her.
"Thanks. I love how cute you look all the time."
I highly doubted I looked cute. After Ellie and I talked about me not eating, I finally looked in the mirror and saw what she saw. I'd been working on eating again for the past two weeks, and hadn't really made too much progress, but at least I was trying.
"Oh, by the way, there's been a change of plans," I told her.
"Like what?" she asked. "We're still going on a date, right?" The look on her face told me that I better not disappoint her. It was good to have the old Ellie back. The real Ellie.
"Well, it's sort of turned into a group thing. I've gotten so many phone calls and apparently everyone has reasons to celebrate. But I promise that we'll get some time alone afterwards," I assured her.
"Okay, so what's all this celebrating about? If Manny's involved, it must be because of her finally adjusting to her new home," Ellie said.
"Yep, that's her reason, and Marco and Peter are coming along with her. We're also celebrating Craig and Spinner's relationship! They got together today and it's up to us to make sure they stay together," I said, grinning. "Craig called Jay to tell him the good news, and Jay told him that he and Paige are an official couple now too. That, and Paige's mom is back to her old self, which I know nothing about, but it's apparently a good thing. Jay also said he wanted to bring Emma, since they're best friends now or something. So I invited them all to the movies, and we might play one game of bowling after," I explained.
"That sounds like a great night," Ellie said with a smile on her face. I gave her a quick kiss and we were about to go downstairs when Craig walked in the room.
"Hey Alex, can I have a minute with you?" he asked me.
"I'll just go wait downstairs," Ellie said. As soon as she was gone, I sat on my bed and my brother sat next to me, sighing.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing. I'm just excited and nervous and overwhelmed and…nervous and excited," he said, repeating himself.
"What happened today, exactly? You never told me," I said.
"Well, it turns out that Spinner had an HIV scare." I gasped, but he held his hand up to stop me from saying anything. "His test results came back negative. But it was still scary, you know?" I nodded. "So ever since then, I've been afraid to…you know…"
"Just be careful. Don't do what you did with Ashley, and you should be fine. Always use a condom. This is pretty basic stuff here," I joked.
"I know. I'm just glad I have you to remind me of that," he said.
I leaned forward and put my arms around him. He hugged me hard; so hard that I thought he'd squeeze all the air out of my lungs. But I didn't mind.
"I'll always be here for you, just as long as you'll be here for me too," I told him.
"I will. Which reminds me, did you eat something today?" He shot me a look that said he'd kill me if I didn't.
"Yes Daaaaaaaaaad, I did," I said proudly, grinning.
"I love you, my big lesbian sister."
"I love you too, my little gay brother."
We both laughed at that and hugged one last time for the night. I knew that Craig would always have my back and I would always have his. We were stuck with each other, for the rest of our lives, and that thought made me smile. I learned in those few months in our new home that family was the most important thing to have. Love comes and goes, but family is always there. If you don't have family, you don't have anything.
And in that moment, I knew I had everything.
A/N: THE END!!! Thank you everyone who has read this, and especially those of you who reviewed! I hope you liked the whole story. Let me know what you thought of the entire story, as well as the ending. This was definitely my longest chapter I've ever written--13 1/2 pages in Word and over 6,000 words long. I hope it wasn't too long, but I wanted to get this story finished!