A/N Thanks for the reviews & follows. Sorry for a bit of a filler chapter, more action coming soon
"Alright, looks like we'll be there in about 30 minutes," Laura reported after rerouting the GPS. "Are you sure there's a flight to Austin today? It's almost 5:00."
"Yeah," Amy said, looking at the Amtrak site on her phone. "It looks like there's one I can catch at 7:30."
"Alright, well, take some snacks from our stash for the flight," Laura added.
Stacey threw a two pack of pop tarts at her and Aubrey chucked a bag of pretzels. Amy caught neither of them. The girls chuckled at her lack of coordination.
The van pulled into the airport lot and the goodbyes began.
"We'll miss you," Aubrey said.
"Even Meg," Stacey joked.
Meg nodded and gave her a hug.
"You call if you need anything, okay?" Laura asked.
Amy nodded. "Thanks. I'll see you all in a few weeks, when you're back. Have fun." Amy slid the door shut and ventured toward the station.
She found the ticket kiosk and entered her destination. $152.00. She pulled out her "for emergencies only" credit card. It could've been worse, but still, her mom would not be pleased. She made a mental note to figure out how she'd pay her back.
Ticket in hand and about half an hour until boarding began, Amy plopped herself on one of the benches, munched at some pretzels and began debating who she should ask to pick her up when she arrived at 1:00 am. Shane or Lauren were the easy answers. She wanted to keep her mom in the best mood possible, so she figured Shane was the safest bet.
"I have a favor to ask..." She said when she called.
"You know, when I said I was craving lesbian energy in my life, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into."
"But yes?"
"Of course," he groaned. "I'm just happy to have someone to share the Karma burden with."
"Shane!"
"What? She's been a real downer."
"Her mom has cancer."
"She wasn't complaining about the cancer. She was complaining about you. And how much she missed you and needed you and blah blah blah."
It was like a slap across the face. The realization of what it was going to be like to do this all over again. Amy sighed. "Any advice?" She asked.
"I'll think on it. See you later."
"Thanks, Shane."
Next on her to do list was texting Lauren.
Amy: Coming home tonight. What kind of mood is mom in?
Amy knew her mom wouldn't be mad per se, but she anticipated a "you need to finish what you start" lecture or a "how will this look on your college application" lecture was in her future. She just didn't have the energy to deal with it right now.
Lauren: Call in like an hour. She's watching her soaps right now. It shouldn't be too bad though. I think she'll be sympathetic to the "my best friend's mother has cancer" card.
Amy: Yes but will she be sympathetic to the "my former fake girlfriend's mother has cancer" card…
Lauren: I guess we'll have to see. Do you need me to come get you?
Amy: Shane's on it. Thanks though.
**********************************
"You wanna join in?" Karma's mom shouted from the bathroom. Zen was snipping away at her mom's hair.
"I'm alright," Karma replied.
"It's pretty fun!" Zen shouted back.
"And freeing!" Her mom added.
Karma rolled her eyes. "You two have fun..." She stared at her phone. It was weird that Amy hadn't texted to check in. Karma wondered if she'd lost service again. She turned on the television in attempt to distract herself, but nothing was on.
She caved and whipped out her phone.
Karma: I'm sooo bored. Call me and tell me about your adventures on the road?
Amy saw the text as soon as the plane landed. She didn't want to tell Karma the truth. She tried to think of an excuse.
Amy: Can't call. Meg's sleeping and if I wake her up I will face her wrath.
Karma: Okay :(
Amy: I'll talk to you first thing tomorrow. Hang in there!
Karma: Thanks.
**********************************
Amy impatiently waited as the passengers in front of her got off the plane and then hurried to meet Shane.
"Finally..." He commented. She threw her stuff in the back seat and sat next to him.
"Thank you thank you thank you."
"You owe me one," he said.
Amy chuckled. "I missed you."
"I guess I missed you too," he admitted begrudgingly.
"So any thoughts on the mess I've gotten myself into this time?"
"I think we have to wait. Let's wait until you see her. What she says. How she acts..."
"Are you just stalling?" Amy asked.
"Well it's not like there's a good answer anyway."
"True," Amy replied, disappointment in her voice. She turned up the radio and they rode the last couple of miles in silence.
"Thanks," she said again, exiting the car. "I'll keep you posted on how it goes."
"I'm sure you will…" he said, being his usual snarky self.
"Good night!" She shut the door and crept into her house. When she'd told her mom she was coming home, she'd gotten off without any comments. Just a simple, "alright, Amy. See you later." But she figured waking her mother up in the middle of the night still wasn't the ideal way to stay in her good graces.
She was surprised to see Lauren's light on when she snuck by. "Hey," she whispered. Lauren jumped. "Sorry," Amy said, walking over to give her a hug.
"How're you doing?" Lauren asked.
"I don't know. Okay I guess." Amy paused and decided she just didn't have the energy for this discussion. "I'm going to head to bed. I'm leaving early in the morning tomorrow for the hospital."
Lauren nodded. "Good night."